Steve B the Groundhopper

2pm 22 February  2026 North West Under 21 Development League, Premier Division Warrington Town U21 5 Avro U21 1 (att 28) This was my first experience of the North West Under 21 Development League, but I was tempted by the fact that, unlike most teams in its three divisions, Warrington use a different venue to their first team. They're also top of the premier division and, as far as I know, don't currently have an 'official' reserve side, thus making their under 21s their second most senior men's team. As table toppers they were always going to be favourites against Avro, who do have a reserve team playing in the Manchester League. The home side's task looked even easier at kick off as the visitors only had 10 players. Two goals in the first quarter of the game suggested it was going to be comfortable if low-key Warrington win. But they eased up a bit too much and Avro pulled a goal back before half time. Warrington were consistently thwarted by Avro's discip...

2.45pm 21 February  2026 Cheshire League, League Two Wigan Town 6 Sandbach Town 2 (att 10) When I last saw Wigan Town at home, in April 2024 , they were using the well-appointed ground of amateur rugby league club Ince Rose Bridge. At the start of this season they moved a short distance to the new Leisure United William Foster facility. It's typical of such venues, with a building housing changing rooms, toilets and a café alongside a pair of 3G pitches. Both have a spectator area running the length of one side, while 'pitch one' also has partial access at one end. Grounds like this often come in for criticism, but on an afternoon of constant heavy rain there's almost no chance this fixture, or the Wigan Amateur League fixture on the adjacent pitch, would have survived. My plan was to watch whichever match was on pitch one. Having previously visited what was then William Foster's Playing Fields in 2012 , the single grass pitch back them mostly overlapped what is now...

11am 21 February  2026 EFL Youth Alliance, North Morecambe U18 3 Shrewsbury Town U18 0 (att 53) After such a turbulent summer for the club I was surprised that Morecambe made the start line for this season's EFL Youth Alliance. On the pitch they've struggled, but have picked up enough points to remain above the foot of the table. They added another three with a win over Shrewsbury that wasn't as easy as the final score might suggest. The visitors dominated first half possession but without any cutting edge up front. Midway through the half Morecambe were gifted a goal when the away keeper made a mess of an attempted clearance outside his area, leaving a grateful opponent with the simplest of chances. The goal was very much against the run of play, and the home side held the lead into the break. Shrewsbury began the second half on the front foot, but Morecambe - growing in confidence - were threatening on the break. Moments after Shrewsbury thought they'd equalised when ...

2pm 14 February  2026 West of Scotland League, Division One Whitletts Victoria 2 Vale of Clyde 3 (att 150) A trip to Ayr to tick off New voluntary Park, one of my two remaining West of Scotland League grounds. It's a newish venue built close to Whitletts Victoria's former home ground, Voluntary Park, which has since been demolished. I never got there, but in January 2013 I did see Whitletts at Dam Park , an athletics stadium they used for a few years. For a recently-built ground with an artificial surface, New Voluntary Park exceeded my expectations. Spectators can access three sides, with just the far touchline, where the dugouts are, out of bounds. There's a newly-installed seated stand, although they may need to stop spectators standing in front of it, a snack bar and lots of friendly volunteers. The club clearly enjoys plenty of support as well, including some enthusiastic young 'ultras' equipped with drums and megaphones. Whitletts Victoria went into this game ...

4pm 7 February  2026 Hampshire Premier League, Senior Division Bishops Waltham Dynamos 2 Liphook United 0 (att 24) Once the rain unsurprisingly wiped out my plan A game, and the very late finish to my match at Reading made reaching plan B in time for kick off off unlikely, I was onto plan C. Plan C was an artificial pitch at Mountbatten School in Romsey, booked by Bishops Waltham Dynamos once it was obvious their regular home ground wasn't going to be playable. The 4pm slot may have been unusual, but was a bonus for me as it meant I'd be there comfortably ahead of kick off. Romsey is a fair distance from Bishop's Waltham, but the venue wasn't that random as it was Dynamos' regular home ground last season. It's a standard 3G set up, with floodlights and a worn pitch that was more rubber crumb than fake grass. There's a spectator area one side, and a welcome surprise was a kiosk near the pitch selling hot and cold drinks, crisps, sweets and chocolate. Having s...

12noon 7 February  2026 Premier League Two Reading U21 3 Stoke City U21 0 (att 50) Reading's Bearwood Park training ground has been a challenge to tick off. Since it opened, about six years ago, regular under 18 matches there have been behind closed doors. I'd thought the same applied when it occasionally hosted under 21 games, but I spotted last month that tickets were apparently available when Reading played Leeds at Bearwood. Sure enough, when I phoned during the week, the Reading ticket office was happy to sell me a ticket for a fiver. You'd never know they were available from the club's website or social media though, with the fixture barely given a mention. I was told a maximum of 50 tickets are available for under 21 fixtures at Bearwood, and they come with rules designed to deter all but the most determined. There's no on-site parking, so you need to find a spot in the neighbouring village of Sindlesham and walk, and you have to time your arrival for 30 minu...

3pm 31 January  2026 Western League, Division One Avonmouth 2 Welton Rovers 1 (att 107) I'm still unsure whether I'll finally complete all the grounds in the FA's national league system this season, but I reduced the tally remaining to just four after a visit to Western League side Avonmouth. The club have had a rapid rise in recent years, moving up from local Bristol football, via just a single season in the Gloucestershire County League, to 'step six' of the non-league pyramid. This is their second season in the Western League, and a win against strugglers Welton Rovers keeps them in the battle for another promotion, into the premier division. It was a hard-fought win on a heavy pitch, and one that involved overturning a first half deficit. Welton looked better than expected for a team bottom of the table, although their opening goal, a penalty, was against the run of play. Another spot kick, just three minutes into the second half, levelled the score. Avonmouth...