Diary of a newfound groundhopper

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...

Montpelier Villa 2 Angmering Village 0, Southern Combination Football League Division Two, Saturday 31 st August 2019 I’ve never been able to resist an invitation. Okay, so I may only very rarely get invited out these days… but that’s not the point. On the rare occasions that I do receive an offer to go somewhere – anywhere – I tend to do my utmost to attend. So, when in mid-July, I received a message on Twitter from Montpelier Villa manager – and regular opponent in my Sunday League playing days – Simon Whitney, inviting me to attend Villa’s match with Angmering Village on 31 st August as they were holding a special ‘Club Day’, I was only too happy to accept. Unfortunately, this would mean missing a game in the opening round of the FA Vase, but I wasn’t really too bothered. As mentioned in one of my blog posts last season , Montpelier Villa are one of the few clubs in Sussex with which I have something of a tenuous connection. Not only do I know quite a few of their first-tea...

Newhaven Town 1 Eastbourne Town 1, Southern Combination Football League Premier Division, Monday 26 th August 2019 Truth be told, I hadn’t expected to get to a game this Bank Holiday Weekend. A few months ago, my wife and I booked family tickets for the Victorious Festival in Portsmouth, which took place this weekend.   With the festival scheduled to finish on Sunday night, the initial plan had been to pack up and head home on Monday morning, meaning I had pretty much written off any chance of attending a match. Then, around Friday lunchtime, I  suddenly remembered something. I absolutely loath camping. Hate it. Not only that – I’m rubbish at it. The fact is whenever I camp something always goes wrong. Every. Single. Time! However, this year’s effort surpassed all previous attempts. Having arrived at the campsite late Friday morning, it swiftly transpired that wifey and I had, somehow, combined to forget to pack the tent (which, of course, is man-speak ...

Peacehaven and Telscombe 3 Langney Wanderers 3, Southern Combination Football League Premier Division, Tuesday 20 th August 2019 One of my biggest bugbears when attending live football matches are ‘supporters’ (and I use that term loosely) who leave the game early to ‘avoid the traffic’. It’s something that I used to see all the time when I took my Brighton-supporting eldest to the Amex Stadium on a fairly regular basis a few years ago. One game that particularly sticks in mind was a match against Leicester. The visitors were leading 1-0 with about five minutes left when a Leicester player was sent off. Suddenly, and somewhat inexplicably, a plethora of people sitting around us stood up and started shuffling unapologetically towards the exits, obviously eager to get a march on those foolish enough to actually stay around until the end of the game. I just don’t get it. Never have done. Never will do. There was still plenty of time for late drama, but these ‘fans’ clearl...