Four Laps, Clutch Start

20 Sunday Jul 2014

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Friday 18th July 19.30

British Elite League

COVENTRY BEES 52 (Andersen 12+1 Jepson Jensen 11+1)

BELLE VUE ACES 39 (Zagar 10 Nielsen 9)

Entry £17

Programme £2.50

In another life I could have easily become a speedway hopper, the Oxford Cheetahs’ Sandy Lane track was a cycle ride away during my youth, and once one of us learned to drive there was the likes of the Reading Racers, the Milton Keynes Knights, the Cradley Heathens, Swindon Robins, Wolverhampton Wolves, and Poole Pirates all within a reasonably straightforward drive. But if you wanted a match at a big stadium with a sense of history you went to Brandon Stadium. My hey-day was the late eighties and nineties I suppose, but times change.

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Sunset

16 Wednesday Jul 2014

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Tuesday 15th July 2014 ko 19.30

Pre-season Friendly

UNITED SERVICES PORTSMOUTH 2 (Coker 9 Dark 26)

FAREHAM TOWN 5 (Neal 22 Houks 53og Robinson 55 A T Rialist 83 90)

Att 13 at 3G pitch HMS Temeraire, Portsmouth

Entry FREE

Programme- You are joking aren’t you?

I visited USP’s Victory Stadium around 4 years ago, and it too is in HMS Temeraire, near Portmouth Docks. There’s no great security here, just a contracted-out guard, who seemed to be about as interested in me as I was in him! When I found out about this fixture, two things immediately struck me, firstly that I now had the camera to do the backdrop justice, and secondly that I was banned!

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Self-Esteem

16 Wednesday Jul 2014

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Saturday 10th July 2014 ko 14.00

Pre-season Friendly

FARNBOROUGH 1 (Lucas Enrique 77)

OXFORD UNITED 2 (Roberts 71 Ashby 76)

Att 278

Entry £10

Programme £1.50

Sometimes you re-visit a ground and find the place almost completely different from your previous visit. My first visit to Cherrywood Road, I’m sorry but I can’t get used to Paddy Power Park, was during Graham Westley’s time as owner/manager here. Continue reading →

Death of a 1000 passes

14 Monday Jul 2014

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Thursday 10th July 2014 ko 18.45

Europa League 1st Qualifying Round

BANGOR CITY 0

STJARNAN FC 4 (Rauschenberg 53 Bjorgvinsson 61 81 A Johannsson 85)

Agg 0-8

Att 805

Entry £14

Programme £3

Let’s be honest here, I’d waited far too long to visit the Welsh club’s new home on the banks of the Menai straits. But the decision to wait proved to be a good one, as a competitive game this time of year is not to be sniffed at, and I’d never watched a side from Iceland either!

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Two-and-a-half Percent

13 Sunday Jul 2014

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Sunday 6th July 2014 ko 16.00

League of Ireland Premier Division

ATHLONE TOWN 0

DERRY CITY 1 (P McEleney 20)

Att 354

Entry €15

Programme €3

Badge €3

NB. The Irish tour’s cost of £285 included entry into all the 3 games, and programmes, all transport, all excursions, and 3 nights bed and breakfast at Dublin City University

The relaxed nature of the weekend was neatly summed up by its final day. A leisurely breakfast was followed by a trip west to Athlone for a boat trip on the Shannon. It turned out to be a mecca for the birdwatchers, and for the boat a chance to meet two residents of its birthplace Southend-on-sea! Even the RNLI badge was still attached!

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Here, There & Everywhere

11 Friday Jul 2014

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Saturday 5th July 20145 ko 19.45

League of Ireland Division One

LONGFORD TOWN 3 (O’Sullivan 65 81 Shaw 79) G. O’Connor sent off 62 (dangerous play)

SHELBOURNE 0 McDonagh sent off 62 (violent conduct)

Att 780

Entry €10

Programme €3

Badge €5

NB. The Irish tour’s cost of £285 included entry into all the 3 games, and programmes, all transport, all excursions, and 3 nights bed and breakfast at Dublin City University

The great advantage of a day with just the one match to see is that the rest of your time is a blank canvas. There was time for a leisurely, if large breakfast before the coach headed north to the pretty seaside town of Skerries, In fact you could trace the coast north and see over the border to Northern Ireland. Continue reading →

Similarities & Differences

08 Tuesday Jul 2014

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Friday 4th July ko 19.45

League of Ireland Premier Division

BRAY WANDERERS 1 (Kelly 19) Mitchell sent off 60 (2nd booking)

DROGHEDA UNITED 3 (Brennan 4 Holahan 37 Brady 90)

Att 495

Entry €15 (€1 = £0.80)

Programme €3

Badge €3

Pennant €10

NB. The Irish tour’s cost of £285 included entry into all the 3 games, and programmes, all transport, all excursions, and 3 nights bed and breakfast at Dublin City University

This weekend represented something new for GroundhopUK, a trip outside the UK, and the chance to try something different, a tour that didn’t revolve exclusively around football. We’ve been aware for some time that people can attend an organised groundhop and never see much else save for a steady succession of football grounds. This tour was to break that mould completely. Continue reading →

Brigade

02 Wednesday Jul 2014

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Saturday 21st March 2009 ko 11.00

Middlesex County League Division One Central & East

SLOANE 4 (Crisp 45 Jarvand 58 63 Burden 78)

COPLAND 3 (Simpson 25 90 Silcott 90)

Att 128 at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea

Entry Free

Programme £2 (very good!)

Coffee 50p

The roots of this fixture lie with QPR fan, journalist and programme enthusiast Tony Incenzo. For a few years now he’s organised early kick-offs in the Middlesex County League, with the host team printing a programme, and laying on refreshments too. Its simplicity is its genius, most if not all hoppers will find a 3 o’clock kick-off to pair it off with and so it really is a case of buy one get one free, at least in terms of time! Continue reading →

It’s a Gas Gas Gas

01 Tuesday Jul 2014

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Saturday 28th June 2014 ko 15.00

Pre-Season Friendly

EPSOM ATHLETIC 3 (W Cathcart 29 74 Mollatt 76)

KNAPHILL 0

Att 31 at N.E.S.C.O.T. Reigate Road, Epsom

Entry FREE

No Programme

I suppose the first question is what is NESCOT? It’s the North East Surrey College of Technology, not that I saw too much of it, the pitch was the other side of the car park from the college buildings so the only thing I learned was that if you fancy becoming a gas fitter, you’re in the right place! I do like these friendlies where the home team is in a groundshare, Athletic share at Chessington & Hook’s Chalky Lane ground, but this isn’t a case of the club simply playing at their home, more a case of simply hiring a pitch. Continue reading →

Back On The Road Again

29 Sunday Jun 2014

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Saturday 28th June 2014 ko 12.00

Pre-Season Friendly

WALTON CASUALS 2 (Cove 28 Mustapha 74)

DORKING WANDERERS 2 (? 1 ? 40)

Att c20 at Elmbridge Xcel Leisure Centre, Walton-on-Thames

Entry FREE

No Programme

I haven’t got used to these June pre-season friendlies, even though this is the 3rd year I’ve seen them featured. To make it even more odd, at least one car-load of hoppers made their way to Scotland to take in a cup final marking the very end of last season. So two football seasons running simultaneously, work that one out!

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