Category Archives: W

The Palace

23 Monday Nov 2020

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Saturday 31st October 2009 ko 10.30

Oxford University Middle Common Room League Division One

NUFFIELD COLLEGE 3 (Gallo 16 55 Strang 73)

WOLFSON ST CROSS 1 (Cockfield 22)

Att 7 at Worcester College, Oxford

Free Entry

So with another dose of lockdown, I’m both up-to-date with this blog and at a loose end. So while I can’t watch anything live, I’ll dip back into my photo archive and tell the tales from back when. To start with here’s one that involves a bone fide legend. Continue reading →

The Kett Rebellion

12 Thursday Nov 2020

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Saturday 31st October 2020 ko 14.00

Anglian Combination Division One

WYMONDHAM TOWN 3 (Tuttle 62p 71 Woodcock 90)

NORWICH UNITED 2 (Diggens 57 Middleton 85)

Att 42

Free Entry

Just like in March I could feel the walls closing in, Oxford had just moved to the more restrictive Tier 2 Covid restrictions, and I ended up taking advice on firstly whether I could make this trip, and then whether I ought to. I ended up picking a game, like those that had gone before, that was in an area of low infection, and somewhere I could easily maintain social distancing. I also wanted a game without floodlights; with clocks now on GMT a 2pm kick-off would get Robyn and I  back to Oxford early enough to spend time with friends wrapped up against the cold, outside in the pub garden, for a beer or two . As the landlord put it at the time, with all the new restrictions it seemed easier to lock down altogether. 

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The White Peak

21 Wednesday Oct 2020

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Saturday 17th October 2020 ko 15.00

Central Midlands League Division One Central

WIRKSWORTH IVANHOE 3 (Mellor 3 34 36)

Leask missed penalty 53

WOODHOUSE COLTS 3 (Hajman 54 Glenn 74 Clarke 90)

Att 62

Entry FREE

Programme £2

I had something of a dilemma.  I knew wherever I was going I was going alone. Robyn had been in contact with someone who had subsequently tested positive for coronavirus, so she was in the middle of two weeks self-isolation. She encouraged me to find a game, but what game to find? Continue reading →

The Performance Hub

29 Tuesday Sep 2020

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Monday 21st September 2020 ko 19.45

Midland League Division 3

W L V SPORT 1 (Clifton 8p)

ENVILLE ATHLETIC 4 (Rich 5 18 Constable 52 Martin 81)

Att 28

Free Entry

So, once you understand that WLV Sport is the banner for all sports by the University of Wolverhampton you’ll assume this ground is in Wolverhampton. And you like me would have assumed incorrectly, WLV Sport is based at the institution’s campus in Walsall at the “Performance Hub.”

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Fighting For It

16 Wednesday Sep 2020

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Friday 11th September 2020 ko 19.45

Hellenic League Division One East

WOKINGHAM & EMMBROOK 5 (White 5 14 45 Eagle 26 E Day 27)

Clarke missed penalty 90

AFC ALDERMASTON 0 

Barna sent off 74

Att 150

Entry £5

Programme (by Aldermaston) £1

You could say I have history with Wokingham. I first encountered Wokingham Town in 1996 when my side Oxford United played a pre-season friendly at their ground Finchampstead Road. Friendly was the right term too, the Isthmian League club were notably friendly even though they lost the game 5-0. It is  worth mentioning that the visitors were able to name a back 3 of Matt Elliott, Darren Purse and Phil Gilchrist who all went on to play Premier League football so there was no disgrace in that scoreline ! The sadness came 3 years later when the club were forced to sell the ground for housing and moved into a groundshare with Windsor & Eton. Continue reading →

Station’s End

20 Thursday Aug 2020

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Tuesday 11th August 2020 ko 19.00

Friendly

WATLINGTON TOWN 0

ARDLEY UNITED DEVELOPMENT 2 (Casbierd 15 Hollister 84)

Att c20

Free Entry

When the North Berkshire League Hops ended at Appleton in 2017, there was one club that unquestionably missed out, and that was Watlington Town. When I tried to put together the 2018 edition all the other clubs that were left for us to visit either couldn’t host, didn’t want to, or in one instance complained that neither Phil Annets nor I hadn’t asked them to be on the very first hop! Continue reading →

The Tribute

14 Thursday May 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.

Thursday 26th April 2007 ko 19.30

Hellenic League Division One West

WOOTTON BASSETT TOWN 4 (Yeardley 15 43 Mills 52 King 82)

CLANFIELD 85 0

Att 30

Entry £3

Programme £1

Truthfully this wasn’t my first attempt at the Gerard Buxton Sports Ground. I remember arriving a few months earlier and spotted the referee doing a pitch inspection- in wellies! I took the hint and ended up at Backwell United, and a half time checked that indeed the Bassett game was off! Continue reading →

The Lane

12 Tuesday May 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.

Monday 19th January 2009 ko 19.45

Conference North

WORCESTER CITY 0

NEWPORT COUNTY 0

Att 769

Entry £11

Programme £2

I suspect this piece will produce just one or two reactions. Those who visited St George’s Lane will go slightly misty-eyed and remember what a wonderful ground it was. Those who didn’t manage to get there will no doubt from the groundhopper’s affliction of wishing they could turn back time. Continue reading →

Albatros

10 Sunday May 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 4th April 2009 ko 15.00

Anglian Combination – Division One

WELLS TOWN 1 (Harrison 23)

East sent off 90 (2nd booking)

BUNGAY TOWN 1 (McFarlane 3)

Att 30

Free Entry

Programme £1

The curiosity of Wells-next-the-sea is that it isn’t! The small town on the North Norfolk coast is roughly a mile from the sea due to land reclamation works by the Holkeham Estate in 1859. To this day the “Albatros” an 18th Dutch century schooner lies in permanent dry dock  in the old harbour and was in use as a pub; you can see its masts in some of my photos. But other than the obvious, why was I there? Continue reading →

The End Of The World As We Know It

04 Saturday Apr 2020

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Sunday 8th March 2020 ko 14.45

North West Counties League Premier Division

WINSFORD UNITED 0

1874 NORTHWICH 2 (Woolley 25 Knight 31)

Att 627

Entry £6

Programme £2

Delaying the kick-off 15 minutes looked like a good idea as the Groundhop coach inched it’s way into an already-full car park at the Barton Stadium. It took all of a second to work out that the club had thought long and hard about how they were going to cope with a huge crowd. Those who’d bought advance tickets were directed to a separate entrance, that took well over 100 away from the cash turnstiles speeding up the process of getting over 600 people in. Continue reading →