E.F.L. Trophy

Northern Section Group B

Tuesday 7th October 2025

Kick Off 19.30 On Time!

Barrow 1 Tranmere Rovers 2, attendance 581

9’ 1-0

22’ 1-1

80’ 1-2

@ SO Legal Stadium

Holker Street

Barrow-in-Furness

LA14 5UH

£10 Admission

No Programme, but Free Team Sheet available in Club Shop.

For the second successive night it was a 92 Club tidy up and another ground I’d only seen football hosted at when the club were outside the Football League. Having stayed overnight in Harrogate, I took the direct route of the A65, then A591 into Barrow-in-Furness, which took about two and a quarter hours. Light rain began to fall during the last hour of this and it never stopped until the second half of the game, but the pitch was in superb condition, even after ninety minutes. My first trip to Holker Street was in February 1990, when Barrow beat Farnborough Town 3-1 in a Conference match in front of a crowd of 1,002. I remembered the main stand and the covered terrace opposite, as well as the two storey building behind one goal, but some temporary seated stands have now been added, bringing the capacity up to around 6,000. The floodlights have been upgraded too, but one of the original four corner pylons remains in situ, as it is used as a tv/radio mast. The record attendance here was 16,874 for an F.A. Cup 3rd Round tie versus Swansea Town in 1954 and those sort of crowds will sadly never be seen again. Tonight, despite admission only being a tenner and half that for concessions, there were only 581 in attendance, which included 70 away fans. The club were prepared for the low turn out, with just the main stand side of the ground open, as well as a small section of uncovered seating next to the players tunnel.

These two are both in League 2, with this being 17th versus 18th as far as league positions go. They were evenly matched, with both teams trying to win the game. There was very little negative play and it was a good open game from a neutral point of view. Barrow went ahead after nine minutes, when a cross into the box was nodded down and hammered in by Elliot Newby from six yards. Tranmere drew level midway through the half, when a diagonal cross from the right was headed in by Charlie Whittaker. A minute before halftime they had the ball in the net again, but the goal was disallowed for a foul in the build up. There were plenty of chances in the second half, but it was the visitors who nicked the winner, when a cross from the right was headed in unmarked at the far post by Whittaker, for his second goal of the game, just as we entered the last ten minutes.

The win sees Tranmere top the four team group now, with Barrow bottom and out, having lost both their games so far. Blackpool host Nottingham Forest U21 tomorrow night, where a home win would see Blackpool and Tranmere qualify for the next round.

League 2

Monday 6th October 2025

Kick Off 20.00 On Time!

Harrogate Town 1 Crewe Alexandra 2, attendance 2,503

5’ 1-0

29’ 1-1

87’ 1-2

@ The Exercise Stadium

Wetherby Road

Harrogate

HG2 7SA

£26 Admission (£3 increase paying on day)

£5 Programme available, didn’t bother buying.

Tonight was another tidy up of ‘The 92’. I’d last been here way back in May 1991, where I witnessed a 1-1 draw versus Farsley Celtic in a Northern Premier League match, but tonight was a chance to visit the ground whilst it’s hosting as a Football League ground. The changes since then are immense and they’ve done well to develop it into a ground that now has a reported capacity of around 5,000 of which 2,000 are seated. It’s a real hotch potch of a ground, with seven different stands and the viewing, at least from the standing areas, is not great and that was with a crowd of just half capacity which apparently included 285 with the visitors. The ground is on the right hand side of the A661 when entering the town from the south. There’s no official parking, but plenty in the surrounding housing estates, with no restrictions for midweek night matches.

The game pitted 16th against 12th and was less negative than I’d been expecting at this level. It probably helped that Harrogate went ahead after just five minutes, when a cross from the left was finished with a downward header at the far post by Jack Muldoon. Crewe levelled the scores just before the half hour mark, when a corner was played to the near angle of the 18 yard box from where a first time shot from Reece Hutchison was hit left footed, looping over the ‘keeper into the far corner. The second half was back and forth, with both teams going for the win. Crewe had a shot cleared off the line with six minutes left, but did manage to nick a winner three minutes later, when a break from the centre circle saw Max Saunders curl a 25 yarder into the far corner. The win sees Crewe move up to fifth in the league table, six points adrift of leaders Walsall.

I’d had no traffic problems heading north, once I’d cleared the M25. I was certainly glad to be staying over though, as the game never finished until 21.56.

Gloucestershire Northern Senior League

Division 2

Saturday 4th October 2025

Kick Off 15.00 Actual 15.03

Mitcheldean 2 Barnwood United 8, attendance 18

6’ 1-0

8’ 1-1

23’ 2-1

42’ 2-2

56’ 2-3

69’ 2-4

72’ 2-5

75’ 2-6

80’ 2-7

83’ 2-8

@ Mitcheldean Recreation Ground

Townsend

Mitcheldean

GL17 0BE

No Admission or Programme.

I headed into the Forest of Dean for my afternoon match, arriving half an hour before kick off. There’s a small car park, with the changing room building adjacent and a community centre building running lengthways beyond here. A large grass bank runs along the far touchline of what’s just an open pitch, with the far end and near side enclosed by trees and bushes.

Mitcheldean had won the North Gloucestershire League last season, but are finding it a bit tougher since making the step up into the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League. They came into this sitting 13th (out of 15) in the league table, having won just two of their opening seven games, whilst Barnwood United were fourth, having lost just once in their seven games so far.

Mitcheldean got off to a great start, when a ball cut back from the left was finished low into the bottom corner to put them ahead after just six minutes. Their lead only lasted two minutes though, when a cross from the right was rolled into an empty net at the far post to level things up. A far post tap in, from a left wing cross, saw Mitcheldean go back in front midway through the half, but Barnwood equalised again three minutes before halftime, when a through ball was finished one on one, following a shot off the crossbar that was only cleared to just outside the box. A long ball, taken around the ‘keeper and finished from a tight angle, saw Barnwood go in front for the first time, just before the hour mark and when they made it 2-4 with just over twenty minutes left, the points looked safe. Mitcheldean visibly tired and it was a case of how many more Barnwood would add from here. Two headers in the next few minutes saw them hit the half dozen, before two easy finishes saw them increase their lead to 2-8 in the final ten minutes of the match.

Despite the heavy defeat, Mitcheldean remain third from bottom in the table, with Barnwood now up to third. Another good day out and no traffic problems in either direction, rounding off the day nicely.

Cheltenham League

Premier Division

Saturday 4th October 2025

Kick Off 12.15 Actual 12.17

Kings 1 Cheltenham Civil Service Reserves 1, attendance 14

48’ 0-1

66’ 1-1

@ Blackbridge Community & Sports Hub, 3G Pitch

Laburnum Road

Podsmead

Gloucester

GL1 5PG

No Admission or Programme.

For the second successive Saturday I headed to Gloucestershire for the first part of a double, starting off with an early kick off in the top division of the Cheltenham League. Kings normally play at Oxtalls Sports Park, where I’d seen them lose 0-5 to Montpellier in March last year, but today’s game was switched to the recently opened Blackbridge Community & Sports Hub, for what I believe was the first competitive game staged here. It’s a standard cage set up, with spectator access along three quarters of one side. There’s ample car parking and a two storey building behind the near goal end, with a viewing balcony of sorts, with the pitch running lengthways away from here.

The game was best described as a slow burner. Very little in the way of goal scoring opportunities in the first half, although Civil Service did hit the crossbar midway through the half. The second half was much better, probably helped by the visitors breaking the deadlock three minutes after interval, cutting in from the left before curling a shot into the far corner from the angle of the eighteen yard box. Kings equaliser came with twenty four minutes left, when a diagonal free kick from wide on the left saw a flicked header just beat the ‘keeper to an attempted punch clear.

A good start to the day. The game attracted three other ‘hoppers and we were thankful of no rain and not too much wind, following Storm Amy having passed through yesterday.

National League

Tuesday 30th September 2025

Kick Off 19.45 On Time!

Truro City 0 Eastleigh 2, attendance 1,993

40’ 0-1

45’ + 1, 0-2

@ Truro Sports Hub

Langarth Close

Threemilestone

TR4 9AN

£19 Admission

£3.50 Programme available, didn’t bother buying.

I’d seen Truro City play home games twice previously, back in 2002, at their former Treyew Road ground and in March last year, when they staged a Saturday evening game at the ground of Gloucester City, whilst their new Truro Sports Hub ground wasn’t yet open. A few weeks later they did move into their new home and tonight was the perfect opportunity to visit. It’s to the west of Truro itself, in the village of Threemilestone and is part of the Park & Ride set up for the city, so there’s ample car parking and it’s free too and took less than five minutes to exit afterwards. To say the stadium’s underwhelming is an understatement. There’s a good sized seated stand on one side, with cover behind each goal, but viewing is dreadful and even with a crowd tonight, which was way below the stated capacity, getting a decent spot to watch the match from was a challenge. Throw in gangs of kids roaming about, with no interest whatsoever in the football and their newly acquired ‘bandwagon’ fans and you soon get an idea of what kind of experience you’ll get. There were quite a few catering outlets, with large queues and even larger prices! Oddly, on the official Truro City Twitter feed, they thanked the 34 visiting fans for their attendance. Not sure where they came up with this number from though, as the game had no segregation in operation, so there was no way of telling who anyone there was supporting and the visitor’s had cancelled their planned supporters coach, due to insufficient interest, according to their website.

Truro’s rise to National League level has seen them become the highest ranked team ever to come from Cornwall, but on tonight’s showing, that will be short lived. They came into this sitting second bottom in the league table, having beaten bottom club Morecambe 5-0 here on Saturday. Now, if I thought Truro were poor, just what does that say about Morecambe? Eastleigh were hardly great, but they never looked like failing to take all three points here, even if it did take them until just before halftime to break the deadlock, when a cross from the right saw a header cleared off the line, but the clearance was knocked back across the six yard box and fired into the roof of the net from seven yards by Temi Eweka. A minute into stoppage time at the end of the first half they doubled their lead, when a through ball from just inside the centre circle split the defence and the ball was crossed to the far post where it was poked in by Aaron Blair. At no time did Truro ever look like creating anything going forward, let alone score a goal. The win sees Eastleigh remain in twelfth place, whilst Truro are still above Morecambe on goal difference at the bottom, but have played three games more and are only one goal behind Sutton United on goal difference, with the bottom three all on seven points. Fourth from bottom (four go down ) Braintree Town have a four point cushion over the stragglers.

I’d had a totally trouble free journey down to Cornwall. It was an overnight stop for this one and a leisurely drive back on Wednesday morning, rather than battling the overnight roadworks. This once again completes the National League for me and leaves just Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium for completion of the top seven tiers in the English pyramid.

Gloucestershire County League

Saturday 27th September 2025

Kick Off 15.00 Actual 15.03

Tewkesbury Town 1 Totterdown United 0, attendance 57 (official 78!)

14’ 1-0

@ Northway Playing Field

Northway Lane

Northway

GL20 8GL

No Admission

Programme available by pre-order.

It was just over twenty minutes drive from Cheltenham to my second game of the day at Tewkesbury Town. They don’t play in the town itself, but in the village of Northway, a couple of miles to the east, separated by the M5 motorway. It’s a very basic set up for Step 7. There’s a small car park, with a brick built changing room building on the right as you enter, which also housed a tea bar and toilets. The pitch is beyond, running lengthways. It’s only roped off, which is very poor for this level and has a pair of temporary dugouts on the right hand side. The pitch itself is in a dreadful state, due to failed efforts in improving the drainage and one that will probably suffer from postponements as the wetter weather kicks in. They’re due to be moving to a new sports hub venue, but not sure how far off that is. At least there were no problems today, as far as the weather was concerned, remaining dry throughout.

The game was 16th versus 8th (out of 17) in the league table. It certainly wasn’t one of the best games I’m likely to see this season and that couldn’t all be blamed on the pitch. There was plenty of effort and we should be grateful that it actually produced a goal. It went the way of the hosts, when a through ball saw a mix up between defender and goalkeeper and the ball was put into the net at the second attempt, after the ‘keeper kept the initial effort out. They had another effort hit the crossbar minutes later and also had a header bounce down off the crossbar, but not cross the line too, but that was about it. The hosts finished the game with ten men, having a player red carded six minutes into stoppage time, picking up his second yellow card.

The game surprisingly attracted a dozen hoppers and with no traffic problems I was home just after seven o’clock.

Cheltenham League

Premier Division

Saturday 27th September 2025

Kick Off 12.00 Actual 12.12

Montpellier 1 Bishops Cleeve ‘A’ 1, attendance 27

18’ 0-1

57’ 1-1

@ Priors Playing Fields

Imjin Road

Whaddon

Cheltenham

GL52 5JU

No Admission or Programme.

A noon kick off here meant an opportunity of a double today. Due to there already being two youth matches underway, the car park was full, but no problem finding a space in the road outside. There is a two storey brick built changing room building, set down on a lower level than the pitches, with a clubhouse/bar on the top floor, which apparently would be open after the game. The main pitch is nearest the building, running widthways in front and has the old style square posts, which I thought had been outlawed these days. It was roped along the near side for the youth game, but that was taken down once they’d finished, which was behind schedule, causing our game to kick off twelve minutes late.

The match was 2nd versus 1st in the league table, both unbeaten after their opening two games, with Bishops Cleeve holding a two point lead, having won both their games. There was little to choose between them. Bishops Cleeve played the better football, but Montpellier had a big No.9 up front and a long throw expert, which was a weapon they used from every throw in taken within 40 yards of the opposition goal. It was the visitors that went ahead after eighteen minutes, when a ball pulled back from the right was tapped in from six yards. Montpellier hit the crossbar shortly afterwards and Bishops Cleeve had a goal disallowed for offside late on, but it remained 0-1 at the break. Twelve minutes into the second half Montpellier equalised, when a knock down from yet another long throw was poked in from close range. Both teams had chances, but that was it as far as the scoring went and probably a result that the visitors will be more happy with.

Despite having kicked off late, a halftime interval where everyone stayed out on the pitch, meant the game was only running a couple of minutes behind schedule when it finished just before 13.50 and ample time for me to head off to a second game.

South Wales F.A. Senior Cup

1st Round

Tuesday 23rd September 2025

Kick Off 19.00 Actual 19.03

Trelewis Welfare 1 A.F.C. Wattstown 2, attendance 82

39’ 1-0

59’ 1-1

66’ 1-2

@ Afon Taf High School, 3G Pitch

Yew Street

Troedyrhiw

CF48 4ED

No Admission or Programme.

This game was postponed on Saturday and re-arranged to be played on the 3G pitch at Afan Taf High School in Troedyrhiw. The pitch has only been open a matter of weeks, having been laid on top of what was previously a grass pitch. It’s a good couple of hundred yards walk from the car park/changing rooms, past a floodlit running track and a number of tennis courts. It’s a cage set up, but one with a bit of thought put into it. Spectator access is along the near side and behind the left hand goal end, with a pair of dugouts on the far side, with a totally unobstructed view of the pitch, which is set about 5 yards in from the barrier, which also helps. At the halfway line the hard standing has a recessed area that would easily fit a kit stand, which may be what is planned in the future? The added bonus of tonight’s game being a 7pm kick off meant there was still daylight for a good portion of the first half, so you even got the chance to see the scenic backdrop too, which certainly adds to the experience. If train spotting is your thing, the Cardiff-Merthyr Tydfil line runs behind one end, although only two or three trains passed during the match.

The game itself was 4th in Merthyr League (Tier 7) versus 8th in South Wales Premier League Championship Division (Tier 5), with little to choose between them. Wattstown had an early effort disallowed for offside, before suffering a double sin bin after twenty four minutes. They survived with their goal intact whilst down to nine men, but conceded six minutes before halftime, when a ball over the top beat the offside trap and was finished with a low shot into the bottom corner. A shot from the edge of the D, that found the bottom corner, saw Wattstown draw level just before the hour mark and seven minutes later they got what turned out to be the winner, when a break down the right saw a one two on the edge of the box that was crossed to the far post for an unmarked tap in. Any hope Trelewis had of getting back into it disappeared when they had a man red carded with eighteen minutes left, having retaliated to a foul.

Journey down to Wales was trouble free, via A449 and A465 Heads of the Valleys Road once crossing the border. Back via A470 to the M4 on the return. Good journey until arriving at the M3/M25 junction which was closed (not advertised on overhead signs or picked up on SatNav) meaning a twelve mile diversion and then half a mile before getting back on the M25, the overhead signs were showing that the M25 was closed from J10 to J9….just a few weeks after the new junction works had been ‘completed’ after twelve years!

Mid Sussex League

Tester Cup 1st Round

Saturday 20th September 2025

Kick Off 13.30 Actual 13.27

Poets’ Corner 5 Forgewood 0, attendance 16

27’ 1-0

58’ 2-0

76’ 3-0

84’ 4-0

90’ 5-0

@ Nevill Playing Field

Eridge Road

Hove

BN3 7QD

No Admission or Programme.

It was a trip to the south coast today, to see a game at a ground used by two different clubs. Nevill Playing Field is about 100 yards west of Brighton & Hove Greyhound Stadium and is host to football, cricket and hockey. The main football pitch runs widthways in front of the clubhouse/pavilion, with the cricket square butting up to the far touchline and the pitch slopes side to side, down towards the direction of the sea. Even though there was hockey and a youth football match also taking place, there was just about enough parking, with the added bonus of the clubhouse being open throughout, where hot and cold food and drinks were available.

The Tester Cup is competed for by the teams in Divisions 4 and 5, with this being Division 5 South versus Division 5 North, the lowest levels of the league. The only goal of the first half was a shot on the turn into the bottom corner, which gave the hosts a twenty seventh minute lead. They doubled their lead just before the hour mark, when a superb lob from the halfway line caught out the ‘keeper, who was too far off his line. Forgewood nearly pulled a goal back with eighteen minutes left, but the ‘keeper made a fingertip save onto the crossbar and just four minutes later Poets’ touched in a cross at the near post to make it 3-0 and wrap the game up. A four on one attack saw them add a fourth goal with six minutes left, before a volley from six yards rounded off the scoring in the last minute. Despite no rain being forecast, it actually started raining just before halftime, stopping about ten minutes before the end of the match.

With the game having kicked off three minutes ahead of schedule and a halftime interval where everyone stayed out on the pitch, which is very unusual for a Saturday match, this was all over by 15.05, meaning back home about ten to four.

Nottinghamshire F.A. Senior Cup

1st Round

Tuesday 16th September 2025

Kick Off 19.45 Actual 19.47

Stapleford Town 1 Dunkirk 1 (abandoned 87 minutes, player injury) attendance 183

3’ 1-0

5’ 1-1

@ Hickings Lane Recreation Ground, 3G Pitch

Hickings Lane

Stapleford

NG9 8PJ

£8 Admission

Programme (apparently there was a free one, but never saw one).

After the club entered a ground share arrangement in order to gain promotion to Step 6, they are now back at their own ground in Hickings Lane. They used to play on a railed off grass pitch, which is still here, to the right of the car park as you enter the complex. They have now developed a 3G caged pitch, to the left, behind an impressive two storey clubhouse/changing room building, which although open, is not yet fully kitted out. The new pitch runs lengthways away from here and unusually for a cage, has spectator access behind the near goal end and along the left hand side. There’s the usual two kit stands, one seated, but as is often the case with these set ups, awful to view from, whilst the dugouts are opposite.

The match pitted two teams from United Counties League Division 1 (Step 6), with 9th hosting 15th, as far as league positions go. It started off brightly, but deteriorated very quickly. Stapleford opened the scoring after just three minutes, when a player was played through, riding a challenge, before firing a shot high into the near top corner. Dunkirk levelled it up within two minutes, when a diagonal cross in from the left was headed back across into the far corner. There was very little of note in the next eighty two minutes, until a bad challenge on the far side of the pitch resulted in an injury to a home player, who was too badly hurt to be moved and after about ten minutes of dithering, the Referee called the game off.

There were no real problems on either the M25 or M1 in either direction, although the A217 into Reigate was closed just after exiting the motorway, which resulted in a three mile diversion to get home.