Author Archives: laurencereade

(Back on) My Old Stomping Ground

21 Thursday Jul 2022

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Saturday 21st May 2022 ko 14:30

South Wales Alliance W John Owen Cup Final 

CARDIFF CORINTHIANS 1 (Withers 90 +1)

LLANRUMNEY UNITED 1 (Rees 90+5)

No extra time, Cardiff Corinthians won on 5-4 on penalties

Att 507 at USW Treforest (Pontypridd Town FC)

Entry £4

Programme (superb) £1

Teamsheet Free

The truth of it is that all reputations are earned. The sheer numbers of groundhoppers at the South Wales Alliance’s Cup Final bore testament to that league’s efforts over many years welcoming groundhoppers, on no end of organised events over the years. As committeeman Phil Sweet put it, “We thought there might be groundhoppers, so we thought we’d do a programme.” They are a league that grasped what the hobby is all about a long time ago and have continued that knowledge throughout my time hopping. 

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Coal Light

13 Wednesday Jul 2022

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Tuesday 17th May 2022 ko 18:30

Coventry Alliance “Peter Toogood” Division Two Cup Final

COUNDON COURT 2 (L Hawthorn 2 J Dixon 30)

CRAVEN ATHLETIC 1 (Dixon 86)

Att c150 at Hawkesmill Sports Club, Allesley, Coventry

Free Entry

The temptation was to compare this with the previous evening’s entertainment at MK Irish but the only thing the two finals had in common was that they were both divisional cup competitions. The manifest difference was that one was an on-pyramid competition; this one wasn’t. Continue reading →

Monsieur Madeleine

07 Thursday Jul 2022

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Monday 16th May 2022 ko 19:45

Spartan South Midlands League Division One Cup Final

SHEFFOLD TOWN & CAMPTON 1 (Renney 90+2)

STOTFOLD 0

ATT 147 at Manor Fields, Bletchley (MK Irish FC)

Entry & Programme £7

Over the years this blog has explored the where, the how, and the why of groundhopping. Here the where was somewhere I’ve visited several times before, the how the usual short drive, but the why was a first- it was all due to a musical! Continue reading →

Steve & Pete

05 Tuesday Jul 2022

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Saturday 14th May 2022 ko 14:30

North Berkshire Cup Final

DRAYTON 3 (Jacks 7 Dennis 16 25)

EAST HENDRED 0

Att 489 at Abingdon United FC

Entry & Programme £5

So from the Witney League’s  league finale, it was the chance to head east for the North Berkshire League’s own final bow. I am, of course still on the NBFL’s committee, and will be while they think I can add something as their token “Outsider!” As with any league’s major final it’s all hands to the pump so I found myself manning a gate in the warm sunshine with plenty to look forward to. Continue reading →

The Finals Section

28 Tuesday Jun 2022

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Tuesday 10th May 2022 ko 19:30

Witney & District League- Senior Cup Final

STONESFIELD 0

S Kemp sent off 22 (DOGSO- handball)

C Rice missed penalty 80

HAILEY 1 (Foster 23)

N Kimber penalty saved 23

Att c200

Entry £3

We’d got to that stage at the end of the season where just about every game was a final of some kind, the only decision was where? Not that needed much thought, Robyn had never visited Kilkenny Lane, and I didn’t need any excuse to visit my friends at the Witney & District League. There was no small issue with Carterton FC’s ground though. Continue reading →

Betty

26 Sunday Jun 2022

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Saturday 19th February 2022 ko 15:00

EFL League 2

HARROGATE TOWN P

LEYTON ORIENT P

Postponed due to snow

Saturday 7th May 2022 ko 15:00

EFL League 2

HARROGATE TOWN 0

SUTTON UNITED 2 (Eastmond 8 Olaofe 79)

Att 2,484 (440 away)

Entry/Hospitality/Programme/Teamsheet £80

My regular reader will have long since worked out that I’m not target driven, I don’t set out each season to complete a division, or league or tier of the game, it isn’t what makes me tick. I’m more the kind of bloke that will look through a set of fixtures and something will take my fancy. Being a contrary soul though, there is an exception to that rule and that’s the 92. Continue reading →

Soul

20 Monday Jun 2022

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Wednesday 4th May ko 19.30

Witney & District League Supplementary Cup Semi-Final

FARINGDON TOWN A 5 (Evans 4 63 78 Merritt 11 38)

SHERBORNE HARRIERS 1 (Cullen 53)

Att c75 at Radcot Road, Clanfield (Clanfield 85 FC)

Entry by donation

Some people need an excuse to watch a football match, but anyone who’s followed this blog for the last 12 years will know that really doesn’t apply to me. All I need for the most part is an opportunity, but this was one of those times when I had no end of reasons to make for West Oxfordshire. Continue reading →

Jim

15 Wednesday Jun 2022

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Tuesday 26th April 2022 ko 18:30

Spartan South Midlands League Division Two

TOTTERNHOE 3 (Tizard 20 Woolaway 45 Perry 89)

RISBOROUGH RANGERS DEVELOPMENT 1 (Pekun 72)

Att 30

Free Entry

Once upon a time this was my favourite time of the season. Once the clocks go forward in Spring there’s the opportunity to take in a whole slew of midweek games at grounds without floodlights. Groundhoppers tend to refer to this as “Silly Season” which is a little pejorative if you’re involved at a club but is more a comment on what’s available mid week rather than any comment on the quality on offer. My issue with this time of year is more prosaic, however. Continue reading →

Ga-Pa

10 Friday Jun 2022

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Saturday 16th April 2022 ko 15:00

Landesliga Bayern Südwest

1FC GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN 2 (Durr 27p 58)

FV ILLERTISSEN II 4 (Santolo 1 Kazaryon 4 Hafnel 40p Glöckle 87)

Att 100 at Stadion on Gröben

Entry €8 (£6.80), for Robyn €6 (£5.10)

Programme included

When Robyn and I started planning our honeymoon the plan was to watch 3 games in the 10 days we were in Austria. I’d learned a lesson back in 2018 when we got engaged in Stockholm and somehow contrived to watch 7 games in 5 days, and then the Swedish Hop started! We even did a game the day we got engaged, at Lidingö mainly because I’d planned it so Robyn wouldn’t guess what I’d really got planned, and neither of us thought NOT to go…. I really didn’t want to go down the same route here, but then we did have a Saturday afternoon free…

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The Pig & The Pitchfork

01 Wednesday Jun 2022

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Friday 15th April 2022 ko 18:30

Austria Erste-Liga

WACKER INNSBRUCK 1 (Ronivaldo 67p)

GRAZER AK 1 (Perchtold 26)

Att 2,211 at Neu Tivoli Stadion Tirol

Entry €19 (£16.14)

I do like a holiday where once we’ve returned home, I can describe what Robyn and I have done in two ways. Our groundhopping friends get a description of the football matches we watched, and those poor souls who don’t like football get a description of all the touristy places we visited. The trick is to work hard at both! On that basis a Friday night televised game in Innsbruck was a godsend for us, as much as I’m sure it wasn’t for the away fans who would have had a 5 hour drive from Graz to get there. Continue reading →