Steve B the Groundhopper

6.15pm 10 April  2024 Wakefield and District League, Jim Callaghan Cup, Semi-Final Beechwood Working Mens Club 3 Great Preston 0 (att 120) Once the clocks go forward an hour groundhopping gets busy with extra midweek matches being played in the lighter evenings. At least that's usually the case, but until tonight the relentless rain had meant all my hoped-for matches had been postponed. I had my doubts about this fixture, but Beechwood's optimism about the state of their pitch was well-founded. Apart from one goalmouth the surface at Rein Park, in the Seacroft area of Leeds, was in good condition. It's a park pitch, but surrounding footpaths provide some hard standing and, on one side, an elevated view. That was were most home supporters congregated, and there was a good turnout to see Beechwood ease their way into the Wakefield League's main cup competition. Great Preston, from the league's middle division, were always underdogs against top flight Beechwood. The ho

2pm 6 April  2024 Staffordshire County Senior League, Leek Cup, Third Round AFC Alsager 5 Albrighton 1 (att 25) The seemingly endless wet weather wiped out my hoped-for hopping during the week, and left me seeking the relative safety of an artificial pitch for a game on Saturday. There is a grass pitch at Alsager Sports Hub, railed off and where I believe AFC Alsager played previously. For reasons unknown they now use the adjacent caged 3G, which at least meant I could be confident this match would be on. It also gave me a 'tick', as in 2011 I'd seen MMU Cheshire play on a pitch that broadly overlaps the current grass pitch. The hub has been built on what was the site of Manchester Metropolitan University's Alsager Campus, although it's now unrecognisable. To be honest I had low expectations. I'd read reports by other groundhoppers of having to watch the action from behind the tall fence that encloses the pitch as,  unusually for a team at this level, there'

3pm 1 April  2024 Midland Football League, Division Three Solihull Sporting 3 DSC United 4 (att 18) After a long drive home from Aberdeenshire on Easter Sunday I didn't want to travel any further than necessary on Bank Holiday Monday. This game was elevated from plan B when my first choice match, a few miles away at Coventrians, was off waterlogged. There were no such problems at Solihull Sporting's 3G pitch. It's at Tudor Grange Academy Kinghurst. As you'd expect the pitch is floodlit and enclosed by the usual high fence. There's a spectator area running most of the length of one side. On paper this didn't look a great fixture, with both sides in mid-table with little left to play for. It turned out to be something of a thriller, but the excitement was reserved for the second half. DSC bossed the opening period, racing into a 3-0 lead against a lacklustre Solihull. The home side must have had a talking to at half time as they were transformed after the break. T

2pm 31 March  2024 North East Scotland League, Gordon Leask Memorial Cup, Group 4 Methlick 1 Glenugie United 1 (att 40) A sure sign that summer is on the way is the opening matches in the North East Scotland League, the first of the region's summer season competitions to start their competitive fixtures. There are two divisions, with eight teams in each this year, but the action begins with group stages of the Gordon Leask Memorial Cup. This tie pitted second tier Methlick against top flight Glenugie. You wouldn't have known which side was in the higher division though. Methlick started well and looked the better side during a goalless first half. Both sides came close to breaking the deadlock. Glenugie thought they'd scored but it was ruled out for offside, before Methlick were unlucky when a shot from distance hit the post. The home side deservedly went ahead 10 minutes into the second half. As the game went on Glenugie grew more threatening and, towards the end, a neat f

2pm 30 March  2024 Aberdeenshire Amateur League, Premier Division Kaimhill United 1 Westdyke 4 (att 20) Having completed all the Scottish Junior and Highland League grounds I turned my attention to the Aberdeenshire Amateur League for a game while in Scotland’s north east. First choice had been a cup semi final at Cove Thistle, but that fell victim to a waterlogged pitch. I feared there might be widespread postponements, but thankfully there were no problems at my plan B. Kaimhill United play, logically, in the Kaimhill area of Aberdeen. It’s basically a playing field behind an Asda supermarket, with two grass pitches and a caged 3G. The home side were promoted last season but are finding the league’s top division a tough challenge. They went into this game winless and pointless, having had the three points gained from draws deducted for some misdemeanour. They started this game well, and if anything it was a little against the run of play when Westdyke opened the scoring. A second awa

2pm 29 March  2024 Cheshire League, Premier Division Eagle Sports 1 Garswood United 1 (att 130) I had thought the nearest I'd get to watching live football on Good Friday would be on TV, but that was before I spotted an unusual change of venue for Cheshire League Eagle Sports. With their own pitch apparently undergoing some work they've been allowed to move at least one game to an alternative 'home' ground, giving me an unexpected bonus game. The 3G pitch at Great Sankey Neighbourhood Hub, usually used just for Warrington League football, is typical of its type. It's floodlit and has a spectator area along part of one touchline. It's no doubt fine for most of the fixtures it hosts, but with a three figure crowd for this game it was a bit of squeeze, and a fair few spectators had to settle for watching through the fence. Eagle and Garswood are clearly two good sides, but with a strong and very cold wind blowing across the pitch, and occasional rain, the game stru