Steve B the Groundhopper

3pm  27 December 2016 Spartan South Midlands League, Division One Codicote 0 Baldock Town 1 (att 106) Football was an added bonus on a day when I had to ferry my in-laws back from Manchester to their Hertfordshire home. Despite the worst a traffic-clogged A1 could throw at me I made it to the John Clements Memorial Ground in good time for kick off. The club only returned to their village at the start of the season, having spent a few years in exile borrowing venues that complied with ground grading requirements. They've now back, having added a seated stand, a proper walkway and floodlights to their own home. It's a three-sided venue, with the touchline adjacent to a cricket square merely roped off and, with the exception of those in the dugouts, out of bounds. In a feisty local derby, promotion-chasing Baldock won all three points thanks to a free kick about 10 minutes from time, and about 20 minutes after they'd been reduced to 10 men when a player got a second

2.30pm  17 December 2017 Lancashire and Cheshire Amateur League, Division One Signol Athletic 3 Trafford United 4 (att 6) A thoroughly entertaining 90 minutes ended in a surprise defeat for division leaders Signol, only their second loss of the season in the league. It looked likely to be a routine home win when a well-struck shot put Signol ahead after just two minutes, but a sign of what was to come followed very soon after, as Trafford United equalised before the game had reached its fifth minute. Both sides played some decent football, making good use of the artificial surface, and Signol got back in front only to concede again just before half time. The second period picked up where the first had ended, with more goals quickly flowing. It was Trafford's turn to go in front, after 46 minutes, but three minutes later a penalty for Signol levelled the score at 3-3. Signol Athletic may have been the fancied team but it was Trafford who scored next, for what turned out

1.30pm  10 December 2016 Lancashire Amateur Cup, Quarter Final Howe Bridge Mills 2 Hurlston Hall 3 (att 60) This wasn't the cup tie I'd set out to watch. Another of the quarter finals, at Southport and Ainsdale Amateurs, had a midday kick off, opening up the possibility of watching two games, on two new grounds, in a single afternoon. But I arrived to find it had been switched to an alternative venue, and learnt via Twitter that my potential second game, at Burscough Dynamo, had failed a morning pitch inspection. So I headed back towards Manchester and to a cup tie that more than made up for the earlier disappointment. Howe Bridge Mills, struggling in the top division of the Lancashire Amateur League, and Wigan Leaguers Hurlston Hall were surprising quarter-finalists. It was the visitors who took an early grip on the game, scoring two very well taken first half goals that looked to be sending them into the last four. But slack defending gave Howe Bridge Mills a goal

2pm  3 December 2016 Lancashire and Cheshire Amateur League, Division One Oldham Victoria 3 Bury Amateur 2 (att 4) I had planned a trip slightly further afield but non-football matters meant I needed to be back home early so a visit to Oldham Victoria's new ground suited me well. The last time I saw the club play a home game they were little more than a long goal kick away at Broadhurst Park. After a short spell in nearby Failsworth they've returned to the area and now play on an artificial pitch at St Matthews RC High School in Nuthurst Road. The venue is entirely as you'd expect for a 3G pitch in the grounds of a school. It's a floodlit pitch enclosed by a high fence, and totally lacking any facilities for spectators, not that you'd expect any at this level of course, and not that any are needed when a generous headcount of the crowd was lower than the number of goals scored. All four of us watching, or certainly the two of us watching closely, had to w

3pm  26 November 2016 Eastern Counties League, Division One Wisbech St Mary 1 Halstead Town 1 (att 36) Wisbech St Mary were one of several new clubs promoted to the Eastern Counties League this season, and they've made a good start at the higher level after stepping up from the Cambridgeshire League. The visit of Halstead, beaten only once in the league, was going to be a tough test, but after a hard-fought afternoon I imagine both sides will be relatively satisfied to have taken a point. Halstead went ahead early, and should have extended their lead by half time. They paid the penalty for failing to do so when Wisbech St Mary scored to level the game during the second half. All in all it was a decent game. Wisbech St Mary is a village just outside the town of Wisbech. The football club is based at the local sports and community centre, which as well as the first team pitch has plenty of others for the club's many youth teams. First team games are played on an encl

11am  26 November 2016 EFL Youth Alliance, North East Lincoln City U18 1 York City U18 1 (att 56) The first teams of Lincoln and York may be outside the Football League at the moment, but their youth sides are still members of the rebranded EFL Youth Alliance. Unlike York, who've staged Youth Alliance games at their own training ground for years, Lincoln's youngsters lead a nomadic existence. This was the third home ground I've seen them on, and each one has been a school pitch. For now at least they're at the Priory City of Lincoln Academy, which has a large playing field on Skellingthorpe Road. One side of the pitch is roped off, to keep spectators at bay, and that's about it in terms of facilities, although hot drinks seemed to be available from somewhere inside the distant school buildings. The game began in bright sunshine, but that soon gave way to cloud, mist and falling temperatures. A goalless draw looked likely until an excellent finish put York

1.30pm  19 November 2016 Birmingham FA Vase, Second Round Darlaston Town (1874) 2 Alcester Town 2, 4-2 on penalties (att 36) Darlaston's former ground was among my favourite venues. Sadly it seems the City Ground is unlikely to stage football again, but at least the revived club now have a ground of their own and are making good progress. Their progress to the third round of the Birmingham FA Vase was trickier than it should have been. After an undistinguished opening 65 minutes the tie came to life when Darlaston were awarded a penalty, from which they took the lead. The Alcester player who gave the spot kick away has been booked in the aftermath, and collected a red card five minutes later after unwisely continuing his complaints to the assistant referee who'd given the decision. But ten-man Alcester, who play Midland League football one level lower than West Midlands Regional League Darlaston, took advantage of sloppy defending to get a surprising equaliser. It wa

2pm  12 November 2016 SJFA West Region, Central League, Division One Bellshill Athletic 1 St Roch's 2 (att 125) My reasons for choosing a particular fixture, or even an area of the country to head towards, can vary week to week. This time it was primarily the weather forecast; a band of heavy rain was due to have cleared the Glasgow area by early morning, and no matter how torrential it was I had several back-ups on artificial pitches. A few games did succumb to the conditions, but not my first choice, which went ahead on grass at Rockburn Park in Bellshill. Bellshill have been nomadic in recent years - this is third home ground I've seen them on - and after a period away only moved back into the town itself last season. Rockburn Park is basic for a West Region junior ground, but I gather it's intended a temporary venue until a permanent home is completed. Basic it may be, but Bellshill Athletic are well organised and put plenty of effort into turning the ground