Steve B the Groundhopper

2pm 24 August  2025 Welsh Cup, Second Qualifying Round Rhydyfelin 2 Garden Village 9 (att 160) Rhydyfelin are one of a handful of district league teams that entered this season's Welsh Cup. To progress against Garden Village, who play three levels higher, would have been a major upset. A giant-killing looked possible when the home side took a second minute lead after a long throw into the box, and they held a goal advantage until the half-hour. The visitors may have been to slow to get going, but once they equalised there was no stopping them. In the 15 minutes up to half time they scored four more. All but one of their five first half goals was netted by their number 10 Harrison Davies. He added another after the break, although hopes of a double hat trick were dashed when he was substituted. Garden Village remained dominant though, extending their lead to 7-1 before briefly switching off and allowing Rhydyfelin a second. There was still time for the visitors two score two more, o...

7pm 20 September 2024 West Wales Premier League Seaside 0 Garden Village 1 (att 209) This year's West Wales Premier League 'groundhop' has worked out fairly well for me, as I need five of the six venues. It got underway with a Friday evening game at Llanelli-based Seaside AFC. It's the second time the club has staged a hop game, but they've moved a short distance since they hosted a match I went to in 2017. The players still change at the old ground, then have a short walk to a new 3G facility at Penrhos. I assume that's a temporary arrangement, as new changing rooms look to be nearing completion next to the pitch. It's a typical 3G set up. The playing area is floodlit, enclosed by a high fence, and has a spectator area running along most of one side. It's perfectly adequate for most games, but a bit of a squeeze for a crowd topping 200. Both sides have made indifferent starts to the season, and Seaside were left ruing missed chances as they fell to an u...