Diary of a newfound groundhopper

Farnborough 0 Wealdstone 5, FA Cup Second Round Qualifying, Saturday 21 st September 2019 A few months ago, my wife received an email which seemed to stir in her an unusual level of excitement. Thoughts as to what could be contained within the message instantly began to whirl around my mind. Had she received an unexpected inheritance from a long-lost, wealthy relative? Had she won a luxury ‘trip of a lifetime’? Was a wealthy Nigerian Prince promising to make her a multi-millionaire simply in exchange for her bank details? The answer was none of the above… yet far more exciting. It was an email from our children’s Cubs and Beavers leaders inviting them for a two-night camp. Two nights without the kids! Bliss. What’s more, the dates for this excursion just so happened to fall on the weekend of our thirteenth wedding anniversary. ‘You know what this means, don’t you?’ my wife stated, suggestively raising her eyebrows. ‘I certainly do,” I responded, misc...

Horley Town 1 Balham 3, FA Cup First Qualifying Round, Saturday 7 th September 2019 In previous blog posts, I’ve made no secret of my love for the FA Cup in the early qualifying rounds. Not only does the increased prize money that has been on offer in early rounds over the past few seasons mean far more to Non-League clubs than those at the higher echelons of the game, but for the players you get a sense that they really relish the chance to participate in such a prestigious tournament. A relish that the top, top players (and their managers) have arguably taken for granted over the years. Having seen Guildford City edge out Tooting Bec in the Extra Preliminary Round a month ago, I was bitterly disappointed to then miss a match in the Preliminary Round due to being at a festival. However, there was no way that I was going to miss a game in the First Qualifying Round (I’m still not sure why this can’t be called the Third Preliminary Round, with the Extra Prelim known...

Guildford City 3 Tooting Bec 2, FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round, Saturday 10 th August 2019 One thing I realised during my inaugural season of groundhopping last year, was that the magic of the FA Cup is still very much alive and kicking for non-league clubs. Some of my favourite matches in the early stages of the last campaign came in the tournament’s qualifying rounds. Not only do semi-pro players clearly relish the opportunity to participate in a competition which, over the years, has featured many of the world’s best players, but the chance for the clubs to earn some much-needed extra pennies means that all teams take these rounds extremely seriously. There are no managers fielding reserve squads or youth-team players getting minutes under their belts at this level. The FA Cup is serious stuff. While the prize money on offer in the early stages may be a drop in the ocean for many professional teams (although I’m sure neither Bury or Bolton would turn their noses up a...