Steve B the Groundhopper

6.30 pm 10 May 2023 Wigan and District Amateur League, Premier Division Digmoor 0 Leigh Foundry 2 (att 8) There was nothing much at stake in this fixture and it showed in what felt like a low key game. Leigh Foundry will finish as runners up behind Winstanley St Aidans. Digmoor went into their final league game knowing they'd already secured fourth place, less impressive when you remember it's a six team division. They're both decent sides though, and deserve credit for fulfilling the fixture at a time of year when too many clubs are content to concede such late-season matches. A goalless draw looked likely until Foundry's opening goal, a precisely-placed direct freekick with a quarter of the game remaining. They confirmed a deserved with a second goal five minutes from time. I've previously seen Skelmersdale-based Digmoor on two other home grounds. In 2012 at Glenburn Sports College , and in 2014 at Blaguegate Playing Fields . They're now at Delph Side Primary ...

2.30pm 8 May 2023 Central Wales League, North Division Trewern United 2 Llansantffraid Village 1 (att 74) The last time I went to a Trewern home game they conceded 19 goals. To be fair they were playing a county cup tie against a strong Caersws side who finished fourth in that year's League of Wales. In the 21 years since then Trewern United have folded, reformed, and moved a few miles from their own village to nearby Llandrinio. Their base now is the village playing field, and players change in Llandrinio Village Hall. The pitch is at the far end of the field, and the only pitchside facilities are a pair of temporary dugouts put up on the far side on matchdays. Trewern had little to play for beyond local pride and the chance to thwart Llansantffraid's hopes of a top three finish. Whatever their motivation, they got all the points thanks to goals in each half. The visitors got a goal back with 20 minutes to play, setting up an exciting finish. They pushed hard for an equaliser,...

2pm 6 May 2023 York League, Division One Tockwith 0 Cawood 2 (att 28) On Coronation day it was fitting to see a match which ended with one of the teams being crowned champions. Unlike the main event in London this was no forgone conclusion, with Cawood requiring all three points. They got them thanks to a goal in each half, leapfrogging their hosts who were playing their final fixture. Had Cawood drawn or lost they still had two more games to get the required points. They always had the edge over Tockwith, and it was no surprise when they went in front after about 25 minutes. The home side pushed for an equaliser, but another Cawood goal 12 minutes into the second half ended their resistance. A late red card did nothing to dampen Cawood celebrations at the end. Tockwith's consolation is finishing the season as runners-up and joining Cawood in promotion to the York League's top division for next season. They're based at Tockwith Sportsfield, a good facility with an excellent...

10.30am 6 May 2023 Yorkshire Christian League Marshall Park 5 Oulton Athletic Torchbearers 1 (att 17) I thought morning games might be thin on the ground given the clash with the King's Coronation. But the Yorkshire Christian League had matches scheduled, and Marshall Park promoted this fixture on Facebook. They got off a poor start, conceding inside the opening minute. There wasn't much between the sides, at least until a drinks break after about 25 minutes. I don't know why the break was needed as it wasn't that warm, but the home side's pep talk worked wonders. Within a few minutes of the restart they equalised, the first of a remarkable four goals, one a penalty, in just five minutes. The second half was a quieter affair, with Marshall Park eventually adding a fifth goal in the final minutes. Fixtures and venues in the Yorkshire Christian League can be hard to pin down. Marshall Park play at Kirk Lane Park in the Yeadon area of Leeds. It's a pleasant public ...

6.30pm 4 May 2023 Doncaster Saturday League, Division One Pilkingtons 2 AFC Bentley development 2 (att 32) When I first started travelling the country watching non-League football, in the late 1980s, Pilkingtons had a team in the Northern Counties East League. They disappeared long before I was prepared to go as far as Doncaster for a team at that level, and the location of their ground remained a mystery to me. Turns out it was in Kirk Sandall, on the outskirts of the town, and this season they've resurfaced in senior football. Stricter ground grading these days means this incarnation of Pilkingtons is unlikely to climb as high as its predecessor, but the venue is better than average for the Doncaster Saturday League. What was the company sports ground is now the Barnby Dun and Kirk Sandall Sports Association. The football pitch is enclosed and beyond a cricket ground. The former stand has been converted as a secure equipment store, although it still provided useful cover from rai...

6.30pm 3 May 2023 Yorkshire Amateur League, Championship Division Norristhorpe 3 Leeds Medics and Dentists reserves 3 (att 18) I'm unsure how many teams are promoted from the championship division to the Yorkshire Amateur League's second tier premier division, but these two began the match in third and fourth places. Ninety entertaining minutes later and they are still in the same places, separated by goal difference. Norristhorpe will finish third if they avoid a heavy defeat in their final game on Saturday. Medics, playing their last league game, opened the scoring early. Norristhorpe missed a lot of chances, mostly headers in front of goal, before deservedly equalising before half time. About 10 minutes into the second half two penalties in two minutes, both for Medics and both scored, swung the match back in the away side's favour. There was little between the teams though and Norristhorpe fought back, scoring twice to get level. In the closing minutes it was the home s...

3pm 1 May 2023 Midland Football League, Division Three Wake Green Amateur 1 Coventrians 2 (att 90) Coventrians went into this game knowing that four points from this and their final fixture would be enough to win the league. They got three of the four but they made hard work of it. For a side closing in on a league title they looked average in the first half. Wake Green, out of contention for honours but having had a good debut season at this level, deserved their 1-0 half time lead. The game turned around after the break, with Coventrians getting the goals they needed for all three points. The first was a penalty, the second was an excellent finish. The win guaranteed promotion to the Midland Football League's third tier. A draw at home to Leamington Hibernian on Saturday will secure the title as well. Wake Green are a well-established club, having played for many years in what was the Birmingham AFA League and latterly became the Birmingham and District League. They have an attra...