12noon 4 July 2026 Pre-season friendly Newport Pagnell Town 2 Northampton Sileby Rangers 3 (att 48) Not for the first time I began a new season by watching a pre-season friendly played on an unusual ground. The Leah Williamson pitch, named after the Arsenal and England player, is a 3G at the Willen Road Sports Ground, where Newport Pagnell Town are based. I visited the main ground back in 1989, long before Leah was even born. The pitch that bears her name is just beyond Town's regular ground. It's a typical facility, with a spectator area that runs about three-quarters of one side. Friendlies are rarely games I'll travel far for. This lunchtime kick off at least allowed me to combine it with a nearby afternoon game, and was a relatively short detour from a journey between Manchester and Surrey that I was making anyway. The home side scored inside the first ten seconds, for what is probably the quickest opening goal to a season that I've ever seen. They looked the bette...
Watching lower league football across the UK ... and occasionally beyond