Tag Archives: New Ground

Update

25 Thursday Jan 2024

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Saturday 20th January 2024 ko 15:00

Hellenic League Division One

LONG CRENDON 2 (Richardson 32 Bartley 90+4)

FC BRISTOL 5 (Plummer 47 75 80 Miller 69 Collins 70)

Att c40 at Oxford City FC

Entry & Programme £6

It was a day of frozen pitches, or to put a more positive spin on things a time to make use of 3G pitches. In my part of the world that added up to whoever happened to be using Oxford City‘s 3G pitch. I looked, saw it was Long Crendon, and smiled.

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Everyone

17 Thursday Aug 2023

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Saturday 29th July 2023 ko 17:00

United Counties League Premier Division North

HUCKNALL TOWN 1 (Kelly 76)

WISBECH TOWN 1 (Conyard 22p)

Att 688

Entry £8

Programme £1

When in January this year Hucknall moved roughly 500 yards from the now demolished Watnall Road to Aerial Way, Chris Berezai and I raised an inward smile. We knew we wanted the new ground on the UCL Hop, and advertised as such, and then watched a whole cohort of groundhoppers make a beeline for the place!

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Saxon

17 Tuesday Jan 2023

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Saturday 26th November 2022 ko 15:00

Isthmian League Premier Division

HASTINGS UNITED 3 (Pope 9 McKenzie 13 Scott 72)

CORINTHIAN-CASUALS 0

Att 652

Entry £12

Programme £2.50

There are football grounds that do what they need to, there are some that I’d recommend you visit, but the list of football grounds I recommend you drop everything and go and see is extremely small, but top of that list is the Pilot Field. And a small part of the reason why, is that is in a fashion you get another ground thrown in too! Continue reading →

No Rose Garden

12 Friday Nov 2021

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Saturday 23rd October 2021 ko 15:00

Eastern Counties League- Premier Division

WOODBRIDGE TOWN 1 (Sinclair 29)

MULBARTON WANDERERS 2 (Henerley 64p Thompson 78)

Att 134

Entry £8

Programme £1

Badge £3.50

I’m sure my regular reader has spotted a trend here. The modus operandi is to leave Oxford, pick Chris Garner up in Wavendon, then visit an Eastern Counties League game. We’ve been doing it a while now, and its been handy that the league has expanded to three divisions and there’s been a fair turnover of both clubs and grounds in the league in the last few years. And so when Robyn, Chris and I planned this trip to Notcutts Park, I had absolutely no reason to think this would be anymore than another enjoyable tick in this league.  Continue reading →

Negotiation

16 Monday Aug 2021

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Tuesday 3rd August 2021 ko 19:45

Spartan South Midlands League Division One

STOTFOLD 4 (Lee-Spavins 36 84 90 Ryan 73)

LETCHWORTH GARDEN CITY EAGLES 1 (Summers 9)

Att 317 at New Roker Park, Arlesey Road

Entry £6

Programme £1

It’s part of human nature that groundhoppers will tend to make a beeline for a newly-opened ground. My wife Robyn doesn’t quite see the point, she correctly points out that grounds facing the bulldozer ought to be the priority. To some extent we do indulge in a spot of “Beat the demolition gang” but the new ground dash is an odd one! Continue reading →

Superlatives

14 Saturday Mar 2020

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Wednesday 5th February 2020 ko 19.45

FA Cup 4th Round Replay

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 3 (Stephens 12og Lucas 78 Son 87p)

SOUTHAMPTON 2 (Long 34 Ings 72)

Att 56,046 (5,690 away)

Entry £25

Programme £3

I don’t think I could be the kind of hopper that couldn’t get interested in stadiums like this. The title of this blog is rather self-fulfilling I’ve found! Then there’s the question that only a groundhopper could ask, “Is it a new ground?” Well it has been built from scratch… Continue reading →

The Windmill

19 Wednesday Feb 2020

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Tuesday 3rd December 2019 ko 19.45

National League North

LEAMINGTON AFC 3 (Edwards 16 Mace 57 Carline 77)

DARLINGTON 0

Att 606

Entry £13

Programme £2.50

I think you’d have to have a footballing heart of stone not to have a soft spot for the Brakes. This is the club who lost their old Windmill ground in April 1988 to a property developer and didn’t kick a football in anger for 12 and a half years. A group of fans continued to meet at the Windmill pub close to the site of the old ground and continued to pay the Birmingham FA the fees each year to keep Leamington’s registration going and the name alive. Continue reading →

The Oldest Of The New

30 Friday Nov 2018

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Saturday 3rd November 2018 ko 15.00

E.F.L. League 1

SCUNTHORPE UNITED 3 (Clarke 60 Thomas 64 Goode 66)

OXFORD UNITED 3 (Henry 8 Brannagan 50 Nelson 55)

Att 3,665 (383 away)

Entry £22 (away end, if bought in advance)

Programme £3

Parking £3

Last season I wrote a piece about Southend United describing them as the youngest of the old, Roots Hall was built in 1955 and no further Football League club moved home until Scunthorpe United moved from the Old Showground to Glanford Park in 1988. It is a curio as the club moved before the spur that encouraged other clubs to follow suit. Continue reading →

The Big Cheese

23 Sunday Sep 2018

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Sunday 29th July 2018 ko 17.00

Peterborough & District League Division Two

STILTON FC 4 (West 38 49 80 McManus 74)

CARDEA 2 (Dandrilli 55 Yeoman 60)

Att 304

Entry £4

Programme £1

You mention Stilton and you can’t help think of cheese can you? In that sense it’s just like Cheddar, and I’m bound to comment that they attracted a lower attendance for their hop game, despite being 3 divisions higher in the footballing pyramid. Perhaps that’s an unfair comparison, as just about the only thing the two clubs have in common is the cheese. There was so much more going on at Stilton too… Continue reading →

New Turf

12 Sunday Nov 2017

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Saturday 14th October 2017 ko 14.00

Bedfordshire County League Premier Division

AFC KEMPSTON TOWN & BEDFORD COLLEGE 2 (Smith 23 Ronayne 36)

CALDECOTE 2 (Boyd 9 Aris 34)

Att 109

Entry FREE

Programme £2

From one ground I couldn’t find on a map it was time to head to another. It meant travelling from the south side of Bedford to the north, and hop organiser Craig Dabbs supplied directions. They were needed, as not only was this to be the first game at Kingsfield, a lot of the roads to Great Spur, Biddenham were new too. Whilst it was lovely to be present as the opening of the new ground, I also know how much stress this place put Craig under. Continue reading →