Steve B the Groundhopper

2pm 11 April  2026 Southern Combination League, Division Two Upper Beeding 4 Worthing Town 0 (att 46) Upper Beeding recently announced their first team would be leaving their ground in the village to share at nearby Steyning Town, a move that would allow them to be promoted. That put a visit the Upper Beeding Recreation Ground on my 'to do' list for this season. This game was listed for 3pm, but was then brought forward an hour so the club's reserves could play at home after the first team. Usual delays on the M25 meant getting to the Sussex village in time for the earlier start time was a challenge, but I eventually made it with just a few minutes to spare. Although it's a shame when a football club moves away from its base, there's no way the ground in Upper Beeding could ever be enclosed and equipped with the facilities required for higher levels of football. The pitch is railed off on three sides, where it is also bordered by a public footpath. The fourth side, ...

2pm 28 March  2026 Southern Combination League, Premier Division Guernsey 6 Peacehaven and Telscombe 0 (att 1,553) Some grounds are more challenging to visit than others. Getting to Guernsey isn't difficult, but it is costly and takes some planning to reduce the risk of fixture changes or late postponements. I picked late March hoping that the worst of the winter weather would be over, and that distractions such as the FA Vase or FA Cup wouldn't mean any late rescheduling of matches. Guernsey's Victoria Park only opened a year ago. Unlike its Footes Lane predecessor, which I visited the last time I was on the island in 2011 , it has an artificial surface, which meant the risk of rain was one less thing to worry about. Apart from a brief shower ahead of kick off it was dry on Saturday afternoon, with just a strong and chilly wind to contend with. It rained goals though, and the visitors from Sussex were on the receiving end. Guernsey and Peacehaven are both likely to be in t...

3pm 4 October  2025 Southern Combination League, Division One Ringmer AFC 0 Godalming Town 1 (att 85) I had hoped the impact of Storm Amy would be diminished by the time I reached the East Sussex village of Ringmer, but this was another game in which the conditions were dominant. Godalming Town, unbeaten league leaders, played into the wind in the first half. While their superior quality was evident, and they were dangerous when they attacked, it was the home side who had more chances. They failed to score though, and then shortly before half time an ugly fracas, which included punches being thrown, resulted in a red card for each team. Five minutes into the second half we had a third sending off. The Ringmer keeper kicked out at a Godalming player as he jumped up to gather an attempted through ball. The visitors scored the penalty that followed but, despite having both a numerical advantage and the stiff breeze behind them, they were unable to add any more goals. Ringmer's nine me...