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Football: Wherever it may be

~ Laurence's football travels

Football: Wherever it may be

Author Archives: laurencereade

Death of a 1000 passes

14 Monday Jul 2014

Posted by laurencereade in B

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Tags

Bangor City, Europa League, Farrar Road, Iceland, Les Davies, Nantporth Stadium, Stjarnan, UEFA, Wales, welsh premier league

Thursday 10th July 2014 ko 18.45

Europa League 1st Qualifying Round

BANGOR CITY 0

STJARNAN FC 4 (Rauschenberg 53 Bjorgvinsson 61 81 A Johannsson 85)

Agg 0-8

Att 805

Entry £14

Programme £3

Let’s be honest here, I’d waited far too long to visit the Welsh club’s new home on the banks of the Menai straits. But the decision to wait proved to be a good one, as a competitive game this time of year is not to be sniffed at, and I’d never watched a side from Iceland either!

Continue reading →

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Two-and-a-half Percent

13 Sunday Jul 2014

Posted by laurencereade in A

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Athlone, Athlone Town, Athlone Town Stadium, Derry City, Giovanni Trappatoni, Ireland, League of Ireland, St Mels, UEFA Cup

Sunday 6th July 2014 ko 16.00

League of Ireland Premier Division

ATHLONE TOWN 0

DERRY CITY 1 (P McEleney 20)

Att 354

Entry €15

Programme €3

Badge €3

NB. The Irish tour’s cost of £285 included entry into all the 3 games, and programmes, all transport, all excursions, and 3 nights bed and breakfast at Dublin City University

The relaxed nature of the weekend was neatly summed up by its final day. A leisurely breakfast was followed by a trip west to Athlone for a boat trip on the Shannon. It turned out to be a mecca for the birdwatchers, and for the boat a chance to meet two residents of its birthplace Southend-on-sea! Even the RNLI badge was still attached!

Continue reading →

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Here, There & Everywhere

11 Friday Jul 2014

Posted by laurencereade in L

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Adam O'Connor, Battle of the Boyne, Chris Berezai, City Calling Stadium, GroundhopUK, Ireland, Longford Town, Protestant King William III of Orange, Shelbourne, Skerries Mills

Saturday 5th July 20145 ko 19.45

League of Ireland Division One

LONGFORD TOWN 3 (O’Sullivan 65 81 Shaw 79) G. O’Connor sent off 62 (dangerous play)

SHELBOURNE 0 McDonagh sent off 62 (violent conduct)

Att 780

Entry €10

Programme €3

Badge €5

NB. The Irish tour’s cost of £285 included entry into all the 3 games, and programmes, all transport, all excursions, and 3 nights bed and breakfast at Dublin City University

The great advantage of a day with just the one match to see is that the rest of your time is a blank canvas. There was time for a leisurely, if large breakfast before the coach headed north to the pretty seaside town of Skerries, In fact you could trace the coast north and see over the border to Northern Ireland. Continue reading →

Similarities & Differences

08 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by laurencereade in B

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Airtricity League, Bray Wanderers, Drogheda United, Dublin City University, GroundhopUK, Ireland, Irish independence, League of Ireland

Friday 4th July ko 19.45

League of Ireland Premier Division

BRAY WANDERERS 1 (Kelly 19) Mitchell sent off 60 (2nd booking)

DROGHEDA UNITED 3 (Brennan 4 Holahan 37 Brady 90)

Att 495

Entry €15 (€1 = £0.80)

Programme €3

Badge €3

Pennant €10

NB. The Irish tour’s cost of £285 included entry into all the 3 games, and programmes, all transport, all excursions, and 3 nights bed and breakfast at Dublin City University

This weekend represented something new for GroundhopUK, a trip outside the UK, and the chance to try something different, a tour that didn’t revolve exclusively around football. We’ve been aware for some time that people can attend an organised groundhop and never see much else save for a steady succession of football grounds. This tour was to break that mould completely. Continue reading →

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Brigade

02 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by laurencereade in S

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Chelsea Pensioner, Chelsea Pensioners, Copland, Middlesex County League, Royal Hospital, Royal Hospital Chelsea, Sloane, Sloane FC, Tony Incenzo

Saturday 21st March 2009 ko 11.00

Middlesex County League Division One Central & East

SLOANE 4 (Crisp 45 Jarvand 58 63 Burden 78)

COPLAND 3 (Simpson 25 90 Silcott 90)

Att 128 at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea

Entry Free

Programme £2 (very good!)

Coffee 50p

The roots of this fixture lie with QPR fan, journalist and programme enthusiast Tony Incenzo. For a few years now he’s organised early kick-offs in the Middlesex County League, with the host team printing a programme, and laying on refreshments too. Its simplicity is its genius, most if not all hoppers will find a 3 o’clock kick-off to pair it off with and so it really is a case of buy one get one free, at least in terms of time! Continue reading →

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It’s a Gas Gas Gas

01 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by laurencereade in E

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Combined Counties, Epsom, Epsom Athletic, Knaphill, NESCOT, Wayne Cathcart

Saturday 28th June 2014 ko 15.00

Pre-Season Friendly

EPSOM ATHLETIC 3 (W Cathcart 29 74 Mollatt 76)

KNAPHILL 0

Att 31 at N.E.S.C.O.T. Reigate Road, Epsom

Entry FREE

No Programme

I suppose the first question is what is NESCOT? It’s the North East Surrey College of Technology, not that I saw too much of it, the pitch was the other side of the car park from the college buildings so the only thing I learned was that if you fancy becoming a gas fitter, you’re in the right place! I do like these friendlies where the home team is in a groundshare, Athletic share at Chessington & Hook’s Chalky Lane ground, but this isn’t a case of the club simply playing at their home, more a case of simply hiring a pitch. Continue reading →

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Back On The Road Again

29 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by laurencereade in W

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Dorking Wanderers, Edward VIII, Elmbridge Leisure Centre, Elmbridge Xcel Leisure Centre, pillar boxes, post boxes, Walton Casuals, Walton on Thames

Saturday 28th June 2014 ko 12.00

Pre-Season Friendly

WALTON CASUALS 2 (Cove 28 Mustapha 74)

DORKING WANDERERS 2 (? 1 ? 40)

Att c20 at Elmbridge Xcel Leisure Centre, Walton-on-Thames

Entry FREE

No Programme

I haven’t got used to these June pre-season friendlies, even though this is the 3rd year I’ve seen them featured. To make it even more odd, at least one car-load of hoppers made their way to Scotland to take in a cup final marking the very end of last season. So two football seasons running simultaneously, work that one out!

Continue reading →

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Shapes

26 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by laurencereade in Q

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

150 years, anniversary, Eleanor Scott, foundation stage school, Headington Quarry, Headington Quarry School, Oxford, primary school, Quarry School

Headington Quarry School 1864-2014

I’ve written about my part of the world before, click here, and as you may know I attended my first school here, from 1976-1981. It was a happy place, even though the only time I ever managed to see out of the windows was when I returned in July 2003 to have a look round. It had just closed as a primary school, but happily it soon reopened as a foundation stage school for children aged 3 to 5, and so last weekend on its 150th anniversary, once again I had the chance to visit again and reminisce. Continue reading →

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Trollywood

25 Wednesday Jun 2014

Posted by laurencereade in T

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Christoffer Ekelund, coach, Dancer In The Dark, Division 1 Södra, Edsborgs IP, FC Trollhättan, Kim Hedwall, Kristianstads, Sweden, Swedish Groundhop, Trollhättan

Sunday 15th June 2014 ko 17.00

Division One Södra

FC TROLLHÄTTAN 4 (Gustafsson 16 Mollapolci 53 83 Bennhage 83)

KRISTIANSTADS 1 (Ekelund 75)

Att 434

Entry & Programme 100 SEK

Badge 40 SEK

Burger & Drink 60 SEK

NB On the Swedish hop, the £270 cost covered entry to all games, programmes, coach travel and two nights Bed and Breakfast.

So journey’s end, and what a journey it had been, from the natural beauty of Tjörn, through the genteel urban feel of Gothenburg, to the smiles and laughter of travelling around on the IFK Gothenburg team coach. We had a good final stop to make, the Edsborgs IP home of FC Trollhättan producing a grin on faces of each of the coach party as we spied that stand! Did I even spot a hint of a smile on the normally taciturn features of Ebbe, our driver? Continue reading →

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Bois-Zone

23 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by laurencereade in T

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Bergendahl, BoIS, Daniel Bergendahl, Division 5 Nordvästra Götaland, FC Lidköping United, FC Trollhättan, Kim Hedwall, Sweden, Swedish Groundhop, Torsbovallen, Trollhättan, William Bohlin

Sunday 15th June 2014 ko 14.00

Division 5 Nordvästra Götaland

TROLLHÄTTAN BoIS 5 (Larsson 13 Bergendahl 40p Bohlin 53 77 Bergström 90)

FC LIDKÖPING UNITED 4 (Breznica 6 18 Matanovic 28p Restalica 55)

Att 92

Entry and Programme 40 SEK

Kaffe & Korv (coffee and hot dog) Comp’

NB On the Swedish hop, the £270 cost covered entry to all games, programmes, coach travel and two nights Bed and Breakfast.

Now if you think like me, and yes that is a dangerous thought, you’ll be wondering whether the Troll in Trollhättan is the mythical creature oft found under footbridges? And wonderfully yes it is, folklore says that in the islands in the Göta river, trolls used to try to scare off the fishermen. The hättan means bonnet, referring either to the beasts’ headwear, or to the shapes of the islands in the river.

The river is still Trollhättan’s raison d’etre, for those interested in engineering, the city pioneered the use of hydroelectric power, there are two hydro-stations in the town, and the complicated set of locks on the Göta river made the river navigable past the town. But for a town famed for goblins, perhaps that’s not what this place should be remembered for, it really should be for the waterfalls here. The river drops 32 metres, and whilst normally the majority of the water now flows to the hydro-plants, on Fallens Dagar (“Days of the Waterfalls”), arranged on the third Friday of July every year, water is allowed to flow down the river’s original course, including the evocatively named Hell Falls.  Perhaps that’s when the trolls can be seen….. Continue reading →

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  • Damage In The Box Chris Powell’s travels across the UK and Europe. The artist must frequently seen in the pub 0
  • Emma's Ground Guide Emma and Max are a groundhopping couple based in Newark, exploring grounds in the area. 0
  • FA Cup Factfile Phil Annets on all things to do with the World’s greatest cup competition 10
  • Football Club History Database Want to know where a club finished in what league and in what year? Richard Rundle’s site is a veritable goldmine! 0
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  • Groundhopping.se Per-Gunnar Nilsson’s trips around his native Sweden, and into Europe 0
  • Grounds for concern The late Mishi Morath’s picture blog. Obviously no longer updated but still a wonderful archive. 0
  • Modus Hopper Random Graham Yapp’s travels 0
  • Swedish Football History & Statistics Mats Nyström’s curates this site, which does exactly what you’d expect 0
  • The 100 Grounds Club Shaun Smith’s groundhopping football blog. The original internet ground logging website. 0
  • The Football Traveller The bible for every groundhopper. Non-League fixtures magazine delivered weekly. Published and edited by Chris Bedford 0
  • The Itinerant Football Watcher Peter finds the grounds other hoppers cannot reach. Top bloke too! 0
  • The66POW Rob Waite’s travels 0

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