Steve B the Groundhopper

2pm 12 April  2025 Northamptonshire Combination, Premier Division Cup, Semi Final Roade 1 Blisworth 4 (att 182) For reasons I can't explain I rarely watch football in the Northamptonshire Combination. Despite it having 'regional feeder league' status from the FA this was only my third ever game, and the last was more than a decade ago. But a cup semi final between local rivals who are also first and second in the league was a tempting prospect. I wasn't alone in thinking it'd be a good game to see, as there was a large crowd at Roade's Connolly Way ground. Ultimately though the visitors, in pole position to win the league, were comfortable winners. They looked the better side and scored twice in the first half, their second just before the break. Roade were hampered by losing their goalkeeper to a first half injury. A Roade penalty early in the second half made it 2-1, and soon after that they came agonisingly close to equalising. But that was as good as it got ...

10.30am 12 April  2025 West Midlands Christian League, Challenge Cup, Semi Final, Second Leg Excel NIS 5 Young Boyz 1 (6-3 on aggregate) (att 14) This was one of two possible morning games when I left home to head south towards Birmingham. My first stop was Warley Rugby Club, where Excel NIS usually play home games, to see which pitch groundsharers West Bromwich Elim were using. As I suspected, they were warming up on the same pitch where I'd seen Albright and Wilson in the West Midlands Regional League more than 30 years ago. Had it been a different pitch I might have stayed, but I knew I had this game just a short drive away in West Smethwick Park. And being a cup semi final it also looked a better fixture. Although they're several places off the top, Excel NIS - whose unusual name reflects both their affiliated church and their sponsors - have enough games in hand to be favourites for the title. But they'd lost the first leg of this semi final 2-1, and Young Boyz, second...

6.30pm 9 April  2025 Staffordshire County Senior League Plate, First Round Longton Area Potters 1 Keele University reserves 2 (att 20) It's been a tough season for Longton Area Potters, or LA Potters as they're usually known. They're winless at the foot of division two north of Staffordshire's county league, with only a theoretical chance of climbing any higher. Keele University's second team are only a couple of places above them though, so LA Potters might have had hopes of progressing in this late season cup tie. The Plate, or Macron Plate to acknowledge the sponsors, is a competition for teams who finished in the bottom places of qualifying groups. Sides who finished in higher positions qualified for other cups. Keele won a scrappy game thanks to a goal in each half. They looked much the better side but created few other clear chances. LA Potters gained a little consolation, and very brief hope, with a stoppage time penalty. LA Potters are based at the Trentham ...

7.45pm 8 April  2025 North Wales Coast East League, Premier Division Y Glannau 6 Llanfairfechan Town 2 (att 30) In the four years since I last watched an Y Gannau home game they've moved, but not very far. In 2021 they played on a grass pitch at St Asaph Leisure Centre, whereas they now use a 3G pitch at the same venue. The artificial surface looks fairly new, and it's a decent facility, equipped with dugouts that face each other on opposite touchlines. The down side, from a spectator point of view, is that it's only possible to watch the match from behind the perimeter fence. Thankfully there is grass banking, so at least it's an elevated view. It can be hard to feel fully engaged with a game when watching it in such circumstances, but this encounter was entertaining enough for that not to be an issue. Y Glannau went into the fuxture second in the table, but fell behind early on to a well-taken Llanfairfechan opener. They equalised within a couple of minutes, and they...

6.30pm 7 April  2025 Yorkshire Amateur League, Division Four Wakefield United 0 FC Queensbury 7 (att 18) The seventh tier of the Yorkshire Amateur League is not a level of football I'd normally watch on a Saturday afternoon, but on a late season Monday evening it's a lot more tempting. FC Queensbury have more than half their league fixtures still left to play, meaning plenty of early evening games in the weeks ahead. They're currently mid table, but with so many games in hand they could easily finish top. They were far too good for Wakefield United. They went ahead in the first minute and had a 3-0 lead after 15 minutes. They couldn't keep up that rate of scoring, but it was 4-0 by half time and they scored three more after the break. With better finishing the visitors could easily have got well into double figures.  Wakefield United weren't that bad, but FC Queensbury looked too good for this level of football. Wakefield United's home ground is an open pitch th...

2.30pm 6 April  2025 East Devon Senior Cup, Quarter Final Lyme Regis 2 Crediton United reserves 2, 4-3 on penalties (att 95) The East Devon Senior Cup used to be a regular source of Sunday fixtures, but they're much rarer these days. Once I spotted this game it as an easy decision to stop overnight after Saturday's late afternoon cup final in Gwent. I've driven past the Davey Fort ground in Lyme Regis several times over the years, so it was nice to finally see a game there. It's a lovely and quirky venue, and one that makes good use of the tight space available. There's small car park (best to use the pay and display next door unless you're happy to be blocked in by later arrivals) from where there's elevated viewing behind the goal. Also behind the goal is a welcoming clubhouse, with a covered area to the front, and a snack bar. Spectators can also access half of one side, where there's picnic tables, hard standing and a seated stand. The opposite side ...

5pm 5 April  2025 East Gwent League, Harry Fishwick Cup Final at Sudbrook Cricket Club FC Tintern Abbey 0 Severn Tunnel Non Political Club 1 (att 220) Having been to my first Bristol Premier Combination game in the afternoon I made my debut in the East Gwent League in the early evening. It's a two division competition that sits below the Gwent Premier League. This cup is for the seven teams that compete in division two, the eighth, and lowest, tier of football in this part of Wales. Severn Tunnel are well clear at the top of table, so were heavy favourites to see off mid-table Tintern Abbey. They got their hands on the trophy, but it took a last minute goal to break the deadlock. They'd looked the more likely side to score. In the first half they had an effort ruled out for offside, then in the second they had a shot which clipped the top of the crossbar. Shortly before finally scoring they'd forced the Tintern Abbey keeper into an excellent save. But overall, for a cup fin...