Steve B the Groundhopper

4pm 27 September  2025 Albania, Kategoria e Parë Luftëtari Gjirokastër 1 Iliria Fushë-Krujë 2 (att 400) Following our weekend in Albania's capital, Tirana, we headed south for a week-long stay on the coast at Sarand ë. Gjirokast ër is about an hour's drive from there, and my visit for football was three days after we'd been to do the tourist stuff. You can get an excellent, if distant, view of the Stadiumi Gjirokast ër from the historic castle that overlooks the delightful old town. The stadium is in the new town, which makes it only slightly easier to finding a parking place. The original Luft ë tari  Gjirokast ër club folded in 2020, but the name was revived as a fan-led phoenix club. AS  Luft ë tari have now reached the second tier of Albanian football. Ahead of this game they'd drawn all four of their opening fixtures. They looked like keeping that run going until Iliria got a winner deep in stoppage time. Angry locals showered the celebrating players with a torrent...

4pm 21 September  2025 Albania, Kategoria Superiore Dinamo City 0 Bylis Ballsh 0 (att 700) In 2001 I was in Tirana expecting to see England's under 21 side play their Albanian counterparts at the city's Selman St ërmasi Stadium. Frustratingly, and at short notice, concerns about the pitch meant the fixture was moved to the national stadium. That meant I failed to tick a new ground on that trip, having already been to the Qemal Stafa Stadium in 1989. This time though, an unexpected venue change worked in my favour. Dinamo City, who used to be Dinamo Tiran ë, have been nomadic so far this season, with most home games played at Elbasan. For reasons unknown, to me at least, this one was moved to the Selman St ërmasi   Stadium. It was something of a homecoming, as in the communist era the ground was called the Dinamo Stadium and was, as that name suggests, their primary home ground. These days the signage makes clear that FK Tirana  are the main tenants. It's an easy walk from...

7pm 20 September  2025 Albania, Kategoria Superiore Partizani Tiranë 0 Elbasani 1 (att 1,600) My third visit to Albania, but my first that was primarily for a holiday rather than to see England games. That said, my holiday itineraries usually involve watching some football. The country, and most certainly the capital Tirana, has changed a lot since my last visit in 2001. And it's almost entirely unrecognisable since I was first there in communist-era 1989. One recent change has been the opening of Partizani's own stadium, the Arena e Demave, about three miles north-west of the city centre. It's easily, and cheaply, reached by bus. Spectators have a choice of seats in covered stands on either side of the pitch, while the ends are given over to advertising. On one side the main stand includes changing rooms, dugouts and the VIP seats, while the opposite side includes areas for both clubs' 'ultras', wisely kept well apart. The ultras' enthusiasm helped ensure a...