Lowland League

Saturday 18th March 2023

Kick Off 17.00 On Time!

Tranent Juniors 1 Bo’ness United 1, attendance 607

48’ 0-1

89’ 1-1

@ Foresters Park

Lindores Drive

Tranent

EH33 1JB

£8 Admission

Programme available, but I won’t buy one at any event organised by Groundhop U.K.

Next match was again heading west along the A1, where a journey time of twelve minutes saw the arrival at Foresters Park, home of Tranent Juniors, who despite having left junior football for the senior ranks in 2018, still retain ‘Juniors’ as part of their name. There was no need to rush though, as the gates weren’t even open yet, which seemed very short sighted with hoards of hungry hoppers to feed before kick off!

This evenings match was 4th versus 10th in the league table, Tranent dropping vital points, as they now drop to fifth, trailing leaders Spartans by five points, both having played the same number of games. There was not much to set the pulses racing in a very dull first half, where a free kick from the visitors, which hit the top of the crossbar just before halftime, was about the only thing of note. Thankfully, the visitors broke the deadlock within minutes of the restart and the game opened up. They almost doubled their lead shortly afterwards, but the ‘goal’ was disallowed for offside. Tranent will be happy to have got a point in the end, equalising a minute from time, when a corner wasn’t cleared and a ricochet from an attempted tackle saw the ball diverted back over the goal line. A minute later they almost nicked it, but a volleyed effort was tipped over the bar and then, with the last chance of the match, saw the visitors ‘keeper claw a header away from on the line.

Thankfully, I had already been to Musselburgh (where the ‘hop was heading for game 4 of the day) and had probably had enough by this time anyway. Three in a day is plenty! I was also pleased that I had already been to the planned Sunday morning ‘hop game at Penicuik as well. Instead, I drove a couple of hours south to my overnight hotel in Carlisle. I was then breaking up my journey home from here by taking in a rugby league match on my way home.

East of Scotland League

Premier Division

Saturday 18th March 2023

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 14.04

Haddington Athletic 1 Dundonald Bluebell 3, attendance 462

11’ 0-1

31’ 0-2

74’ 1-2

86’ 1-3 (pen)

@ Millfield

Tynebank Road

Haddington

EH41 4DB

£7 Admission

Programme available, but I won’t buy one on any event organised by Groundhop U.K.

It was an easy 18 minute drive west along the A1 to Haddington for game two of the day, where 5th hosted 8th in the E of SL Premier Division. No chance of getting a space in the car park, but ample street parking just a few minutes away.

Dundonald broke the deadlock eleven minutes in, when a long ball was controlled and lifted over the ‘keeper from 12 yards. Haddington went close when they had an effort blocked on the line following a corner, before a failure to clear a corner at their own end, saw them go 0-2 down just after the half hour mark. Twenty minutes into the second half Haddington went close again, hitting the crossbar from close range, before finally making it 1-2 with sixteen minutes left, volleying in from 6 yards. Dundonald had a goal disallowed for offside within a minute, but did make it 1-3 with four minutes left, through a penalty. Three minutes into stoppage time the visitors had a man red carded for violent conduct, but too late to make any difference to the result.

East of Scotland League

Division 1

Saturday 18th March 2023

Kick Off 11.15 On Time!

Dunbar United 0 Coldstream 1, attendance 553

76’ 0-1

@ New Countess Park

Kellie Road

Dunbar

EH42 1RF

£7 Admission

Programme available, but I won’t buy one on any event organised by Groundhop U.K.

Thankfully, I had been to the last ground of the day on the hop itinerary, so I was only doing the first three games today. First up was an East of Scotland League Division 1 game, where league leaders Dunbar United were hosting 14th placed Coldstream. It wasn’t the greatest of games, especially in the first half, largely due to a red card for Dunbar after twenty three minutes, which meant Coldstream could happily sit back and see if they could nick a point. Chances were at a premium. Dunbar went close with an effort just over the crossbar midway through the second half, before Coldstream won it just minutes later, when a cross into the box wasn’t cleared and fell perfectly for a Coldstream striker to finish with a shot on the turn. The goal did spark a bit of life into the final minutes and Dunbar had a great chance to level it up when they were awarded a penalty three minutes after falling behind, but the kick was saved by the ‘keeper. He made another vital save in the last minute as well, tipping a free kick over the crossbar. A bad day was compounded for the hosts when they had a second player red carded in stoppage time.

East of Scotland League

Premier Division

Friday March 17th 2024

Kick Off 19.45 Actual 19.43

Tynecastle 2 Sauchie Juniors 3, attendance 448

1’ 0-1

45’ + 2, 1-1

60’ 1-2

68’ 1-3

77’ 2-3

@ Meggetland Sports Complex Stadium

4, Meggetland Wynd

Edinburgh

EH14 1XN

£8 Admission

Programme available, but I won’t buy one at any event organised by Groundhop U.K.

After staying overnight in Wakefield it meant it was only a four hour drive up the north east coast to Edinburgh, for what was the opening game on the Scottish Groundhop. Tynecastle play at Meggetland Stadium, home of Boroughmuir R.U.F.C. a ground which has a capacity of 4,388 and seats around 500. Tynecastle are never likely to get crowds to test that, but tonight was a good turnout, well above their normal attendance. It was a surprise to find that parking in the car park was free, as the ground is on a main route into the city.

The match was 12th versus 3rd in the league table and got off to a flying start when the visitors scored within a minute of the kick off. We were only three minutes in when the first red card of the night was shown, for what appeared to be for dissent by a Sauchie player. The second soon followed, this time for a foul by a Tynecastle player, so it was now 10 v 10 and we had only been playing twelve minutes! Tynecastle hit the post and Sauchie missed a one on one chance, before the hosts levelled the scores in stoppage time at the end of the half, finishing off a corner at the far post. On the hour mark Sauchie went back in front, cutting inside and beating the ‘keeper at the near post.Eight minutes later it was 1-3, coolly finishing past the ‘keeper and they almost added another soon after, just heading wide. Tynecastle pulled it back to 2-3, powering in a header from a corner with thirteen minutes left, but never looked like getting an equaliser.

Northern Counties East League

Division 1

Wednesday 15th March 2023

Kick Off 19.45 Actual 19.48

Horbury Town 3 Retford 1, attendance 71 (official 88)

3’ 1-0

30’ 1-1

72’ 2-1

75’ 3-1

@ Slazenger Sports Club

Southfield Lane

Horbury

WF4 5BH

£5 Admission

£1 Programme, 12 pages.

Tonight’s match saw a visit to the only ground I hadn’t previously visited in this league, where 6th hosted 8th in the league table. It started raining just as the M1/M6 splits near Rugby, as I headed north to Yorkshire and continued to do so for the rest of the evening. Thankfully, it was only drizzle/light and the pitch looked in reasonable condition. There is also quite a side to side slope here, which perhaps helps with drainage.

Horbury Town are newly promoted this season and the ground is gradually being brought up to standard. Unfortunately, they have put their seated area right behind the dugouts, which means there is a huge blind spot in one corner of the pitch. There is a smaller concrete base, along with a second section of seats ready to go in place, but it is on the other side of the dugouts, which again will give a blind spot, but in the opposite corner! Surely it is time that the ground grading criteria is changed to stop this. Seating numbers should only be counted by the actual number of seats where you can see the whole pitch from, unobstructed. The simple solution would be to move the dugouts to the other side of the pitch.

Anyway, back to the game….and what a good one it was! Horbury were ahead after just three minutes, when a through ball was finished with a lob over the ‘keeper from the edge of the box. It could have been 2-0 just before the half hour mark, but Horbury missed a penalty, courtesy of a great double save from the ‘keeper, diving to save the first shot, before somehow stopping the follow up as well. Just two minutes later Retford were level, when a cross from the right was headed back across the six yard box and swept in from six yards out.

The second half flowed from end to end. Retford hit the post with a free kick and Horbury could have gone ahead when a striker rounded the ‘keeper, but then missed the target with his shot. Eighteen minutes from time Horbury edged back in front, when a long ball over the top saw the ‘keeper collide with his own defender, leaving the striker to finish with a cool lob from outside the box into the empty net. There were good chances at each end, before Horbury wrapped up the three points with fifteen minutes left, when another long ball saw the ‘keeper miss kick his attempted clearance and Jack Kelly rolled it into an empty net from 25 yards to complete his hattrick.

Hampshire Premier League

Senior Division

Saturday 11th March 2023

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 13.58

Colden Common 3 Locks Heath 2, attendance 18

7’ 1-0

25’ 1-1

43’ 1-2

55’ 2-2

67’ 3-2

@ Sherfield English Sports Field

Steplake Lane

Sherfield English

SO51 6FP

No Admission

£1 Programme, 32 pages.

I had seen Colden Common play home games on two different grounds previously, but I certainly haven’t brought them much luck in those games….I saw them lose 2-4 to Amesbury Town in a Hampshire League Premier Division match on 29th August 1999, which was played at The Recreation Ground on Main Road and also revisited there on 30th August 2010 (following a late no show for my original game at Upham, before heading to Warsash Wasps in the afternoon) seeing them lose 1-4 to Otterbourne. I next saw them, on 29th March 2017, by which time they had moved to a ground in Boyes Lane, where they again lost, this time 1-2 to Bush Hill. They are now playing home games at Oakwood Park, which I had visited for an Otterbourne match, but damage to the water pipes over the winter has meant the ground is currently out of use, hence them temporarily playing here at Sherfield English, although I gather they may now see out the season here.

The match was 1st (P18 Pts 45) versus 2nd (P20 Pts 42), with the visitors really needing a win to keep their title hopes alive, on a day when the top four were facing each other as fourth placed Clanfield (P18 Pts 38) were hosting third placed Andover New Street Swifts (P20 Pts 42) today.

The match was very tight (they had drawn the reverse fixture 0-0 two weeks ago) and could have gone either way. Colden Common edged in front after just seven minutes, poking in a through ball past the ‘keeper from 10 yards. Locks Heath levelled when a corner from the left was swept in from 6 yards, before making it 1-2 just before halftime, with a 20 yard shot that bounced right in front of the ‘keeper and somehow ended up in the net. It certainly set it up perfectly for the second half.

Ten minutes after the restart it was 2-2, when a cross from the right was headed down into the far corner from eight yards and twelve minutes later Colden Common got what turned out to be the winner, heading in from a corner on the right.

The win sees Colden Common increase their lead at the top to six points, with two games in hand on the two below them. Fourth placed Clanfield, who won the other top four clash today, are seven points behind the leaders, having played the same number of matches.

Portugal

Primeira Liga

Monday 6th March 2023

Kick Off 20.15 Actual 20.20

Casa Pia Atletico Club 2 F.C. Pacos Ferreira 1, attendance 530

45’ + 4, 0-1

67’ 1-1

76’ 2-1

@ Estadio de Honra do Centro Desportivo Nacional

Avenida Pierre de Coubertin

1491-751 Cruz Quebrada do Jamor

€5 Admission + 50c booking fee, Print at Home Ticket

No Programme.

This was the main reason for the trip to Portugal this weekend. The chance to see a game at the iconic Nacional Estadio in Lisbon, where Celtic famously beat Inter Milan to win the European Cup back in 1967, thus becoming the first British side to win the trophy. The ground stages the Portuguese Cup Final each year, but also now hosts regular league football as well, so getting to see a match here is now less problematic.

I had seen Casa Pia play at their traditional Estadio Pina Manique home back on 1st December 2019, when they lost 0-1 to Clube Desportivo Nacional in a Liga 2 match. Having now been promoted into the top division, they required a stadium capable of hosting larger crowds, hence the move here. Their relatively small crowds, for run of the mill fixtures, are lost in the huge bowl of a stadium that once held a crowd of 75,000 (Portugal v Spain friendly in 1956). It only holds 37,593 these days due to it now being all seated.

Despite being such a huge stadium, getting a ticket was a bit problematic. The club weren’t answering their phone, so I couldn’t confirm that tickets could actually be bought at the stadium on the night. They were on sale on their website though, but you had to register, then make payment via a Portuguese bank account on an app. Thankfully, the hotel staff sorted out payment and printed off the tickets, taking cash to cover the cost, so all sorted!

Once again it was an easy train ride about fifteen minutes west out of Lisbon towards Estoril, stopping at Cruz Quebrada station. From there it was a steep 16 minute walk up to the ground, the huge floodlights clearly visible through the trees high up in the woods above. You arrive at the stadium on the side with the huge gap in the seating, and enter at ground level, so it looks pretty impressive as you make your way towards the seats, with the bowl rising up around you. Unfortunately, all the facilities are round the top of the stadium, but once up there you get the full extent of how impressive it is, even if it has seen better days.

Casa Pia came into this sitting seventh in the league table, whilst Pacos Ferreira were bottom. Games involving the hosts don’t produce many goals. They had only managed to score 18 goals in their 22 games so far and had only conceded 22. The good news though, was that the reverse fixture had finished 2-3, which is the most goals scored in any Casa Pia game this season, so there was hope!

Pacos had a real go. They hit the post early on, when a looping header beat the ‘keeper, but bounced back out, and looked the brighter of the two sides in a reasonable first half. Four minutes into stoppage time the visitors went ahead, when a clearance from the box was returned with a dipping volley from 20 yards that flew into the bottom corner. Casa Pia almost levelled when a shot was deflected just wide on the hour mark, before the equaliser arrived seven minutes later, when a defender diverted a cross into his own net trying to cut out the pass. It was a case of whether the visitors could hang on for a point now. They couldn’t. Casa Pia squandered a great chance to go in front when the ball was headed back across the six yard box, but somehow not converted at the far post, before the inevitable winning goal arrived with fourteen minutes left, when a cut back from the right was saved at point blank range, before being poked in on the follow up.

After the game there was ample time to walk back down the hill for the 22.56 train back into Lisbon. So, another successful trip was over, with all five planned matches being achieved and home on the 13.05 TAP Air Portugal flight from Lisbon back to London Gatwick on Tuesday afternoon, which left 42 minutes late.

Portugal

Campeonato de Portugal

Group D

Sunday 5th March 2023

Kick Off 15.00 Actual 14.59

Atletico Clube Portugal 1 Imortal Desportivo Clube 1, attendance 245

59’ 0-1

68’ 1-1

@ Estadio da Tapadinha

Rua Professor Vieira Natividade

1300-054 Lisboa

€8 Admission

No Programme.

Today’s match was the first I have watched in level 4 of Portuguese football. Atletico Clube Portugal, who were formed back in 1942, play in Alcantara, a suburb of Lisbon, at the Estadio da Tapadinha. It was opened in 1926 and is certainly showing its age, but it oozes character by the bucket load. Sadly, only one side of the ground is now in full use, whilst a very small section of the terracing behind the goal was used, although there wasn’t actually a physical barrier stopping you going further round than the corner area.

The club had its heyday back in the 1940’s when they twice reached the Portuguese Cup final, losing 2-4 to Sporting Clube Portugal in 1946, then 1-2 against Benfica three years later and have a best ever league finish of third place, back in the days when there was just a single division. This season they are top of one of the four divisions that compete at this level, so perhaps they are on their way back.

The visitors, who are from Albufeira, on the Algarve, came into this eighth in the league table and certainly made the leaders work hard to get anything out of the game. Atletico had a great chance to go ahead midway through the first half, but saw a penalty saved by the Imortal ‘keeper. It came as no surprise when the visitors broke the deadlock just before the hour mark, after a free kick from the left saw a striker head in unmarked from 6 yards, which the ‘keeper got a hand to, but was unable to keep out. Atletico could have replied immediately, but somehow headed over the crossbar from close range, when it looked easier to score. The equaliser came minutes later though , when a cross from the left was headed down into the bottom corner. Atletico nearly won it in the last minute, but the visitors keeper managed to tip a header round the post.

The ground was easily reached by taking the train from Lisbon towards Estoril, getting off at Alcântara-Mar station (€1.95 each way) with the ground a 15 minute walk from there.