That’s the wise thrush; he sings each song twice

08 Sunday Sep 2013

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Saturday 31st August 2013 ko 15.00

League 2

OXFORD UNITED 1 (Constable 24)

ROCHDALE 1 (Lund 50)

Att 5,260 (203 away)

Entry – Season Ticket

Programme £3 (including free Oxford Mail)

With the plethora of organised groundhops (too many to tell the truth) this season, this was my first visit this season to Grenoble Road. A lot has changed since last season, especially on the playing side with over a team’s worth of players released, and replaced, some from the youth team. There’s been some high-profile recruits, Continue reading →

Reunion

06 Friday Sep 2013

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Friday 30th August 2013 ko 19.45

FA Cup Preliminary Round

WANTAGE TOWN 2 (Claydon 60 86)

DIDCOT TOWN 3 (Webb 3og Ferriera 37 Haysham 70)

Att 321

Entry £6

Programme £1 (poor, far too many adverts)

After the excesses of the weekend, I’d felt rather footballed-out. There were no lack of options on Tuesday and Wednesday, but save for a little writing the urge to jump in the car had been absent. But on Friday, a nice local game beckoned, and an FA Cup game too. It was time to get back in the swing of things, and on arrival I wasn’t the only one to have thought along the same lines. There were a good 20 hoppers, many of whom had been touring around North Wales with Chris and I. There was North Berkshire League representation too, with fixtures secretary Charlie East, and Treasurer Mike Panting casting an interested local eye on the proceedings.

However the reunion had a far more significant member, Continue reading →

Lead Zeppelin

05 Thursday Sep 2013

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Monday 26th August 2013 ko 18.00

Welsh Alliance Division Two

MELIDEN 2 (Moss 34 Cassidy 84)

ST ASAPH 0

Att 323

Entry £3

Programme £1

Badge £3

It seems like the end of an era writing this, the last game of the Welsh hop marathon. A few things have happened since this game, the main one being that Chris attended a league meeting where a full debrief was held on the hop, the first in the league. The good news new that we’ll be back next season, and that the planning has already started.

Yet despite the magnum opus nature of the hop it didn’t feel like we were stretching the joy too far as we approached the mining village of Meliden. Yes, people’s feet still hurt, and there were tired bodies on show, but what we saw as the coaches reached the Mine lifted the soul. Continue reading →

Creamery

04 Wednesday Sep 2013

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Monday 26th August 2013 ko 14.30

Welsh Alliance Division One

LLANDYRNOG UNITED 1 (J Davies 4)

PWLLHELI 1 (M Williams 40)

Att 232

Entry £4

Programme £1

Its only about 3 miles from Central Park to Cae Nant but in terms of the feel of the place, it felt a lot more. From the urbane Denbigh, Llandyrnog seemed….well asleep! The coaches and cars drove through the deserted village to what seemed the only place alive, the football ground Cae Nant! As we sorted out somewhere for the coaches to park, the club had earmarked the local Creamery, but that was too far from the ground, many hoppers had found the local pub The Golden Lion, and convinced the landlord it would be profitable for him to open. From what I’ve learned he made a fair bob, and we’re glad as organisers to have helped the local economy!

I was a little nervous about the fixture, Continue reading →

Central Perk

04 Wednesday Sep 2013

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Monday 26th August 2013 ko 11.15

Welsh Alliance Division One

DENBIGH TOWN 4 (Lundstram 27 Pierce 30 72p 75)

BARMOUTH & DYFFRYN UNITED 0

Att 285

Entry £4

Programme £1

Badge £3

Back in Chester as I woke I carried out a mental inventory of how I was feeling. Legs – sore, feet – swollen, and face- sunburnt! In truth I was pleased this was the last day of the hop, there is a limit on how much football you can watch, both physically and mentally. Over breakfast, notably quieter compared to the other days, I pondered the very first Northern Counties East hop when we’d planned a 14-game 5 day hop over Easter. We’d received many emails telling us it would be too much, Continue reading →

People Watching

02 Monday Sep 2013

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Sunday 25th August 2013 ko 18.15

Welsh Alliance Division One

LLANRWST UNITED 0

BODEDERN ATHLETIC 0

Att 370

Entry £4

Programme £1

Badge £3

As organiser you love to see good decisions made without you having to prompt them. We were part of a huge convoy leaving Glan Conwy on the A470, and heading into Snowdonia, and I was day-dreaming on how the A470 eventually goes right past the University of Glamorgan in Treforest, the base for the first Welsh Groundhops. Neil our coach driver suddenly turned right, with Colin in the other coach following with the rest of the convoy carrying on along the main road. I asked why the detour Continue reading →

Truncated by the Authorities

01 Sunday Sep 2013

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Sunday 25th August 2013 ko 15.00pm

Welsh Alliance Division One

GLAN CONWY 1 (Knight 51)

NEFYN UNITED 1 (C Jones 4)

Att 305

Entry £4

Programme £1

Badge £3

The journey from Llandudno Junction was a short one, so short in fact that the backdrop remained the same, it was just a different facet of Conwy Castle that faced us!

One way another Glan Conwy seems to have been truncated by the authorities! The village’s full name is Llansanffraid Glan Conwy, or in English Church of St Ffraid on the bank of the River Conwy, but the name was shortened by the railway to the more usual Glan Conwy. The village’s raison d’etre used was Continue reading →

A change in locale

01 Sunday Sep 2013

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Sunday 25thy August 2013 ko 12.00

Welsh Alliance Division One

LLANDUDNO JUNCTION 0

HOLYWELL TOWN 5 (McElmeel 25 G Williams 45 S Jones 54 J Jones 73 PD Williams 81p) PD Williams missed penalty 65

Att 302

Entry £4

Programme £1

Badge £3

As we’d left Anglesey the previous evening I’d expected a change of feel for the Sunday fixtures. Yes, 3 games in a day is easier in many ways but despite the fact that Llandudno Junction is only 22 miles from Llanfairpwll, it felt far more urbane, yet still unmistakably Welsh.

Llandudno Junction, once known as Tremarl, lies south of Llandudno, and unsurprisingly grew up around the railway station here. Opposite the station is  The Old Station Hotel. Its known locally as ‘The Killer’ Continue reading →

Yr Wyddfa

31 Saturday Aug 2013

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Saturday 24th August 2013 ko 18.30

Welsh Alliance Division One

GLANTRAETH 3 (Taylor 25 76 C Roberts 78)

LLANRUG UNITED 2 (Pritchard 18 D.N. Williams 90) D. N. Williams missed penalty 15

Att 308

Entry £4

Programme £1

Badge £3

Pint of Beer £2.50

I’m sure the Welsh hop has taken in locations more remote than Cae Glantraeth, the trip to Rhosgoch with the coach’s cooked brakes springs to mind, but this one was up with the best of them!

The club is named after the Glantraeth Farm and the nearest settlement is the small village of Trefdraeth, with the larger 400 inhabitant village of Malltraeth, about a mile-and-half distant. The district, Bodorgan is the current home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge while Prince William serves as a search and rescue pilot at RAF Valley, 9 or so miles away. I did keep half an eye open for a yellow helicopter! Other than transplanted royalty, Hollywood actress Continue reading →

The Lake of Winter Dwelling

29 Thursday Aug 2013

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Saturday 24th August 2013 ko 15.45

Welsh Alliance Division One

GWALCHMAI 5 (Sinnott 19 Evans 36 38  83 S Sinclair 54)

LLANBERIS 1 (R Parry 88)

Att 389

Entry £4

Programme £1

Badge £3

It didn’t take long to get from Gaerwen to Gwalchmai, passing the Anglesey Showground along the way. The village is named after the 12th-century court poet Gwalchmai ap Meilyr. Just to the north is a small lake Llyn Hendref, or to translate, The Lake of Winter Dwelling. Not that there was anything remotely wintery about Cae Maes Murig, set as it is behind a ribbon of social housing and in front of farmland with Snowdonia behind. It was determinedly t-shirt weather, and the ground surprised many, me included. Continue reading →