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Football: Wherever it may be

~ Laurence's football travels

Football: Wherever it may be

Tag Archives: Bristol

Gifford

21 Tuesday Mar 2023

Posted by laurencereade in S

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Tags

Football, groundhopping, Gloucestershire County League, Stoke Gifford, England, Hardwicke, Bristol, Non League, Stoke Gifford United, Stoke Gifford Stadium

Tuesday 28th February 2023 ko 19:45

Gloucestershire County League

STOKE GIFFORD UNITED 7 (McInevery 34 43 72 Weaver 38 72 90 Barry 45)

HARDWICKE 0

Att 39

Entry FREE

Programme £1

It does pay to keep an eye on the Gloucestershire County League. I tend to see it as a quasi-Step 6 league, the mandatory programme rule, and the reasonably stringent ground gradings to make for an experience unlike most at the level. It was though, an odd evening to be in Bristol.

On one hand Bristol City were at home to Manchester City that night in the FA Cup, but that only meant that the southern half of the city would be having cup fever. Stoke Gifford is in the northern suburbs, and well and truly in Bristol Rovers territory, so I expected and got studied indifference to the goings on at Ashton Gate. 

Of course there was an irony, Bristol City’s women played at Stoke Gifford Stadium prior to their move to the High Performance Centre for last season. I covered the fact that Bristol City Women used to be Bristol Rovers women in that article, and were Bristol Academy in between, and even had a men’s team too. They played at Stoke Gifford too, so I must admit when I saw Stoke Gifford had been promoted into the County League and were using South Gloucestershire & Stroud College too, I assumed they were using the same place. Well they aren’t… sort of!

The old Stoke Gifford Stadium is now 3G and laid out for American Football only, and as you work your way through the complex you’ll see the odd bit of signage for Bristol City, then the remains of turnstiles that were installed for Bristol City’s stint in the Women’s Super League. Stoke Gifford are using the pitch the other side of the changing room block and have improved their new home accordingly. If you’re the kind of person that sees this as part of the same then the complex then you’ll see my attendance as a revisit, if not, then you won’t!

Whatever your view Stoke Gifford are certainly friendly and the tea was much appreciated on a cold, dank evening. They’re also talented; there was nothing wrong with Hardwicke save for them having some key players missing, but they were taken to pieces by their hosts. I’ve not seen a beating this complete for a while. 

I don’t think this will be Stoke Gifford’s season to make the jump into the Hellenic League. They’re third, and the ground will need some sort of surrounding fence for Step 6, but I may have got slightly ahead of myself here. The fact is Stoke Gifford have a fine team, and a ground to match. 

Motorway

06 Monday Mar 2023

Posted by laurencereade in A

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Tags

Football, groundhopping, Bristol, Non League, Bristol and Suburban League, Avonmouth, St Nicholas

Saturday 11th February 2023 ko 14:00

Gloucestershire Senior Amateur Cup Quarter Final

AVONMOUTH 7 (Groves 13 29 30 89 Aldom 35 Pearce 43 O’Donovan 82)

ST NICHOLAS 1 (Slade 56p)

Att 42

Free Entry

One of the great advantages of having family in Bristol is the extra centre of gravity it gives my groundhopping. You’d expect me to have done a lot in around my hometown of Oxford, but 7 years of Robyn and I means regular visits west, and very slowly I’m uncovering some real Bristolian gems.  Continue reading →

The Stockwood Treble

28 Wednesday Oct 2020

Posted by laurencereade in S

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Bristol, Football, groundhopping, Keynsham Town, Non League, Somerset County League, Stockwood lane, Stockwood Wanderers

Saturday 24th October 2020 ko 15.00

Somerset County League Premier Division

STOCKWOOD WANDERERS 1 (Britton 64)

KEYNSHAM TOWN RESERVES 1 ( Banfield 70)

Att 38

Free Entry

Back in the day the test of the committed hopper was the completion of the Lenton Lane treble. The rather unprepossessing road in Nottingham is less than half a mile long but nevertheless used to sport the grounds used by Bilborough Pelican , Dunkirk and Greenwood Meadows. Unless you were on the 2004 Central Midlands League Hop that featured all three, doing the Lenton Lane Treble did take a certain amount of commitment! Continue reading →

Crossing St George

25 Thursday Jun 2020

Posted by laurencereade in R, S

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Bristol, Cadbury Heath, Football, Gloucestershire County League, groundhopping, Non League, Roman Glass St George, Western League, Whiteway Road

Saturday 3rd January 2011 ko 14.15

Western League Division One

ROMAN GLASS ST GEORGE 1 (Mansfield 53)

CADBURY HEATH 1 (Colbourne 24) 

Att 70 at Bell Hill Playing Field, Whiteway Road, St George, Bristol

Entry £4

Programme £1

You may remember GroundhopUK visiting Oaklands Park– the Gloucestershire FA Ground on the final Western Hop. The ground is shared by Lebeq United and Roman Glass St George but since neither club is primary tenant and Lebeq wanted to, they hosted, but what of Roman Glass St George? Continue reading →

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Nicosia

27 Thursday Feb 2020

Posted by laurencereade in A

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Tags

AEK Boco, Bristol, England, Football, Gloucestershire County League, Greenbank, groundhopping, Henbury, Non League

Saturday 28th December 2019 ko 14.00

Gloucestershire County League

AEK BOCO 5 (Slocombe 45 52 80 90 Thier 89)

HENBURY 0 Heal sent off (2nd booking) 49

Att c50

Free Entry

Programme £1

Bristol, just like Nicosia is a divided city, and the second Robyn and I started seeing each other part of the fun was seeing just how divided it is. Of course Bristol’s divide is on purely footballing terms, the green line in Nicosia separates Greek from Turkish Cyprus. In Bristol the line is blue….. Continue reading →

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Is Vic There?

18 Sunday Nov 2018

Posted by laurencereade in B

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Bristol, Bristol Telephones, BTRA Sports Ground, Football, GroundhopUK, Keynsham Town, Non League, Stockwood, Western League

Sunday 9th October 2018 ko 14.00

Western League Division One

BRISTOL TELEPHONES 1 (Goulding 60)

KEYNSHAM TOWN 2 (Shorney 27 38)

Att 310

Entry £6

Programme £1

There was no secret as to why the final game of the 2018 Western Hop was always going to be the most popular amongst the groundhoppers. Bristol Telephones are only in their second season in the Western League having won the Gloucestershire County League in 2017 so many would target this game, and this game alone in order to re-complete the league. By means of an example, the BTRA Ground, Stockwood Lane was to be my only new ground of the weekend! Continue reading →

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Titan

03 Saturday Nov 2018

Posted by laurencereade in L

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Bristol, Community Centre, England, Football, GroundhopUK, Longwell Green Sports, Non League, Welton Rovers, Western League

Saturday 6th October 2018 ko 11.00

Western League Division One

LONGWELL GREEN SPORTS 2 (Brittain 2 Keary 36)

WELTON ROVERS 3 (Hunt 28 Seviour 54 77)

Att 213

Entry £5

Programme £1

When we started the Western Hop back in 2015 we actually passed Longwell Green Sports on our way between Bitton and Oldland Abbotonians. Whilst amusing myself with the knowledge that we’d succeeded in convincing a hopper that the latter club was so named because comedian Russ Abbott was a secret benefactor (He actually recorded it in his blog before rapidly deleting it!) we passed the ground and I wondered why we weren’t visiting there and then? Continue reading →

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Bris (tol)

01 Thursday Nov 2018

Posted by laurencereade in B

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Tags

Brislington, Bristol, Chris Berezai, GroundhopUK, Ironmould Lane, Julian French, Odd Down, Western League, Western League Hop

Friday 5th October 2018 ko 19.45

Western League Premier Division

BRISLINGTON 2 (Taylor 40 Biggins 71)

ODD DOWN (BATH) 3 (Lloyd6 79 82)

Att 262 

Entry £6

Programme £1

For as long as I visit grounds of the Western League I will always think of the late Mark Edmonds, That goes double for the Western Hop, the idea he had, that every year Chris Berezai and try our best to make the most of his legacy for the clubs he set out to help.  It puts us under a good kind of pressure, and that goes for everyone involved that remembers Mark. This year it was lovely to see his widow Sarah joining us all for this hop, mainly based in and around Bristol, and I hope she feels we did Mark’s idea justice.  Continue reading →

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The High Fortified Place

26 Wednesday Sep 2018

Posted by laurencereade in H

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Arnall Drive, Bristol, Football, Gloucestershire County League, groundhopping, Hardwicke, Henbury, Non League

Saturday 4th August 2018 ko 15.00

Gloucestershire County League

HENBURY 1 (Cox 11)

HARDWICKE 1 (Smith 79) Tracey penalty saved 78

Att c30

Entry FREE

Programme £1

I’m not sure why, but every time I drop Robyn off at Ashton Gate and I drive under the Clifton Suspension Bridge on the A4, I think I’m heading west. In fact I’m heading more northerly than west, especially when you turn right just past Bristol Manor Farm, and you soon end up in Bristol’s northern suburbs. As Robyn would put it, you’re in Gashead (Bristol Rovers) country here! Continue reading →

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The Localist Derby

28 Thursday Dec 2017

Posted by laurencereade in M

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Bristol, Broad Plain House, Filwood Fields, Filwood Sports Association, Football, groundhopping, Mendip Broadwalk, Non League, Somerset County League

Saturday 23rd December 2017 ko 14.00

Somerset County League Division One East

MENDIP BROADWALK 0

BROAD PLAIN HOUSE 1 (Scadding 58)

Att c35

Entry FREE

Dear Knowle West, that surburb of South Bristol, within sight of Ashton Gate down Novers Hill. It is of course the home of my girlfriend Robyn, and Filwood Fields just stone’s throw from where she was brought up. Other than Bristol City either of these clubs could lay claim to be her local club. Both of Robyn’s parents worked at the Broad Plain House Social Club too. And therein lies the quirk of this particular game…. Continue reading →

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