Steve B the Groundhopper

7.30pm 6 September 2024 Cheshire FA, Amateur Cup, First Round Chester Nomads 3 Mersey Valley 3, 4-3 on penalties (att 27) at Blacon High School It was only late on Thursday night that I spotted, on social media, that this county cup tie had been brought forward a day and switched to an alternative ground. Chester Nomads' regular home is shared with cricket, which might explain why this fixture was switched to an artificial pitch at Blacon High School. It's a ground that's been borrowed by clubs previously, but as far as I can tell there's no current permanent tenant. It's not bad as such venues go, with a spectator area along most of one side and a pair of good-sized dugouts opposite. The floodlights weren't the best though, as a couple of non-working bulbs meant one corner of the pitch was poorly illuminated. In theory there are two divisions between Chester Nomads, in the top tier of the West Cheshire League, and Mersey Valley, in the third level of the parall...

6.30pm 22 April  2024 Chester and Wirral League, Premier Division FC Farndon 1 Chester Nomads III 3 (att 25) Chester Nomads' third team went into their final league game of the season in a relegation position. By winning it they leapt a couple of places and left hosts Farndon possibly facing the drop instead. FC Farndon now need three points from their final two fixtures to climb back above Nomads, with Shaftesbury Youth also likely requiring points to be sure of preserving their top flight status. The away side deserved their win. They took an early lead, and doubled it shortly before half time. It then took them until a couple of minutes from the end before they got a third. Farndon's consolation was a great strike in the final minute.  It was a mostly scrappy encounter, although to be fair to the players they weren't helped by a poor pitch. Apparently it was the first league game Farndon have been able to play at home since last autumn. Their home is at Farndon Community...