Rewritten by machine on new technology

12 Tuesday Nov 2013

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Friday 8th November 2013 ko 19.00

Hungarian NB-1 Liga

VIDEOTON 1 (Kleinheisier 87)
MEZŐKÖVESD ZSÓRY 0

Att 2,300

Entry 2,200 HUF (approx. £6.20)

No Programme

Videoton play in the town of Székesfehérvár, about 65km south-west of Budapest. The distance is significant if you’re taking the train from Budapest-Déli pályaudvar, or Budapest South station, as return tickets aren’t available for journeys of less than 100km. Its easy enough to buy a single ticket costing 1300 HUF, around £3.67, as ticket machines have an English button!

Simply getting to Déli pályaudvar is interesting though if you travel from the south on the metro, you’ll use the Russian-built M3 line then change to the more modern, western-style M2 line. That theme of old and new cheek by jowl was a constant wherever Andy and I travelled.

Szekesfehervar, or to translate Continue reading →

The Teenage Honved

11 Monday Nov 2013

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Friday 8th November 2013 ko 14.00

Hungary U18 No 1 Osztaley Liga

BUDAPEST HONVED 0

MTK BUDAPEST 0

Att 89

Entry FREE

No Programme

Ever had one of those moments when you take a step back and contemplate where you are? Honvéd was another in a series for me, and when I glanced over to my travelling companion Andy, his glazed eyes told me his reaction was the same as mine.

We’d flown into Budapest the night before, and taken full advantage of the excellent, and cheap Continue reading →

Traffic Flow

06 Wednesday Nov 2013

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Tuesday 5th November 2013 ko 19.45

Midland Alliance League Cup 2nd Round

COLESHILL TOWN 3 (Lloyd 9 Brown 38 45)

BOLDMERE ST MICHAELS 4 (Osborne 11 49 81 Clarke 14)

Att 28

Entry £5

Programme £1.50

Now I have a funny feeling I know what a few of you are thinking now! It’ll be along the lines of “How can someone who spent 7 years living in Banbury have failed to visit here?” I know, just one of those quirks of fate I suppose.

In fact as I type I’m wondering whether I’m the only groundhopper to have visited the other Coleshill, of the North Berkshire League first? Any takers? http://wp.me/p1PehW-19z

This Coleshill is of course in Continue reading →

Backlash

06 Wednesday Nov 2013

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Saturday 2nd November 2013 ko 15.00

League 2

OXFORD UNITED 0

BRISTOL ROVERS 1 (O’Toole 71p)

Att 6,374 (862 away)

Entry S/T

Programme £3 (incl’ Oxford Mail)

I’ve got used to professional footballers’ interviews with radio stations, the media training tends to remove anything of interest. So OUFC’s Dave Kitson’s interview on Radio Oxford was a welcome breath of fresh air even if, in time the FA disrepute charge will cost him in one form or another.

He described referee Mark Brown as, Continue reading →

The Temple of Football

02 Saturday Nov 2013

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Saturday 2nd November 2013 ko 10.30

Middlesex County League Premier Division

SINGH SABHA SLOUGH 2 (Riaz 31 L Ferdinand 68)

BRITISH AIRWAYS 3 (McAuley 5 62 Murphy 71)

Att 83

Entry FREE

Programme £2

2 Samosas and a tea £2.50

I wish Tony Incenzo would organise more of these Middlesex morning kick-offs, and yes I’m aware Slough isn’t in Middlesex! The format is simple enough, a programme is always produced, then its up to the hopper where to head afterwards, there is after all around two-and-a-half hours to get somewhere!

Singh Sabha were possibly the most interesting club featured thus far. Formed in 1977 the club were originally called FC Lions, but changed name when they came under the wing of the local Continue reading →

Hipster

01 Friday Nov 2013

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Wednesday 30th October 2013 ko 19.45

FA Youth Cup 1st Round

DIDCOT TOWN 0

OXFORD UNITED 3 (Ashby 26 56p McCormack 67)

Att 291

Entry £4

No Programme

Team Sheet FREE

Regular readers of these articles will be aware that the Loop Meadow Stadium is one of my semi-regular haunts. There are no lack of local clubs I could frequent, but Didcot are a friendly bunch, and they seem to be a club that stages a game well. The game was intriguing too, with the club’s respective youth teams facing off for the right to play the winners of Maidstone vs Southend United.

What I hadn’t expected was the size of the crowd, or the demographic of them. Continue reading →

Poacher Turned Goalkeeper

31 Thursday Oct 2013

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Tuesday 29th October 2013 ko 19.45

Southern League South & West Division

EVESHAM UNITED 0

MANGOTSFIELD UNITED 3 (Bath 50 Hunt 66 Egan 86) Sawyer sent off 57 (denying a clear goal scoring opportunity)

Att 173

Entry £9

Programme £2

Team sheet FREE

It seems an age since I visited Evesham’s former home at Common Road, in fact well over a decade. Evesham is one of those delightful market towns, built around a meander (in this case the River Avon) with two bridges over it that create traffic chaos. I remember travelling round the one-way system twice before finding the turn for the ground!

The town was founded around an 8th century abbey, one of the largest in Europe, which was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, with only Abbot Lichfield’s Bell Tower remaining. In Evesham’s case the meander is almost closed, making the old town easily fortified but also extremely prone to flooding. However the area has fertile land, and even today the area is noted for the sheer number of market gardens.

Musically speaking, Traffic’s Jim Capaldi was born here, and American singer PJ Proby lives here. In contrast, Harry Styles from One Direction was born in Evesham.

United sold Common Road for housing and left Continue reading →

From Steeplechase to Pallisades

30 Wednesday Oct 2013

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Saturday 26th October 2013 ko 19.00

Northern League Division One

NEWCASTLE BENFIELD 2 (Stephenson 29 Brayson 31)

MORPETH TOWN 1 (Chilton 35)

Att 328

Entry £5

Programme £1

Teamsheet 10p

Badge £3.50

Chicken Curry & Rice £2

It may have been less than a mile from Team Northumbria to Sam Smith’s Park, but the whole feel of the area changed completely between the two grounds. I’m sure nightfall had something to with it, but Benfield’s home looks like a traditional football ground, and one that could grace a league higher up the footballing pyramid.

Looks are deceiving, the club has only been around since 1988, and with Northern Alliance outfit Newcastle East End next door I wonder how many hoppers pondered whether a fifth game could have been squeezed in? It wasn’t a long-lived thought, it would have been too much- four is enough!

Where the club unquestionably got it absolutely right is Continue reading →

Any Two Can Play

28 Monday Oct 2013

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Saturday 26th October 2013 ko 16.00

Northern League Division One

TEAM NORTHUMBRIA 3 (Luke 7 Riley 21 Watling 55)

WHITLEY BAY 4 (Chow 16 27p 53 65)

Att 396

Entry £5

Programme £1

Badge NOT AVAILABLE

Parking 50p

It says something about the proximity of Team Northumbria to West Allotment that notoriously impatient hoppers were happy to wait for the car park to clear! It was less than a mile from Whitley Park to Coach Lane and as I arrived I spotted a queue of hoppers grumbling about paying 50p to park.

On one hand it IS only 50p, a trifle but the argument some hoppers make is that
Continue reading →

Step Right Up & Say

28 Monday Oct 2013

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Saturday 26th October 2013 ko 13.15

Northern League Division Two

WEST ALLOTMENT CELTIC 0

NORTH SHIELDS 0

Att 429

Entry £5

Programme £1

Badge £2.50

Teamsheet 10p

The journey from Heaton to West Allotment was the longest of the hop, a full 1.3 miles by road, and considerably shorter by foot, and it was amusing to see the stream of hoppers with their printed-out maps cutting through the parks and alleyways between the grounds.

Those short distances had given hop organiser Harvey Harris a dilemma. Transport between the games is a staple of the serious organised hop, but since it was possible to walk the entire hop there was a case for not bothering. But since some folk either don’t want to walk, or are less fleet of foot, Harvey came up with an ingenious solution. Continue reading →