Category Archives: R

Outlaw

27 Monday Feb 2017

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Wednesday 22nd February 2017 ko 19.30

Notts Senior League Cup- Quarter Final

RAVENSHEAD 0

NEWARK FLOWSERVE 2 (Potts 46 51)

Att 119

Entry FREE

Programme £1

It goes without saying that Rob Hornby was the reason I was there. The Notts Senior League registrar spotted that a highly unusual game under lights would draw the groundhoppers, and even more so if there was a programme was produced. He took charge of magazine production, and without doubt added 100 on the gate. The only doubt in my mind was what exactly was I watching? Continue reading →

Start Spreading The News

08 Sunday Jan 2017

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Saturday 7th January 2016 ko 15.00

FA Cup 3rd Round

ROTHERHAM UNITED 2 (Ward 51 Adeyemi 90)

OXFORD UNITED 3 (Taylor 41 Edwards 80 Hemmings 88) Maguire missed penalty 36

Att 5,618 (1,292 away)

Entry £13

Programme £2

It’s a tradition that families gather round the radio or television to listen to the FA Cup draw. Everyone has their list of clubs they’d love to see they’re team play, but top of my list was, perhaps, a slightly unusual one. I wanted my side to play Rotherham away.
My reasoning was entirely selfish, the New York Stadium (it lies on an island called New York, would you believe), was the only stadium I needed to re-complete the 92 Football League and Premier League grounds. It would have been reasonably straightforward to blast up the M1 to get it done one midweek, but the story of Rotherham United’s homes is a tale that requires telling with attention to detail.

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Comrades

13 Sunday Nov 2016

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Tuesday 8th November 2016 ko 19.45

Wessex League Division One

RINGWOOD TOWN 2 (Vint 42 Samways 83og)

SHAFTESBURY 5 (Colohan 4 10 Finnegan 36 63 Ford 70)

Att 40

Entry & Programme £5

You’re only just in Hampshire here, just the River Avon separates the historic market town from Dorset, and being on the edge of the New Forest the feel of the town couldn’t be any more English if it tried. I’m not sure the fact that the external scenes for “The Brittas Empire” were filmed at Ringwood Leisure Centre quite fits the narrative though! Continue reading →

Heritage

12 Friday Aug 2016

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Saturday 30th July 2016 ko 19.45

United Counties League- Division One

RUSHDEN & HIGHAM UNITED 2 (A Cormack 20 Ainge 23)

OAKHAM UNITED 7 (M Nelson 6 61 90 Brown 14og Brockbank 22 43 Lord 53og)

Att 214

Entry £6

Programme £1

It was interesting to see the demographic of the hoppers at the fourth game of the day. On one hand we’d lost a few “Big numbers” boys who like me, had ticked of Hayden Road years before, but we gained back the hoppers who’d opted to miss the games at Eye and Thorney in favour of Wisbech St Mary. But no matter who you are Hayden Road, is a ground that’s always worth a visit.

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More Of The Good Stuff

22 Wednesday Jun 2016

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Sunday 5th June 2016 ko 16.00

Division 5 Södra Uppland

ROSERSBERGS IK 1 (Lyngbrant 34p)

FANNA BK 1 (Abbas 88) Smedlof sent off 68 (2nd booking)

Att 121

We left the countryside and narrow-gauge railway and headed back to the Swedish Hop’s eventual terminus at Arlanda Airport. The planes flying over the top of Råbergsvallen seemed to me a horrible reminder of what was shortly going to finish. My girlfriend Robyn was half-asleep, half gazing in wonder at the scenery so whatever occurred at our final game I knew that at least from her perspective, her first trip to Sweden had been a success. The last sign back to Kårsta disappeared as we reached the E4 motorway and we headed north. Continue reading →

The North Station

23 Monday May 2016

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Sunday 8th May 2016

Giuleşti-Valentin Stănescu Stadium, home to Rapid Bucureşti

The Bucharest Groundhop had been rejigged considerably due the Romanian FA’s cancelling of all games in the top 3 divisions after the tragic death of Patrick Ekeng on Friday night. Organiser Andrei Otineanu should take great credit for thinking on his feet and finding alternatives. In this case our scheduled game at Voluntari was replaced by a lie-in, and a fascinating stadium visit to the home of Rapid Bucharest. Continue reading →

Roger, Steve & Gary

16 Wednesday Sep 2015

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Tuesday 8th September 2015 ko 18.15

Cheltenham League Division One

R.S.G. 0

KINGS AFC 1 (Newgil 75)

Att 26

Entry FREE

No Programme

I’ll miss the early evening kick-offs without lights, although I’m fairly certain that the players won’t! It can’t be easy finishing work, then heading over to the ground, getting changed and warmed up, and be ready to kick-off at 6.15. But I’m grateful the players are, and once again the Cheltenham League gave me plenty to ponder. 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 →

Countrywide

14 Sunday Jun 2015

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Saturday 6th June 2015 ko 13.00

Division 4 Uppland

RIALA GoIF 3 (Thorleifsson 26 Stenbäck 83 Bengstsberg 89)

GAMLA UPSALA II 1 (Strandlin 55)

Att 96

NB The Swedish hop’s cost of £280 included all entry fees, programmes, two nights bed and breakfast, and coach travel between the games and Arlanda airport.

Entry & Programme 40sek

It has to be said that Riala’s home, Lundbyvalen is rather isolated, in fact so isolated that the coach driver had some difficulty in finding it. All rather different from the stock in trade for the coach driver these days, the endless school runs. It was well worth the wait, and Kim Hedwall being the consummate hop organiser he is, had factored in plenty of time as a failsafe. Time in these matters is a precious commodity! Continue reading →

Dark Times

02 Monday Mar 2015

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Tuesday 12th February 2008 ko 19.45

Northern Premier League Division One North

ROSSENDALE UNITED 0

BAMBER BRIDGE 1 (Salmon 36)

Att 146

Entry £7

Programme £1.50

A week or two I told the sad story of Mile Oak Rovers & Youth and how gut-wrenching it was to be at their final ever game. This tale also ends with the club’s extinction but the reason for the club’s demise proved to be more complicated.

Rossendale is a borough in Lancashire, consisting of a clutch of mill villages in the Blackburn and Burnley area. In this quitessentially footballing hotbed the club played in Dark Lane, Newchurch, near Rawtenstall. They were formed in 1898 and worked their way through the Lancashire Combination, the Cheshire League, and into the North-West Counties League. Continue reading →