Steve B the Groundhopper

6.30pm  31 August 2021 West Lancashire League, Premier Division Thornton Cleveleys 1 Poulton 0 (att 89) Thornton Cleveleys' relocation to Fleetwood Town's Poolfoot Farm complex seems to have gone a little under the radar. It's early days and a work in progress, but it was a chance for me to visit a third different pitch at the venue. The new ground has a grass surface and is situated behind the pair of 3G pitches. One side is railed off, hard standing is being laid, and there's a pair of dugouts, currently roofless. Future plans apparently include additional pitches, car parking and their own clubhouse. It sounds promising, and a lot better than my initial fears that Thornton Cleveleys would just move onto one of Poolfoot Farm's existing 3G pitches. It may have been the last day of August, but on a damp and gloomy evening it felt more like watching a match in autumn. A goalless draw looked a certainty until the home side's winner just three minutes from time. Th...

3pm  30 August 2021 Midland Football League, Division Two Redditch Borough 0 Inkberrow 2 (att 131) Another sizeable bank holiday crowd for a match in the Midland Football League, this time at third tier Redditch Borough. The club is based at what was the sports ground of local aerospace company Mettis. These days it's the Redditch Borough Community Sports and Social Club, and the main football pitch is better equipped than many at this level. There are no floodlights, not yet at least, but there are four covered areas for spectators dotted around the pitch, one on each side and two at one end. A railed off pitch, dugouts, advertising boards and even a flagpole all give it the feel of a proper ground. On the pitch Redditch Borough have work to do. A goal in each half was enough for Inkberrow to win, and to leave the home side bottom of the division with nothing to show from their opening four fixtures.

12 midday  30 August 2021 Midland Football League, Division Three AFC Coventry Rangers 8 Central Ajax 2 (att 103) Opportunities to see more than one match on a bank holiday seem to get rarer by the year, so it was no surprise that this lunchtime start attracted a larger crowd than you'd expect for the level. That said, there were plenty of local supporters as well as the influx of groundhoppers. AFC Coventry Rangers seem to be making impressive strides in their short existence. The club was formed a year ago, and did will enough in a curtailed debut season to earn a place in division three of the Midland Football League. Visitors Central Ajax are well established at this level, and looked likely to get three point when their early superiority was rewarded with the opening goal. But a penalty levelled the score, and with momentum behind them Rangers were transformed. The spot kick was the first of five goals inside 10 minutes, four of them by the same player, to give the hosts a 5-1...

1pm  28 August 2021 North Caledonian League Alness United 4 Bonar Bridge 4 (att 44) I had hoped to watch Bonar Bridge v Alness United, but delays refurbishing Bonar Bridge's facilities meant the match was reversed late on to become an Alness home game. Bonar Bridge appeared to be missing their home comforts during a first half in which they conceded four goals. Alness looked dominant after an early penalty put them on course for a comfortable lead. When the visitors did get forward the Alness defence looked suspect, but it still seemed it'd be little more than a consolation when Bonar Bridge pulled a goal back just before half time. The second half was different story though. Alness rarely threatened to increase their lead while Bonar Bridge gradually chiselled away at the three goal gap. By the time they made it 4-3 their equaliser was almost inevitable. Both sides had chances to get a winner in the closing moments but they had to settle for a point apiece. It'll feel more...

6.45pm  27 August 2021 North East Scotland League, League Two Boddam United 0 Macduff 9 (att 35) The North East Scotland League is almost at the end of its summer season and this was a bit of dead rubber. But with Boddam not having had a team for a few years, and the club winless, I thought I'd visit just in case they fail to reappear in 2022. They were well beaten, predictably, but they had a full side and plenty of local support on the touchlines, which bodes well for the future. In fact they were in the game for the first 40 minutes. It took Macduff until midway through the opening half to take the lead, and Boddam looked capable of adding to their solitary point so far this season until they conceded a second five minutes before half time. By the time the break arrived they'd conceded two more. Macduff's fourth, on the stroke of half time, was a comically cruel own goal after a sliced clearance spun back towards the goalkeeper and bounced over him into the net. Macduff...

  6.30pm  25 August 2021 Lancashire Amateur League, Division Two Saddleworth 3Ds 1 Blackburn Eagles 2 (att 34) Way back before any of us had heard of coronavirus I'd began to think about a landmark venue to visit for my 5,000th football ground. A trip to Buenos Aires to watch Boca Juniors was high on the list. Then covid stopped football, made international travel next to impossible and left me with little idea when I might reach that figure. And so it transpired that my 5,000th football ground was an amateur game on a hill above Oldham. While it's not quite a match for Boca's La Bombonera stadium, Saddleworth 3Ds' Counthill Road ground isn't without charm. The views across to Manchester are memorable, with city centre skyscrapers visible in the distance. It's a new venue for Saddleworth 3Ds, a club with a focus on youth as well as senior football. The 3Ds in the name are Delph, Dobcross and Denshaw, the communities from where the club originally drew its player...

6.15pm  24 August 2021 Huddersfield and District League, Division One Scholes 3 Shepley 0 (att 22) I had a choice of Huddersfield League games this evening, but by a quirk of the fixture list many were in and around Holmfirth. I settled on Scholes as it was in the top division. Like many venues in this league it's rural. If I hadn't spotted players making their way to the pitch I might not have found the way in. From the road there's a gap in an overgrown verge, where steep steps lead up to a rickety stile, beyond which is the field containing the pitch. Facilities are limited to a single dugout, or perhaps it's a tiny stand. It has a sign with the club's name on it, and goal nets and corner flags in the club colours help turn the field into a football ground. The setting is scenic. Scholes got off to a perfect start when a deflected shot gave them a second minute lead. They soon added a second goal and it looked as if Shepley were in for a tough evening. The game b...

3pm  21 August 2021 Eastern Counties League, Division One North Framlingham Town 1 Whittlesey Athletic 1 (att 45) It's a long way from Manchester to Framlingham, which is one reason why it was left as the penultimate ground I needed to complete the Eastern Counties League's three divisions. The Badingham Road ground has floodlights, but the thought of a long and late drive home after a midweek game has never appealed. So, on a day when heading east was the best way to avoid the forecast heavy rain, it made some sort of sense to go to Suffolk. I knew little about Framlingham, but it's an attractive small town with an impressive castle. The castle attracts tourists, helped my other half pass the time while I was at the match, and provides a nickname for the football club. The Castlemen came from behind to earn a point against Whittlesey, who have made the lateral switch from the United Counties League to the Eastern Counties League. The first half's best moment was a Fram...