Steve B the Groundhopper

5pm 3 October  2026 Welsh Amateur Trophy, Second Round Llanishen 1 Cwmbran Celtic 4 (att 119) Llanishen's Amateur Trophy clash with Cwmbran Celtic was moved to the unusual time of 5pm to allow for rugby. The club shares an artificial pitch with Llanishen RFC, who also had a home game. Like the hosts in my earlier game, Splott Albion, Llanishen are also newly-promoted into the South Wales Premier League. Unlike Splott Albion, Llanishen were underdogs in their tie. Visitors Cwmbran Celtic were relegated last season, after several years in the second tier of Welsh football. Now in the Ardal League, they went into this game three levels higher than Llanishen. The dominated the opening minutes, and an early goal looked like it might be the first of many. But Llanishen, backed by a good crowd, recovered well and kept the score at 0-1 to half time. By the start of the second half the hosts' had grown in confidence, and they deserved their equaliser which came with just under an hour p...

2pm 3 October  2026 Welsh Amateur Trophy, Second Round Splott Albion 7 Aberystwyth Exiles 1 (att 45) Having gone three weekends without a game - one at a wedding and two on a football-free holiday - I was keen to get to a couple of matches on my return. Once I spotted a 5pm kick off among the FA of Wales Amateur Trophy second round fixtures it made sense to head to South Wales. I chose Splott Albion on the basis that it was a short and easy journey to the later game. Back in 2008 I saw Splott Albion play on one of the many pitches at the Cardiff University sports ground. These days they play at Splott Park, also known, for sponsorship reasons, at the Gate Systems Arena. A railed off pitch in the park has been enclosed by a fence. There's a pair of modern dugouts on one side and an obsolete older pair opposite. Changing rooms are in a building that includes a bar, and in the corner near the entrance there's a snack bar and some picnic tables. I expected Splott Albion, newly-prom...

2pm 25 July  2026 Welsh Cup, First Qualifying Round FC Porthcawl 1 Ely Valley 4 (att 65) This will go down as a Welsh Cup upset as Ely Valley, from the Rhondda and District League, comfortably beat their South Wales Premier League hosts FC Porthcawl. There is only one level between the sides though, and in truth there's not a huge gulf between them, but I still expected the home side to progress. Ely Valley went ahead thanks to a sixth minute penalty, but FC Porthcawl looked likely to get back into the game. Then with half time approaching two quick goals for the visitors, the first an own goal, swung the tie decisively in their favour. The home side needed to score the opening goal of the second period, but instead it was again Ely Valley who struck, just five minutes after the restart. Porthcawl did get a goal back with 15 minutes left, but it was no more than a consolation. FC Porthcawl are based at Rest Bay, a popular beach area on the outskirts of the town. The football pitch,...

2.30pm 16 August  2025 South Wales Premier League, Division One West Holton Road 3 Cogan Coronation 1 (att 42) In Wales this weekend ahead of a game tomorrow, so today's choice of football was decided by where my other half preferred to spend her Saturday afternoon. A warm day meant Barry Island was chosen, and so I visited Barry-based Holton Road. They're based at the town's Colcot Sports Centre, about a 10 minute drive from the seafront. I imagine the journey is quicker in winter. It's a railed off pitch with a pair of dugouts. The home side had been heavily beaten in last weekend's opening fixture, so I feared the worst when they allowed Cogan Coronation to take the lead after just two minutes. But Holton Road held firm and battled their way back into what was a scrappy first half. Hard, rain-starved grass isn't conducive to good football, but the home side seized on a defensive lapse to level just before the break. The quality of football seemed better in th...