Tag Archives: Sports

Where Every Game Is At Home

26 Sunday Apr 2026

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Saturday 21st February 2026 ko 14:00

Bristol Downs League Division 3

PHOENIX DOWNS 7 (Trott 18 30 50 68 Morris-Edwards 45 Hilton 57 Green 66)

HELIOS 0

Att 1 at Pitch 26, Circular Road, Clifton Down, Bristol

Free Entry

Every so often groundhoppers start worrying about what counts. Is this a ground? Or should this be discounted? I have long since worked out that if there’s a football match being played, then its of interest. I’d make two other observations; that you don’t fancy watching something then that’s your prerogative, and that some with the most hard and fast rules often don’t have the experience to back it up. I’d also observe that no-one should act as a gatekeeper as to what does or doesn’t count; it’s your hobby with your rules.

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Van Diemen’s Land 

22 Wednesday Apr 2026

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Tuesday 12th February 2026 ko 19:30

Central Midlands Alliance-Floodlit Cup 2nd Round

MELBOURNE DYNAMO 2 (Bickerton 45+1 Goodband 66)

Peverley sent off 66 (2nd booking)

FC SUNNYHILL

Att 89

Free Entry

It seems a million years ago since the days of the Central Midlands League Hops (the last was in 2012) and these days the league is now the Central Midlands Alliance following a merger with the Midlands Regional Alliance in 2023. Melbourne is a small town in Derbyshire, close to Castle Donington Race Circuit. It is perhaps best known as being the birthplace of Thomas Cook of package holidays fame.

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Six Towns

16 Thursday Apr 2026

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Saturday 24th January 2026 ko 15:00

Midland League Premier Division

HANLEY TOWN 8 (Middleton 33 Porter 35 80 J van der Laan 38 52 60 T van der Laan 75 87)

STUDLEY 0

Att 84

Entry £10

No programme

Groundhoppers do like to complete leagues it seems, but why not try for other things to complete? I’ve done the Stockwood treble in Bristol, and the Lenton Lane triple in Nottingham, that sadly is no longer possible. But here’s another, Stoke is famously the UK’s only polycentric city, consisting of the six towns of Burslem, Tunstall, Stoke-upon-Trent, Hanley, Fenton and Longton so why not try for football in each of them?

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La Passione

14 Tuesday Apr 2026

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Sunday 11th January 2026 ko 20:45

Serie A

INTERNAZIONALE MILANO 2 (DiMarco10 Calmanoglou 72p)

SSC NAPOLI 2 (McTominay 26 81)

Antonio Conte (manager) sent off 71 (foul & abusive)

Att 72,567 at Stadio Guiseppe Meazza, San Siro, Milano

Entry €69

I remember the first game Robyn and I watched together, we got thoroughly soaked in suburban Cardiff, and I remarked how lucky I was to have a girlfriend that loved football. That was 10 years ago and Robyn is now my wife, but even after travelling all over Europe (and a visit to Morocco) she decided to celebrate the anniversary by surprising me with a trip to Milan to visit the San Siro. I’ll say it again- I’m a lucky boy!

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Ram

08 Wednesday Apr 2026

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Sunday 4th January 2026 ko 15:00

EFL Championship

DERBY COUNTY 1 (Brereton-Diaz 34)

WREXHAM 2 (Smith 25 James 48)

Att 29,939

Entry £37

Programme £4

Sometimes you go groundhopping for others. It was the end of the Christmas break, and with our friend Andreas over from Stuttgart, we let him pick the game. He’s nearing the completion of his 92 but needed Port Vale, so I booked tickets for he, Robyn and I, and set off only to lose the game due to a waterlogged pitch when we were roughly an hour north of Oxford.

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Persistence

30 Monday Mar 2026

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Wednesday 31st December 2025 ko 12:30

Cymru North

PENRHYNCOCH 1 (Owen 86)

RUTHIN TOWN 1 (Holland 24)

Att 140 at Cae Baker, Penrhyn-coch

Entry £7

Programme online/downloadable

For those of you that ask, yes I do question my sanity, and driving as I was, on New Year’s Eve through Snowdonia with the temperature dropping alarmingly as I climbed the mountains. It got to point where I drove through Troedyrallt and so white was the scene outside that I couldn’t imagine that the game was still on. But I was committed, 3 hours in to my drive from Oxford, with no alternate game to divert to.

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Beer Money

23 Monday Mar 2026

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Saturday 20th December 2025 ko 14:00

Hertfordshire Senior County League-Premier Division

OWEN’S 2 (Grey 77 Chrysanthou 87)

BUNTINGFORD TOWN 3 (Holland 41 73 Hunt 90+2)

Att 27 at Old Owen’s Sports Ground, near Northaw, Potters Bar

Free Entry

Once again it really hadn’t stopped raining, and Robyn, Chris Garner and I were looking for something that wasn’t obvious. We spotted that Owen’s in the Herts League were at home, but credit Chris for spotting that they are based at the Old Owen’s Sports Ground. Before 3G pitches a groundhopper learned which grounds drain well, and those likely to have professional groundstaff. The theory being that if the pitch is being worked on at all times, the game is more likely to be on. The theory worked, and judging by the gaggle of senior groundhoppers in the bar, we weren’t the only ones thinking along the same lines!

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The Marches

17 Tuesday Mar 2026

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Tuesday 16th December 2025 ko 19:45

North West Counties League Division One South

SHAWBURY UNITED 1 (Sowe 76)

TELFORD TOWN 3 (Greer 53 70 Hesson 55)

Att 162

Entry £6

Programme £1.50

In all walks of life it pays to be adaptable, and that goes double if you’re trying to watch non league football in December in the wet! Oddly I was fortunate, I was heading to Allscott Heath near Wolverhampton but got caught in traffic. Since I was stationary I checked Twitter and soon found my choice of game had fallen to a waterlogged pitch. No matter, I had plan B….

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Largesse

10 Tuesday Mar 2026

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Tuesday 9th December 2025 kp 19:00

Premier League International Cup Group B

LEICESTER CITY U21 2 (Carr 63 Otchere 73)

FC NORDSJAELLAND U21 2 (Seidu 57 Johannsson 90+4)

Att 81 at LCFC Training Ground, Seagrave

Entry £3 (must be booked in advance)

Teamsheet FREE

If I’d have written this piece the day after this game I’m pretty certain the title would have been “Envy”. Since my Oxford United were promoted back to the Championship I’ve been comparing everything we have to what our rivals have, usually unfavourably!

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Hope for Capricorns

09 Monday Mar 2026

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Saturday 6th December ko 14:00

Bristol Premier Combination Division One

LION 0

AFC MANGOTSFIELD 3 (Mansfield 9 Rice 23 Douglas 49)

Dorrington sent off 90 (violent conduct)

Att 2 at Little Stoke Park, Bristol

Free Entry

Red sun go down way over dirty town
Starlings are sweeping around crazy shoals
Yes and a girl is there high heeling across the square
Wind it blows around in her hair and the flags upon the poles
Waiting in the crowd to cross at the light
She looks around to find a face she can like.

Church bell clinging on just a trying to get a crowd for Evensong
Nobody cares to depend upon the chime it plays
They’re all in the station praying for trains
Congregation late again
It’s getting darker all the time these flagpole days
Drunk old soldier he give her a fright
He’s a crazy lion he’s a-howling for a fight

“Lions” Dire Straits 1978

On one hand it isn’t usually difficult to find a game in Bristol on a Saturday afternoon. I’d organised to drop Robyn off at a friend’s birthday celebration in town, and the idea was to pick her up as soon as it was over. That meant that I wouldn’t be able to travel far, but that wasn’t going to be a problem was it?

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