We limped into Saturday both literally and figuratively. Robyn was rather sore after her fall down the stand at Tynecastle and the car’s clutch was clearly on its way out, sticking in the down position when I really didn’t want it to. I headed along the M8 towards Hermiston Gait, and hoped. Continue reading →
SAUCHIE JUNIORS 3 (Hutchison 23 secs Columbine 60 Morgan 67)
Hutchinson sent off 3 (foul & abusive)
Att 448
Entry £8
Programme £2
I was under pressure. I was driving my wife Robyn and Craig Dabbs up to Edinburgh as the GroundhopUK advance party. Our role was to collate the 6 sets of programmes for the weekend’s hop into ticket and programme packs for those who had bought prebooked tickets. For once the M6 behaved, but my clutch wasn’t, and despite a litre of clutch fluid bought from a lad in Halfords, Hamilton who seemed happy to have someone to talk to, the concern was would we get to Meggetland, then get round the grounds? Continue reading →
The great mercy of this particular Sunday on the North West Counties Hop is that we didn’t get the chance to get cold, in fact and don’t say this too loudly, the day was actually a relaxing meander through two charming Stafford clubs. Robyn and I even managed to get home at a sensible time after it all- that will never do! Continue reading →
Sunday on the hop dawned, and as a coachload of hoppers kept a Stafford hotel’s staff busy replenishing the bacon at the breakfast bar. I contemplated the day’s football, two Stafford-based teams, or in purely personal terms two revisits! Brocton is a village to the south east of Stafford but the club bearing their game play at the former Staffordshire Police Ground in Silkmore Lane, in Stafford itself. Continue reading →
Memory is an oddity- I’d visited Eccleshall back in September 2008 and remembered it being far closer to the Stoke interchange on the M6 than this. Perhaps the difference was we were on our fourth game of the day… and that it was bitingly cold. In fact you’re a good deal closer to Stafford to Stoke, and you will pass by HMP Prison Drake Hall on the way there! Continue reading →
As the sun set so the temperature fell. It didn’t take long for us to reach the car park at Birches Head Road from Foley Meir. That was a task made easier by some well thought out traffic marshalling by the Abbey Hulton volunteers . But I was aware the coach was struggling, picking its way along narrow lanes and we were getting concerned we might have to delay kick-off slightly. Craig and I dashed into the ground, expecting to have to make ourselves useful. We didn’t, the club were completely in control and the coach arrived well before kick-off. Continue reading →
For Saturday’s second game we headed to Stoke-on-Trent, for what was, for me at least, the most surprising visit on the hop. I’d visited Whitcombe Road back in 2010 when the club were still just Foley FC for a Staffordshire County League game. The ground was just as basic as it gets, albeit with a wonderful vista of Stoke from behind the near goal. I just couldn’t imagine that the club could get the place fit for pyramid football. I am wrong on occasion…. just ask my wife Robyn! Continue reading →
I should start by answering the two most frequent questions asked about Rocester; it’s near Uttoxeter and its pronounced Roaster! We set off from Stafford knowing that we had 4 completely different grounds to visit. On a personal note, I knew 3 of them, and I fully expected Rocester’s to be my highlight, at least on architectural grounds. Continue reading →
We’re back! After the pandemic and the ending of our time in Trelleborg we’re back in Sweden’s beautiful capital Stockholm, and staying both close to the National Stadium, and the birthplace of Ulrika Jonsson.
The dates
FRIDAY JUNE 2nd to SUNDAY JUNE 4th 2023
The games
FIXTURES:
Friday
RÅGSVEDS IF vs. IFK HANINGE (Div 2) @ Hagsätra IP –
football started here in the 1960’s and situated in a beautiful part south of Stockholm.
Saturday
SOLLENTUNA FK vs NORDIC UNITED FC (Div 1) @ Sollentunavallen –
Action starts here 1969. Situated close to both the birthplace of Ulrika Jonsson and the hop hotel.Anders Limpar used to be assistant manager here.
HAMMARBY TFF vs. STOCKHOLM INTERNAZIONALE (Div 1) @ Hammarby IP – built 1912-1915 and is Hammarby IF
first homeground, before moving to Söderstadion and now Tele2. Home of Hammarby Ladies team as well.
FC Wina Märsta vs IF Wasa 2 at 17:15
at Midgårdsvallen Konstgräs
A complete bonus game in, would you believe the Stockholm Veterans League Group A! It’s free, so why not!!
Sunday
TÄBY FK vs BODENS BK FF (Div 1) @ Vikingavallen – built years ago and have an upgrade in 2008. Täby FK sharing the ground with IK Frej, who also play their games here. This represents a massive trip for Boden, some 900 km, not exactly a local derby!
he information you need too
PRICE: £450 pp (excl. flights) and includes:
* Pick up and drop off at Arlanda Airport (north of Stockholm)
* Transport to all football matches
* Accommodation at 4-star hotel (double room) for two nights incl. breakfast
* Tickets/admission for all games incl. programmes
An alternative
If you want to book your own accommodation, then the hop price will be £350,
but the pick-up point will be the hotel, close to Sollentuna Rail Station
FLIGHTS TO BOOK (not included in the price):
2 alternatives;
FRIDAY 2/6
Norwegian from Gatwick Airport, UK 09:20
(Arriving Arlanda Airport, Sweden at 12:55 local time)
SUNDAY 4/6
Norwegian from Arlanda Airport, Sweden 17:45
(Arriving Gatwick Airport, UK at 19:35 local time)
or
FRIDAY 2/6
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) from Heathrow Airport, UK 06:40
(Arriving Arlanda Airport, Sweden at 10:05 local time)
SUNDAY 4/6
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) from Arlanda Airport, Sweden 18:15
(Arriving Heathrow Airport, UK at 19:55 local time)
Payment
There are 2 options to pay the £450 (if you book your own accommodation £350):
1. You can pay to my account through a EuroTransaction:
It would be so easy to paint this as Robyn and I’s return to GroundhopUK duty, but in reality we hadn’t stopped, even after the final games in the SCEFL Hop. Robyn gradually took over social media duties, and you really couldn’t have failed to see her efforts on the @NWCLHop2023 account. That really helped us both to tease the hop, but also to update people too. Continue reading →
Football: Wherever it may be 