• About this humble little website

Football: Wherever it may be

~ Laurence's football travels

Football: Wherever it may be

Author Archives: laurencereade

Transformer

04 Friday Oct 2013

Posted by laurencereade in P

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Alec Robinson, Bourne Town, Hinchingbrooke Cup, John Weeks, Kevin Brader, Lincoln Road, Peterborough, Peterborough Sports, UCL, United Counties League

Wednesday 2nd October 2013 ko 19.45

Hinchingbrooke Cup First Round

PETERBOROUGH SPORTS 2 (Brader 82 90)

BOURNE TOWN 1 (Robinson 30)

Att 85

Entry & Programme £3

It’s the lot of the groundhopper that you expand your circle of comfort time after time. Consider that idea for a moment, its that point on a journey when you can’t find your way home off the top of your head. When I was a child Dad would drive the family Mini to a resort somewhere in England or Wales, and initially it was a case of wondering whether at the end of the road we’d turn left for south or right for north.

As the years went by you learned more roads, the ring road around Oxford, the route to my Aunt and Uncle in Reading, and I saw a lot of the A34 south (I still do!). But as a groundhopper you gradually learn a taxi drivers knowledge of the motorways, and trunk roads of the country, but then, as you complete the football grounds of a particular area or league, that knowledge falls into abeyance.

It was the case to a large extent for Peterborough, up the A43, with the one junction stint along the M1 before heading past Northampton, Rushden and Raunds, before crossing under the A11. It was for a good reason, as Peterborough Sports are new to the United Counties League, and this was their first game under their new floodlights. However what I and the handful of other hoppers saw on arrival surprised each and every one of us.

The ground, in Lincoln Road used to be Continue reading →

52.531194 -0.258179

The Sweetener

03 Thursday Oct 2013

Posted by laurencereade in B

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Bristol Rovers, Bury St Edmunds, Bury Town, Dulwich Hamlet, Erhun Oztumer, isthmian league, oxford united., Phil Brown, Phil Wilson, Pillar of Salt, Ram Meadow

Tuesday 1st October 2013 ko 19.45

Isthmian League Premier Division

BURY TOWN 0

DULWICH HAMLET 4 (Oztumer 35 75p Walker 35 57)

Att 273

Entry £10

Programme £2

Badge £3

On the way home from Bungay I’d actually stopped for petrol in Bury-St-Edmunds without realising I was less than a mile from Ram Meadow. Nevertheless, regular readers will know that if I pass by a town, the chances of me returning to watch their football team increase dramatically!

Continue reading →

52.244384 0.716356

Milk & Alcohol

29 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by laurencereade in C

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Ashley Dumas, Canvey Island, Dr Feelgood, Edward Adjie, FA Cup, isthmian league, Lewis Hilliard, Park Lane, Southern League, Spencer Belotti, St Neots Town

Saturday 28th September 2013 ko 15.00

FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round

CANVEY ISLAND 2 (Dumas 19 Belotti 83)

ST NEOTS TOWN 2 (Hilliard 5 Adjei 74)

Att 256

Entry £10

Programme £2

It would be all-too-easy to write off Canvey as a Chav Town, full of takeaways and amusement arcades, bereft of any history and culture. I’ve yet to visit a place that fits that description, and Canvey is no different!

Continue reading →

51.516892 0.615588

Doing it Right

23 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by laurencereade in L

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Athletic, Bodkins Field, Callum Bowler, CROWMARSH GIFFORD, Joe Murphy, Long Wittenham, Matt Saunders, North Berkshire League, North Berkshire League Groundhop, Tim Barton

Saturday 21st September 2013 ko 17.00

North Berkshire League Division One

LONG WITTENHAM ATHLETIC 4 (Murphy 27 Saunders 35 Bowler 55 Barton 64)

CROWMARSH GIFFORD 0

Att 193

Entry & Programme £4

Badge £3

Didcot Power Station Beer £3 a bottle

I like Bodkins Field, as its looks like the kind of place that ought to host village football. There’s a clubhouse, a pitch and a tarmacked road, and not much else. And you know what, what more do you need? Its beautiful, its historic, and the hoppers loved the place as much as I do. In fact its views of the Wittenham clumps and the peaceful village setting convinced me to ask local author Kate Shrewsday to write a piece for the programme. It was typically thought provoking, and here’s her site. Continue reading →

51.640774 -1.207528

The Charm Offensive

23 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by laurencereade in B

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

Berinsfield, David Murphy, Faringdon Town, Jackie Cullen, Lay Avenue, Mark Ingram, North Berkshire Groundhop, North Berkshire League, Stephen Masterson

Saturday 21st September 2013 ko 14.00

North Berkshire League Division One

BERINSFIELD 4 (D Murphy 34 45 46 Curtis 80)

FARINGDON TOWN 0 Quegan sent off (2nd Booking)

Att 251

Entry & Programme £4

Badge £3

Chicken Curry & Baked Potato £3

All the way back on the very first North Berkshire League groundhop, we’d reached Sutton Courtenay and the game was just about to kick off. Me being me, I’d gone for an extra cup of tea so was a little late in walking over from the clubhouse. I was rushing over, when someone tapped me on the shoulder. It was a young lady, and she half asked, and half demanded, Continue reading →

51.660855 -1.173971

Cooperation

23 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by laurencereade in B

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Benson Lions, Jon Radcliffe, Josh Bourton, Neil McMahon, North Berkshire League Groundhop, raf benson, Westminster, Westminster College

Saturday 21st September 2013 ko 11am

North Berkshire League Division Three

BENSON LIONS 1 (Keightly 83)

WESTMINSTER 4 (McMahon 17 59 Bourton 30 69)

Att 153

Entry & Programme £4

Badge £3

Bottle of Real Ale £2.50

Full English RAF breakfast including tea £5

The North Berkshire League Groundhop is very much my baby, so much so it’s the only time that at GroundhopUK Chris Berezai and I swap places, with me leading, and him acting as deputy. It makes sense, when I live a mere 10 miles from Steventon, the village that provides the centre-point of the league. Continue reading →

51.616112 -1.095833

Shine On

20 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by laurencereade in S

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Andrew Motteshead, central midlands, Central Midlands League, cmfl, derbyshire town, Hucknall Town, Mark Wilson, Northern Premier League, Rob Fretwell, south normanton, South Normanton Athletic, The Shiners, wooden stools

Wednesday 18th September 2013 ko 19.45

Central Midlands League South Division

SOUTH NORMANTON ATHLETIC 2 (Mottershead 35 Fretwell 62)

HUCKNALL TOWN 0

Att 82

Entry £3

Programme £1

Lees Lane is one of those grounds that circumstances have led me to fail to visit. I like many others visited much of the CMFL during the years of their organised groundhops, but I found myself watching Newry City during their groundhop game. That was something that needed rectifying, I’d heard good things about the club and the ground. Continue reading →

53.110069 -1.314754

Beautiful Deception

19 Thursday Sep 2013

Posted by laurencereade in M

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Galena, Heights of Abraham, Lead Mining, Matlock Bath, Queen Victoria, unemployed miners

Sunday 15th September 2013

Matlock Bath and The Heights of Abraham

Stood in the Derwent Valley you are aware of so many different sights and sounds. There’s the tree-lined sides, the shops, the bed and breakfasts, even the grumble of a motorbike’s exhaust. In many respects its a seaside resort a good 80 miles from the coast, but take a cable-car trip up and over the gorge and the secrets are revealed. Continue reading →

53.121576 -1.562861

Essence of England

16 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by laurencereade in M

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Byron, Derbyshire, Illuminated Boats, Little Switzerland, Matlock Bath, Queen Victoria, River Derwent, Ruskin

Saturday 14th September 2013 20.00

Matlock Bath Parade of Illuminated and Decorated Boats

Entry £5

When I was asked to photograph Rowsley versus Newhall, it gave me a excuse to stay on and photograph a wonderful English tradition.

Matlock Bath lies just over a mile south of Matlock, in Derbyshire. It’s a spa town, sitting snugly in the Derwent valley, and Princess Victoria of Kent’s visit in 1832 made the village the place to visit for those attached to the social scene. The likes of Ruskin and Lord Byron took the waters and the latter nicknamed the place Little Switzerland, a name that has stuck! Continue reading →

53.121576 -1.562861

The Long Shot

16 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by laurencereade in R

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Andy Roome, chatsworth house, Dan Bishop, Derbyshire, derbyshire dales, hawfields, James Ward, junction railway, king edward vii, Midland Combination, midlands regional alliance, Newhall United, Rowsley 86, School Lane, Simon Baldwin, Tim Baker

Saturday 14th September 2013 ko 15.00

Midlands Regional Alliance Premier Division

ROWSLEY 86 2 (T Baker 29 Roome 85)

NEWHALL UNITED 1 (Ward 26p)

Att 8

Entry FREE

Tea FREE

No Programme

Head north on the A6 from Matlock and in around 6 miles you’ll reach the pretty village of Rowsley. It’s at the confluence of the rivers Derwent and Wye, and was the site of an extensive marshalling yard for the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway. The station was frequently used by King Edward VII when he visited nearby Chatsworth House. The station became a goods depot until 1968, when it was closed and converted to a contractor’s yard. It then became the centrepiece of a shopping development which is still open today. Perhaps it goes without saying I didn’t pay it a visit! Continue reading →

53.188925 -1.618418
← Older posts
Newer posts →

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 533 other subscribers

Look for stuff here folks!

Blogroll

  • 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
  • Football Hopper “Fast” Eddie McGeown’s erudite perambulations around the nation’s football grounds 0
  • 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

Your very own calendar!

April 2026
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
27282930  
« Mar    

Meta

  • Create account
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Football: Wherever it may be
    • Join 533 other subscribers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Football: Wherever it may be
    • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar