Steve B the Groundhopper

3pm 10 October 2026 Lancashire and Cheshire Amateur League, Premier Division AFC Stockport 4 Cheat Daze 2 (att 19) Despite the late start at Waterhead, a lack of stoppage time and a very quick half-time break meant that game was over with just enough time for me to drive the three miles or so to AFC Stockport. If the club actually played in Stockport I'd have had no chance, but this season AFC Stockport's first team are playing on a new artificial pitch at Laurus Ryecroft High School in Droylsden. I was just walking up to the pitch as the referee blew his whistle to get the captains together for the coin toss. It's fortunate I wasn't late, as the home side scored from a corner after just a couple of minutes. Cheat Daze - a Manchester-based chain of dessert bars who sponsor the club formerly known as East Manchester Galaxy - have talented players and looked capable of an equaliser. But after 20 minutes or so the home side scored against the run of play to double their le...

1.15pm 10 October  2026 Lancashire and Cheshire Amateur League, Division A Waterhead 0 Irlam Steel 5 (att 16) I wouldn't ordinarily dip into the Lancashire and Cheshire Amateur League's fifth tier, at least not on a Saturday. But on a day when I needed to stay close to home the club's early kick off opened up the chance of a double. That was the theory, but when I arrived at Hathershaw College in Oldham a girls match was in progress on the artificial pitch. That didn't end until well after my game's scheduled 1pm start time. Luckily Waterhead, Irlam Steel and the match officials wasted little time getting things underway once they had use of the pitch. The standard of football was better than you might expect for a relatively lowly level. The visitors were particularly impressive, and deserved their comfortable win. Irlam Steel scored twice in the first half and added three more after the break. Waterhead kept battling, and had chances, but we were well beaten. The ...

5pm 3 October  2026 Welsh Amateur Trophy, Second Round Llanishen 1 Cwmbran Celtic 4 (att 119) Llanishen's Amateur Trophy clash with Cwmbran Celtic was moved to the unusual time of 5pm to allow for rugby. The club shares an artificial pitch with Llanishen RFC, who also had a home game. Like the hosts in my earlier game, Splott Albion, Llanishen are also newly-promoted into the South Wales Premier League. Unlike Splott Albion, Llanishen were underdogs in their tie. Visitors Cwmbran Celtic were relegated last season, after several years in the second tier of Welsh football. Now in the Ardal League, they went into this game three levels higher than Llanishen. The dominated the opening minutes, and an early goal looked like it might be the first of many. But Llanishen, backed by a good crowd, recovered well and kept the score at 0-1 to half time. By the start of the second half the hosts' had grown in confidence, and they deserved their equaliser which came with just under an hour p...

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...