Category Archives: N

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 →

Half

25 Friday Mar 2022

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Saturday 5th March 2022 ko 16.00

North West Counties League Division One North

NELSON 3 (Lloyd 13 47 Foster 28)

CHADDERTON 1  (Dean 87)

Att 351

Entry £5

Programme £2

I’m sure that for many on the North West Counties League hop, the trip to Nelson FC was the most anticipated of the 7 clubs we visited. Part was the club’s illustrious history and part was the evocative backdrop of the terraced cottages with the factory chimney jutting out from behind.

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Smallbrook

14 Tuesday Dec 2021

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Saturday 4th December 2021 ko 14:00

Wessex League Division One

NEWPORT (IW) FC 2 (Kelly 23 31)

ANDOVER NEW STREET 1 (Hooper 45)

Att 98 at Smallbrook Stadium

Entry £6

Programme £1.50

I have a nasty feeling I’m groundhopping ways of reaching the Isle of Wight! There’s been, so far, the Fastjet from Portsmouth for Cowes Sports, the ferry from Portsmouth for East Cowes Vics, the ferry from Southampton for Ventnor, and the hovercraft from Southsea for Brading and Shanklin, and there’s plenty more ways to come. No, I will not be trying to swim it! Continue reading →

Respectfully Catered

27 Wednesday Oct 2021

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Saturday 2nd October 2021 ko 19.45

East of Scotland League- Premier Division

NEWTONGRANGE STAR 2 (Robertson 27 37)

TRANENT JUNIORS 2 (Wring 31 Stevenson 62p)

Att 401

Entry £7

Programme £2

Pie- Steak & Gravy

We doubled back from Easterhouse to reach Newtongrange’s New Victoria Park, we ended up parking along the Newbattle Road we’d driven up 3 hours earlier. The climb up to the ground does enhance the sense of anticipation even if I made a beeline for the turnstiles with their unusual gatehouse , and by-passed the clubhouse. Many others didn’t, Robyn included! Continue reading →

Seeking Nessie

19 Thursday Aug 2021

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Monday 9th August 2021 ko 19.00

Inverness & District Amateur League-Premier Division

LOCH NESS 2 (Ingram 35 Fraser 90p)

MARYBURGH 0

Houston sent off 90 (DOGSO- handball on goal-line)

Att c70 at Bught Park Pitches, Inverness

Free Entry

I’d lined up 5 games during our stay in the Highlands and really didn’t expect to add to my list. This wasn’t going to be a groundhopping tour, more a holiday with a match taken in where convenient. I am though part of a Scottish Football WhatsApp group and they pointed out this fixture. Since Bught Park is less than a mile away from where we were staying it would have been rude not to have come along ! Continue reading →

Border Hopping

08 Thursday Apr 2021

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Saturday March 2011 ko 15.00

IFA Premiership

NEWRY CITY 1 (McCann 73)

BALLYMENA UNITED 1 (Boyd 90)

Att 198

Entry £9

Programme £2

For a border that has been subject of so much upheaval the act of crossing from the Irish Republic to the United Kingdom on the A1/N1 is something of an anticlimax. The first thing you notice is that the yellow dashed line on the left hand edge of the road suddenly becomes solid and white, then there’s a sign informing you that from now on all distances and speeds will use miles, not kilometres as their basis. Other than that the only other clue is adverts for business who’ve set up to take advantage of whatever tax differentials exist between the two countries. You can see an example in the one of the photos.

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The Other Abbot

07 Monday Dec 2020

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Friday 27th October 2006 ko 19.30

Devon Premier Cup – 3rd Round

NEWTON ABBOT AFC 2 (Friend 4 Vicary 6)

Ford sent off (violent conduct) 68

TAMARSIDE 1 (Knight 76)

Att c100

Entry £2

Programme 50p

I’m sure you all know about Newton Abbot’s football club, perhaps you ticked off Newton Abbot Spurs on the 2018 South West Peninsula Hop? But there was another team in the Devon Town, playing games at the Devon FA Ground in Coach Road. I was fortunate enough to watch them play, but it was only due to a benevolent piece of influence, from Sweden of all places! Continue reading →

The Cold Wind

29 Sunday Nov 2020

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Saturday 22nd March 2008 ko 10.30

Central Midlands League – Premier Division

NEWARK FLOWSERVE 1 (Sharpe 20)

BOLSOVER TOWN 1 (Robb 50)

Humphries sent off 44 (violent conduct)

Att 260

Entry £2

Programme £1

Sometimes organised groundhops get remembered for certain characteristics. One Welsh Hop got remembered as the “Dog Shag” hop after two dogs misunderstood the excitement on the pitch at Carnetown, and the 2018 South West Peninsula Hop was the “Wet Hop” as organiser Phil Hiscox had to switch one game on to Exwick Villa’s 3G to get the game played. But without question the 2008 Easter Hop in the Central Midlands League was the cold hop! Continue reading →

Witness

14 Wednesday Oct 2020

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Saturday 10th October 2020 ko 14.30

Anglian Combination Division 4

NORTON ATHLETIC 2 (Burcham 9 MacDonald 24)

THORPE ST ANDREW RESERVES 0

Att 23

Free Entry

Programme by donation

On the face of it there wasn’t much going on in the south Norfolk village of Norton Subcourse. Just a crossroads, a bus stop with no bus service, and the round towered St Mary’s Church, with one service every two months. It’s rural, with a farm and a cement works but despite the fact that the entire population is only around 300 you’d be hard pushed to find a more vibrant club.

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Wheatsheaf

19 Sunday Apr 2020

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With the football season over prematurely due to the Coronavirus Pandemic I’m in the unusual position of actually having this blog up to date! So to keep the content coming, and for something to do, I’ll do some old grounds and games where there’s a story to tell.

Saturday 28th April 2007 ko 15.00

Northern League Division One

NEWCASTLE BLUE STAR 0

WEST AUCKLAND TOWN 3 (Bromley 15 Fairhurst 57p Middleton 87)

Att 42

Entry £4

Programme £1

“Northern Ventures, Northern Gains” 30p

It’s fair to say the Northern League has become good at keeping clubs within its ranks. Few clubs leave upwards, and the league was never an enthusiastic supporter of the footballing “Pyramid” to the extent that it turned down repeated invitations from 1979 and during the 1980’s to become a feeder league for the Alliance Premier League, now the National League. They could have been a Step 2 league, but when they finally entered the pyramid in 1991, it was at Step 5, but even the best part of 30 years later the Northern League is, for my money the strongest league at its level. Continue reading →