Steve B the Groundhopper

2pm  26 October 2019 North Lancashire and District League, Sam Price Memorial Cup, First Round College 2 Marsh United 5 (att 24) College AFC's move away from the college they take their name and badge from has gone a little under the radar, not helped by the North Lancashire League's website providing scant information about venues. They've moved from Lancaster and Morecambe College to an artificial pitch at Heysham Mossgate. Not an interesting ground to visit, but on a very wet day it at least guaranteed the match would be played. The Sam Price Memorial Cup is for teams in the league's top division, down to just 11 since the surprising (to me at least) recent withdrawal of Lancaster-based  Mayfield United . Marsh moved into the quarter-finals with a win that was mostly comfortable. They were well on top in the first half, scoring three times without reply. In the second period they added a fourth, but then had to withstand a spirited College fightback, as th...

2pm  19 October 2019 Central Wales FA, J. Emrys Morgan Cup, First Round Talybont 0 Brecon Corinthians 12 (at 12) During the summer Brecon Corinthians switched from the South Wales FA to the Central Wales FA. It made sense geographically, and appeared to give the club a simpler route to the higher levels of Welsh football, which is currently part-way through a major re-organisation. So far the move is paying dividends. Corries are much too strong for most - in fact probably all - of their opponents in the Mid Wales South League. They've already won games by 20-0 and 27-0, and will surely win the league easily. I'd say they're also clear favourites for the J. Emrys Morgan Cup, a competition for Mid Wales sides playing below the top four tiers of domestic football. Talybont, from the top division of the Aberystwyth League were no match for them. It took 10 minutes for the visitors to go in front, and despite a spirited effort by the hosts the gap had widened to 7-0 ...

7.45pm  16 October 2019 Nottinghamshire Senior Cup, First Round Newark Town 2 Clifton All Whites 2, 4-3 on penalties (att 115) The opening of Newark Town's new ground this season was a useful addition to the limited number of new venues that are within reach after work, and a welcome move into the town itself for a club that had been groundsharing at nearby Collingham. It's a venue that most groundhoppers will visit out of duty rather than desire, at least until a covered spectator area, mentioned in the programme, is erected. At present it's just a enclosed and floodlit artificial pitch. On the plus side the only pitch markings are for football, and there's plenty of space for spectators around all four sides. That was just as well, as this cup tie attracted a larger crowd than I'd expected. It was a lively game. Clifton play a level higher than the hosts and looked sharper in front of goal but created fewer chances. Twice they led, but both times Newark...

3pm  12 October 2019 FA Vase, First Round Punjab United 0 Newhaven 3 (att 42) Punjab's progress to 'step five' of the Non-League pyramid - the top division of the Southern Counties East League - has been rapid. So rapid that they're one of very few at this level I'd never been to. I put that right as Gravesend was an ideal destination, in terms of distance and journey time, after my earlier game near Bedford. An FA Vase tie against Newhaven also looked an attractive fixture. Punjab have had a tough start to this season, and they won't have the Vase to distract them any further after they were well beaten by their Sussex visitors. It was decent game, but Newhaven always had the edge. They led 1-0 at half time, and added a second soon after the break. Punjab's slim hopes ended with a red card mid way through the second period, and a third goal for Newhaven settled things. Punjab Unuted's Manak Stadium is on the southern outskirts of the Kent t...

10.30am  12 October 2019 Bedfordshire County League, Division Three Real Haynes 7 Blunham 0 (att 196) It may have been Non-League Day but that wasn't the sole explanation for a crowd of almost 200 to line a village recreation ground pitch for a game in the fourth tier of the Bedfordshire County League. It was also the opening attraction of the league's annual 'hop'. I needed all of the day's hop venues, but rather than watch three fixtures in the same division I opted for just the morning match before heading elsewhere for a different matchday experience. This was a enjoyable start to the day though, and the home side played some good football as they totally dominated their visitors. Credit to Blunham for keeping going, but Real Haynes could well have got comfortably into double figures. As it was they had to settle for three goals before half time and another four more after, and had a penalty saved as well. Real Haynes are a relatively new club, buil...

2.30pm  5 October 2019 Middlesex County League, Premier Division Stonewall 1 Pitshanger Dynamo 1 (att 12) After my lunchtime game at Barn Elms Sports Centre it was just a short walk to the adjacent Barn Elms Playing Fields for this fixture. I even had time for pre-match (or post-match) pint in the nearby Red Lion pub. There are lots of pitches at Barn Elms Playing Fields - one of them was staging Stonewall's second team game - but the club's first eleven use the 'stadium pitch'. It's enclosed, surrounded by a running track, and has a small stand. Stonewall bill themselves as 'the most successful LGBT football club in the world', and it'd be hard to argue. They've been going close to 30 years and this season they're back at 'step seven' following promotion to the Middlesex League's top flight. They also compete internationally, winning a Europe-wide LGBT tournament in Rome this summer. The visit of Pitshanger Dynamo for a Mi...

12 midday  5 October 2019 Arthurian League, Division Five South Old Eastbournians 3 Old Kingstonians KGS 1 (att 3) I was groundhopping by public transport having stayed on in London following a work trip, so games on adjacent sports grounds, one at noon at the other at 2.30pm, was a perfect itinerary. It did mean dropping to the lowest level of the Arthurian League for the first time, but at least it was a fixture between two first teams and the entertainment made up for what the match lacked in quality. Old Eastbournians have suffered two successive relegations to this level, but are at least assured that they can't fall any further. They got their first win of the season after coming from behind against Kingstonians. It was 2-1 by half time, and in a game of plenty of plenty of chances the biggest surprise was there was just a single second half goal. For a spell towards end Eastbournians had two players sin-binned at the same time, but even with with a temporary two...