Steve B the Groundhopper

3pm 21 March  2026 Wessex League, Division One Yateley United 1 Hamworthy United 0 (att 127) The weather may have improved but at this stage in the season there's always a risk of postponements for other reasons, as I was reminded when I turned up at my planned second game. From the morning match at St Albans I drove the short distance to Elstree, expecting to see another Arthurian League game, kicking off at 1pm. But when I arrived at the venue there was no sign of Old Haberdashers v Old Chigwellians. It was later shown on the league website as a home walkover. So instead I headed around the M25 to take another step towards completing the full set of the clubs in the National League System (just three more to go but I won't get to them all this season). Yateley United have risen rapidly to reach 'step six' in division one of the Wessex League. They're still in with a chance of promotion, via play offs, and did their hopes no harm with this hard-fought win. The only...

10am 21 March  2026 Arthurian League, Division Two Old Albanians 2 Old Cholmeleians II 2 (att 3) Old Albanians have moved in the two years since I last saw them play at home . They've swapped a school 3G for a grass pitch at the impressive Woollam Playing Fields complex. Rugby is the dominant sport, as the ground is home to Old Albanians RUFC, who play in the fourth tier of rugby union, and is used as a training base by Saracens. But there's also space for association football, including the pitch used by alumni of St Albans School. The visitors, Old Cholmeleians' second team, were playing their final game of the season. Already certain to finish bottom, they had only pride to play for. D espite that they started well, scoring after eight minutes. They doubled their lead after 20 minutes, an excellent goal scored from distance. Old Albanians were creating chances, but were let down by wayward finishing. Eventually, just before half time, the home side got a goal back - dire...

12.15pm 15 March  2026 East of Scotland League, Division Three Cowdenbeath Central 1 Newburgh 2 (att 294) Cowdenbeath Central are newcomers to the East of Scotland League this season, and as the only ground I needed to recomplete the league I got lucky when they were announced as staging the Sunday game on this year's organised 'hop'. Organised groundhops provide staggered kick offs over a weekend, giving people like me the chance to visit multiple games over a single weekend. This was the sixth and final game of this event, following one match on Friday night and four on Saturday. Venters Park has undergone a lot of work to turn it from a basic pitch to a venue suitable for staging senior football. It's fully enclosed, with a barrier around the pitch and dugouts. More improvements, including cover that would have been useful on a cold and wet afternoon, are planned. Cowdenbeath Central, fielding an open age side for the first time this season, have also had to adapt on...

2pm 14 March  2026 Aberdeenshire Amateur League, Premier Division Great Western United 0 Echt 4 (att 22) As I was staying overnight in Scotland ahead of a Sunday game it made sense, from a groundhopping perspective at least, to make the most of that by ticking off a ground that's too far from home for a comfortable day trip. Having already completed the Highland and North of Scotland Leagues, that meant turning my attention to the Aberdeenshire Amateur League. I picked this game as a top division fixture that was within range after my earlier game near Dundee. Great Western United's home ground, for this season at least, is the playing field of the independent Albyn School. It's in Milltimber, a village on the very edge of Aberdeen. There's an adequate car park and a pavilion that includes the changing rooms. From the pavilion the main pitch is to the left. It's just a pitch, but a precipitous grass bank runs along the far side, providing a good view as a reward for...

10.30am 14 March  2026 Dundee Saturday Morning League, Premier Division Monifieth Athletic 1 Lochee United AFC 2 (att 38) There have been changes since I last watched football in the Dundee Saturday Morning League. It's expanded to three divisions, and whereas all fixtures used to be at multi-pitch venues allocated by the league, now many clubs have their own home grounds. Monifieth Athletic play at Riverview Park, a surprisingly good venue for a team playing at this level. The pitch is fully enclosed by a plastic post and rail barrier, and is alongside a pavilion that houses the changing rooms. The Tay Estuary is just a hefty wayward shot away behind the far goal. The league table suggested a tight game between two sides in with a chance of winning the title, and the match didn't disappoint. A pair of early goals - the first for Lochee and then a Monifieth equaliser - set the tone for an entertaining morning. At that stage it looked likely to be a goal-filled game, but defence...

3pm 7 March  2026 Northern Ireland Football League, Premier Intermediate League Strabane Athletic 2 Moyola Park 1 (att 170) The main reason for a day trip to Northern Ireland was to visit to Strabane Athletic, who after winning promotion have this season joined the Northern Ireland Football League's third tier. An imminent restructure means they'll have to secure a top four finish to remain an NIFL club next season, which would see them promoted to an expanded second tier Championship division. The remaining 10 Premier Intermediate League teams, to be joined by two newcomers, will form the top flight of a new National Conference League. Two more Conference divisions will be added from 2027/28. All that meant that this was an important win for Strabane, and a surprising one as they came from behind to beat league leaders Moyola Park. The goals were all in the first half. The visitors went ahead after 22 minutes from a free kick that the home keeper should have kept out. But Stra...

10.15am 7 March  2026 Ballymena Saturday Morning League, Rainey Cup, 2nd Round Waveney Swifts 0 Sixmile Athletic 2 (att 18) A day trip by plane to recomplete the Northern Ireland Football League, but an early arrival meant I had time to take in a game in the Ballymena Saturday Morning League ahead of the main event. The Rainey Cup is the league cup, featuring sides from all three divisions. Both these are midtable in the second tier, but Antrim-based Sixmile started as favourites having lost only once in the league so far. Two goals, after 15 and 55 minutes, were enough for them to ease into the third round. Their progress was rarely threatened, although they came close to conceding as the game became scrappy in the closing minutes. Waveney are based, unsurprisingly, at the Waveney Playing Fields in Ballymena. There are two football pitches, on a plateau beyond a modern community centre. This game was played on the furthest pitch, which looked to be the larger of the two. It's just...