Category Archives: W

Daze

22 Monday Aug 2022

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Saturday 2nd July 2022 ko 14:00

Pre-Season Friendly

WOKINGHAM & EMMBROOK 1 (17)

KNAPHILL 1 (56)

Att c50 at Emmbrook School

Free Entry

Just recently I read a thread on Twitter about what constitutes a new ground. Its fair to say that none of the participants had particularly high ground counts- the low hundreds being typical, and with the tendency to include that count in their Twitter “Bio” too. The conversation was around what constitutes a new ground- and that certainly didn’t include 3G cages. Continue reading →

Constabulary

04 Thursday Aug 2022

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Tuesday 28th June 2022 ko 19:30

Combined Midland Police League- Daniel Rigley Plate Semi-Final

WARWICKSHIRE POLICE 8 (Dobson 11, 15 43, 80 Moore 74 Stanton 84 Hicks 87 O’Mahoney 88)

LEICESTERSHIRE POLICE 0

Att 10 at Warwickshire Police HQ, Woodcote Drive, Leek Wootton

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Quite honestly I thought that the Sungate game was going to mark the end of my football season. I’d metaphorically put my feet up, a month had gone by but then a game popped up that was entirely out of my experience. I mean who couldn’t fancy a game competed by serving police officers at a Police HQ?  And yes, I did check whether I could attend and take photos! But this site isn’t an exercise in obscurantism, this was also a competitive game at new, and unusual ground. I was always going to interested, and I’m a little surprised more groundhoppers didn’t share my opinion!  Yes, I did check my car tax was up to date before I left Oxford!!!

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Harry & Maurice

18 Friday Feb 2022

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Tuesday 15th February 2022 ko 19.45

Isthmian League Premier Division

WINGATE & FINCHLEY 4 (Ofori 7 Vasilou 18 45 Kearney 79)

ENFIELD TOWN 1 (Bray 51)

Faal penalty saved 68

Att 247

Entry £12

Programme (online, downloadable) £1

These days a trip to suburban London does have a new consideration, the ULEZ. The Ultra Low Emission Zone has recently been expanded to include everything inside (and not including) of the North and South Circular roads, with the exception of the M4/A4 to the Hogarth Roundabout. What it means is if you drive a petrol car that isn’t up to Euro 4 standards or Euro 6 for diesels there’s a £12.50 daily charge. And for the avoidance of doubt if you enter the ULEZ zone at 23.59 and leave 2 minutes later, that’s 2 days charge and £25.00. There’s a vehicle checking tool on the TfL website. Continue reading →

Home and the Heart

19 Wednesday Jan 2022

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Saturday 15th January 2022 ko 15:00

EFL League 1

AFC WIMBLEDON 0

MORECAMBE 0

Att 7,128 (317 away)

Entry £26

Programme £3

On one hand you could see this as a means to an end. I needed to tick off AFC Wimbledon’s new ground for my 91st of the current EFL/Premier League grounds, and Robyn for a few less than that. Completionism isn’t really my thing, it tends to happen by accident! The “92” comes close to being an exception, partly because its completion was what started me groundhopping- I finished at Doncaster Rovers’ old home Belle Vue in 2006, and partly because I’m no fan of hard and fast rules! Continue reading →

The Fallen Idol

13 Thursday Jan 2022

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Monday 3rd January 2022 ko 15:00

Isthmian League – South East Division

WHITEHAWK 0

Splatt sent off 61 (violent conduct)

Malins sent off 84 (violent conduct)

THREE BRIDGES 1 (Leighton 20)

Leighton sent off 61 (violent conduct)

Stone sent off 61 (violent conduct)

Villavencio sent off 90 (serious foul play)

Att 424

Entry £10

Programme online only, non downloadable

Teamsheet FREE

It was Good Friday 2001 and my girlfriend of the time decided I was going to have Easter away from football. She decided we were going to Brighton and booked a campsite near to the Marina, at one end of the Volks Railway. I immediately negotiated a pass out on the Monday to watch Brighton & Hove Albion beat Darlington 2-0 at the Withdean Stadium to celebrate the League Division 3 (now League 2) Championship.

But this was a couple of days before all of that, and after we pitched the tent the girlfriend dived into a book not to be heard of for the next couple of hours at least, so I went for a walk and soon heard the unmistakable sound of players warming up. I’d stumbled on Whitehawk’s Enclosed Ground and had a happy afternoon watching Whitehawk’s Reserves lose 2-1 to Hassocks Reserves. In fact I enjoyed myself so much I returned the next day to watch the first XI lose 1-0 to Pagham in the Sussex County League. I honestly don’t remember what the ex-girlfriend made of it all, only that in the here and now I know Robyn my wife would have loved it. Continue reading →

Maverick

22 Monday Nov 2021

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Tuesday 2nd November 2021 ko 19.45

Sussex R.U.R. Cup 2nd Round

WORTHING UNITED 0

SELSEY 4 (Burns 6 North 17 O Clarke 65 J Clarke 90)

Att 35

Entry £6

Groundhopping does bring up some quirks and Worthing United for me was one of them. I’ve visited all but a handful of the Southern Combination’s grounds across the league’s 3 divisions, but somehow never watched Worthing United home or away, even to the point of visiting the “other” teams in the town Worthing FC and Worthing Town (Leisure) in the past. I suspect part of the reason was that an evening trip to Worthing is on the limits of where I can get to after work, and yes England’s motorways do need to co-operate which for once they did! Continue reading →

No Rose Garden

12 Friday Nov 2021

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Saturday 23rd October 2021 ko 15:00

Eastern Counties League- Premier Division

WOODBRIDGE TOWN 1 (Sinclair 29)

MULBARTON WANDERERS 2 (Henerley 64p Thompson 78)

Att 134

Entry £8

Programme £1

Badge £3.50

I’m sure my regular reader has spotted a trend here. The modus operandi is to leave Oxford, pick Chris Garner up in Wavendon, then visit an Eastern Counties League game. We’ve been doing it a while now, and its been handy that the league has expanded to three divisions and there’s been a fair turnover of both clubs and grounds in the league in the last few years. And so when Robyn, Chris and I planned this trip to Notcutts Park, I had absolutely no reason to think this would be anymore than another enjoyable tick in this league.  Continue reading →

Snakes On A Lane

15 Wednesday Sep 2021

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Tuesday 1st September 2021 ko 19.45

Essex Senior League

WOODFORD TOWN 4 (Burgin 18 Brissett 44 75 Asamoah 82)

SPORTING BENGAL UNITED 1 (Mici 36)

Att 224 at Ashton Playing Fields, Woodford Green

Entry £7

Programme £2

Now there are plenty of examples of a club returning home but the case of Woodford Town is an unusual one. The original club was formed in 1937 and played in the Delphian, Spartan and Essex Senior Leagues. They played at Snakes Lane, Woodford Green on the edge of London’s eastern suburbs- just a short walk from Woodford Tube Station on the Central Line. They lost their home in 1993, which proved to be the beginning of the end for the club. Continue reading →

Escape To Victory

04 Wednesday Aug 2021

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Saturday 31st July 2021 ko 15:00

Eastern Counties League Premier Division

WHITTON UNITED 2 (Lucraft 36 Davis 70)

SWAFFHAM TOWN 1 (Linsdell 90)

Att 65 at King George V Playing Field, Whitton, Ipswich

Entry £7

Programme £1

With pyramid football restarting for the first time since December I’ll admit to approaching the whole thing with mixed feelings. I’d greatly enjoyed going “Off the beaten track” to find games, but regular travelling partner Chris Garner was correct, it was time to do some “Normal” hopping, and he had an idea… Continue reading →

Going Weird (again!)

30 Friday Jul 2021

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Tuesday 27th July 2021 ko 19.45

Pre-Season Friendly

FLEET SPURS DEVELOPMENT 1 (44)

FLEET TOWN YOUTH 2 (32 43)

Att c30 at Wavell Ground, Queens Avenue, Aldershot

Free Entry

If the last few months since lockdown have been about one thing its the idea to go weird early! I should explain; since lockdown ended in April very little football was played by clubs in the recognised pyramid, so I’ve used the time to try to dig out some gems that perhaps have been overlooked by some. As my wife Robyn and her family would testify, I am all about pushing myself and others out of our comfort zones! But normal English non-league pyramid football starts again this coming weekend, so there was just enough time to go weird one more time!

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