Amber And Black

23 Sunday Nov 2025

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Sunday 24th August 2025 ko 14:00

West Lancashire League Division One

HESKETH BANK 6 (Johnson 6 Edgar 16 45 Morris 23 Atkinson-Jones 47 Birken 86)

TURTON (Prudnikov 56 Mason 88)

Att 401

Entry £3

Programme £2

From Croston we headed towards the West Lancs Railway, these days a steam heritage line, and once the means of transporting bricks from the village of Hesketh Bank to the rest of the world.

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Pugin

20 Thursday Nov 2025

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Sunday 26th August 2025 ko 11:00

West Lancashire League Division One

CROSTON SPORTS 0

LYTHAM TOWN 0

Att 371

Entry £3

Programme £2

We left the hotel in Blackpool and did a double-take- had some really tethered a horse on some rough ground by the car park? It takes all sorts I suppose, and I was about to watch my 5th, 6th and 7th games of the weekend. We headed to Chorley’s environs (now there’s a ground if you haven’t been!) and reached Croston to find an expertly marshalled parking system already in place.

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If You Must Make a Noise, Do It Quietly

18 Tuesday Nov 2025

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Saturday 23rd August 2025 ko 17:00

West Lancashire League Division One

ULVERSTON RANGERS 2 (Harrison 23 Lawlor 63)

SLYNE WITH HEST 1 (Hollings 7)

Att 307

Entry £3

Programme £2

If there was one place on the West Lancs Hop I could anticipate is was Ulverston. Other than being where Glaxo SmithKline is based in the UK, Ulverston Rangers play at the Glaxo Sports & Social Club, its also the birthplace of Stan Laurel.

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Dalton

17 Monday Nov 2025

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Saturday 23rd August 2025 ko 14:00

West Lancashire League Division Two

DALTON UNITED 0

STOREYS FC 3 (Wearing 16 Creech 85 Barker 88og)

Att 374

Entry £3

Programme £2

The inaugeral West Lancs Hop had, so far, dealt with clubs only in its top division, so I did feel a little twitchy when the cavalcade reached Dalton-in-Furness and a game in the league’s 3rd tier. We knew the crowds we were seeing were more than healthy so would a club at the lowest rung of the league be able to cope?

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Furness

09 Sunday Nov 2025

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Saturday 23rd August 2025 k0 11:00

West Lancashire League Division

ASKAM UNITED 0

CROOKLANDS CASUALS 1 (Armstrong 19)

Att 374

Entry £3

Programme £2

With my duties for the West Lancs Hop mainly adding up to driving I felt the sense of anticipation keenly. Craig, Robyn and I formed the GroundhopUK advance party ferrying boxes of programme packs for those ticket holder who’d opted to miss the Wren Rovers game but also to offer help where needed. Truthfully, I don’t remember anywhere that needed our help. Glorious redundancy is a good thing sometimes!

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Bird Watching

06 Thursday Nov 2025

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Friday 22nd August 2025 ko 18:45

West Lancashire League Premier Division

BLACKPOOL WREN ROVERS 2 (King 58 68)

POULTON 1 (Hallan 55)

Scammell sent off (serious foul play) 72

Att 388

Entry £3

Programme £2

For groundhoppers of a certain age August Bank Holiday always added up to multiple games in Wales. The Welsh Hop lasted from 2002 to 2022 and we all missed the epic events they always were. Any replacement had to be good, and we even ran events without anything on August Bank Holiday for two years. The irony is that you could say the solution to it was in house…

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Randomness

29 Wednesday Oct 2025

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Saturday 16th August 2025 ko 13:45

North East Wales Senior Challenge Cup 2nd Round

CPD YR WYDDGRUG 2 (Summer 25 North 33)

RHYDYMWYN FC 3 (Whelan 59p 80 Farron 83)

Att 20 at Gwernymynydd Village Centre

Free Entry

One of the great joys of a day out with Chris Garner is that he shares my liking for making the game as random as possible. Where doesn’t matter too much, or at what level, in fact if it’s in a league we don’t know- all the better. Here though the idea was straightforward- we picked the most unpronounceable game (to English ears!) we could find!

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Minford

16 Thursday Oct 2025

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Tuesday 5th August 2025 ko 18:30

Ardal North West

MYNYDD ISA 3 (Mendonza 35 Beck 64 Lambert 64)

ST ASAPH CITY 0

D Hayes sent off 69 (2nd booking)

Att 90

Entry £3

Programme- online

I found myself in North Wales for work but as ever it really wasn’t any trial me being there- assuming we forget about the 5 hour drive! As ever I scanned the fixtures to find something on my way home afterwards and spotted a club I’d wanted to visit for a while- 20 years to be exact!

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Moseley Shoals

16 Thursday Oct 2025

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Saturday 2nd August 2025 ko 15:00

Midland League Division Two

CADBURY ATHLETIC 2 (Malley 55p Mudie 66)

BOLDMERE SPORTS & SOCIAL FALCONS 2 (Wilson 8 Maddocks 75og)

Att 260 at Birmingham Moseley RUFC

Free Entry

Programme £2

It doesn’t take too much empathy to understand Cadbury Athletic’s problem. Their home is the utterly sublime Cadbury Recreation Ground in Bournville, a ground that every self-respecting football ground enthusiast ought to visit, but one they’ll never be able to improve so they could play Pyramid Football there. So every time they’ve been able to progress they’re had to groundshare.

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Past Present & Future

10 Friday Oct 2025

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Sunday 27th July 2025 ko 15:00

Northern Counties East League Division One

LOUTH TOWN 3 (Lidgard 32 Pennell 59 Jacklin 76)

APPLEBY FRODINGHAM 2 (J Chapman 61 Fraiwald 75p)

Att 381

Entry £5

Programme £2

Teamsheet 50p

A lot changed between Skegness and Louth, and I’m all too aware that Louth Town play in Saltfordby, around 7 miles from Louth! The crucial change was the league we were watching, with us close to complete for the United Counties League (of those clubs who want to host) we’ll be switching the opening weekend event next year to the Northern Counties East.

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