Steve B the Groundhopper

10.30am  12 March 2022 Herts and Borders Churches League Gold Hill 0 Soul Survivor Watford 2 (att 3) I spent too much of this game checking on my phone for options for an afternoon match, after my intended fixture was called off. But despite that, and some very heavy first half rain, it provided decent entertainment. Saturday morning leagues are for players rather than spectators of course, and as far I could tell the other two people watching this were connected with the visiting team. The home side have had to relocate this season, from a pitch in Gold Hill itself to the King George V Playing Field in Mill End, Rickmansworth. I visited in 2010, when Mill End Sports played on a railed off pitch, but Gold Hill play on the other, unrailed, pitch. They're having a tough time in the league, which is perhaps no surprise as they were among sides propelled from last season's second tier to the single division format this season. I thought they be might on the end of a heavy defeat wh...

2pm  6 March 2022 Radnorshire Cup, Semi-Final Radnor Valley 1 Builth Wells 1, 4-2 on penalties (att 100) The third home pitch I've seen Radnor Valley play on, and like the previous two it was a cup tie that provided the opportunity to visit on a Sunday. In 2002 I saw them in another Radnorshire Cup match at School Lane, and back in 1993 they had a home pitch on the south side of the A44 that bypasses the village of New Radnor. Their new ground is also on the A44, but on the north side of the road and slightly east of the village. They moved in at the start of this season, and while it might still be a work in progress it's a neat venue. Spectators are restricted to the near side of the pitch, which is railed off and has a small covered area. There are dugouts on the far side, and plenty of room for parking in the field. The parking was needed as a large crowd turned out for the visit of fellow Mid Wales League side Builth Wells. Both clubs are going well in the league, and this...

3pm  5 March 2022 St Piran League, East Division Polperro 2 Bude Town 2 (att 56) St Piran's Day was an appropriate date to see my first game in the league named after Cornwall's patron saint. The league has a pair of parallel divisions, east and west, providing football at 'step seven' for Cornish clubs. This is the competition's third season, but thanks to Covid it's yet to complete one. Both Polperro and Bude are on the edge of the title race, but a draw will have done little for either side's chances of catching the leaders. Bude had the better of the first half and scored the opening goal, although it was cancelled out by an equaliser just before half time. The visitors went ahead again after the break, but once again Polperro hit back to finish with a deserved point. Both sides finished with 10 men after a pair of late red cards, and for a time Bude had just nine with a player in the sin bin. Polperro is an attractive fishing village popular with touris...

10.30am  5 March 2022 South West Counties Youth League, Gary Else Memorial League Cup, Semi-Final Bridgwater United U18 4 Wimborne Town U18 0 (att 40) Not for the first time recently this match was my hastily-organised plan B. I had been intending to see the other semi-final, between Torquay United and Yeovil Town, but that was postponed late on Friday. Fortunately this tie was within range of both my overnight base in Taunton and my first choice afternoon game in Cornwall, and proved a good way of spending Saturday morning. The South West Counties League used to be home to youth sides of the region's professional clubs, before youth football at 'elite' level was reorganised. These days it's a single division of non-League clubs. Bridgwater United (known as Town before the start of this season) may not be among the biggest non-League clubs, but on this evidence they have a good youth set up. They were much too strong for Wimborne, playing some good football and scoring ...

8pm  4 March 2022 Taunton Saturday League, Gardner Security Trophy, Quarter-Final Bridgwater Wolves Predators 4 Bridgwater and Albion reserves 0 (att 18) The Taunton League has an unusual arrangement for its cup matches. They're played under floodlights at one of two 3G venues, so almost every tie is at a neutral venue. I saw a match at Bridgwater College Academy in 2020  and I knew when I planned this trip that there'd almost certainly be a Friday night game at the Castle Sports Centre in Taunton. A fixture between two sides from the league's third, and lowest, division wasn't ideal, especially as they're both reserve sides (Wolves' second team are known as Predators). But despite looking unpromising it was a decent contest. In the end Predators, riding high in the league, were comfortable winners. But it took until the second half before they were sure of their progress to the semi-finals. They had a 1-0 lead at half time, and it soon became 3-0 after the rest...

3pm  26 February 2022 West Cheshire League, Division Two Runcorn Sports 4 South Liverpool reserves 0 (att 25) When I went to Runcorn Sports in August they played at Runcorn Sports Club, but since then they've moved their West Cheshire League home matches to a new 3G pitch in nearby Helsby. It's at the far end of Helsby High School's large playing field, making it a long walk from the car park. It's a good facility. There's dugouts and, unusually, the changing rooms are inside the fence that encloses the pitch. However, there are also the usual annoyances that come with a 3G venue. The spectator area, running the length of one side, includes sections of high fencing, and play was interrupted a few times when the ball hit an overhead cable used to carry netting to divide the pitch for small-sided games. Spectators also have to face west, looking towards the setting sun. Signs in and around the ground suggest the main users of the pitch are Frodsham Junior FC Runcorn ...

3pm  12 February 2022 English Football League, League One AFC Wimbledon 1 Sunderland 1 (att 8,381) As I much prefer non-League football I find occasional visits to league grounds, while necessary to re-complete 'the 92', can be a bit of a chore. But the welcome rise of AFC Wimbledon, and their return to Plough Lane, meant I was looking forward to this one. The way fortunes can change in football, or at least used to before overseas billionaires got involved, is evidenced by that fact that Sunderland were the visitors. It doesn't seem long ago that newly-formed AFC Wimbledon joined the Combined Counties League, at a time when the Wearsiders were in the Premier League (albeit finishing bottom). Whether they're still in the same division next season remains to be seen. Sunderland's recent poor form has meant a managerial change, but they still have a good chance of promotion. Wimbledon could be exiting League One in the opposite direction. A draw was a fair result. A 2...