Steve B the Groundhopper

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...

7pm 15 September  2026 North East Wales FA Trophy, League Phase Wrexham Foresters 5 Chirk AAA 5 (att 33) abandoned after 60 minutes After a football-free weekend I was keen to get to a game in midweek, and so an unusual floodlit game at Ysgol Bryn Alyn in Gwersyllt, near Wrexham, was too good to miss. Wrexham Foresters are new to senior football this season, and will apparently play their regular season games at Spider Park in Rhosnesni, a venue I've been to. However, their early matches, including this one, have been on a new 3G pitch at Bryn Alyn. Despite being new, the floodlights are an issue. There are three pylons along each side, and all was well as the game began in daylight. But once the lights were needed only five of the pylons were working. It only became an issue with about an hour played. That was just after Chirk AAA had conceded a penalty, scored by Foresters to complete a remarkable comeback from 0-5 to 5-5. The visitors complained about the poor light. After some ...

7.45pm 8 September  2026 Midland Football League, Division One Anstey Town 1 FCV Grace Dieu 1 (att 47) Anstey Town are among the teams newly-promoted into National League System this season, having come up from the Leicestershire Senior League. They've had a tough start at the higher level, with some heavy defeats, so will probably be pleased to have won a hard-earned point against FCV Grace Dieu. Both goals were scored in the first half. The visitors, the senior side of the FCV International Football Academy, opened the scoring early on. At that stage it looked like being another difficult evening for Anstey Town, but they got back into the game and equalised shortly before half time. There were no more goals, although it was Grace Dieu who looked more likely to get one. When I last saw Anstey Town at home, more than 20 years ago, they played at a long-gone ground in the village of Thurcaston. They now play marginally closer to Anstey at Beaumont Park in Beaumont Leys. Regular rea...

2pm 5 September  2026 Scottish Amateur Cup, First Round Berwick Town 2 Gilmerton Athletic 7 (att 24) The Scottish Amateur Cup often produces intriguing ties, especially in the early rounds. Edinburgh-based Gilmerton are are newly-formed team, and the draw sent them south of the border for this first round game. The opening rounds are regionalised and, while Berwick is in Northumberland, the town's football clubs are mostly associated with Scotland. Berwick Town are in the Border Amateur League. They've had a tough start to the season, pointless from their six opening B Division matches including a 12-0 defeat last weekend. I expected Gilmerton to score a few goals. Gilmerton got two in the opening few minutes, but then a lack of communication between goalkeeper and defender allowed Berwick Town to get a goal back. The away side soon scored another, before again gifting the home side a goal. The opening half continued to provide goals, but sadly for Berwick there was no more gen...

10am 5 September  2026 North East Christian Fellowship League Newcastle Community Christians 1 North Shields Unity 1 (att 10) Previous experience has taught me that this league's website isn't always to be trusted for venue information, but with three of the morning's four games all scheduled to be at Walbottle Academy I knew this was a safe bet. That said, I thought I'd spend my morning watching reigning champions St Charles begin their title defence, as that game was listed for a 10.15 kick off, which I assumed would be 15 minutes before the other matches. But when I arrived this game was closest to getting underway. It kicked off at 10am, 15 minutes before St Charles, who played on an adjacent artificial pitch, and half an hour before the other game on grass. Newcastle Community Christians finished runners-up last season, and had to come from behind to claim a point against North Shields Unity. The visitors made the better start, and scored an early goal. It remained...

6.30pm 2 September  2026 Craven and District League, Division One Embsay 6 Sutton 2 (att 104) Apparently this was the first football match in the North Yorkshire village of Embsay for more than a dozen years, and the home side put on quite a show for the locals who turned out to watch. At least during the first half, when Embsay blew Sutton away with five unanswered goals. It was harsh on Sutton, as the most significant difference between the sides was the hosts' clinical finishing. With the contest effectively over, the second period was predicably quieter. Sutton pulled a goal back midway through the half, before Embsay scored a sixth. The visitors had the consolation of scoring again just before the end. Embsay's 'new' football pitch is, judging by Google Earth's historic images, in the same place as its predecessor. New houses have been built north and east of the playing area, and I assume the revamped pitch was included as part of the deal to enable the develo...