Steve B the Groundhopper

3pm 9 November 2024 Eastern Counties League, Division One South May and Baker Eastbrook Community 1 Burnham Ramblers 2 (att 17) A prompt start and a short half time meant my first game was finished well before 2.45pm, so I even had time for a coffee before making my way to the main pitch at Parsloes Park. The facility is home to both May and Baker, who I last at a nearby rugby ground in 2018 , and Athletic Newham of the 'step five' Essex Senior League. While a ground like this will never win over the traditionalists, it's not bad for a newly-built 3G. Spectators can access three sides, with just the far end out of reach, and have a choice of four small covered areas, two of them with seats. Burnham had support among the small crowd, and they had reason to celebrate early on as their side took a fifth minute lead. May and Baker, higher in the league, tried to get back level but it was an opening half of few clear chances. After the break the visitors again started well, doub

1pm 9 November 2024 Essex Alliance League, Division Three Iona Wheels 4 Jays 0 (att 20) For non-football reasons I needed to be in the south-east, so it was a good opportunity to tick off one of the newer venues to stage matches in the national league system. But before the main event I was able to take in another game on a pitch right next door. A number of Essex Alliance League teams play home games on a pair of outer 3G pitches at Parsloes Park in Dagenham. There were four such matches, with the pitches used for fixtures at 1pm and 3pm, and 2pm and 4pm. Division three is the fifth and lowest tier of the league. Iona Wheels are unbeaten and top the table, and in the first half played football of a higher standard than I'd expected for the level. They took just three minutes to open the scoring against mid-table Jays, and another three minutes to make it 2-0. Two more goals followed before half time. After the break the home side eased up, and Jays provided stiffer resistance. It

7.10pm 8 November 2024 Chester and Wirral League, Championship Division Fender 3 Whitegate United 0 (att 25) When Bidston reappeared as an amateur football venue this season I thought I'd  already been, having seen a match there in 2018 . But in the years since an additional 3G pitch has been added. It's also had a rebrand, from the Wirral Tennis Centre to Bidston Sports and Activity Centre. The new pitch is beyond the older one, running parallel to Valley Road, and has adjacent car parking. It has a barriered spectator area along one side, although for this game its use was optional, and is typical of such venues. The bonus, from a groundhopping perspective, is that the couple of Chester and Wirral League teams who use the venue for home games are staging those fixtures on Friday nights. Visitors Whitegate have joined this league from Crewe and District League, and went into this game top of the table. They were the better side, and will spend the weekend wondering how they lo

1.30pm 3 November 2024 Club Academy Scotland, Advanced League Bonnyrigg Rose U18 0 Montrose U18 3 (att 76) The 'advanced league' is the third and lowest of the three tiers of youth team football for SPFL clubs. Unlike the 'elite' and 'performance' leagues, most matches are played on Sundays. Bonnyrigg Rose play their home games on a 3G pitch at Poltonhall. It's a facility that also includes grass pitches, and appears to be a base for the club's community arm. Spectators have to watch from behind the fence that encloses the pitch, but with grass banking rising steeply along the far side and far end it's easy to get a decent view. It wasn't great viewing for home supporters though. Montrose began on the front foot and the only surprise was that it took them until five minutes in the second before they took the lead. Bonnyrigg had occasional chances, but once they went behind they never looked like recovering. Montrose got a second with an hour play

1.30pm 2 November 2024 SJFA, Inter-regional Cup, First Round Westdyke Community Club 1 Maud 6 (att 32) There's no denying that Westhill, near Aberdeen, is a long way to travel to tick off a ground that's little more than a typical 3G set-up. But being a groundhopping completist meant I had to see a Westdyke home game. The club are new to the Scottish Juniors this season, and so I needed to visit their Lawsondale home to recomplete the full set of SJFA North Region grounds. The inter-regional cup was traditionally for sides it the SJFA's North and Tayside regions. These days they're the only junior leagues still operating, with the latter called the Midlands League. The opening round is regionalised, and the visitors were fellow north side Maud, who play a division higher than Westdyke in the premier league. The gap between them showed over 90 minutes. Two goals in quick succession, about mid-way through the opening half, put Maud on the way to victory. After the break t

10am 2 November 2024 Dundee Saturday Morning League, Premier Division Dryburgh Athletic 3 Cairdy Thistle 1 (att 14) I'd stayed overnight near Glasgow to ease the journey north to my planned afternoon game, and a handful of earlier than usual kick offs in Dundee's Saturday morning league made a double possible. While most games are at 10.30am this fixture, at Dawson Park in Broughty Ferry, was one of a few to get underway 30 minutes earlier. Dawson Park was hosting a trio of top division matches, although the other two were later kick offs. All games in this league are effectively at neutral venues, usually at multi-pitch parks. I only saw an up-to-date table after the game, and it turned out that I'd witnessed Cairdy's first league defeat of the season. I wasn't entirely surprised, as they'd looked the better of two decent sides during a goalless first half. The turning point was a straight red card for a Cairdy player, for a reckless challenge, about five minut

2pm 26 October 2024 Amateur FA Senior Cup, First Round Honourable Artillery Company 4 Fitzwilliam Old Boys 0 (att 52) A first round cup tie between two teams from the Amateur Football Combination wouldn't ordinarily be my choice for a Saturday afternoon game. But this match was at no ordinary venue. The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) play most home games on a hired pitch at a sports ground in west London, but now and then they're able to play at their 'spiritual home', Armoury House close to the centre of London. It's just a pitch, roped off and with a path along one side. There's a cricket square behind one goal, and a rugby pitch runs parallel. But the setting is what makes it special. It's hemmed by a mix of the HAC's historic buildings and tall city offices. And not many, if any, sports grounds have a line of field guns along the perimeter. Unsurprisingly for a military location you can't just walk in. Luckily HAC's social media accounts,

10.30am 26 October 2024 Arthur Dunn Cup, First Round Old Cholmeleians 3 Old Merchant Taylors 2 (att 23) Old Cholmeleians have their own sports ground, which I visited for a game four years ago , but by tradition clubs play Arthur Dunn Cup fixtures at their alma mater, meaning this tie was at Highgate School. The School was founded in the 16th century by Sir Roger Cholmeley, and to this day former pupils are Old Cholmeleians. Needless to say, as a prestigious fee-paying school, the sports facilities are very good. Old Cholmeleians are decent on the pitch as well at the moment, with their first team in the top division of the Arthurian League. I expected a comfortable win against Old Merchant Taylors, who play two levels lower, but they made hard work of it. After an even start it was the away side who scored first, with around 20 minutes played. Their advantage lasted no more than a couple of minutes though, and Cholmeleians scored again to lead before half time. A third home goal after