Steve B the Groundhopper

3pm 7 March  2026 Northern Ireland Football League, Premier Intermediate League Strabane Athletic 2 Moyola Park 1 (att 170) The main reason for a day trip to Northern Ireland was to visit to Strabane Athletic, who after winning promotion have this season joined the Northern Ireland Football League's third tier. An imminent restructure means they'll have to secure a top four finish to remain an NIFL club next season, which would see them promoted to an expanded second tier Championship division. The remaining 10 Premier Intermediate League teams, to be joined by two newcomers, will form the top flight of a new National Conference League. Two more Conference divisions will be added from 2027/28. All that meant that this was an important win for Strabane, and a surprising one as they came from behind to beat league leaders Moyola Park. The goals were all in the first half. The visitors went ahead after 22 minutes from a free kick that the home keeper should have kept out. But Stra...

10.15am 7 March  2026 Ballymena Saturday Morning League, Rainey Cup, 2nd Round Waveney Swifts 0 Sixmile Athletic 2 (att 18) A day trip by plane to recomplete the Northern Ireland Football League, but an early arrival meant I had time to take in a game in the Ballymena Saturday Morning League ahead of the main event. The Rainey Cup is the league cup, featuring sides from all three divisions. Both these are midtable in the second tier, but Antrim-based Sixmile started as favourites having lost only once in the league so far. Two goals, after 15 and 55 minutes, were enough for them to ease into the third round. Their progress was rarely threatened, although they came close to conceding as the game became scrappy in the closing minutes. Waveney are based, unsurprisingly, at the Waveney Playing Fields in Ballymena. There are two football pitches, on a plateau beyond a modern community centre. This game was played on the furthest pitch, which looked to be the larger of the two. It's just...