Steve B the Groundhopper

5pm 3 October  2026 Welsh Amateur Trophy, Second Round Llanishen 1 Cwmbran Celtic 4 (att 119) Llanishen's Amateur Trophy clash with Cwmbran Celtic was moved to the unusual time of 5pm to allow for rugby. The club shares an artificial pitch with Llanishen RFC, who also had a home game. Like the hosts in my earlier game, Splott Albion, Llanishen are also newly-promoted into the South Wales Premier League. Unlike Splott Albion, Llanishen were underdogs in their tie. Visitors Cwmbran Celtic were relegated last season, after several years in the second tier of Welsh football. Now in the Ardal League, they went into this game three levels higher than Llanishen. The dominated the opening minutes, and an early goal looked like it might be the first of many. But Llanishen, backed by a good crowd, recovered well and kept the score at 0-1 to half time. By the start of the second half the hosts' had grown in confidence, and they deserved their equaliser which came with just under an hour p...

2pm 3 October  2026 Welsh Amateur Trophy, Second Round Splott Albion 7 Aberystwyth Exiles 1 (att 45) Having gone three weekends without a game - one at a wedding and two on a football-free holiday - I was keen to get to a couple of matches on my return. Once I spotted a 5pm kick off among the FA of Wales Amateur Trophy second round fixtures it made sense to head to South Wales. I chose Splott Albion on the basis that it was a short and easy journey to the later game. Back in 2008 I saw Splott Albion play on one of the many pitches at the Cardiff University sports ground. These days they play at Splott Park, also known, for sponsorship reasons, at the Gate Systems Arena. A railed off pitch in the park has been enclosed by a fence. There's a pair of modern dugouts on one side and an obsolete older pair opposite. Changing rooms are in a building that includes a bar, and in the corner near the entrance there's a snack bar and some picnic tables. I expected Splott Albion, newly-prom...