Northern League

Division 2

Wednesday 22nd September 2021

Kick Off 19.45 Actual 19.47

Sunderland West End 2 Billingham Synthonia 1, attendance 145 (official)

1’ 0-1

14’ 1-1

85’ 2-1

@ Ford Quarry Football Hub, Pitch 1

Keelman’s Lane

Sunderland

SR4 0HB

£5 Admission

No Programme.

This wasn’t my intended match tonight. I had planned to visit St. Mary’s 1947 for their North Riding League Premier Division match versus Thirsk Falcons, due to be played on the 3G pitch at Trinity Catholic College, the same complex where they normally play on a grass pitch. However, during the day, they tweeted that the match was now being played at the Herlingshaw Centre, in Eston, a ground I had already visited, seeing Boro Rangers play there under lights in October 2018, although it was known as Middlesbrough F.C. Foundation then. There are actually two floodlit grass pitches here, my game being played on Pitch 1. I could have taken a chance that I might pick up the other pitch, but photos on Twitter confirm the match was on the same one I’d done.

I had very little time to check out the Sunderland West End game, although it was confirmed as going ahead on Twitter, which was good enough for me. I did, however, know that I would need a QR Code to gain access to the complex, which is one of these dreadful 3G hubs which are springing up all over the place, this one consisting of three cages, with tonight’s match on Pitch 1, which is the ‘show pitch’. It’s not much of a ground, as you’d expect from a cage. There are a couple of Atcost seated stands plonked on the halfway line and the spectator access is limited to three sides, but at least all the spare goals for the small sized pitches are on the far side, so don’t affect the view. Not impressed by the various other coloured markings on the pitch though. Not having a QR Code was not a problem. You simply write your details on a form and then receive the details by e-mail once processed.

Sunderland West End used to play on a grass pitch here, before the site was redeveloped into it’s current configuration. The old pitch ran the opposite way to the new one, but there is a 50% overlap of the original footprint. I never got to see them play here, but did see them host Kirkbymoorside in a Wearside League match on 20th February 2013, a game played midweek at Leyburn Grove, Houghton-le-Spring, due to a lack of floodlights at Ford Quarry back then.

Tonight’s match was 4th versus 2nd in the league table, between two very evenly matched teams. Synthonia opened the scoring inside the first minute, but West End levelled, when a miss hit cross sailed over the keeper and dropped in the far corner of the net inside quarter of an hour. Defences were certainly on top and Synthonia looked the more likely of the two to go on and win it. They had a great chance to take all three points sixteen minutes from time, but the West End ‘keeper saved the penalty, pushing it onto the post and out for a corner. With three minutes left, West End had a free kick out near the corner flag. The ball was clipped into the 6 yard box, evading everyone and finding its way into the net via the far post. Two goals for the hosts, both from flukes, but they all count.

West End now leapfrog Synthonia into second place in the league. They trail leaders Heaton Stannington by 5 points, but do have a game in hand. They also seem to be picking up a decent level of support now. I counted just two fewer than the official crowd given of 145. It is certainly an improvement on the paltry 19 that watched the game I saw them play in Houghton-le-Spring.

Football League Cup

3rd Round

Tuesday 21st September 2021

Kick Off 19.45 Actual 19.47

Brentford 7 Oldham Athletic 0, attendance 12,819

3′ 1-0 M. Forss (pen)

16’ 2-0 M Forss

38’ 3-0 Y. Wissa

43’ 4-0 R. Diarra (OG)

44’ 5-0 M. Forss

60’ 6-0 M. Forss

87’ 7-0 Y. Wissa

@ Brentford Community Stadium

166 Lionel Road North

Brentford

TW8 9QT

£10 Admission, Print at Home ticket

£2 Programme, fold out poster style, didn’t bother buying.

It was as far back as 31st December 1988 that I made my only visit to Griffin Park for football, when I saw Brentford 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 in a Football League Division 3 match in front of 8,020 spectators. I returned on 17th September 1995, this time for rugby league, seeing London Broncos defeat Leeds 26-12 in a Division 1 match, where the crowd was 3,576. It was a ‘proper’ ground, the like of which are now disappearing, as clubs look to move to more modern facilities. It oozed character and was typical of the type of grounds that were so common back in 1990, when I first completed a visit to see a match at all 92 clubs in the Football League. Sadly, the ground is no longer. It was knocked down a few months back, in readiness for the builders to move in.

This season has seen the move to the brand new Brentford Community Stadium, which is just under a mile from Griffin Park, further east towards London. The capacity here is 17,250, which at the time of planning was probably thought to be perfectly adequate, but they simply wouldn’t have envisaged starting life at their new home as a Premier League club. When inside, it feels very small and gives the impression that it is more like a ground of only around 10,000 capacity. I think the ground would have looked much nicer on the eye if the seats had been done in the red, white and black club colours, rather than the random hotch potch design that they have gone for. Perhaps that’s why it feels so small.

With Brentford’s move to the new stadium coinciding with their debut in the Premier League, it meant tickets would be very hard to obtain. However, the League Cup invariably throws up an opportunity to pick up tickets quite easily, often at a discounted price, especially when the big boys are drawn at home to one of the lower division sides. In fact, you can’t get any lower than Oldham Athletic, currently propping up the entire Football League, as they sit bottom of League 2, having taken just four points from their opening eight matches. It is hard to believe that Oldham played in the inaugural season of the Premier League, back in 1992/93 season, where they finished fourth from bottom in the table, surviving relegation by the skin of their teeth.

I had no qualms doing this match, knowing full well that Brentford would make wholesale changes from their win at Wolves on Saturday. It made no difference to me anyway, as apart from Ivan Toney, I couldn’t name another player of Brentford’s first team squad. After just three minutes, it became apparent that the only player I’d heard of before tonight, wouldn’t be making an appearance, even though he was named as a substitute, as Finnish striker Marcus Forss put Brentford 1-0 up from the penalty spot and it was game over already. There was to be no cup upset. Oldham were totally overwhelmed, in as one sided a half as you are likely to see. By halftime it was 5-0, with Forss completing his hat trick, adding to a strike by Yoane Wissa and an own goal. On the hour mark Forss smashed in his fourth goal of the night, in off the underside of the crossbar, before Wissa completed the rout, with the goal of the night, scoring a superb bicycle kick to make it 7-0.

I had parked at the north end of Lionel Road North, in Rose Gardens, where parking restrictions finish at 15.00 in midweek. It was a brisk fifteen minute walk to the ground from here. I exited the West Stand at 21.40 and was back home just 70 minutes later.

Witney & District League

Division 1

Sunday 19th September 2021

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 14.05

Kingham All Blacks 1 Chadlington 2, attendance 177 (official)

5’ 0-1

16’ 0-2

89’ 1-2

@ Kingham Playing Field

New Road

Kingham

OX7 6YP

£4 Admission, including programme, whether you wanted it or not. ( I never want or will buy a programme at any event organised by Groundhop U.K.)

The Witney & District League ‘hop came to a conclusion with the fifth (thankfully I’d only been at four of the matches) and final game of the weekend. If it wasn’t for the glorious weather, this would have been really hard going, as the standard of football over the weekend was dreadful. Looking round the ‘hoppers present, it drives home how the hobby of ground hopping is very niche, especially on these low level ‘hops. There are very few younger hoppers at these games, and it is the same old faces year on year. It is becoming more noticeable that a number are now only doing one or two matches on the schedule, choosing to go elsewhere for their double or treble opportunities, even when they haven’t visited the grounds on offer, which is perhaps an indication that the bottom of the barrel has now been reached.

When Chadlington raced into a two goal lead after just sixteen minutes, it looked like this might be a far more decent match than the other three ‘hop games I’d attended this weekend. It wasn’t. The game just drifted away and the second half really dragged. Perhaps if Kingham had scored their consolation goal earlier in the half, rather than the last minute, it could have been so much better.

Witney & District League

Division 4

Sunday 19th September 2021

Kick Off 10.30 Actual 10.59

Sherborne Harriers 3 Hatherop Reserves 2, attendance 136 (official)

10’ 1-0

38’ 2-0

41’ 2-1 (pen)

74’ 2-2

80’ 3-2

@ Sherborne Park

off A40

Sherborne

GL54 3LY

£4 Admission, including programme, whether you wanted it or not. ( I never want or will buy a programme at any event organised by Groundhop U.K.)

Well, it looks like the organised ground hops have reached their lowest point. This was a game that is notionally Step 13 of the non-League football pyramid, which is the seventeenth level overall. To charge an admission price of £4 is an absolute joke. It is not the fault of the club, as they are instructed what to charge, but they should feel embarrassed at charging that amount for such a low level game.

The match finally kicked off twenty nine minutes late, as it was supposed to be a 10.30 kick off according to the Full Time website and the front cover of the match programme. Then again, the programme also failed to note that the opposition were Hatherop RESERVES and not their first team , who play in the Swindon & District League.

The standard of football was dreadful, although that doesn’t mean it wasn’t entertaining. Sherborne went in front with a fluked lob over the ‘keeper after ten minutes. Three minutes later, Hatherop Reserves, who arrived here as league leaders, had a chance to level the scores, but they missed a penalty, which was well saved by the ‘keeper. When Sherborne went 2-0 up it looked like they might have a comfortable win, but the visitors pulled it back to 2-1 just before the break, this time making no mistake from the penalty spot, having failed earlier on.

Hatherop Reserves had the better of the second half and it was no surprise when a left footed shot into the bottom corner of the net levelled the game up at 2-2 with sixteen minutes left. Having got back into it, they were caught out with a long ball over the top and the striker looped a header over the ‘keeper to win it for Sherborne ten minutes from time.

Witney & District League

Premier Division

Saturday 18th September 2021

Kick Off 17.00 Actual 17.03

Hanborough 2 Hailey 3, attendance 161 (official)

40’ 1-0

57’ 2-0

71’ 2-1

74’ 2-2 (pen)

83’ 2-3

@ Hanborough Playing Field Association

Roosevelt Road

Long Hanborough

OX29 8JG

£4 Admission, including programme, whether you wanted it or not. ( I never want or will buy a programme at any event organised by Groundhop U.K.)

In the end the journey from Summertown Stars back to here was trouble free and we were parked up by 16.32. We had even more time to spare than we thought as the match kicked off three minutes late. The league don’t give the impression of being a well run set up. On the Full Time website they couldn’t even be bothered to put an address on for this match, simply listing the venue as ‘Hanborough First’.

The game was of a better standard than the morning match, although it would have to go some to be any worse. At least we were getting to see a Premier Division match, but it is still a total rip off to charge £4 for what is basically Step 9 football. Hanborough have dropped down into this league from the Oxfordshire Senior League, a drop of two levels, as they were in the Premier Division last season.

The first half was very poor. Both teams had a goal disallowed and Hailey missed a 28th minute penalty, which was well saved by the ‘keeper. Five minutes before halftime Hanborough edged in front and when they went 2-0 up just before the hour mark, it looked like they were coasting to an easy win. Hailey pulled one back on 71 minutes, then levelled it up at 2-2 with a penalty three minutes later. Hailey then completed an unlikely looking turnaround, when they netted the winner seven minutes from time. Hanborough could have rescued a point, but a good save from the visitors ‘keeper in the last minute prevented them from doing so.

Just like the last Witney & District League ‘hop, the football has been of very poor quality. Even allowing for the level we are at, you’d hope for better. Still, it could be different tomorrow, although don’t bank on it. We are starting off with a Division 4 match, where the opposition are a Reserve team……

Oxfordshire Senior League

Premier Division

Saturday 18th September 2021

Kick Off 14.30 Actual 14.29

Summertown Stars 6 Marston Saints 2, attendance 63

2’ 1-0

34’ 2-0

36’ 3-0

62’ 3-1

64’ 4-1

70’ 5-1

85’ 5-2 (pen)

87’ 6-2

@ Northway Community Centre

45 Dora Carr Close

Headington

Oxford

OX3 9RF

No Admission or Programme.

Thankfully, I had already been to the second ground on the organised ground hop. I have nothing against Freeland F.C., having enjoyed my visit there, and always feel a bit sorry for whichever club draws the short straw and has to play the Saturday afternoon match on such events, as they invariably attract the fewest spectators. It certainly didn’t help them that they had issued programmes in the past for Oxfordshire F.A. Senior Cup matches, attracting those who have to have a piece of paper to count the match and they had only just dropped down to the Witney and District League from the higher level Oxfordshire Senior League this season. The final nail in the coffin was the fact that various other matches could be reached and still give time to get to Hanborough for the 17.00 kick off, where the ‘hop would be rounding off the day.

I opted for the match at Summertown Stars, as I could comfortably make it to Hanborough in 25 minutes from there. One ‘hopper tried to give me a bum steer by claiming that Oxford Irish Athletic F.C. had tweeted this morning that they were playing at Northway this afternoon, so Summertown can’t be playing there, (I won’t name the former resident of Oxford now residing near a shopping outlet village off Junction 9 of the M40), but it was a blatant lie. The club hadn’t tweeted for 3 days! I knew it wasn’t true,( I already knew that OIA weren’t even playing at home today) and Summertown had already confirmed they were indeed playing there. Are some people that stupid that they think others are incapable of checking things for themselves. Obviously some are! Even if the evening match was brought forward at short notice, which has been done before on Groundhop U.K. events, I would still get there.

The ground here was much better than I was expecting and was quite pleasant considering the area it is in. Unusually, the visitors had a shorter distance to travel to the suburb of Headington than the hosts did, for this East Oxford derby. Summertown had started the season with a 6-2 home win and a 4-5 away defeat, whilst Marston had lost their only match played so far 0-6.

It was unlikely that this game would fail to produce a goal, at least judging by the previous score lines and within two minutes the opener duly arrived for the hosts, when a cross from the right was swept in from 6 yards. The second goal came after 34 minutes, although it looked well offside, then two minutes later a penalty made it 3-0, the home No.9 completing his hat trick from the spot.

Marston reduced the arrears when a shot on the turn from close range made it 3-1, but the three goal cushion was restored a couple of minutes later, before a cross from the right was put in at the far post to make it 5-1 with twenty minutes left. Five minutes from time Marston pulled it back to 5-2 with a penalty, but a quick response from Summertown saw a 25 yarder loop over the ‘keeper to make it 6-2.

It could be a long season for Marston, if they can’t tighten up at the back, but if it’s goals you’re after, then Summertown are the team to watch. Their three matches have now produced 25 goals.

Witney & District League

Division 2

Saturday 18th September 2021

Kick Off 11.00 Actual 10.59

Cassington Rangers 0 Ducklington 0, attendance 133 (official)

@ Cassington Recreation Ground

Elms Road

Cassington

OX29 4DR

£4 Admission, including programme, whether you wanted it or not.(I never want or will buy a programme at any event organised by Groundhop U.K)

If there was anything good that came out of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the fact that it brought a halt to the organised ground hops, but it was only a matter of time before they returned. I’m old enough to remember when ‘hops were all about the clubs, back in the days when Mike Amos (North East) and Phil Hiscox (South West) ran absolutely superb weekends, the like of which we haven’t seen since. On the plus side, the low level of the leagues that are staging the events these days, means it usually gives me an opportunity to pick up a few new grounds. The standard of football can’t drop much lower than this and it certainly puts things into perspective when you are charged £4 for the privilege, at grounds that would never charge admission for any other game. It’s even more ridiculous when you consider that it is just £10 to watch Premier League Brentford at their new ground, when they host Oldham Athletic on Tuesday night in the League Cup.

It was also rare on an organised event for programmes to run out, but there is always a risk of that happening when people are forced into buying one, whether they want it or not. Mine was deposited in the nearest bin, but I was surprised by the number of people who hadn’t got one. Allegedly, one programme less hopper even paid £5 for a copy! The mind boggles.

Anyway, on to the match. The standard of football was abysmal. Despite the lack of skill, the game produced endless goalmouth chances. Ducklington even hit the post and crossbar, but the breakthrough never came. Quite how it remained goalless is a mystery.

Gwent Premier League

Division 2

Wednesday 15th September 2021

Kick Off 18.00. On Time !

Llanhilleth Athletic 5 Trinant 0, attendance 62

45’ 1-0 (pen)

69’ 2-0

71’ 3-0

77’ 4-0

87’ 5-0

@ Brynithel R.U.F.C.

Dai Jayne Recreation Ground

Mount Pleasant Court

Brynithel

NP13 2GZ

No Admission or Programme.

Tonight’s match was bringing down the curtain on the midweek early kick offs, with the end of March feeling a long way off, before we next get an opportunity for clubs without floodlights to play games on weekdays. The Gwent Premier League had near enough a full programme of matches, spread across it’s three divisions, of which six of the games were at grounds I hadn’t yet visited. Of course, the options are narrowed down by who else is going, as they may not need the same grounds as me. There is also the ‘programme problem’, where some hoppers won’t attend a game without one and finally who can, or are able, to get to the designated meeting point. In the end, neither of my two regular passengers were interested, but somehow I was still heading to Wales with a full car.

I had been to a Llanhilleth home game before, when I saw them lose 2-7 to A.C. Pontymister back on 7th April 2010 in a Gwent County League Division 2 match. In those days they played at Llanhilleth Park, but this season they have moved to the next village up the valley and are now playing at Brynithel rugby ground. The club had been quick to reply via Twitter that the game was indeed here and also that it was an 18.00 kick off, so this was number one choice tonight.

The two sides were evenly matched during the opening half hour, but Llanhilleth started to gain the upper hand and it just seemed a matter of when, and not if, they would break the deadlock. The breakthrough finally came in the final minute of the first half, when the home No.11 J. Thompson cut inside and was fouled inside the box and the resultant penalty was dispatched to make it 1-0.

Having ‘won’ the penalty, the No.11 had an easy tap in from 6 yards to put the hosts 2-0 up on sixty nine minutes and two minutes later he sent an unstoppable shot into the far corner to make it 3-0 and the points were safe. Trinant never looked like getting back into it and it was no surprise to see Llanhilleth add a couple more goals for a resounding 5-0 win, which sees them go third in the table, level on points with second placed Cromwell. Llanhilleth visit league leaders Cwmffrwdoer Sports Club on Saturday, hoping to cut the 8 point gap at the top. As for Trinant, they will hope I’m not at any of their other matches this season, as I’ve seen them twice so far, seeing them lose 0-7 and 0-5, so not exactly a good luck charm!

Full credit must go to both teams and the Referee tonight. They were all there well before kick off and we started dead on time. A quick turnaround at halftime meant the game was all over by 19.36, so no problem whatsoever with lack of light. It was also good news for heading home. Despite the overhead signs on the M4 motorway showing it was closed between J12 and J11, it wasn’t and having dropped my passengers off near J11 of the M25, I was home for 22.30.

Western League

Division 1

Tuesday 14th September 2021

Kick Off 19.45 Actual 19.44

Gillingham Town 1 Wells City 1, attendance 97 (official)

43’ 1-0

74’ 1-1

@ Woodwater Lane

off Harding’s Lane

Gillingham

SP8 4WL

£5 Admission

£2 Programme, 20 pages.

Gillingham Town moved to their new ground back in 2018. With their old ground in Harding’s Lane (visited 24th September 2005, for a 6–0 win versus Poole Borough in the Dorset Premier League), which you pass a couple of hundred yards up the road, having floodlights, it seemed logical that they would eventually get floodlights at the new ground as well, so I thought I’d wait to tick it off for a midweek match. I didn’t think it would take them this long, but tonight was finally their first floodlit match at their new home. It attracted their biggest home crowd of the season so far, beating the previous best by 30, aided by 15-20 ground hoppers in attendance.

The match itself wasn’t great and was certainly nothing like the quality that the Western League matches produced when I visited many of the grounds in my early years of ground hopping. Then again, having lost the likes of Tiverton Town, Taunton Town, Clevedon Town, Mangotsfield United etc, then perhaps it’s not surprising. Wells created, but wasted, enough chances to win half a dozen matches. Gillingham didn’t create much at all, but a cracking free kick saw them take the lead just before halftime. Wells finally converted a chance with sixteen minutes left, when a scramble in the box finished with a shot fired high into the roof of the net.

The old ground in Harding’s Lane is still pretty much as it was when Gillingham moved out back in 2018, as seen in the photo below.

Spartan South Midlands League

Division 2

Monday 13th September 2021

Kick Off 19.30 Actual 19.31

M.K. College Football Academy 3 Berkhamsted Raiders 0, attendance 128

1’ 1-0

36’ 2-0

59’ 3-0

@ Sport Central, 3G Pitch

Elder Gate

Milton Keynes

MK9 1EN

No Admission

Programme available to pre order via Twitter.

Well, if ever there was a case of being at a match purely for the sake of ticking off the ground, then this was it. These sort of cages should not be allowed to be used by clubs at this level for playing competitive matches. There is no spectator access allowed inside the cage, which the club had tweeted was due to health and safety requirements, meaning the record crowd of 128 had to watch through the mesh fencing. Although that isn’t quite true, as Tony Incenzo (talkSPORT) was excluded from the ban and was allowed to watch from inside the fence, which judging by the comments, certainly didn’t endear him to many of the ground hoppers in attendance!

As for the game, hard to comment. The night was more about the social side, than football. Apart from gaining a ‘tick’, and having a good natter, it was a waste of time coming really.