Steve B the Groundhopper

2pm 24 January  2026 West of Scotland League, Division Four Giffnock Soccer Centre 1 Irvine Victoria 0 (att 57) It's almost two years since I last went to a Giffnock home game. My return was because in that time they've moved their first team games to a new home ground. GSC Auldhouse isn't far from Eastwood Park, where they played up to the end of last season. That was always a temporary venue, used while they brought the facilities at Auldhouse up to scratch. They've done a good job. There's a pair of floodlit 3G pitches, each with a spectator area running the full length of one side, and a number of grass pitches. A centrally-located clubhouse includes a snack bar as well as changing rooms. There's also ample car parking, which was good because, as well as my West of Scotland League fixture - played on 'pitch one' - Auldhouse was very busy with youth matches. Two years ago I was treated to a 10-goal thriller between Giffnock and East Kilbride Thistle ....

10am 10 May  2025 Glasgow Colleges FA Cup, Quarter Final Toryglen Thistle 4 Nethercraigs 1 (att 37) It's a decade since I was last at the Toryglen Regional Football Centre, close to Hampden Park in Glasgow. Back then I watched a game on one of the trio of outdoor artificial pitches, but this time I went indoors. The venue's impressive facilities include a full size artificial pitch under a roof. There are four rows of seating running the full length of one side, and dugouts opposite. Despite their name, Toryglen Thistle don't always play home games here. Like most amateur teams in Glasgow they tend to hire pitches week to week. This cup tie was postponed last week when the intended pitch was double booked! Toryglen are flying in the second tier of the Glasgow Colleges League, which is a standard Saturday morning league rather than a competition for students. They will be playing alongside Nethercraigs in the top division next season, and on this evidence will have nothing ...

2pm 8 February 2025 West of Scotland League, Division Four BSC Glasgow 1 Carluke Rovers 5 (att 25) BSC Glasgow have a complex backstory. The original BSC (Broomhill Sports Club) reached the Scottish Lowland League before splitting with the umbrella club and continuing as a separate entity now called Broomhill FC. Meanwhile a new BSC Glasgow joined the bottom rung of the Scotland's football pyramid. They're currently at the very bottom, last in the West of Scotland League's fifth tier. Their only league points this season came in a win back in August. Carluke's comfortable victory was therefore no surprise, but BSC put up a decent effort, particularly in the first half. It didn't take Carluke long to go in front, but they made hard work of the opening half and allowed BSC to equalise. It took until just before the break before they regained the lead. The visitors were better in the second period, but it was only in the final 20 minutes that they pulled clear of BSC w...