Rest & Relaxation

03 Wednesday Nov 2021

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Saturday 9th October 2021 ko 15:00

South West Peninsula League- Premier East

ELMORE 3 (Newman 60og Hill 74 82)

OKEHAMPTON ARGYLE 4 (Bickle 5 13 63 67)

Sanders sent off 55 (DOGSO)

Att 82

Entry £5

After the Scottish Hop I did something unusual for me, I actually tried to slow down a little. Mind you watching Broxburn Athletic then within a week finding yourself watching Tiverton- based Elmore isn’t many people’s idea of slowing down, there are a mere 446 miles between the two grounds. I should explain…. Continue reading →

The Old & The New

01 Monday Nov 2021

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Sunday 3rd October 2021 ko 12:15 

East of Scotland League- Premier Division

BROXBURN ATHLETIC 0

DUNDONALD BLUEBELL 1 (Ford 61)

Att 278

Entry £7

Programme £2

Teamsheet FREE

Pie – Steak

Every year I turn up at the Scottish Hop’s single Sunday game, and wish we’d added a second game. After that game I then spend hours on the M6 glad we didn’t! We arrived a Albyn Park about an hour before the coach did, and way too early, there was upwards of 100 young girls playing in a multitude of 5-a-side games on the pitch at the time and certainly you didn’t want a crowd taking photos. It did, though show the great strength of Broxburn’s home. Continue reading →

Respectfully Catered

27 Wednesday Oct 2021

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Saturday 2nd October 2021 ko 19.45

East of Scotland League- Premier Division

NEWTONGRANGE STAR 2 (Robertson 27 37)

TRANENT JUNIORS 2 (Wring 31 Stevenson 62p)

Att 401

Entry £7

Programme £2

Pie- Steak & Gravy

We doubled back from Easterhouse to reach Newtongrange’s New Victoria Park, we ended up parking along the Newbattle Road we’d driven up 3 hours earlier. The climb up to the ground does enhance the sense of anticipation even if I made a beeline for the turnstiles with their unusual gatehouse , and by-passed the clubhouse. Many others didn’t, Robyn included! Continue reading →

Chinese Lily

25 Monday Oct 2021

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Saturday 2nd October 2021 ko 17:00

East of Scotland League: Conference B

EASTHOUSES LILY MINERS WELFARE 2 (Sives 60 63)

GLENROTHES 5 (Walker 7 56 90 Brown 79 L Schiavone 90)

Att 228

Entry £7

Programme £1

Pie- Chicken Balmoral

So close were the final two Saturday games on this Scottish Hop we passed by Newtongrange Star’s New Victoria Park on the way to the Newbattle Complex. and as this game neared it’s conclusion those of us on the grass bank watched our future hosts floodlights fire up so as to guide us all in. You can just about see the evidence on the 42nd picture, but the adventure had started a lot earlier. Continue reading →

Culinary Delights

21 Thursday Oct 2021

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Saturday 2nd October 2021 ko 14:00

Lowland League

BONNYRIGG ROSE 2 (Turner 17 Young 59)

DALBEATTIE STAR 1 (Todd 46)

Att 517

Entry £9

Programme £2

Teamsheet FREE

Pie- Doner kebab & chilli sauce

The beauty of the Saturday on this edition of the Scottish Hop was that none of the 4 grounds were more than a couple of miles from the next. It seemed as soon as we’d left Dalkeith we’d arrived at Bonnyrigg and with all due respect to the other clubs we visited this weekend, this was the club I’d anticipated visiting the most. Continue reading →

Keith

20 Wednesday Oct 2021

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Saturday 2nd October 2021 ko 11:15

East of Scotland League Conference A

DALKEITH THISTLE 8 (Weston 32 61 McTernon 50 Leslie 58p Callaghan 66 Dixon 70og McFadden 76 Burrows 90)

TWEEDMOUTH RANGERS 2 (Robinson 6 35)

Robinson sent off 46 (Violent Conduct)

Att 309

Entry £7

Programme £2

Pie Steak

Saturday dawned and I began to feel that normality was returning. Part of that was Robyn flying in to join us the previous evening and another was the completely full coach, to the extent there was no room for Robyn, Craig Dabbs and I. I didn’t half clock up the miles that weekend. With a 4 game day lined up mainly in Mid-Lothian I’d made a mental note to conserve my energy, 4 grounds with seating at a premium was going to be tiring, and I hadn’t completed that many games in a day in over 2 years. Moreover, the Scottish footballing pyramid had changed since GroundhopUK’s last visit. Continue reading →

The Delay

08 Friday Oct 2021

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Friday 1st October 2021 ko 19.45

Lowland League

BO’NESS UNITED 3 (Flynn 31 Jacobs 42 Locke 68)

CIVIL SERVICE STROLLERS 1 (Cole 43)

Att 507

Entry £7

Programme £1

Pie – Scotch or Macaroni

It is a historical point that the first hop to be cancelled due to the pandemic was the Scottish Hop and the first one back could so easily have been this one, delayed for 18 months!  While I loved what we did and will do in the Witney & District League this is altogether a different animal. But you would have thought that simply taking the same event, with the same host clubs (albeit with the Friday and Sunday games transposed) and restaging it after the break would be easy enough to do wouldn’t you? And you’d be wrong! Continue reading →

Triangles

06 Wednesday Oct 2021

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Tuesday 21st September 2021 ko 19:45

EFL Cup 3rd Round

BRENTFORD 7 (Forss 3p 16 44 60 Wissa 38 87 Diarra 43og)

OLDHAM ATHLETIC 0

Att 12,819

Entry (Railway Lounge Hospitality) £35

Programme – Included (£2)

I think my wife Robyn calls this “92 Hopping,” but my running total of EFL and Premier League grounds was below 90 for the first time in years, mainly due to the pandemic. I think just about everyone loved Brentford’s former home at Griffin Park and I’m so glad I managed to show Robyn the place before it closed. There is absolutely no way you can replace a ground of 100-plus years with a pub at each corner, but Brentford have come as close as anyone. Continue reading →

The Mouse That Roared

05 Tuesday Oct 2021

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Sunday 19th September 2021 ko 14:00

Witney & District League Division One

KINGHAM ALL BLACKS 1 (Lay 89)

CHADLINGTON 2 (Morley 5 Burton 15)

Att 177

Entry by programme £4

I reached Kingham in a state of nervous exhaustion; I think the stress of getting this hop set up, then running to a standard I’d regard as acceptable had caught up with me.  I’ll never regret these Sunday games, both host clubs’ success was proof that gambit worked, but on Saturday evening sat in the pub I did find myself thinking that if I hadn’t asked for those games my stress would have been over. Continue reading →

Pigs Do Fly

30 Thursday Sep 2021

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Sunday 19th September 2021 ko 11:00

Witney & District League Division Four

SHERBORNE HARRIERS 3 (Cullen 19 82 Goodwin 26)

HATHEROP RESERVES 2 (Head 42p Hathaway 75)

Saunders penalty saved 12

Att 136

Entry by programme £4

There were so many leaps of faith to make this happen. The first and most important was from the Witney & District League who agreed for us to schedule the two Sunday games I asked for and agreed that Sherborne Harriers would be one of the host clubs. But dear reader, I can hear you ask the obvious question- why Sherborne Harriers? Continue reading →