Author Archives: laurencereade

Pandy

18 Wednesday May 2022

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Saturday 2nd April 2022 ko 14:00

Bridgend & District League Open Cup 2nd Round

TONDU ROBINS 0

LLANHARRY 6 (Peete 3 Doughty 9 T Hamilton 12 Richards 50 Watts 67 Williams 79)

Att 27 at Pandy Park, Aberkenfig

Free Entry

It seems to me that if you want to find an interesting football match, all you really need to do is head to South Wales- there’s no end of them. The previous Saturday on the way back from Denaby Main we’d had a look at my options and this one rather jumped out, not least due to Tondu Robins’ long stint in the Welsh League. In the end it all added up to a lot more than that.

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Beyond Categorisation

13 Friday May 2022

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Wednesday 30th March 2022 ko 20:00

Barnet Sunday League Richard Martin Memorial Cup Group B

NORTH LONDON ATHLETIC 1 ( Inyama 30)

BROTHERHOOD COSSIE 1 ( Ierotheou 75p)

Att 34 at A.I.M. North London

Entry Free

As a groundhopper there’s two things that really make me prick up my ears. The first is any new-to-me floodlit game midweek I can get to, and the second is anything that feels like a one-off. As you can imagine a floodlit Sunday League game played on a Wednesday at a one-off floodlit ground had me making a beeline to Enfield! Continue reading →

Tickhill

12 Thursday May 2022

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Saturday 26th March 2022 ko 15:00

Sheffield & Hallamshire League Division One

DENABY MAIN 4 (Landsborough 33og Green 68 74p 79)

SHEFFIELD MEDICS 0

Simmons penalty saved 44

Att 57

Entry FREE

Programme £1

It is a fact of life that regret is part of the makeup of the groundhopper. You spend your existence thinking of the grounds you missed out on, one of mine for example was Enfield’s Southbury Avenue, despite my University tutor being a season ticket holder there. I missed out and I’m sure everyone reading this has a short list of similar missed grounds. Another of mine was Tickhill Square, which was lost when Denaby United folded at the end of the 2001-2002 season due to the Miners Welfare evicting them from their land. But every so often there is a little redemption….. Continue reading →

Fields Of Fire

06 Friday May 2022

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Sunday 20th March 2022 ko 12:15

East of Scotland League- Division One Conference B

OAKLEY UNITED 2 (Love 20 40)

EASTHOUSES LILY MINERS WELFARE 1 (Goodlad 37og)

Inglis penalty saved 44

Att 365

Entry £6

Programme £2

The final game of the Scottish Hop is an odd one. Part of me would like a second game on the Sunday but coach drivers’ hours make that impossible and I do tend to change my mind about it when I type “Oxford” into the satnav as I leave the final game; I certainly did here! Continue reading →

Restless Natives

05 Thursday May 2022

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Saturday 19th March 2022 ko 19:45

East of Scotland League- Premier Division

HILL OF BEATH HAWTHORN 3 (Connelly 19 49 Allum 90p)

LINLITHGOW ROSE 1 (Sneddon 34)

Att 584

Entry £7

Programme £2

Perhaps it’s the floodlights but there’s always a sense of heightened expectation associated with the final game on the Saturday on the Scottish Hop. For one thing the league always schedules us an excellent game and this time round we’d spent the whole event with programme editor with Dave Edler and it was clear that both he, and the club had thought deeply about what was going to happen that evening. That started by the way with Dave’s programme, one of the best we’ve ever seen on one of these events. 

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Where The Rose Is Sown

02 Monday May 2022

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Saturday 19th March 2022 ko 17:00

East of Scotland League Premier Division

DUNDONALD BLUEBELL 1 (Sibanda 40p)

TRANENT JUNIORS 3 (Maugham 12 76 Renton 36)

Att 371

Entry £7

Programme £2

Just as it was at Crossgates parking was an issue at Cardenden, but again simple planning and cooperation made it all work efficiently. But I hear your question, he said Cardenden and not Dundonald, so where were we?

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Porrohman

29 Friday Apr 2022

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Saturday 19th March 2022 ko 14:00

East of Scotland League Premier Division

CROSSGATES PRIMROSE 1 (Ritchie 44)

PENICUIK ATHLETIC 2 (Danson 26 58)

Att 434

Entry £6

Programme £2

From Glenrothes it seemed like no more than a quick dash along the A92 to Crossgates. Again this was a village based around the coal industry, even down to the football ground, Humbug Park being named after the former colliery here. More recently the Big Country and Skids frontman Stuart Adamson grew up in Crossgates, and an estate of new houses has “Stuart Adamson Crescent” in it, named in his memory.

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Wonderland

28 Thursday Apr 2022

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Saturday 19th March 2022 ko 11:15

East of Scotland League First Division- Conference B

GLENROTHES 3 (L Schiavone 5 Bell 35 Cargill 64)

KINNOULL 0

Att 410

Entry £6

Programme £2

With all due respect to Caledonian Braves I felt we were moving back to traditional Scottish Hop territory. The fact was that at Bothwellhaugh we’d added roughly 200 to a crowd of 2019, from now on that 200 or so would be added to local support and that would test the compromise that is every single organised hop.

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Braves

22 Friday Apr 2022

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Friday 18th March 2022 ko 19.45

Scottish Lowland League

CALEDONIAN BRAVES 1 (Forrester 90)

EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY 1 (Lawson 74)

Att 219

Entry £6

Programme £2

If October’s Scottish Hop was held in the midst of a fuel crisis, you could argue so was this, except this time round the issue was cost rather than availability. I filled up ready for the trip north a day or two before departure and winced!

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Surprises

07 Thursday Apr 2022

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Tuesday 15th March 2022 ko 19:45

Combined Counties League Division One

HILLINGDON BOROUGH 1 (Bustard 59)

Robb penalty saved 76

LONDON SAMURAI ROVERS 3 (Hashii 8 Yoshida 28 Reis 50og)

Att c10

Free Entry

Ever had a ground you know you’ve been to, but can’t work out when? For years my mystery ground was the Middlesex Stadium in Ruislip. I know I watched Hillingdon Borough around 15 years ago on a Saturday because my girlfriend of the time insisted I got home by 6:30 as we had guests. I was a very different hopper then, these days I were given that constraint, I’d take in a non-floodlit game locally. Floodlit grounds are a finite resource to a groundhopper! Continue reading →