Friendly

Saturday 4th July 2026

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 13.59

Storeys 0 Lancaster City 8, attendance 325

4’ 0-1, 20’ 0-2, 27’ 0-3 (pen), 31’ 0-4, 33’ 0-5

49’ 0-6, 51’ 0-7, 85’ 0-8

@ York Road

Bowerham

Lancaster

LA1 4DN

No Admission or Programme.

With a ticket purchased for the Rugby League Magic Weekend at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium tomorrow, I needed a game in the north somewhere today and this game was perfect. Although the ground is called York Road (there is a narrow pedestrian alleyway leading off here), the car park and main entrance are actually off Wellington Road. The changing room building is first, with a small sided pitch in front and the main pitch fifty yards beyond, running widthways. It’s fully railed, with a mesh infil and has a pair of dugouts on the far side. Hot food and drink was available from a mobile catering van, which seemed to cope okay, as there were over four hundred here if you added in the kids who weren’t there to actually watch the game, but just run around annoying those that were.

The match was West Lancashire League Division 2 (Step 9) versus Northern Premier League Premier Division (Step 3). As expected, it was an easy win for the visitors. They opened the scoring after four minutes and doubled their lead after twenty. After the now obligatory drinks break, they scored a penalty two minutes later and a fourth goal minutes later. Quickly followed by a tap in to make it 0-5 after thirty three minutes, which surprisingly remained the halftime score. Lancaster changed their entire team at halftime and two goals in the opening six minutes of the second half saw them make it 0-7. They didn’t get goal number eight until five minutes from the end, with a header flicked on at the near post, that should really have been cleared by a defender stood on the far post, but he failed to make any contact.

Friendly

Thursday 2nd July 2026

Kick Off 19.15 Actual 19.16

Witham Town 2 Brantham Athletic 2, attendance 101

37’ 0-1

54’ 1-1

68’ 2-1

84’ 2-2

@ Lift New Rickstones, 3G Pitch

Conrad Road

Witham

CM8 2SD

No Admission or Programme.

So, another season is underway, with a pre-season friendly where Isthmian League Division 1 North (Step 4) hosted Eastern Counties League Premier Division (Step 5), played at the neutral venue of Lift New Rickstones, in the north of Witham, where there’s a standard 3G cage set up, with a spectator area along three quarters of one side. It was a game popular with ‘hoppers as they made up a quarter of the crowd.

Witham hit the post early on, but it was Brantham who took the lead after thirty seven minutes, breaking quickly down the left before crossing for an easy finish at the near post. In the dying seconds of the first half, a flare up near the centre circle saw both teams have a man sent off, but the second half started with both teams back at full strength, with the two red card recipients having been replaced. Witham equalised nine minutes into the second half, when a corner was partially cleared but played back in for a tap in at the far post. Witham had a goal disallowed for offside four minutes later, before going ahead with twenty two minutes left, cutting in from the right before beating the ‘keeper low inside the near post. Brantham made it 2-2 six minutes from the end, breaking from defending their own box and finishing with a low angled shot into the far corner from just inside the 18 yard box.

Despite it being a new season, some things never change, especially here in the Southeast. The 70 mile drive to Essex took just shy of two and a half hours, not helped by a ten mile queue approaching the Dartford Crossing, meaning SatNav diverted me off the M25 and via the back lanes instead. No hold ups whatsoever coming back.

League of Ireland

Premier Division

Monday 22nd June 2026

Kick Off 20.00 On Time!

Shamrock Rovers 1 Derry City 1, attendance 3,726

25’ 0-1

83’ 1-1

@ Tallaght Stadium

Whitetown Way

Tallaght

Dublin

D24 FNK6

€20 Admission + €1.50 booking fee.

€5 Programme available, didn’t bother buying.

It was a two and three quarter hour drive east to Dublin for tonight’s action and a chance to complete the League of Ireland Premier Division for the first time. I’d seen Shamrock Rovers play home games at three grounds already…. Royal Dublin Society Showground (Oct 1994), Tolka Park, whilst sharing at Shelbourne (Mar 1997) and Morton Stadium (Sep 1999). So, this was venue number four, Tallaght Stadium. It was opened in 2009 and has been gradually expanded into a now 10,547 capacity all seated stadium, with the club having moved in with just one side, the main stand, being in place, with the other three sides constructed in the intervening years. It’s very much in the style of the newer lower league grounds in England, with four completely separate stand alone stands. There is a tram stop nearby, but no idea what it would be like if arriving by car, as we were in a hotel no more than ten minutes walk away, so left the car there.

Tonight’s game was the reverse fixture of the match I’d seen these two play when Derry used Celtic Park, the Gaelic Athletic Association ground, for a handful of games back in April. That was a very poor game and this was little better. Derry were also poor away at Galway on Friday night too, so I wasn’t expecting a great spectacle here either. Derry were sixth in the league table, whilst Shamrock were top, five points clear of second placed St. Patrick’s Athletic, but having played a game more. It was the visitors who had the better of the early exchanges, smashing a 20 yarder off the underside of the crossbar two minutes in and taking the lead after twenty five minutes, when a ball dinked into the box by James McClean was met with a stooping header from ten yards by Liam Boyce that found the top corner. Much huffing and puffing, along with plenty of time wasting, especially by Derry, cost them dearly, when Rovers substitute Aaron Greene cut in from the left and fired a low shot into the far corner with seven minutes left. Shamrock pushed hard for a winner, but were unable to break down a stubborn defence, who held on for a point with some last ditch blocking of shots in the dying minutes.

So, that brought down the curtain on an excellent trip, with all six intended games achieved. With the Premier Division now complete, it just leaves Athlone Town and Kerry to do in Division 1, although that will increase next season, when the re-structuring of the league will see a new third tier added. Tuesday morning/early afternoon spent on the beach at Portmarnock, north of Dublin, before our 16.25 Ryanair flight from Dublin back to London Gatwick, which left seventeen minutes late.

F.A. Ireland Junior Cup

6th Round

Sunday 21st June 2026

Kick Off 14.00 On Time!

Castlebar Celtic 4 Parkvilla 1, attendance 195

25’ 1-0

32’ 2-0

47’ 3-0

55’ 4-0

74’ 4-1

@ Celtic Park

Pavillion Road

Castlebar

F23 PF62

€5 Admission

No Programme.

The two mile drive from Snugboro to Celtic Park took just eight minutes, where game two of the day was taking place. There’s a large car park adjacent to the ground, which has free parking on Sundays, with the pitch running lengthways away from here. Four steps of open terrace run along the left hand touchline, with the clubhouse/changing room building at the top, with the steps continuing around behind the far goal. The dugouts are opposite the clubhouse, with this side and the entrance goal end consisting of flat standing.

The match pitted Mayo League Super League against North East League Premier Division, with a place in the quarter final awaiting the winner. Very little happened in the opening twenty four minutes, but within a minute of the now almost obligatory drinks break, Castlebar broke the deadlock, cutting in from the right and curling a shot left footed into the far corner. They doubled their lead seven minutes later, when a back pass towards the ‘keeper fell short and the striker just got there first, poking the ball round him before rolling it into the empty net. When they made it 3-0 just two minutes into the second half, with another goal gifted to them following a fluffed clearance from the ‘keeper, it was pretty much game over. Eight minutes later they added a fourth goal with a 20 yarder that skimmed across the pitch into the bottom corner. The visitors did get a consolation goal with sixteen minutes left, when a powerful run from the centre circle saw two defenders beaten before finishing with a low shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the D.

Republic of Ireland

Mayo League

Premier Division

Sunday 21st June 2026

Kick Off 11.00 On Time!

Snugboro 5 Westport United ‘B’ 1, attendance 19

9’ 0-1 (pen)

11’ 1-1 (pen)

43’ 2-1

46’ 3-1

54’ 4-1

72’ 5-1

@ Edward Conway Memorial Park

Boradruma

Snugborough

F23 ED90

No Admission or Programme.

This match was the only morning game today that involved a first team as hosts, so was my only option of visiting somewhere new. The village of Snugborough (no idea why the football club are shortened to Snugboro) is two or three miles northwest of Castlebar. It’s a decent set up, out in the middle of nowhere. There’s plenty of parking and a two storey clubhouse/changing room building, with the pitch set on a plateau above, running widthways in front of the building. It’s enclosed on three sides by a double barred concrete fence, painted in the club colours of yellow and blue, with just the left hand goal end missing and there’s a pair of dugouts on the far side and a small sized 3G pitch beyond.

The match was 8th versus 6th, in a ten team division. The visitors got off to a quick start, scoring with a penalty after just nine minutes, awarded for a handball. Snugboro equalised two minutes later though, with a penalty of their own, following a foul just inside the angle of the 18 yard box. Five minutes before halftime Westport saw a bicycle kick come back off the crossbar and four minutes later fell behind, when a shot driven in from the left was saved by the ‘keeper, but followed in from close range. A minute into the second half another close range finish saw Snugboro go 3-1 up and they added a fourth goal eight minutes later, pulling the ball back across the box for an unmarked tap in from six yards out. Goal number five arrived with eighteen minutes left, when a defence splitting pass was finished with a first time shot into the bottom corner. As with all games seen on this trip, we had a drinks break in each half. It seemed more logical today than for the other games, as it was noticeably warmer.

Above : Westport open the scoring with a penalty.

Republic of Ireland

Mayo League

League 1

Saturday 20th June 2026

Kick Off 18.30 On Time!

Bangor Hibs 1 Killala 0, attendance 13

26’ 1-0

@ Ballybeg Park

Barcoon

Bangor Erris

F26 YA26

No Admission or Programme.

A 1 hour 20 minute drive north to Westport, which is very touristy, then onto our hotel at Meennacloughfinny, culminated with a further thirty six minute drive north to Bangor Erris for tonight’s top of the table clash in the third level of the Mayo League, where 4th hosted 1st in the league table. The ground is next to the water treatment works, with a two storey changing room building to the left of the small car park as you enter from the long approach road into the complex. The pitch runs widthways in front of you and is enclosed by wooden fencing, with spectator access along half of this side, behind the left hand goal and along the far side, where there’s also a pair of dugouts. Scenic backdrops can be had from every angle too.

Just one point separated the top four teams coming into this, so a win for either team would see them finish the night top of the pile. It was very even throughout and despite lacking in goals, it held the attention right to the end. The visitors went close early on, bringing out a fingertip save from the home ‘keeper to keep out a 20 yarder. Midway through the first half Bangor got what turned out to be the winning goal, when a long range shot was pushed to the side, but returned with a low shot that found it’s way into the far corner. Both sides wasted some good second half chances and despite edging the latter stages, Killala were unable to force what would have been a deserved equaliser.

League of Ireland

Premier Division

Friday 19th June 2026

Kick Off 19.45 Actual 19.47

Galway United 2 Derry City 1, attendance 3,101

24’ 1-0

48’ 2-0

89’ 2-1 (pen)

@ Pearse Stadium

Rockbarton Road

Salthill

Galway

H91 PX30

€10 Admission, plus €1 Booking Fee

€7 Programme available, didn’t bother buying.

I’d visited Galway United’s Eamon Deacy Park (then known as Terryland Park) back in October 1998, for a Division 1 match versus Limerick which had ended 0-0. Pitch renovations are currently taking place there, so Galway are playing a handful of games at Pearse Stadium, home of the Gaelic Athletic Association, with this being the first ever association football match hosted here and the main game of the trip as far as I was concerned. It’s an impressive venue, opened in 1957 and renovated in 2002, with a current capacity of 26,197. It has three sides of steep open terracing and a main seated stand of nearly 8,000 seats, which was the only part of the ground in use tonight. Due to the larger pitch used in G.A.A. matches, the view is distant and the goals are set well in from the terraces at each end.

The match was 7th versus 6th in the league table and a game that the hosts should have won far more comfortably than they did. Derry were very poor and never deserved to get anything out of the game. Galway hit the crossbar after three minutes and opened the scoring after twenty four minutes, when a deep cross from the right was met with a downward header from Stephen Walsh that found the bottom corner. He then made it 2-0 three minutes into the second half, when he met a ball over the top with a left footed finish low into the bottom corner. Derry were given hope of grabbing something from the game late on, when Michael Duffy dispatched a last minute penalty, awarded for a handball by Walsh.

The result sees the clubs remain as they were at start of play, but Galway close the gap between them and Derry to just a single point and they have two games in hand to try and climb above them. Having arrived at the stadium about an hour before kick off, it was easy to grab street parking a couple of hundred yards from the stadium, but the disadvantage was it meant leaving afterwards was a bit slow, not helped by endless traffic lights that seemed to be every few hundred yards apart and the four miles back to our Galway hotel took twenty minutes, rather than the nine minutes it should have, but at least it was still daylight, despite it being 22.20 on arrival.

Republic of Ireland

Mayo League

Super League

Thursday 18th June 2026

Kick Off 19.00 Actual 19.04

Ballyheane 8 Ballinrobe Town 1, attendance 54

13’ 1-0

32’ 2-0

41’ 3-0

55’ 4-0

72’ 5-0

73’ 6-0

75’ 6-1

88’ 7-1

90’ 8-1

@ Pat Quigley Park

Ballyheane Community Centre

off N84

Ballyheane

F23 WP92

No Admission or Programme.

Out on the 0840 Ryanair flight from London Gatwick to Dublin, which left twenty minutes late. Picked up a hire car and headed to the west coast of Ireland for overnight accommodation in Galway, before making the one hour drive north to Ballyheane, where the home town club are based at Pat Quigley Park. The ground is on the right hand side when entering the village from the south, situated adjacent to the Community Centre. There’s a decent sized car park, with a small brick built changing room/clubhouse building, then two parallel pitches running widthways in front, both with seated stands. The near one was hosting kids training, with tonight’s game being played on the further of the two, which has a pair of dugouts on the stand side and is also floodlit. It’s fully enclosed by fencing and has hard standing on all four sides. Despite heavy rain leading up to kick off and light rain and drizzle falling for the entire ninety minutes, the pitch was immaculate.

I’d chosen this out of the two scheduled games in this league tonight, as it looked like it would be the more competitive of the two (the other finished 5-0), but it didn’t turn out that way. It was 5th versus 9th (out of 10), with the visitors just thirteen miles south on the N54. Ballyheane took a thirteenth minute lead with an angled shot that went in off the far post and doubled their lead just after the half hour mark, when a pull back from the right was finished first time into the bottom corner. Four minutes before halftime they added a third and made the points safe, following in an initial shot that was saved by the ‘keeper.

An angled shot off the post made it 4-0 ten minutes into the second half, before a 20 yard free kick increased the lead to 5-0 with eighteen minutes left. A minute later a lob over the ‘keeper from the edge of the box saw them bring up the half dozen, but Ballinrobe hit back with a consolation goal a couple of minutes later, with a powerful shot high into the roof of the net. Two more goals in the last couple of minutes saw Ballyheane round off the scoring, the first from a diagonal cross from wide on the right that eluded everyone on it’s way into the far corner, before a free kick, that hit the stanchion at the back of the goal and rebounded back out, rounded things off as the final whistle blew immediately afterwards.