Steve B the Groundhopper

6.30pm 30 August 2023 York League, Premier Division Cawood 4 Poppleton United 3 (att 36) This was a terrific game for the neutral and one that Cawood supporters enjoyed by the end, but it will have been a hugely frustrating evening for Poppleton. The visitors looked to be coasting to a win when a defensive mix up gifted them a goal five minutes into the second half. That added to two first half goals against a suspect Cawood defence. But a 3-0 lead wasn't enough, as once the home side pulled a goal back the momentum swung decisively in their favour. They quickly added a second goal and then Poppleton were hanging on. The home side's equaliser, and their winner, seemed inevitable by the time they came. It was a frantic end the game, with Cawood reduced to 10 men after a red card and Poppleton trying in vain to hit back. The venue, Cawood Playing Fields, caters for cricket, tennis and bowls as well as football. The pitch is enclosed, with part of each touchline roped off. It'...

6.15pm 29 August 2023 Huddersfield and District League, Division One Saddleworth United 5 Moorside 3 (att 25) Saddleworth United are one of a handful of Huddersfield and District League clubs based on the eastern outskirts of Oldham, in areas that were once part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. From my groundhopping perspective they're within easy reach for a post work journey, and mean I don't have to negotiate the rush hour M62. That said, getting through Oldham's current roadworks is a challenge in itself. I made it to Dobcross, where Saddleworth United are based, in good time, and was rewarded with an entertaining game and plenty of goals. The home side took an early lead, before an excellent volley from distance provided a Moorside equaliser. The home side had the upper hand though, and went back in front, extending their lead to 3-1 by half time. In the second period it became 4-1, before a spirited fightback by the visitors reduced the deficit to 4-3. At that point t...

3pm 28 August 2023 Midland Football League, Division One Shawbury United 1 Ingles 2 (att 38) I decided against a dawn departure in order to squeeze two games into a bank holiday Monday, and settled instead for a relatively easy journey for a single match in Shrewsbury. This might be the season when I finally complete all the grounds in the top six levels of English non-League football, and a visit to Shawbury United's latest home brought the number left to go down to 10. I'm sure even the club would admit their ground, apparently just a temporary base before they get a venue in Shawbury itself, is on the basic side for step six of the pyramid. It's the 'community pitch' adjacent to Shrewsbury Town's ground. A 3G that's floodlit and with a spectator area along one side. A gazebo has been placed to provide a small covered area for spectators seeking shelter. Dugouts are on the far side, and one thing the ground doesn't lack is car parking spaces, at least ...

3pm 26 August 2023 Liverpool County Premier League, Division One Waterloo Grammar School Old Boys 0 South Liverpool III 4 (att 11) After my earlier game it was no more than five minutes by car to the Liverpool County FA ground in Sefton for match number two. It'd probably take no longer on foot, but vehicles have to take the long way round. I've twice seen games at the Sefton ground before, most recently in 2011 when I watched Sacre Couer FP  on a grass pitch near the entrance. The 3G pitch, used by Waterloo GSOB, is a newer addition. It's very early days for this league and so hard to know what to expect. South Liverpool's third team had drawn their opening fixture, whereas Waterloo were playing their first game. It took a penalty about midway through the first half to separate the sides. They'd been evenly matched until then, but once South Liverpool were in front they kept the upper hand. It took until the second half before they scored again, but two goals in qu...

1pm 26 August 2023 Liverpool County Premier League, Division Two Forefield Rangers 11 Anny Road 1 (att 9) I wanted to stay fairly close to to home today so when I spotted the potential for an easy double, games at 1pm and 3pm on unvisited grounds just a short distance apart, my mind was made up. A flooding-related closure of the M57, and at least one nearby road I tried in vain to divert along, made getting to Chesterfield High School in Crosby far more stressful than it should have been. Eventually I pulled into the car park a couple of minutes ahead of the scheduled start, and a further couple of minutes before the actual kick off. The home side started slowly, and conceded the first goal. It didn't take them long to equalise, and from then on they looked inevitable winners. They went ahead, and then got a third goal just before half time. The second period was as one-sided as football gets, with eight more Forefield goals. Credit though to Anny Road, who kept going until the end...

6.30pm 23 August 2023 Northern Alliance, Premier Division Haltwhistle Jubilee 3 West Moor and Jesmond 1 (att 100) It wasn't much of a diversion to break my journey home from a work trip to Scotland to return via Haltwhistle, a Northumbrian town not too far from Carlisle. Haltwhistle Jubilee, who take their name from a pub in the town, have climbed through the divisions of the Northern Alliance. This is their third season in the top flight, and they've made a good start. This win propelled them to second in the table, behind the leaders only on goal difference. Two first half goals, and a third after the break, were enough to see off West Moor and Jesmond. The visitors responded with a well-taken penalty, but never looked like getting back into the game. Haltwhistle Jubilee play at The Burn, a very pleasant venue on the edge of the town. There's a single pitch which is enclosed, fenced off on three sides, and has a pair of dugouts. A programme, which doubled as prize draw ti...

6.45pm 22 August 2023 Perthshire Amateur League, League Cup, Group 4 Kettins 10 Bridgeton United 1 (att 22) A few days in Dundee for work gave me the opportunity to visit a game that would normally be way out of reach for a midweek evening. I picked Kettins from the night's Perthshire Amateur fixtures as it was the closest game to my temporary base. It was a trouble-free 30 minute drive from the centre of Dundee. The match was a little late getting underway, but there was no slow start by the hosts. From the kick off they went forward, won a corner, and scored from it. A second goal soon followed, and they were 4-0 up after just 20 minutes. The Perthshire Amateur League Cup begins with a group stage. Kettins, who play in division one, had scored nine in winning their opening fixture, and knew victory against division two Bridgeton would see them into the knock out stage. Bridgeton had apparently been free scoring in winning their opening division two matches, so I expected a closer...

2.30pm 19 August 2023 Scottish FA, South Challenge Cup, First Round Linton Hotspur 3 Livingston United 5 aet (att 101) I needed to head north this weekend for work-related reasons, so took the opportunity to get another step closer to completing visits to all the clubs in Scotland's football pyramid. Linton Hotspur are among the latest additions to that list, having joined the East of Scotland League after playing amateur football in the Lothian and Edinburgh League. So far the step up has proved a tough one, with three defeats from three in the league and a cup defeat. This cup tie gave them a realistic chance of a positive result though, against a Livingston United side with one league point and just a place above them in the table. Sadly for Linton it ended in another defeat, but it took extra time to separate the teams and, for the neutral, it was a great game to watch. Livingston scored first but it didn't take the home side long to level. At 1-1 Linton were in the ascende...