Author Archives: laurencereade

Logistics

03 Thursday Sep 2015

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Saturday 28th August 2015 ko 10.45

Welsh Alliance Division Two

AMLWCH TOWN 1 (Grffiths 44) Byast sent off 90 (2nd booking)

NANTLLE VALE 2 (A Hughes 2 S Williams 40) E Jones sent off 81 (2nd booking)

Att 318

Entry £3

Programme £1

Badge £3

When you organise a groundhop, after you’ve agreed the event with the league your next move is to pick a base, where you’ll run the coaches from and site your accommodation. There are some hard and fast rules with hotels and the like, parking must be free, there has to be room for the coach, and the breakfasts need to be of the cooked variety! Universities tend to be good for us, having single ensuite rooms is perfect for us, and the University of Chester’s accommodation is first-class, but it has meant we’ve needed to plan a little more. Continue reading →

Lost In Translation

01 Tuesday Sep 2015

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Friday 28th August 2015 ko 18.30

Welsh Alliance Division Two

MOCHDRE SPORTS 1 (Owen 67)

PRESTATYN SPORTS 0

Att 313

Entry £3

Programme £1

Badge £3

GroundhopUK’s roots lie with the Welsh hop, back 13 years ago when Chris Berezai put together a one-day event for the Welsh League. My, how the baby has grown as we distributed 130-or-so programme packs and room keys at Chester University and waited for our two coaches to take us to the first game of a 4 day, 11 game extravaganza in the Welsh Alliance. Continue reading →

Scandal

01 Tuesday Sep 2015

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Wednesday 26th August 2015 ko 18.15

Thames Valley Premier League, Premier Division

COOKHAM DEAN 0

WOODLEY UNITED RESERVES 5 (Waller 10 Male 45p 68 Wilks 59 73)

Att 14

Entry FREE

No Programme

Most people have regrets, but John Profumo most have had more than many. If only he’d never met Christine Keeler, and Mandy Rice-Davies, or paid Cliveden House a visit… Actually the Taplow-based mansion could have been his salvation, if he’d only looked from a west-facing window and stared over the valley towards Cookham Dean. Continue reading →

Just William

27 Thursday Aug 2015

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Tuesday 25th August 2015 ko 18.30

Hertfordshire Senior County League Premier Division

SARRATT 2 (Shanahan 35 90)

EVERGREEN 0

Att 14

Entry FREE

Programme FREE

Tea in a mug 50p

Normally I take the view that you, dear reader knows precisely where all these towns and villages I visit are. But since I had to look up where Sarratt is, I’ll save you the effort. Continue reading →

The Key To It All

25 Tuesday Aug 2015

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Saturday 22nd August 2015 ko 14.30

Isle of Wight Jubilee Cup

BRADING TOWN 3 (Collins 7 Hichcox 28 Hatcher 45) Vale missed penalty 45)

NORTHWOOD ST JOHNS 0

Att 34

Entry £1

No Programme

The further I delve into every football ground everywhere, the endless choice every Saturday doesn’t get any less bewildering nearly 1,700 grounds in. Writing these articles helps, as it steers you towards places that cry out to have their story told, but in the end Brading Town became a classic piece of completionism. Continue reading →

Underneath The Arches

24 Monday Aug 2015

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Thursday 20th August 2015 ko 18.30

Pre-Season Friendly

FORDINGBRIDGE TURKS 2 (Tong 83 86)

BURLEY 0

Att 18

Entry FREE

No Programme

As a general policy I’ll be attempting this season to visit more of the clubs that follow me on Twitter. Now I’m well aware that will set me up for a few monster drives, with perhaps the Cornishmen of Carharrack being the furthest, but the policy does have one advantage, and this game was the perfect example of it. Continue reading →

Patronage

24 Monday Aug 2015

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Wednesday 19th August 2015 ko 19.45

Hellenic League Premier Division

ROYAL WOOTTON BASSETT TOWN 2 (Packer 32 Bailey 89)

ARDLEY UNITED 1 (Howkins 40p)

Att 92

Entry £6

Programme £1.50

This season has seen Wootton Bassett return home after a two-year exile at Cirencester Town. They’ve moved into a purpose-built facility on the Malmesbury Road, with their old ground at Rylands way now gradually disappearing under a close of houses. Continue reading →

Lessons Learned

23 Sunday Aug 2015

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Monday 17th August 2015 ko 19.30

Combined Counties League Division One

ABBEY RANGERS 2 (Macklin 68 Hartlebury 81)

STAINES LAMMMAS 1 (Nunn 52)

Att 157

Entry & Programme £5

I’m beginning to think despite many aggravating factors we’re beginning to see a renaissance in southern-based non-league clubs. I’m well used to having to travel north to visit an iconic ground at Step 5 or below, then visiting grounds at a similar level locally and seeing little more than a barrier. Continue reading →

Building Jerusalem

23 Sunday Aug 2015

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Saturday 15th August 2015 ko 15.00

FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round

NELSON 0

NEWTON AYCLIFFE 4 (Knight 29 Banks 59 Moffat 81 86)

Att 96

Entry £6

Programme £2

Badge £3

If there’s one competition every football fan should be a fan of it’s the FA Cup. Despite top flight clubs attempts to devalue it, for me the memories of clubs you’d never heard of battling against familiar Football League clubs remain a romantic part of growing up a football fan. Be it Blyth Spartans, Shepshed Charterhouse or Sutton United, the FA Cup was and is where the thrill of the underdog giving the patrician a bloody nose was more interesting than watching the same old sides fight for the League title. With those thoughts in mind I wanted something special to visit for the competition’s opening round.  Continue reading →

All Killer, No Filler

23 Sunday Aug 2015

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Friday 14th August 2015 ko 19.45

FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round

HODDESDON TOWN 4 (Summers 38 43 67 Wade 90)

SAWBRIDGEWORTH TOWN 0

Att 216

Entry £6

Programme £1

In groundhoppers’ circles football grounds and clubs get known for certain characteristics. For example there’s the stand at Treharris, the Chinese pagoda at the Olympic Stadium, Stockholm, but Hoddesdon Town gets talked about in hushed tones for one reason, the programme. Continue reading →