Diary of a newfound groundhopper

AFC Varndeanians 4 Wick FC 0, SCFL Division 1, Saturday 30 th March 2019 At the start of March, it had been my intention to have visited the three remaining Southern Combination Football League Premier Division grounds that I’d yet to get to this season by the end of the month. Unfortunately, as I sit here and type this on the last day of March, I’ve only succeeded in ticking off one of the three – Peacehaven back on the 9th . I’d had it all planned out. I was due to visit Arundel last week and then Pagham yesterday. Mission accomplished. Simple. Then life got in the way. Wait. No, not life. That’s not the right word. Children. That’s the word I’m looking for. Children got in the way. Last week, instead of being in Arundel I was chaperoning my eldest to the Hollywood Bowl for his end-of-season football do, while yesterday my youngest was invited to a Birthday party in Brighton, the timing of which would have meant getting to Pagham in time for kick-off would have been a...

Rusthall FC 0 Canterbury City 3, Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division, Wednesday 27 th March 2019 This season, I have become accustomed to being by the side of a football pitch at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon. However, this past weekend, for only the third time in 2018/19, I was absent from the terraces. Instead, I was chaperoning my 8-year-old son to his end of season football do at the local Hollywood Bowl. You can probably imagine my deep joy at this turn of events! Anyway, having missed a rare Saturday at the football, I was determined to make up for it by heading to a midweek game. Unfortunately, as I’ve come to discover over the course of my inaugural groundhopping season, most midweek non-league fixtures – especially in and around Sussex – seem to be played on a Tuesday evening. The night I have to ferry my son to football training. Yes, I know I’ve already taken him to his end-of-season do and, yes there are no more matches scheduled, but th...

Montpelier Villa 2 Jarvis Brook 3, SCFL Division 2, Saturday 16 th March 2019 We may be in mid-March, but that hasn’t stopped the weather from wreaking havoc with my best-laid groundhopping plans. Having already visited the grounds of all the SCFL Premier and Division One teams due to be at home this weekend, I initially turned my attentions elsewhere. After scrolling through the fixture lists of various leagues, looking for destinations I could reach from home in around an hour, I eventually settled on a trip to Redhill for their Combined Counties League match against Raynes Park Vale. With it having rained on and off throughout the week, the team’s Twitter feed had advised anyone planning to attend the game to check Twitter on Saturday morning for confirmation the game would be going ahead. Having taken a few peeks at the feed during the morning, whilst coaching in Brighton, by 11:45 there was no announcement either way. To be honest, I was fairly certain it woul...

Peacehaven 3 AFC Uckfield 1, SCFL Premier Division, Saturday 9 th March 2019  Family commitments – in other words wifey needing the car – meant that the only way I would be able to get to a game this weekend would be to stay local. Having already visited Newhaven , Seaford and Saltdean this season, my thoughts instantly turned to Peacehaven’s Piddinghoe Avenue – one of only three SCFL Premier Grounds that I’m yet to frequent during 2018/19. (Sort of. More of that in a bit). Fortunately, a quick glance at the fixture list revealed that Peacehaven and Telscombe were indeed at home this weekend, taking on AFC Uckfield in the SCFL Premier Division. The Groundhopping Gods were smiling on me. They evidently enjoy reading this blog! Being a Newhaven native (and former Peacehaven Youth player many, many, many years ago), it will come as no real surprise to learn that this was far from my first ever visit to Piddinghoe Avenue. It’s a ground I’ve visited many times before – ...

Worthing United 0 Alfold 2, SCFL Division One, Saturday 2 nd March 2019 For the first time in 2019, I left it to my Twitter followers to decide the destination for my latest fix of groundhopping action. Having decided fairly early in the week that I’d attend a game in Division One of the Southern Combination Football League, I promptly selected four fixtures at grounds I’ve not yet visited and then simply left it to the Twittersphere to vote on the outcome. Matches at AFC Varndeanians, Mile Oak, Storrington and Worthing United were all on offer, and I honestly had no preference as to which match would be selected. Ultimately it was voted that my presence would be required in Worthing this Saturday afternoon, for bottom of the table Worthing United’s clash with second-placed Alfold. Following a quick check to see where Worthing United actually played, I was somewhat surprised to discover Lyon’s Way listed as their home address. As anyone who has driven through Worthing ...