Steve B the Groundhopper

6.30pm 1 April  2025 Peterborough and District League, Premier Division Crowland Town 2 FC Peterborough reserves 2 (att 65) After a weekend of watching football in Serbia it was back to more familiar territory for my first early evening midweek game following the clocks going forward. Some groundhoppers call this time of year the 'silly season', as it opens up opportunities to visit local low level games that probably wouldn't on their itinerary for a Saturday afternoon. With few options to choose from I took advantage of a day off work to travel a bit further, and to visit a team possibly closing in on the Peterborough and District League title. Crowland Town are third in the league with games in hand on the sides above them. But they need to win those games and two dropped points at home to FC Peterborough reserves could be a fatal blow to their hopes. They started well enough, going ahead thanks to a penalty after 33 minutes. But the game had been even up to that point, ...

7.30pm 30 March  2025 Serbia, Super Liga Železničar Pančevo 1 Čukarički 2 (att 700) Our final game of the weekend was a return to the top division, and the furthest we  travelled from the centre of Belgrade. Železničar are based in the town of Pančevo, and infrequent public transport meant we needed a taxi to reach it from our afternoon game at Zemun. We got to the stadium about 30 minutes before kick off, and were then pleasantly surprised to be told that entry was free, at least to the stand we were heading towards. With tickets being universally cheap it won't have saved us much money, but at least we were spared the sometimes complex and admin-heavy process of buying a ticket. Both teams were battling for places in the top half of the post-split season, and it turned out to be the liveliest game of the weekend. An early goal put  Čukarički in front.  Železničar had a great chance to equalise when they were awarded a 14th minute penalty, but the spot kick came bac...

4pm 30 March  2025 Serbia, Prva Liga Zemun 1 Voždovac 2 (att 500) The prva - or first - league is the second tier of Serbian football and is a single division covering the whole country. Zemun is a suburb across the Sava river from central Belgrade, Like everywhere in the city, or so it seems, it's easily accessible on public transport that's free to use. The Gradski Stadion Zemun is a horseshoe layout, with a raised VIP area on one side that provides an elevated view for the important people and, underneath, some cover for ordinary spectators. The opposite side was reserved for visiting fans, who arrived en masse a few minutes into the game, while Zemun's 'ultras' have a section behind the goal. Tickets cost less than £3. It was an even first half, but two goals just before half time swung the match in favour of  Voždovac. Zemun pulled a goal back midway through the second half. They then pushed hard for an equaliser but rarely looked like getting it.

11am 30 March  2025 Serbia, Prva Beogradska Liga, Group A OFK Žarkovo 1 Dunav Veliko Selo 6 (att 40) We dropped down to the fifth tier of Serbian football for a Sunday morning fixture. The suburb of  Žarkovo is within an easy bus ride of the city centre, and had a team playing in the second division as recently as 2022. Financial problems then caused OFK  Žarkovo to drop down the leagues, and a further fall seems certain as they went into this match pointless at the bottom of the division. As expected it was an easy win for Dunav. They scored three times in each half, and should have netted more, especially in the first half when they were guilty of missing easy chances. Dunav's fourth goal was in the opening minute of the second half, and was followed by  Žarkovo's single goal. Neither team was helped by the state of a very poor pitch. Zarkovo's ground is a curious one. Most spectators were restricted to a few rows of uncovered seating built onto the side of a build...

4.30pm 29 March  2025 Serbia, Super Liga Partizan Beograd 0 TSC Bačka Topola 0 (att 1,990) After the morning game we had ample time for a stroll through the city centre, a stop for a beer and to head back to the hotel for a while before catching a bus out to our main game of the weekend. Partizan, along with fierce city rivals Red Star, are the dominant forces in Serbian football. This year Red Star are running away with the league title, leaving Partizan a distant second, and the rest way behind both. That might explain the small crowd and rather lacklustre performance from the home side. The Partizan 'ultras' did their best with continuous vocal support, and a small group of away fans also made themselves heard, but it was a low-key afternoon. An early shot just over from TSC was a rare first half highlight. Both teams showed more attacking intent after the break, but at best they created just half chances. It was a game that was destined to end nil nil long before the final ...

11am 29 March  2025 Serbia, Srpska Liga Belgrade GSP Polet Dorćol 1 Teleoptik 2 (att 130) A weekend in Belgrade to tick off the 45th of the 55 UEFA members nations began, from football perspective at least, with a Saturday morning game just a short walk from the city centre  Wikipedia tells me the GSP Polet Dor ćol  was formed in 2017 after a merger between GSP Polet and FK Dor ćol. They're in Serbian football's third tier, which is divided into four regional divisions. Admission was 200 dinars, just less than £1.50, and for that we were treated to a reasonably entertaining game. An even first half ended goalless, with the best chances being a shot apiece that both went over the bar. Teleoptik broke the deadlock early in the second half, and having got on top they went on to double their lead. The home side pulled a goal back late on to set up a decent finish, but despite plenty of pressure they couldn't manage an equaliser. Polet Dor ćol's home ground is close to the c...