Steve B the Groundhopper

2.30pm 12 October 2024 St Piran League, Premier Division West Perranwell 1 St Just 0 (att 15) I last saw a Perranwell home game pre-blog in 2010, when they played in the village. Apparently the pitch there isn't deemed flat enough to stage top division St Piran League football, so their first team games at now in nearby Carnon Downs. It's a shame they've had to move, and it was noticeable how few people were watching this game compared to my last visit. It's a decent facility though, with a pitch that's railed off and equipped with dugouts and a small seated stand. The stand bears the name of Truro City, as their reserve side played here before the completion of their new stadium. Last season that was in the South West Peninsula League, making this surely the most basic 'step six' ground in the country, with no floodlights, limited hard standing and a trek from the changing rooms to the pitch. It's more the adequate for the St Piran League though, and Pe

3pm 5 October 2024 Hampshire FA, Saturday Trophy, First Round Hayling United 2 Hedge End Rangers 3 (att 29) I’m unsure why Hayling United’s first team have left their ground on the island, which I visted in 2006, to move into a 3G facility in nearby Havant. It’s a standard set-up, seemingly run by the Hampshire FA, with a spectator area along most of one side. Hayling were in the Wessex League back in 2006, but have fallen in the years since, and are now in the lower of the Hampshire Premier League’s two divisions. Having failed to win in the league so far this season I had them as clear underdogs in a county cup tie against higher division Hedge End Rangers. The visitors did indeed win, but they needed a stoppage time goal to manage it. Hayling United had led twice. An overhead kick put them in front quite early, a lead that last until just before half time. Then Hayling went back in front in the opening minute of the second half. Unsurprisingly Hedge End had most of the possession, a

10.30am 5 October 2024 Herts and Borders Churches League St Albans Romans 1 Welwyn St Mary’s 4 (att 8) Being in Hertfordshire for the weekend made this a sensible choice, and worth the effort of overcoming the foibles of the league’s presence on the FA’s Full Time website, which listed the wrong venue and an incorrect kick off time. Like many amateur leagues this is a competition that, sadly, appears to be in decline. When I first watched a game in it, in 2018, it had two divisions. Now it’s down to one, with just six teams. Two of those six are St Albans Romans. The first team remain level on points with their reserves after this defeat at the hands of Welwyn St Mary’s. The visitors made the better start, and it was no surprise when they went ahead after nine minutes. Romans’ keeper made a series of good saves, helped at times by less than clinical finishing, to keep the deficit at 1-0 until well into the second half.  Eventually he was beaten again, about 20 minutes into the half, on

7.45pm 1 October 2024 North West Counties League Cup, First Round Thornton Cleveleys 2 Colne 4 (att 164) New floodlit grounds that are within easy range for an after-work journey are a relative rarity these days, but this season the North West Counties League has provided two. Both had home draws in the first round of the league cup, with ties scheduled for the same night. I was saved from having to choose by Shawbury United's match falling victim to a waterlogged pitch. Thornton Cleveleys won promotion from the West Lancashire League last season, and this was the first time their newly-installed floodlights had been used for a first team game. The whole ground is fairly new, and has been built adjacent to Fleetwood Town's Poolfoot Farm complex, where Thornton played temporarily pending completion of their own facility. That pitch still exists, unlike the three other pitches - at two venues - where I've also seen Thornton Cleveleys play previously. The site first of those,

2pm 28 September 2024 Yorkshire Amateur League Cup, First Round Gildersome Spurs Old Boys 2 Stanley United 2, 4-2 on penalties (att 17) I needed to stay fairly local, and settled on Gildersome as it was my sole remaining ground in the Yorkshire Amateur League's top division, and as they seem not to play midweek fixtures on the pitch. It's a 3G at Bruntcliffe Academy in Morley. Typical of its type, floodlit and with a spectator area running about three-quarters of the length of the near side. It's not far from the ground they used the last time I saw Gildersome play at home . Both sides are in the league's grandly-titled 'supreme division', and met last weekend in a league fixture which Stanley won 5-2. There was little danger of that score being repeated, especially once Gildersome scored twice in the opening 30 minutes. There wasn't much between the sides though, and when Stanley pulled a goal back early in the second half the tie was very much in the balan

2pm 22 September 2024 West Wales Premier League Giants Grave 4 Cwm Wanderers 1 (att 204) This year's West Wales Premier League groundhop concluded with a pair of games on Sunday. I skipped the first, having already been to the ground now used by AFC Glais, and settled for a single game at Giants Grave. The club are based in Briton Ferry, and owe their unusual name to area's former shipbreaking industry. Their ground, Parc Newydd, is accessed via a driveway from a housing estate. It's enclosed with a pair of pitches, the main one being railed off with a pair of dugouts on the near side. There's a small refreshment hut, which also offers shelter for a few spectators. I'm unsure where the changing rooms are located, but players and officials have a walk to reach the pitch. Giants Grave were just the better side in the first half, and got their reward when they took the lead five minutes before the break. Cwm Wanderers equalised early in the second period, and the game