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Here we go again – 2020/21 SCFL season predictions

After last year’s highly successful SCFL season predictions , in which not one prediction I made ultimately proved to be wrong, I’ve decided to give it another bash this year. Of course, the March abandonment of the league (along with normal life, in general) technically means that I didn’t get anything right either… but I’ve always been a glass-half-full kind of guy. In fairness, at the time of the season being declared null and void, I would say that about half of my predictions had looked like being on - or at least close to - the money, while half I couldn’t have got more wrong if I’d tried. With all the wholesale changes made to some SCFL squads since March, and the uncertainty surrounding practically everything at the moment, I’d be amazed if this season’s predictions bear any resemblance to what will actually transpire. So, for those I tip for a season of glory, please accept my apologies in advance for providing you with what will most likely be the unwelcome kiss ...

Groundhopping away from home

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 ...

Eastbourne Town advance in East Sussex derby

Crowborough Athletic 0 Eastbourne Town 4, FA Vase 2 nd Round, Saturday 3 rd November 2018 After a Saturday off from groundhopping last weekend, normal service was resumed this weekend with a tip up the A26 to Crowborough. It was the lure of an East Sussex derby in the second round of the FA Vase – between Crowborough Athletic and Eastbourne Town – which ultimately tempted me to the Crowborough Community Stadium ahead of any of the other Vase games featuring Sussex teams. Yet while both of these clubs may hail from the same county, and play at the same level on the Non-League pyramid, they are not actually league rivals. Bafflingly, for reasons that I don’t fully understand – and haven’t been bothered to find out due to my allergy to doing any research – Crowborough Athletic play in the largely Kent-dominated Southern Counties East Football League, as opposed to the Sussex-oriented Southern Combination Football League to which Eastbourne belong. This factor, however...

Diary of a newfound groundhopper

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