Category Archives: S

Borderville

04 Thursday Feb 2016

Posted by in S

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Tuesday 26th January 2016 ko 19.45

Northern Premier League Cup 2nd Round

STAMFORD AFC 4 (Wightwick 12 38 Duffy 19 Smith 36)

BUXTON 1 (Wiles 17)

Att 105

Entry £10

Programme £2

Over the years I’ve spotted a trend amongst groundhopppers- when a new ground opens people tend to drop everything and visit. Now I understand that completely when a ground is about to be demolished, visit now or never, but not for the new-build. After all the new-build will almost certainly lack the character of what its replaced. Stamford’s former home, Hanson’s Field was a glorious case in point. Continue reading →

The Lumpy Envelope

24 Sunday Jan 2016

Posted by in S

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

Monday 18th January 2016 ko 20.00

Premier League

SWANSEA CITY 1 (A Williams 27)

WATFORD 0

Att 20,430

Entry (Premier Lounge), programme, teamsheet, and match badge – Complimentary

People can be very kind. GroundhopUK owner Chris Berezai had been offered two tickets to his home-town club, and quickly worked out that would be ideal for me to collect Bristol-based Robyn for her first ever Premier League game. Of course me being me, it turned out to be far more than either of us expected. Continue reading →

Blind Melon

11 Monday Jan 2016

Posted by in S

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Saturday 9th January 2016 ko 14.00

Welsh League Division 3

STM SPORTS 4 (Worsley M Nessbert 48 Davenport 63 83)

ELY RANGERS 1 (K Johnson 65)

Att 80

Entry & Programme £3

It has to be said that I’m a lucky boy. I have a girlfriend Robyn who loves football, and she asked to come to one of my non-league jaunts. Now that gave me one of those problems you love to have, which ground and game to show her? I settled on an icon of the Welsh game for her first Welsh non-league game, the frankly stunning Blandy Park, home to Garw, on the basis that if she didn’t like it there, she wouldn’t like non-league full stop. Of course life never quite works out how you plan it does it? Continue reading →

The Don

07 Saturday Nov 2015

Posted by in S

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

Tuesday 3rd November 2015 ko 19.45 (delayed to 20.05)

Essex Senior League Gordon Brasted Trophy 2nd Round

SOUTHEND MANOR 3 (Fatt 32secs 53 Nolan 51) Warner sent off 45 (foul & abusive language)

SPORTING BENGAL UNITED 3 (Adewunmi 43 56 Rivera 89)

No Extra Time Sporting Bengal won 4-3 on penalties

Official Attendance 90 (this has to be a typo- I counted 18!)

Entry £6

Programme £2

Southchurch Park is the kind of place that the casual visitor could call in at, watch a game and entirely fail to pick up its secrets. It doesn’t help if you visit for a night game, as the cricket pitch next door to the Arena Stadium isn’t visible. For that’s the start of the area’s appeal. Continue reading →

The Return Of The Native

05 Thursday Nov 2015

Posted by in S

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Sunday 1st November 2015 ko 10.30

Blackmore Vale Sunday League

STURMINSTER ROVERS 9 (Chaffey 8 49 86 87, Sprake 14 28 37 Sweatman 15 Meadowcroft 47)

TEAM GRYPHON 4 (Farrant 45 61 89 Boon 82)

Att 9

Entry FREE

No Programme

If you’re visiting Dorset it is more or less impossible to avoid Thomas Hardy’s influence. Take Sturminster Newton for example; you you stroll into the War Memorial Recreation Park, and in one corner is a house lived in by Hardy from 1876-78. He wrote “The Return of the Native” whilst there, and Sturminster Newton is immortalised in “Tess of the d’Urbervilles, ” as Stourcastle. The River Stour gurgles its way along at one end of the park. Continue reading →

Harmony In Autumn

09 Friday Oct 2015

Posted by in S

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , ,

Wednesday 7th October 2015 ko 19.45

Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup 2nd Round

SHELLEY FC 0

SHAW LANE AQUAFORCE 4 (Priestley 43 66 83 Thornton 55)

Att 78

Entry & Programme £3

Coffee £1.20

It has to be said Storthes Hall in Kirkburton is an unusual place to watch a game. The manor house used to be mental hospital with a quite dreadful reputation, and lay derelict until bought and converted into student accommodation by the University of Huddersfield. It’s the kind of place where if you’re the kind of patron who likes to get to the ground 10 seconds before kickoff you shouldn’t try it here! Continue reading →

Boycott

04 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by in S

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

Sunday 27th September 2015 ko 21.00

Liga I

STEAUA BUCURESTI 3 (Hamroun 8 Chipcui 44 Stanciu 66p)

FC VOLUNTARI 1 (Goosens 69p)

Att 3,362

Entry (VIP 1) 100 lei (c£16.72) cheapest ticket 12 lei

No Programme

League magazine- FREE

Our taxi driver back to the airport summed the position up well,

“I’m a fan,” he said, “But I’m not watching while that man’s in charge.”

That explained why there was less than 3,500 in the frankly palatial surroundings of the Arena Nationala, in Bucharest, and when the stadium holds 55,634 the place felt empty even down to only one ticket booth being open. But how it ended up this way is quite a story. Continue reading →

What it’s about

13 Sunday Sep 2015

Posted by in S

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

Wednesday 2nd September 2015 ko 18.30

Cirencester & District League Division Two

SHERBORNE HARRIERS 0

THE BEECHES 5 (McKenna 1 14 Walters 68 75 Stratford 77)

Att 11

Entry FREE

No Programme

If you take the A40 west from Burford in around 5 miles you’ll see a set of ornamental gates on the right. They’re the entrance to Sherborne House’s Lodge and Estate, built by John “Crump” Dutton in the 17th century to indulge his liking for hunting, banqueting and gambling. These days the house is privately owned, the rest by the National Trust but there’s no restriction on what’s just beyond the gates. Continue reading →

Just William

27 Thursday Aug 2015

Posted by in S

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , ,

Tuesday 25th August 2015 ko 18.30

Hertfordshire Senior County League Premier Division

SARRATT 2 (Shanahan 35 90)

EVERGREEN 0

Att 14

Entry FREE

Programme FREE

Tea in a mug 50p

Normally I take the view that you, dear reader knows precisely where all these towns and villages I visit are. But since I had to look up where Sarratt is, I’ll save you the effort. Continue reading →

The Good Queen

09 Sunday Aug 2015

Posted by in S

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Saturday 1st August 2015 ko 16.30

Peterborough & District League- Division One

STAMFORD BELVEDERE 1 (Saddington 42p)

WITTERING 3 (Middleton 17 McRoyal 23 Watson 76)

Att 314

Entry £4

Programme £1

Badge £3

So, on to game 3 of the day, and the slot that proved to be the most problematic to fill. The original idea was to visit Uppingham Town, they turned us down so we then turned to Oakham’s Rutland Dead Rabbits FC, but due to a small committee and an unhelpful landlord we had find another host club. That was a real shame, we loved the name, it was another Rutland-based club and those of you who saw their badge on sale by Terry’s Badges, the club crest was a corker! But Dead Rabbits’ loss was Stamford Belvedere’s gain, and they made the most of their opportunity. Continue reading →