Author Archives: laurencereade

The White Peak

21 Wednesday Oct 2020

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Saturday 17th October 2020 ko 15.00

Central Midlands League Division One Central

WIRKSWORTH IVANHOE 3 (Mellor 3 34 36)

Leask missed penalty 53

WOODHOUSE COLTS 3 (Hajman 54 Glenn 74 Clarke 90)

Att 62

Entry FREE

Programme £2

I had something of a dilemma.  I knew wherever I was going I was going alone. Robyn had been in contact with someone who had subsequently tested positive for coronavirus, so she was in the middle of two weeks self-isolation. She encouraged me to find a game, but what game to find? Continue reading →

Karma Police

16 Friday Oct 2020

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Wednesday 15th October 2020 ko. 20.00 (ish)

Hellenic League Veterans Division One

JET VETERANS 3 (Lynch 4og Parry 5 Jackson 35)

RG VETERANS 2 (Lucas 24 Webster 48og)

Att 5 at Tilsley Park, Abingdon

Free Entry

Karma police
Arrest this man
He talks in maths
He buzzes like a fridge
He’s like a detuned radio

Radiohead, “Karma Police” 1997

I can hear the howls from the traditonalist hoppers as I type this.

A veteran’s game? You can’t count that!

Well here’s another adage; “My hobby, my blog and my rules”, so I can and I will. Besides, I’d wanted to visit Tilsley Park for a while. Continue reading →

Witness

14 Wednesday Oct 2020

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Saturday 10th October 2020 ko 14.30

Anglian Combination Division 4

NORTON ATHLETIC 2 (Burcham 9 MacDonald 24)

THORPE ST ANDREW RESERVES 0

Att 23

Free Entry

Programme by donation

On the face of it there wasn’t much going on in the south Norfolk village of Norton Subcourse. Just a crossroads, a bus stop with no bus service, and the round towered St Mary’s Church, with one service every two months. It’s rural, with a farm and a cement works but despite the fact that the entire population is only around 300 you’d be hard pushed to find a more vibrant club.

Continue reading →

The Pie Army

12 Monday Oct 2020

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Tuesday 6th October 2020 ko 19.45

United Counties League Division One

MELTON TOWN 0

Hammond sent off 90 (violent conduct)

AYLESTONE PARK 2 (Preston 8 Beck Ray 18)

Holyoak sent off 90 (violent conduct)

Att 141

Entry £5

Programme £1

I’ve always liked the idea of a football club being very much of its location, Miners Welfare teams playing next door to the pit being an example. That could also lend itself nicely to food too. I’m still amazed I couldn’t buy a hot chocolate at Cadbury Athletic for example or a real ale at Tadcaster ! But if ever there was a town whose famous foodstuff ought to be at their football ground it’s definitely Melton Mowbray! Continue reading →

The Main Line

07 Wednesday Oct 2020

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Saturday 3rd October 2020 ko 15.00

Isthmian League South/East Division

HYTHE TOWN 0

PHOENIX SPORTS 4 (Ansah 53 Fitchett 57 Bryon 77 Chin 82)

Att 212

Entry £10

Programme £2

Now I’m sure one of two groundhoppers will see an article on Hythe Town and think, “Surely he’s been there before?” After all my friend Andy Short is media officer there, you may remember he was at Whitstable Town too, he’s also secretary at the Southern Counties East League (now that’s interesting!) so why my tardiness? It’s because I wanted to travel to see Hythe Town by train! Continue reading →

The Controversy

02 Friday Oct 2020

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Saturday 26th September 2020 ko 15.00

Gloucestershire County League

HARDWICKE 1 (Higgins 45)

PATCHWAY TOWN 1 (Poole 22og)

Att 42

Free Entry

No Programme

I suspect if you’re a groundhopper Hardwicke will mean one of two things to you. If you’re younger you’ll know the club as a village team in the Step 7 Gloucestershire County League. If , however you are a little older you’ll know them as the most controversial club ever to have taken part in a hop game. Continue reading →

Ingredients

01 Thursday Oct 2020

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Tuesday 22nd September 2020 ko 19.45

United Counties League Division One

SAFFRON DYNAMO 4 (March 28 36 56 Johnson 89)

AYLESTONE PARK 2 (Holdom 79p Ray 90)

Att c70

Entry & Teamsheet £5

For me at least it had been a long time in coming. I’d arrived In Cosby 8 years ago, and discovered that the then Leicestershire Senior League outfit had called off their game with Desford as neither side fancied playing each other twice in 3 days! I ended up watching Rugby Town, and would never has guessed that both Rugby Town and Saffron Dynamo would end up playing in the same league! Or come to think of it, that poor Woodford United (Rugby’s opponents that day) would end up in the Northants Combination! Continue reading →

The Performance Hub

29 Tuesday Sep 2020

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Monday 21st September 2020 ko 19.45

Midland League Division 3

W L V SPORT 1 (Clifton 8p)

ENVILLE ATHLETIC 4 (Rich 5 18 Constable 52 Martin 81)

Att 28

Free Entry

So, once you understand that WLV Sport is the banner for all sports by the University of Wolverhampton you’ll assume this ground is in Wolverhampton. And you like me would have assumed incorrectly, WLV Sport is based at the institution’s campus in Walsall at the “Performance Hub.”

Continue reading →

Bring Them Home

27 Sunday Sep 2020

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Saturday 19th September 2020 ko 14.00

Mid Sussex League- Championship

SOUTHWICK 1882 2 (Russell 20 McDowell 80)

ASHURST WOOD 1 (Grafton 10)

Att c130

Entry & Programme – By Donation

You may remember 18 months ago I watched Southwick FC at their home Old Barn Way. I found a friendly club struggling with the weight of a storied history and a home that had clearly seen better days. I saw them lose, wrote about them, and hoped for better things for them. Sadly disaster befell them. Continue reading →

Bear Necessities

25 Friday Sep 2020

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Tuesday 15th September 2020 ko 19.30

Southern Counties East League-Premier Division

BEARSTED 2 (Marshall-Katong 20p Abibio 24)

CHATHAM TOWN 5 (Evans 17 71 Butler 74 Bradshaw 80 Abioye 86)

Att 256

Entry & Parking £8

Programme- Free, online only

On Twitter, one of my followers has the following bio, “If it wasn’t for football I wouldn’t know where half the places in the UK are.”

Now that goes double for non-league I suppose; even I had to look up where Bearsted is, and just to make life even more difficult, the football club play in Otham, not Bearsted! Continue reading →