Diary of a newfound groundhopper

Broadbridge Heath 1 Eastbourne United 3, Southern Combination Football League Premier Division, Saturday 28 th September 2019 ‘Good things come to those who wait,’ is one of those sayings that I’ve long doubted the validity of. Don’t get me wrong, there is probably a small grain of truth in the phrase somewhere. I suppose if you wait long enough, then something good will happen eventually. But exactly how long do you have to wait? And what constitutes the ‘good’ thing in question? ‘Patience is a virtue,’ is another saying that causes a brief flash of irritation to work its way through my system. I mean, in some circumstances, yes it undoubtedly is. Without a doubt. But in all situations? I don’t think so. However, both phrases can almost certainly be accurately be applied to Broadbridge Heath’s wait for their new stadium. Initially, the SCFL Premier side had hoped to move into their new ground at some stage last season. Yet, after a number of let-downs and false...

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...

St Francis Rangers 1 Angmering Village 2, Southern Combination Football League Division 2, Saturday 14 th September 2019 Despite the FA Vase being arguably my favourite cup competition, this weekend saw the second qualifying round of matches take place and, as with the with the first qualifying round, I was absent from the terraces of any team taking part. While a prior invitation saw me miss the opening round acouple of weeks ago , this latest absence was simply down to logistics. My son needed to be picked up from a day out at a specific time, so I couldn’t risk any match I was at running into extra time – and possibly even penalties. It’s a risk I took around this time last year. One that almost spectacularly backfired when Steyning vs Punjab United finished only after an epic penalty shoot-out; leaving wifey to make other plans for our son’s collection. Funnily enough she wasn’t too keen on a repeat performance this time out! True, I could have gone to a game closer to h...