Steve B the Groundhopper

1.30pm 28 May 2022 Doncaster Saturday League, Division One Old Club 4 AFC Bentley development 0 (att 28) Yet another Doncaster League game, although this fixture came to my rescue after my planned match in the Yorkshire Amateur League was a late cancellation. I arrived at Old Club's Stainforth base in time for the advertised midday kick off, only to find it had been rescheduled for 1.30pm. Better to be early than late, and at least I had a game to see. For an end-of-season season fixture with little at stake it wasn't a bad game. Old Club, who take their name from a nearby social club, were comfortable winners, scoring twice in each half. Their two first half goals were very impressive, and a young AFC Bentley side also played their part in an entertaining 90 minutes. Old Club play at Stainforth Welfare Ground. I assume it was once a sports facility for workers employed at the local colliery. These days there's a central pavilion that houses the changing rooms, and a few pi...

7pm 26 May 2022 Doncaster Saturday League, Division One Upton United Juniors 3 Kinsley Boys reserves 2 (att 35) My second Doncaster League game in the space of three days, and if the fixture list is correct there may more to come next week. This match was a dead rubber featuring the league's bottom two sides. The lack of quality showed at times, but that didn't prevent it being an entertaining 90 minutes. There was little to choose between the teams. Upton scored early and always had the edge. Their opener was the only first half goal, and it was cancelled out by a Kinsley equaliser just a minute after the break. Upton got back in front, but Kinsley came back to level again, before the home side finally secured the points with what turned out to be the winner. Despite the win they're destined to finish bottom. As their name suggests, Upton United Juniors focus mainly on youth football. They have an impressive home ground, with a pavilion housing changing rooms and a  bar, a...

6.30pm 24 May 2022 Doncaster Saturday League, Division One Airmyn 3 ISG Doncaster 2 (att 23) Like last year the Doncaster League is again a good source of late season fixtures, although the biggest challenge is finding out where clubs play. Airmyn is a village near Goole. The football club began the season playing in the town but have relocated, for now a least, to Selby. They're using a pitch on the large playing field of Selby College, which is as basic at it sounds. The table on the league website suggests some sort of play-offs for teams finishing just below the top two in the second tier, although the format, or when matches might be played, is anyone's guess. Whatever happens these two sides are at least on course to finish in play-off spots. Airmyn led, went behind, and then came back to win a lively and entertaining encounter. They were well on top early on, and took a single goal lead into half time. ISG Doncaster, whose players are predominantly, or maybe entirely, Po...

1.30pm 21 May 2022 North Wales Coast West League, Division One Cup, Quarter-Final Mountain Rangers 2 Caergybi 3 (att 35) It's getting to the point when games on unvisited grounds can be hard to come by. But a cup quarter-final at a scenic venue on the edge of Snowdonia would be a decent destination at any time. It was a good contest as well, with visitors Caergybi coming back from 2-0 down to earn a place in the last four. Mountain Rangers scored twice in two minutes early on, although both goals were against the run of play. The away side hit back with two quick goals of their own, all in the opening 30 minutes. The rest of the match was quieter, at least in terms of goals. It was a hard-fought encounter, and it was settled by a 79th minute Caergybi winner. Mountain Rangers are based in the village of Rhosgadfan, near Caernarfon. The pitch is tightly hemmed in, and other than a small shelter in a corner near the entrance it's one-sided for spectators. The views are good though...

6.50pm 19 May 2022 Midlands Regional Alliance, Division One Willington 11 Burton United 1 (att 16) This game had a light-hearted end-of-season feel to it, although Willington will have enjoyed their evening much more than Burton United. It could have been worse for the visitors though. They conceded three goals in the first four minutes, and a fourth by the 10th minute, After a start like that they might have been relieved to trail by just 6-0 at half time. Burton's consolation goal came at 7-0 down, and Willington could easily had added more than the 11 they finished with. I last saw a Willington home game in 2009, when they played in the village. These days they play a short distance away in Hatton. There's a car park, social club and a playing field with two football pitches. This game was played on the furthest away of the pair.

6.45pm 17 May 2022 Westmorland League, Division Three Milnthorpe Town 3 Ullswater United 5 (att 12) Ullswater needed three points to confirm their promotion and to retain pole position in the race for the title. They got them but they made hard work of it, especially in the first half. Milnthorpe Town are coming to the end of their first season in the Westmorland League. They had little to play for against Ullswater, but that didn't show as they scored twice before their opponents got going. Ullswater pulled a goal back before half time but it took until the second period before they properly hit their stride. Once they did so a 2-1 deficit soon became a 4-2 lead. Milnthorpe kept the game interesting by pulling a goal back, before a fifth for the away side confirmed their win and their promotion. Milnthorpe play a few miles north of the town in the village of Heversham. The facility belongs to a local school and is a large playing field with a car park and a modern pavilion.

6.30pm 16 May 2022 Wakefield and District League, Premier Division Ambience 7 Royston Ring o'Bells 1 (att 70) Ambience went into this needing a win to finish as champions. A single point would almost certainly be enough unless rivals Fryston, playing at the same time, scored an unlikely number of goals. Any Ambience nerves were calmed by a fifth minute goal, and any potential jeopardy was effectively ended when they extended their lead to 3-0 as early as the tenth minute. There were no more goals until the second half, when two in quick succession 10 minutes after the restart made it 5-0. Royston pulled one back but it was just a consolation, as Ambience scored two more before the end. The final score was harsh on Royston, who put up a decent effort and kept battling to the end. Apparently Ambience is a social club in Pontefract, where they'll no doubt be celebrating their footballers winning the Wakefield League. The football club plays on tree-lined park pitch in nearby Ferry...

10.30am 14 May 2022 Merseyside Christian League Bridge Chapel 12 St Vincent de Paul 2 (att 11) This was just my second experience of Merseyside's Saturday morning league, having already been to most of the venues used by its single division of 13 teams. Bridge Chapel play at Liverpool University's Wyncote Sports Ground. It's a ground I've twice seen games at before, but neither of those were on the 3G pitch used for this fixture. The caged pitch is adjacent to an artificial hockey pitch, which covers the former grass pitch where I saw Liverpool University against Sheffield Hallam in 2004. I returned for another university match in 2010, seeing Liverpool take on Chester on 'pitch one'. The 3G is typical of such set-ups. It's floodlit and there's a spectator area running the full length of one side. It's hard to judge the quality of a league, or of teams, from a single match, especially when it's as one-sided as this, but Bridge Chapel made the mos...