Steve B the Groundhopper

3pm  28 December 2021 National League, North Boston United 1 Brackley Town 3 (att 2,138) I was making a post-Christmas return journey between Manchester and London regardless, so once other options were postponed, due to Covid and a waterlogged pitch, it made sense to travel home via Boston United's new home. The Jakemans Community Stadium has the feel of a work in progress, with stands on just three sides at present. They're three good sides though, with an all-seater main stand, and two covered terraces. I don't keep a very close eye on football at this level, so I was surprised to realise that Brackley Town went into this game top of the National League North. They stayed in pole position thanks to a deserved win that was built on two first half goals. They had the better of the opening period, and took their chances. Boston had the occasional bright moment, but rarely looked like scoring. The home side started the second half more positively, but Brackley held firm and ...

7.45pm  22 December 2021 English Football League Cup, Quarter-final Brentford 0 Chelsea 2 (att 16,577) I grew up close enough to Griffin Park to consider Brentford my local 'proper' team. I was never a supporter as such, but I used to go quite often and have retained a soft spot for the club. That they're now in the top flight still surprises me, having grown up on a diet of third and fourth division games. It also made getting a ticket for the new Brentford Community Stadium a challenge. Cup matches are usually a good bet for getting tickets though. Seats for this west London derby never went on general sale, but it was still possible to get one, albeit in someone else’s name. New grounds can be bland, but Brentford's is impressive. Good use has been made of the limited space available on a parcel of land close to Kew Bridge station. The design is striking, and sets it apart from other new-builds in the professional leagues. Carabao Cup ties are often an chance for Pre...

1.30pm  18 December 2021 West of Scotland League, Conference B Glasgow United 3 Gartcairn 2 (att 70) The days seem numbered for Glasgow United's Greenfield Park ground, as the club  has announced plans to relocate. It's potential demise put it high on my list for a visit, but I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever make it. A planned visit earlier in the season was scuppered after foxes damaged the pitch, and in the days leading up to this game it looked as if the latest wave of covid would be a threat. The fixture survived that, but I arrived to find the ground shrouded in fog. Luckily the entire pitch was just about visible. Once the game kicked off I kept my fingers crossed the conditions wouldn't deteriorate and cause an abandonment. I needn't have worried. Although visibility was poor throughout, and got worse as the match reached its exciting conclusion, there were no problems playing the full 90 minutes. Gartcairn had the better of opening exchanges, and it was...

3pm  11 December 2021 Northern Ireland Football League, Championship Harland and Wolff Welders 2 Ards 1 (att 230) Harland and Wolff Welders have moved a few yards along Holywood Road, from Tillysburn Park to a rebuilt Blanchflower Stadium, requiring a trip to Belfast for me to recomplete the Northern Irish league. A new build with an artificial pitch often results in an underwhelming experience, but the Welders' new home bucks the trend. It looks to have been designed to be suitable should the club be promoted to the top flight. They're in the mix this season, and did their chances no harm with an excellent win against fellow promotion challengers Ards. Harland and Wolff's opener was against the run of play, and was the only goal of an enjoyable first half. I'd expected Ards, cheered on by at least half the crowd, to hit back after the break, but it was the home side who scored next, doubling their lead soon after the restart. Ards fans had hope when they got a goal bac...

10.15am  11 December 2021 Ballymena Saturday Morning League, Division 1 Connor 2 Carniny Amateur and Youth 3 (att 24) It's been a few years since I last watched a Ballymena Saturday Morning League game. They're a useful way of passing time ahead of a main match in the afternoon, but that does the competition a disservice. The standard of football, especially in the top division, is good, and it was worth an early start to drive up from Dublin in time for this match. Such was the heavy rain in Northern Ireland I was relieved to see players warming up when I arrived. The pitch was heavy and the rain was relentless, but Connor and Carniny provided a very good game that made me almost forget how soaked I was getting. Carniny began well, and two early goals looked to have set them on the way to a win. But Connor recovered from their poor start and deserved the goal they pulled back before half time. It was 2-2 soon after the break, and at that stage Connor looked favourites to go on...

8pm  10 December 2021 Leinster Senior League, Senior Division 1B Mid Sutton Sportslink 1 Usher Celtic 2 (att 27) I’d expected to have a wide choice of Friday night games in the Leinster Senior League, but a surprisingly thin fixture list and a postponement left this fourth tier match as my highest level new ground. A caged artificial pitch in a sports complex in Santry, north Dublin, may not be a very interesting venue, but this was a good game for the level. High-flowing Usher went into the match top of the division having failed to win just two of their 15 league fixtures, while Mid Sutton are in a relegation fight, with a single victory so far. Usher dominated from the start, and it looked like being a busy night for the Mid Sutton defence. The visitors played some neat football and created plenty of chances, without going ahead. It was a surprise that we reached the 37th minute without an Usher goal, and an even bigger surprise that after 37 minutes the opening goal was scored ...

2pm  4 December 2021 West Midlands Regional League, Division One Wyrley United 1 Gornal Athletic 3 (att 60) The West Midlands Regional League has lost its premier division, which was at step six of the non-League pyramid, and its top tier now is division one, at step seven. In terms of facilities and playing standards it's probably one of the best leagues at that level, and Gornal Athletic remain top after a hard-fought but ultimately comfortable win at Wyrley. They didn't look much like a table-topping team at the start of the match, as Wyrley had the better of the opening exchanges, but once they clicked into gear they always had the edge over their hosts. Gornal's opening goal came about five minutes before half time, but they were quickly pegged back by a Wyrley leveller in first half stoppage time. The second period was more decisively in favour of the visitors. They went back in front soon after the restart, and made the game safe with a third goal about 15 minutes fr...