Diary of a newfound groundhopper

Worthing FC   0 Burgess Hill Town 0, Bostik League Premier Division, 27 th August 2018 Momentarily my heart sank. Upon realising a couple of weeks ago that there was a full Non-League schedule on Bank Holiday Monday, meaning the opportunity to add a bonus match to my maiden groundhopping month, my wife swiftly informed me that we (by which I mean she) had already arranged to meet friends that day. Yet before my heart could sink too far into the pit of my stomach, she added to her potential bombshell. The friends we were going to be meeting were one of my long-term coaching colleagues from Brighton’s 5Ways Soccer School and his better half, who just so happens to work behind the bar at Worthing FC. That’s right. She had arranged a meeting with friends at a football match!! Major bonus points there for my almost better half (it’s alright she never reads this). And so it was that today’s groundhopping journey took me to Worthing FC’s Bibby Financial Services Stad...

East Grinstead Town FC 1 South Park FC 0, FA Cup Preliminary Round, 25 th August 2018 There’s a famous episode of Father Ted , where upon spotting actor Richard Wilson (aka Victor Meldrew), Father Dougal decides it would be a great idea to approach him and yell ‘I don’t believe it’ in his face. Cos, well, I bet no-one’s ever done that before. I have a similar urge every time I ever see the name of Bostik South Central Division side South Park. Just seeing or hearing the name brings memories of university nights spent watching the quirky American adult cartoon come flooding back. It just makes me want to yell, ‘Oh My God, they killed Kenny’. Explaining this to my wife prior to heading off on my latest groundhopping adventure to East Grinstead’s East Court Ground (or GAC Stadium) for an FA Cup Preliminary Round match between East Grinstead and the aforementioned South Park, inevitably leads to some awkward questions. “Who’s Kenny?” inquires the 5-year-old. “What’s South...

Bootle FC 3 Charnock Richard 1, NWCFL Premier Division, 21 st August 2018 When, a few months ago, the parents of the Withdean Youth team that I had coached for the past eight years clubbed together to buy me a tour of Anfield, my wife viewed this as a great opportunity to take a few days away with the kids during the summer holidays. What she hadn’t banked on back then was my new hobby of Non-League groundhopping. Therefore, with the tour booked, and our dates away confirmed, I started looking into possible matches that we could attend. You can probably imagine the better half’s excitement when I informed her of my plans. Surprisingly, however, she didn’t turn down my offer for her to tag along me and the kids. Following some half-hearted research (never been a strength if I’m honest), I noticed that North-West Counties Football League side Bootle FC were  scheduled to be at home on the Tuesday evening that we were due to be in Liverpool. The name Bootle struck a chord ...

Shoreham FC 2 Eastbourne Town 1, SCFL Premier Division, 18 th August 2018 It’s off to West Sussex for the second consecutive week, as my inaugural groundhopping season takes me west along the coast to Shoreham’s Middle Road Ground. (Or the Taxi-link Community Sports Ground, as it seems to be listed in the program). Damn this commercial era! Having visited a side that won promotion from this level last time out ( Haywards Heath ), this week I’m visiting a team that was relegated back into it. Arriving at the ground at just after 2:40, I’m not at all surprised to find the small car park located outside it is already full. It’s no issue, though. There’s plenty of space on the surrounding roads. Admission, as seems to be the standard in the SCFL Division (or at least at the three games I’ve attended so far) is £6 for adults. Once again, I’m heartened to discover that there is no charge for my two kids. I mentioned it in my blog last week, but I strongly believe trying to enc...

Haywards Heath 0 Lancing FC 2, Emirates FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round, 11th August While it may only be the opening weekend of the new Premier League season, it’s already FA Cup day in non-league world. Well, lower non-league world anyway. To celebrate the magic of the FA Cup (which still very much exists for clubs at this level), I’ve decided to cross the East Sussex border and visit my first non-Southern Combination Football League ground of the new season. Albeit not by much. In either case. Based in West Sussex, but located fairly close to the East Sussex border, Haywards Heath Town were last year’s SCFL champions and will this season ply their trade at a higher level in the newly formed Bostik South East Division. This is my first visit to the Hanbury Stadium and my first impressions, as I drive towards the ground and spy the main stand (pictured), are good. Things only improve as I reach the ground and upon enquiring where I should park am told you pay your e...

Saltdean United 3 Broadbridge Heath 2, SCFL Premier Division, 7 th August 2018 As with my visit to Peacehaven’s Piddinghoe Avenue (or the Unitbet Arena as it’s now known in these overly commercialised times) a couple of weeks ago, this wasn’t the first time I’d been to Saltdean’s Hill Park to watch a game. However, seeing as my previous visit came over 20 years ago, back in the days when I was a match reporter for the Sussex Express, I figured that another visit was long overdue. One major difference between my previous trips to the ground as an idealistic teenager to the one yesterday evening as a slightly cynical man in his late 30s, were my travelling companions. Whereas once going to football meant time spent with mates, today it often means time spent with the children – in my case, 8 and 5-year-old boys. Within seconds of paying my £5 entrance fee, it immediately becomes clear that the boys have already become spoilt by numerous trips to the Amex Stadium. “Where...

AFC Uckfield 3 Horsham YMCA 4 – SCFL Premier Division, 4 th August 2018 Let’s hope this is a sign of things to come. Bright sunshine, a welcoming crowd and a seven-goal thriller. What’s not to like about this groundhopping lark? I arrived at The Oaks for the match between AFC Uckfield and Horsham YMCA ten minutes before kick-off, having been dropped off by my Mum (it’s just like being a teenager again). It turns out that, despite having never been to the ground before, I must have driven past it on numerous occasions and never even realised it was there. Tucked off the Eastbourne Road, next to a holiday home park on one side and an Indian restaurant on the other, it really is a case of blink and you’ll miss it. It also turns out that it’s located about a five-minute drive from my mum’s house (hence the lift); making the fact that I’ve never visited before even more shameful. The thinking behind AFC Uckfield's ground's name - The Oaks, is not particularly har...

If, come the end of this football season, I find myself experiencing marriage difficulties, then it’s all Tony Incenzo’s fault. Now, while it may seem slightly harsh to blame marital problems that don’t (and hopefully won’t) exist on someone I’ve never met, allow me to explain. I’ve been a Twitter follower of Tony’s for some time now. For anyone who is not aware of him, the Talk Sport commentator is famed for the sheer amount of football matches that he’s attended. Well over 5,000 at the time of writing. To be honest, I don’t know whether I’m more impressed by the quantity or the fact that he has documented every single match in a journal dating back to the 1970s. I have absolutely no idea how many matches I’ve been to over the years – and would stand no chance of being able to work it out. Anyway, in recent months a more staggering statistic that has been shared by Tony to his Twitter followers (well, I think so anyway) is the fact he’s visited over 2,000 grounds. 2,000! ...