Steve B the Groundhopper

3pm 6 September  2025 Spartan South Midlands League, Division One Everett Rovers 7 Huntingdon Town 0 (att 55) Watford-based  Everett Rovers seem to have come from nowhere to rapidly ascend the footballing pyramid. They earned a place at ‘step six’ after winning  promotion from Hertfordshire’s county league last season. Their start to 2025/26 suggests their upward trajectory will continue. They were already top of the table, and unbeaten, before crushing a hapless Huntingdon Town side. The game was one-way traffic from the start. Everett scored three in the first half, and four more after the break. They could, and probably should, have managed double figures. Everett Rovers’ home ground has just about kept pace with their climb through the leagues, but it is basic for step six. It’s an enclosed artificial pitch that's so new it's yet to appear on Google Maps. There is spectator access at one end and along one side, where there’s also a small covered standing area.

11am 30 August  2025 Under 18 Professional Development League Wigan Athletic U18 0 Watford U18 0 (att 40) The was pitch hopping rather than groundhopping. I was last at Christopher Park in 1997, before it became Wigan Athletic's training ground, to see West Lancashire League side Wigan College. The pitch used that day is still there, and was marked out this morning, but Athletic use a different pitch for their under 18 and under 21 games. There's a pair dugouts on the far side, opposite an area that's designated for spectators and that runs to just beyond the halfway line. Beyond that is a separate area reserved for scouts. This looked a good contest on paper. Watford headed the southern section with three wins from three games, having scored 15 goals, while Wigan were unbeaten and top of the north division. Both sides hit the crossbar, Watford in the first half and Wigan in the second, and both had other good chances to score. The best opportunity fell to a visiting player...