Tag Archives: groundhopping

In Extremis

01 Saturday Oct 2011

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Saturday 1st October 2011

Midland Combination U21 League East/North

AUSTREY RANGERS 0

RUGBY TOWN JUNIORS 3 (Thomas 12 Linford 63 Gordon 76)

Att 16 (h/c)

Entry FREE

No Programme

Coffee 80p

Finger of Fudge 20p (!)

Austrey lies at the northernmost point of Warwickshire, just off the A42. A look on Google Earth shows Austrey Field to little more than, well, a field, but when I arrived it was a hive of activity. If you want to tick off Austrey you have no option but to watch age based football, there is no adult team, although I suspect this vibrant club will soon make that move as the eldest players get too old for youth football. With a clubhouse, and part railed pitch the infrastructure is already in place the such a move.

Other than my game there were U12 and U18 games going on, which gave Dutch (Utrecht) referee Erick van Vlet a problem- Continue reading →

A game of one half

30 Friday Sep 2011

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Tuesday 27th September 2011 ko 7.15pm

Leicestershire Senior Cup First Round

AYLESTONE PARK 2 (G Seal 18 27p)

BIRSTALL UNITED 1 (Man-Klee 8 )

Att 54 (h/c)

Entry £2.50

No programme

Chips & Cheese £1.50

With the  Leicester based club having moved a full 400 yards to their new home, The Mary Linwood Recreation ground in Saffron Lane, this fixture attracted some of the big hitters of the groundhopping fraternity.

The ground reflects precisely the clubs needs and immediate ambitions. There are two pitches, so close that the dugouts are double sided, and the clubhouse is both large and impressive. However the sole spectator accommodation is still the same unseated Arena stand, salvaged from the old ground, and given a lick of paint. You question how far the club can progress with the ground as it is particularly when you consider that the club has the advantage of the demise of the Leicestershire Constabulary club which supplied both players and committee.

What we got was a cracking half of football. Birstall took an early lead, Aylestone stung by the threat to their 100% record responded, and with a penalty to take the lead we were set up for an exciting second half. I’d have even settled for extra time.

I turned up for the second half, I’m not sure the players did! What we got was a turgid half of ill-tempered hoofing, and a catalogue of unforced errors. By the end, extra time would have been a trial.

Razzmatazz

25 Sunday Sep 2011

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Saturday 24th September 2011 KO 1.30pm

North Berkshire League Division 1

DRAYTON FC 3 (Curran 72 76 82)

HARWELL VILLAGE 1 (Hinchcliffe 90)

Att 168

Entry by programme £3

Tea £1

Cheeseburger £2.50

Cheese & Onion Roll £1

Old team shirt £2

Badge £3

The second game of the hop was a mere mile and a half from the first, at the Recreation Ground, off Lockway.

The previous evening I’d had a bit of a nose round, firstly to see where to put the coach, and to see how they’d cope with a crowd. It looked easy enough to secure, but other than the village hall there didn’t look to be much space.

I needn’t have worried as the club put on a super show, complete with a gazebo borrowed from Tilsley Park, in nearby Abingdon. The place was packed out, and one hopper Martin Heyden from Cheshire even decided to cycle between the first 3 grounds! The locals pocked their noses over their fences and whinged at the number of people present, again there was a roaring trade in badges, and burgers, and I was impressed at how hard the Drayton FC people worked at their 2 hours in the spotlight.

The game was a complete non event for 70 minutes, then portly striker Danny Curran entered the fray. 10 minutes later, and 3 chances, he’d collected the match ball, Drayton the 3 points, and all was left to do was watch Martin climb on his bike just after a goalkeeping howler gave Harwell Village their consolation.

Life was getting better every minute…..

Epicentre

25 Sunday Sep 2011

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Saturday 24th September 2011 ko 10.30am

North Berkshire League Division 2

STEVENTON 3 (Margetts 7 McArdle 18 Cooper 69)

MARCHAM 2 (Northcott 15 Banks 33)

Att 190

Entry by Programme £3

Badge £3

Tea and Bacon Roll £2.50

The North Berkshire League hop had been over a year in the making, and as organiser its never easy bringing a league and its clubs up to speed on what to expect and how to go about making the most of the day. The league were, and are a pleasure to deal with, but you never know…. until the coach drove past Steventon Green for the pick up at Didcot station , and there was the barbeque fired up, the pitch roped off and the the hoppers already tucking in.

I’d picked Steventon because of the league rule that all grounds have to be within 20 miles of Steventon Green, so why not start at the centre of things!

Raffle tickets were sold, the programmes sold out, and people enjoyed a cracking game, in the autumnal sun. Neither side seemed capable of defending which believe me hoppers love!  I’ve never met a hopper would didn’t like goals!!!

I did hear a lovely comment from one visitor when we announced the attendance, ” I bet that’s double what they normally get!” Little did they know, when I first visited Steventon FC, the attendance was 7!

I climbed back aboard the bus, knowing things were all going to work out nicely. Thanks guys!

The A3 Derby

22 Thursday Sep 2011

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Combined Counties League Premier Division

COLLIERS WOOD UNITED 1 (Davies 4)

HANWORTH VILLA 4 (Oakes 22 58 Preddie 43 Farnden 45)

Att 62

Entry £6

Programme £1

How many motorists have driven north along the A3 from the M25 and passed the ground not noticing the delights to be found at the Wibbandune Sports Ground, to their right? It really is a great little club to visit, once you’ve worked out how to park! The clever move is to park opposite and use the footbridge over the dual carriageway.

A friendly welcome awaits, as I discovered after a beast of a journey. I’d avoided the jams on the M25 and driven via Sheen and Kingston and got to the ground a full 30 seconds before kickoff. Nevertheless a programme was found, after a promise that if one couldn’t be found they’d print me one off. At half time I enjoyed a conversation about Queen’s Park FC.

The lineups were displayed on a blackboard, and updated with scorers and substitutions. Plenty for the student of the non league stadium with the quirky overhang to the clubhouse and the display of classic pitch rollers! Yes, there’s the Arena stand, to keep Colliers Wood at step 5, but it hasn’t ruined the feel of the place.

Sadly step 5 looks to be the height of the club’s ambitions at this ground. There’s a public footpath, it’s in no way enclosed and having a river at one end does mean games do get regularly waterlogged off.

On the pitch too Wood look a long way from  progressing further, despite Davies’ 35 yard blockbuster to open the scoring. From then on in their local rivals were always in control, and sadly for my excellent hosts, 1-4 was a fair reflection on the game.

I wholeheartly recommend a trip to this friendly little club, but do check if there’s been rain.

Cherries Red

17 Saturday Sep 2011

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Saturday 17th September 2011, ko 11am (but delayed 15 minutes)

Football League Youth Alliance South/West Division

OXFORD UNITED 1 (Morris 90)

AFC BOURNEMOUTH 1 (Zocchi 49)

Att 34 (h/c)

@ Rover Sports & Social Club, Romanway, Oxford

Entry FREE

Nothing for Sale

When, Rover Cowley folded mid-way through last season, my “I’ll do it later” attitude towards the ground looked rather stupid. I tried to tick off the ground for Rover Cowley in Sunday football (which isn’t really Rover Cowley) but that was played on an outside pitch.

I’m fortunate that Oxford United have taken on the place as their training centre, new buildings have and are being erected, and the place has beeen given a lick of paint. For this season at least all youth and ladies games will take place there.

With a cheeky double lined up the last thing I wanted was a delayed kickoff, but the Cherries minibus got lost in Cowley, blaming a dodgy postcode, I mean how hard to spot is a car works? Still 15 minutes was acceptable and the game was excellent

I really should watch more youth football. This was a good passing game, but perhaps mirroring the first XI United did everything BUT score. A lot was being made of a Wunderkid,  Jayden Stockley playing up front for Bournemouth but he was well marshaled by Long and Dormer, and by the end cut a disheartened figure.

Of course there’s a script for these kind of games, and Zocchi’s neat finish 12 yards out to the left, was right on message. United huffed and puffed, missing chance after chance, until midfielder Morris took an 18 yards punt. Keeper Chad Collins should have got his body behind it but a simple hand was not enough and the ball squirmed into the bottom left corner.

Cruel, but justice