Steve B the Groundhopper

5pm 11 July  2026 League of Ireland, Premier Division Galway United 3 Sligo Rovers 2 (att 3,076) Like Derry City , Galway United are another club faced with finding an alternative venue for handful of home matches due to work going on at their regular ground. Also like Derry City, Galway have made it a bonus for groundhoppers by borrowing the local GAA Stadium. Pearse Stadium, in the Salthill area of Galway, has a capacity of more than 26,000, making it far larger than United's Terryland Park home and more than big enough for League of Ireland football. Just the seated stand was open to home supporters, with Sligo's travelling fans accommodated on part of the open terracing on the far side. The rest of the far side, and both ends, also consist of open terracing but were closed off for this match. For most of the match this looked like being an unremarkable home win. Sligo began the game bottom of the table, and it was no surprise that they trailed 1-0 at half time. Early in the...

5pm 4 May  2026 League of Ireland, Premier Division Derry City 1 Galway United 1 (att 4,324) I've twice been to Derry City's Brandywell ground, first in 1995 and then a return two years later. Just along the same road is Celtic Park, the city's GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) stadium, and currently a temporary home for the club. While the Brandywell pitch is being replaced Derry City are playing a handful of fixtures at Celtic Park. Apparently it's the first time 'soccer' has been played there for 114 years. Like other GAA county grounds, Celtic Park is an impressive venue. A seated stand runs the length of one side, and the opposite side is open terracing. There's more terracing behind the far goal, closed for this game, while the other end has changing rooms and offices. It's a fine venue that's worth the effort of travelling to Northern Ireland. This bank holiday game, with a 5pm kick off making it ideal for a day trip, was the second of five ma...