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My Matchday - NCEL Hop 2015 (Good Friday)

April 5, 2015, 7:32 am
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Friday 3rd April 2015

445. Marsh Lane
Barton Town Old Boys 0v3 Cleethorpes Town
NCEL Premier Division
(11.30am ko)

I was the designated driver for this latest Groundhop, departing at 8am to pick up Lee Stewart, before navigating through the damp weather along the A1 and M62 on route to Humberside. Our first destination was Barton-upon-Humber, which is a town and civil parish in North Lincolnshire. This meant crossing the Humber Bridge as the town is found on the south bank of the Humber Estuary,  six miles south-west of the city of Hull.
Barton Town Old Boys Football Club was formed in the summer of 1995 after the merger of the town’s two established clubs; Barton Town and Barton Old Boys.
Barton Town formed in 1880 and were one of the founder members of the Lincolnshire League, which was won in 1960-61. The club went on to have two spells in the Yorkshire League, with a few seasons in the Midland League sandwiched in between. The club returned to the Lincolnshire League in 1981, winning the title in their first season and remained in the league for a further decade, before dropping out due to finances
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Barton Old Boys had been a member of the Scunthorpe and District League since 1959. The club became one of the most successful clubs in the league culminating in winning of all four major Scunthorpe League competitions in 1994-95.

The new club began life in the Lincolnshire League in 1995-96 season, winning the title the following season. The Swans joined the newly formed Humber Premier League for the start of the 2000/01 season, after a third place finish they progressed to the Central Midlands League. The club joined the Northern Counties East League in 2007-08, winning promotion to the Premier Division in 2010-11 after finishing runners-up to Staveley MW.
The club play at Marsh Lane which was the home of Barton Town since 1927.  Entrance to the ground is in the corner next to the the changing rooms and clubhouse building. The main stand is over the far side, which sits central and made up of 240 white flip seats across four rows. There are two identical standing enclosures each side of the goal posts at the top end, and the rest of the ground is open with the dugouts on the clubhouse side. The ground is now known as The Euronics Stadium as they are the main club sponsor.
Cleethorpes Town backed by a large and noisy following kept their title challenge alive with a convincing victory. The Swans could have been a few goals to the good before Brody Robertson gave the visitors the lead on 36 minutes. The striker picked up the ball on the left wing before cutting inside, his initial effort was blocked by the defender but he found the net at the second attempt with a neat finish.
Barton worked hard to grab an equaliser but were undone late on when Louis Grant rounded off a quick counter attack on 87 minutes, before Robertson fired in his second deep into injury time, latching onto a long ball for an easy task from close range which send the travelling hordes into raptures.
Matchday Stats
BTOBFC 0 CTFC 3(Robertson 35,90 Grant 86)
Att.517
Top Bloke - Brody Robertson(Cleethorpes Town)
Spondoolicks
Admission £5
Programme £1.50
Pin badge £3
Sausage sandwich £.1.70




446. West Street
Winterton Rangers 1v1 Yorkshire Amateur
NCEL Division One
(2.30pm ko)
For the second game of the day we headed 8 miles west along the A1077 Ferriby Road to Winterton, which is a small town in North Lincolnshire,  five miles north-east of Scunthorpe on the banks of the Humber. The history of Winterton goes back to Roman times with several large mosaic floors and findings of other Roman remains in the town.
Winterton Rangers formed in 1934 and became members of the Scunthorpe & District League in 1935 .They spent five seasons in the Lincolnshire County League from 1965 until they accepted an invitation to join the Yorkshire Football League. They won a hat-trick of league titles during the 1970’s, before becoming founder members of the NCEL in 1982. After just two seasons the club disbanded due to financial difficulties, but reappeared in 1986, re-entered the NCEL Division 2  
In 2007-08 season they were Premier League champions winning the title by a clear 13 points and bagging 116 goals. They are currently back in the First Division after being relegated last season.
Winterton originally played at Sewers Lane, then Watery Lane until purchasing the land at West Street for £700 in 1950. The players originally used the Butchers Arms before installing an ex-Army hut from a POW camp for changing facilities. The land was sparse with just an adjoining cricket field but nowadays the area has grown, surrounded by modern houses and the football ground now reflects its contemporary surroundings.
The ground has two identical stands on each side, one having 245 blue flip seats bolted to its three steps and the other a standing terrace.  The rest of the ground is open with hard standing behind the goals. Next to the entrance is the main building which has the changing rooms, Rangers cafe and the Rangers Bar at the back.
Rangers came from behind with a daisy cutter from Jack Start just before half time giving them a share of the spoils. Amas ‘keeper Bojang pulled of a string of fine saves before Joel Hughes headed in a close range header after quarter of an hour. The equaliser came on 41 minutes when the ball dropped to Start on the edge of the box, his shot trickled into the corner of the net with Josh Batty trying to claim the goal, maintaining it took a deflection on route to goal. The second half was a pretty even affair and the draw was the just about the right result.
Matchday Stats
WRFC 1 (Start 42) YAFC 1(Hughes 14)
Att.303
Top Bloke - Suwara Bojang(Yorkshire Amateur)
Spondoolicks
Admission £5
Programme £1.50
Pin badge £3
Tea £1




447.The Bradley Football Development Centre
Grimsby Borough 3v1 Hall Road Rangers
NCEL Division One
(6.30pm ko)


The trio of today’s matches concluded on the outskirts of Grimsby at the Bradley Football Development Centre. As there was a few hours spare before the 6.30 kick off we took a detour to Brigg. Last week Graham Precious teased me on Facebook with a picture of the Wetherspoons pub in the town and the fact I hadn’t been to The White Horse. This was soon rectified with a ‘Fish Friday’ tea, a couple of cups of coffee and a half of Milk Stout. The distance between the two grounds was 28 miles, so we still arrived in plenty of time, a good half an hour before kick off.
The club was formed in 2003 after a meeting at the Lord Tennyson pub in Louth. Borough are another club who started life in the Lincolnshire League, finishing runners-up in their first campaign to earn promotion to the Central Midlands League Premier Division in 2004.
They finished second in their debut season but were unable to gain promotion as they failed to meet the required ground criteria. They finished runners-up again in 2006-07 and promotion was granted to the Supreme Division, having agreed on a groundshare with Brigg Town. The following season despite finishing mid-table, they were invited to join Division One of the Northern Counties East League, where they’ve played since.
“The Wilderness Boys” originally played at the King George V ground, before playing at the Grimsby Institute of Further & Higher Education following their promotion to the Central Midlands League. After the groundshare at Brigg Town's, they moved to the new Bradley Football Development Centre in 2010. The first game at the new council owned stadium was against Scarborough Athletic on the 24th November, where over 580 people saw Borough lose a NCEL League Cup tie 4-3.
The ground is pretty basic with a standard seated stand on one side and a cover directly behind the top goal. The ground is open with hard standing on all sides. The refreshment and bar facilities plus the changing rooms are all in the main building. The ground is currently share with Cleethorpes Town, which means there’s a club from Cleethorpes playing in Grimsby and a club called Grimsby playing in Cleethorpes!!!
I recently saw bottom of the table Borough in action just a few weeks ago at Yorkshire Amateur. On that occasion they made a promising start to the game, but still managed to get gubbed 5-0. Again, they were on the front foot from the kick off against Hall Road Rangers, but conceded in the fifth minute after a cracking 25 yard drive from Daniel Walker with the visitors first decent attack. After that early setback another good hiding looked on the cards, but they grabbed a well deserved equaliser on 21 minutes, when Peter Fuller was on hand to fire home a left wing cross from six yards.
Grimsby Borough probably produced their best 45 minutes of the season in the second half, dominated throughout with two fabulous goals to double their win tally for the season. Twenty minutes from time Matthew Hall picked up the ball in midfield before running at the defence and unleashing a powerful shot which gave the ‘keeper no chance. The points were wrapped up ten minutes later when Fuller claimed his second, picking up a square ball and placing his side foot effort into the far corner. 
This was without doubt the best game of the day and it was pleasing to see the hosts claiming a rare victory.
Matchday Stats
GBFC3(Fuller 21 81 Hall 70) HRRFC 1(Walker 5)
Att.284
Top Bloke - Peter Fuller(Grimsby Borough)
Spondoolicks
Admission £4
Programme £1
Pin badge £3



Another cracking Groundhop, and as always it’s good to catch up with friends from all corners of the UK. I didn’t spare the horses on the way home, after dropping Lee off in Houghton-le-Spring I was back at Gallowgate View for 11.15pm. A 5.30am start at work the next morning meant I was unable to attend the Saturday leg of the hop, but I’m sure another grand day out was had by all.

Foetoes (Matchday album of 53 pictures from all 3 matches)
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Pic of the Week Cup 2015 - Round 2

April 12, 2015, 3:53 am
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Ben Hall - Hertha Berlin

Paul Paxford - Bristol Rovers

100FgC Squad #143 Joanne Sexton - Real Madrid

100FgC A8 Simon Langston - FU Moon

Oleg Sarayko - Rotor Volograd

100FgC A32 Katie Wallace - Whitby Town


Please cast your vote on our Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/100FgC/

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Around The Alliance - part fourteen

April 16, 2015, 12:08 pm
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448. The Longbenton Centre 3G
Newcastle University 4v4 Hexham
Northern Alliance Division One
Saturday 4th April 2015
During this season Newcastle University have moved around the corner from Cochrane Park to the University facility at the Longbention Centre. The ground is at the top of Coach Road beside the home of Team Northumbria which is basically just next door. The centre has the changing room facilities at the entrance by the car park with the 3G pitch at the bottom, past the Stan Calvert Memorial Pitch which is home to the University’s women's hockey team. The pitch is the usual uniformed 3G affair, fully caged with four pylons on each side.
The University team applied the pressure in the early stages but Hexham broke the deadlock with their first attack when Kurtis Harvey turned in a low cross from close range. 
The home team were finally reward for their positive start in the 18th minute when Matthew Baldwin robbed the defender before slotting in from the inside left channel, but minutes later they fell behind again, after a foul by the ‘keeper on Lancaster saw Harvey grab his second from the penalty spot.

After the restart Hexham extended their lead when Lewis Loughhead met a left wing cross to fire in his right foot shot into the far corner, before Nick Harrison nipped in the pull one back just before the hour mark.
The best moment of an open entertaining game came on 63 minutes, when Tony Lancaster picked up the ball in midfield and fired in from 25 yards to put Hexham 4-2 up. At this stage it looked game over, but the hosts finished the match in the same manner as they started to snatch a well earned point. 
On 70 minutes a free kick was nodded into the path of Harrison who was left with an easy task from inches out, then ten minutes later substitute Lewis Whybrow stayed onside to fire in under the ‘keeper to give the Uni an equal share of the eight goals.

Matchday Stats
NUFC 4(Baldwin 18 Harrison 59,70 Whybrow 81)
HFC 4(Harvey 11 20pen Loughhead 52 Lancaster 63)
Top Bloke - Tony Lancaster (Hexham)
Att.10hc
Admission/programme:none


449. Bridgend Park
Wooler 0v2 Blyth Isabella
Northern Alliance Division One
Saturday 11th April 2015


Wooler is a small town on the edge of the Northumberland National Park on the main A697 road which runs between Morpeth and the Scottish Border at Coldstream. The market town is referred to as the "Gateway to the Cheviots" and is a popular base for ramblers, found on the St. Cuthbert's Way long distance trail between Melrose Abbey and Lindisfarne.

Wooler FC date back to 1883, having played in the North Northumberland League which they last won in season 2011-12. The club stepped up to the Northern Alliance Division Two the following season and after a fourth place finish and a rejigging of the divisions, they were promoted to Division One.

The Northern Alliance website has the ground named as “The Martins” which is the side street which leads into (according to Google Maps) Bridgend Park. The ground is found on the edge of the town just off the A697 South Road, which is roped off with advertisement boards and benefits from a larger hedgerow down one side. There is a singular dugout at each side with the changing room cabin in the corner by the entrance

Wooler suffered their 18th defeat of the season to Blyth Isabella with the match settled by two early goals. In the fourth minute a deep free kick aimed at the far post was squared back into the box for Jordan Wilson to fire in. The hosts made a poor start and were punished minutes later when Michael Meins burst through the centre of midfield before easily outrunning the defence and slotting the ball home. 
Both teams carved out plenty of chances with Wooler improving in the second half, but it was evident that a lack of a decent finisher is the reason this youthful team is anchored at the foot of the table.

Matchday Stats
WFC 0 BIFC 2(Wilson 4 Meins 11)
Att.38hc
Top Bloke: Andrew Davidson(Blyth Isabella)
Admission/programme:none


450. Wentworth Leisure Centre
Hexham 2v1 Blyth Isabella
Northern Alliance Division One
Wednesday 15th April 2015
Hexham is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland in the former district of Tynedale, located just south of the River Tyne. The town is located 28 miles west of Newcastle and is just six miles from Hadrians Wall. Hexham Abbey originated as a monastery founded by Wilfrid in 674. The crypt of the original monastery survives, and incorporates many stones taken from nearby Roman ruins at Coria and Hadrian's Wall. The current Hexham Abbey dates largely from the 11th century  but was significantly rebuilt in the 19th century. Other notable buildings in Hexham include the Moot Hall, the Old Gaol and the covered market.

Hexham FC was formed as a junior club in 2002 with the union of two teams in the town; the Bears and the Tigers. The club took their green and white hooped kit in honour of Hexham Hearts, who were a top senior club after the Second World War. In 2005 they became a Charter Standard Development Club, with junior teams covering all age groups and a senior side which joined the Northern Alliance Division Two in 2006. The seniors were Division Two champions in 2011-12 winning promotion to Division One where they've played since.
The Wentworth Leisure Centre is found next to the town’s main car park and opposite the train station. The changing rooms are within the centre with a fully railed off pitch adjoining the main building. There is one dugout on each side with a 50 seater stand which sits in front of the eight lane running track. There are eight floodlight pylons which meant tonight's game could kick off at 7pm, instead of the usual 6.15pm at this stage of the season.

After seeing both teams in action recently I was expecting a good open contest and that’s exactly what we got, with the match settled deep into stoppage time. Hexham took the lead in the 18th minute with another cracking goal from Tony Lancaster, who ran onto a through ball in the centre of midfield and blasted in an unstoppable drive from 20 yards. 

Isabella applied the pressure for much of the second half and equalised on the hour mark when Matthew Lavender was on hand to slide in a right wing cross. At this point there was only one team in it, and they could have settled matters in the last minute when a close range header was brilliantly saved by Sean Heads, who somehow managing to claw the ball over from just under the crossbar. That save looked to have earned his side a precious point but as it turned out it was three, as moments later Luke Parkinson connected with a through ball on the left flank and fired into the roof of the net. A valuable win for Hexham at the foot of the First Division, who remain second bottom but are only 3 points behind rivals Isabella and New Fordley with games in hand.


Matchday Stats
HFC 2(Lancaster 18 Parkinson 90+1) BIFC 1(Lavender 61)
Att.25hc
Top Bloke - Luke Parkinson(Hexham)
Admission & programme:none
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My Matchday - 451 Beechwood Park

April 19, 2015, 2:57 am
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Auchinleck Talbot 2v1 Hurlford United
(Talbot win 5-2 on aggregate)
Scottish Junior Cup Semi-Final Second leg
Saturday 18th April 2015
Another trip into the Scottish Juniors for the big clash between Auchinleck Talbot, the most successful club in the Junior Cup against the current holders Hurlford United in an all Ayrshire semi-final.

Wherabouts and Whatsabouts
Auchinleck is situated at the heart of the ancient Kyle district in Ayrshire. The name derives from Scottish Gaelic -  achadh ('field') and leac ('slab') meaning a 'field of flat stones' There are records of a community existing from the early 13th century, however the village came to prominence with arrival of the Boswell family in 1504. The marriage of a daughter of Sir John Auchinleck to Thomas Boswell, saw the estate and the title of laird granted to Boswell by King James IV. The family’s diligence of their large estate saw the growth of a practical village community emerge from the surrounding barren moorland. 

The village benefited from mining and quarrying in the area, which saw the population rise fourfold in fifty years to almost 7,000 by 1881. The Nationalisation of coal industry in 1947 brought investment, along with the building of the Barony Power Station in 1957. However the village went into industrial decline after the demise of deep pit mining and the closure of the power station in 1989.
Surrounding the village is Auchinleck House, which is an 18th-century Category A listed mansion. The estate has the remains of Auchinleck Castle and Auchinleck Old House and it was the former home of the lawyer, diarist and biographer James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck.  His biography of Dr. Samuel Johnson is regarded as an important stage in the development of the modern genre, claimed at the time as the greatest biography written in English.
Plantpot History
Auchinleck Talbot formed in 1909 and are named in honour of Lord Talbot de Maldahide, the man who gifted the club their Beechwood Park home. Due to financial problems Talbot folded in 1916 but returned four years later, winning the Ayrshire Cup with a 3-0 victory over Irvine Meadow. In 1920 they set a club goalscoring record in the Scottish Junior Cup, defeating Craigbank 11–0 at home, a scoreline they surpassed when hammering Nairn St. Ninian 13–1 in 2008.

Talbot are the most successful club in the history of the Scottish Junior Cup, lifting the trophy on ten occasions, stretching back to a 3-2 victory over Petershill in 1949. They became the first club to lift the trophy in three consecutive years with a 3-2 win over Pollock in 1986, followed by single goal victories over Kilbirnie Ladeside and Petershill. At the turn of the 1990’s they beat Newtongrange Star and Glenafton, with their next success coming 14 years later against Bathgate Thistle in the 2006 final. In recent years they have been the team you have to beat in the cup, with Talbot triumphant over Clydebank in 2009 in their centenary year, Musselburgh Athletic in 2011 and Linlithgow Rose in 2013. The chance of another three in a row was denied after losing the 2012 final to Shotts Bon Accord.
Its not just the Junior Cup where honours have been won, there's also eleven Ayrshire League titles, three West of Scotland Super League Premier Division and they won the West of Scotland Cup nine seasons out of ten between 1979 and 1989, plus there's also an array of regional cup competitions to add to the trophy cabinet.
Ground no.451 Beechwood Park
(Scottish Grounds 59 Junior Grounds 14 Lifetime Junior Cup Winners 9/27)

The ground is dominated by the impressive main stand, which was opened in 2005 and sits halfway with a mixture of 500 different coloured seats. There is terracing on all sides with covered enclosures at the far side beyond the dugouts and behind the goal at the Social Club end. On the terraces theres The Bot Shop which sells club souvenirs and Andy’s Snacks cabin which has a good selection of food and a good supply of scabby-eyes (pies) The ground has some nice touches, painted in the gold and black club colours with the club crest embossed on the walls. 
The Match
If you need to know the reason why I've fallen head over heels for the Junior game then its occasions such as this. A fabulous ground within a scenic setting, with a match full of passion, commitment and drama. The Bot went into the second leg with a handsome 3-1 lead from the first leg at Blair Park last Saturday and it seemed just a case of finishing off the job to reach their 13th Junior Cup final.

Talbot had the best of the first half, applying pressure with a few decent headed efforts on goal but nothing clear cut in a disjointed opening period. The match sprang into life just two minutes after the restart in a crazy 10 minute spell as I was queuing up at the snack bar for a pie. 
Talbot goalkeeper Andy Leishman brought down Ross Robertson in the box with the referee having no hesitation in awarding the penalty, followed by a straight red card. Without a substitute 'keeper it was left to Davy Gormley to don the goalies gloves, and he miraculously pulled off a fabulous save to deny Stewart Kean from 12 yards. The save lead to a mad scramble in the six yard box with the ball eventually put out for a corner and two players booked for playing a major part in the fracas.
From the resulting corner kick the ball was met at the far post by Robertson who headed home to put the Ford back in the tie. It was now game on with the visitors having the extra man advantage and facing an untried 'keeper between the sticks. That numerical edge didn't last much longer as two minutes later an ugly tackle from Kean meant a second yellow card, so we were back to level sides with still half an hour left to play.
This seemed to give the home side a major boost and they went onto win the tie with two individual pieces of brilliance. Just before the hour mark a Bryan Young inswinging corner swerved over the defence and directly into the far corner of the net to put his side level and restore the two goal aggregate advantage. 
Hurlford failed to test the stand in 'keeper and their grip on the trophy slipped away with an ambitious effort from Keir Milliken, striking his shot wide on the left and a few yards over the halfway line, sailed high, handsome and over the 'keeper and into the net. A truly wonderful strike and a fitting goal to book a place in another cup final for The Bot.
This striker knows how to save a penalty strike

Matchday Stats
ATFC 2(Young 59 Milliken 71)HUFC 1 (Robertson 51)
Att.1,700apx
Top Bloke - Keir Milliken (Auchinleck Talbot)

Spondoolicks
Admission £7
Programme £2
Pin badge £3
Mince and onion pie £1.20
Coffee 80p

Foetoes(Matchday album of 24 pictures from Beechwood Park)
My Matchday
The journey to Auchinleck was straight forward, boarding the 0924 from Newcastle to Carlisle, then the slow train to Glasgow Central at 11.15, which goes via Gretna Green and Dumfries then onwards through Ayrshire. I had half an hour spare in between trains but managed to resisted a quick bevvy in Wetherspoon, to grab a bite to eat instead, plus I was still feeling a bit rough from the Newcastle Beer Festival the night before.

I arrived in Auchinleck at 1240 and headed straight to the ground. As there was a big crowd expected I wanted to take some photographs of a naked Beechwood Park. There was quite a few club staff already at the ground and I was made welcome and allowed a lap of snaps. 
I called into the Boswell Arms for a pint before returning for a drink in the Supporters Social Club, where I met up with Donald McCrorie from the 100FgC Facebook group for a quick chat before the game.

The Railway Inn is the closest pub to the train station so I had a pint in there before the 1708 to Carlisle. The journey home was straight forward as well, due back in Newcastle nice and early at 2018. Its a this point in the proceedings that this pleasant spring day in glorious warm Ayrshire sunshine went fat bottom over large bosom! .... 
..The train from Auchinleck didn't turn up, apparently there was a staff shortage so the train was cancelled, however they didn't bother to pass this valuable piece of information on to the half a dozen commuters waiting patiently on platform 2. 
The next train wasn't due until twenty to seven, so this meant I would have to catch the last train from Carlisle, so I would be back home 3 hours later than scheduled. Just as I was about to go back into the village and kill an hour in the pub a bus pulled into the car park. I asked the driver if he was a train replacement and he confirmed he was going to Carlisle. I was hoping we would arrive in the border town in time for the 1941 service, but we pulled into the station ten minutes after its departure, so this meant the dreaded drunken fuelled last train home.

To cut this long(journey home) story short, I got wind of a bloke also travelling back to Newcastle who had been on the same bus from Kilmarnock. He was kicking off big style in the station office about this shoddy service and demanded a taxi home. I casually strolled into the office and with my very best little boy look entreated for a share of the taxi ride, which the gentleman in question agreed to with the train station guard only to willing to help.
So my return journey from a terrific day in Auchinleck was by coach and a taxi, arriving in Newcastle at 9.30pm and back home for ten. Of course these transport shenanigans are all part of a football travellers life, and I can life with the odd hiccup now and then, as long as the destination has been well worth the effort and today it certainly was.

Footnote
All going well I’m in the process of writing a book on the winners of the Junior Cup over the last 50 years, so I’ll be writing a more thorough piece on my matchday at Auchinleck. This chapter will also include A69 madness, pregnant women and the laughing cavalier.
You can check the progress and a map of the grounds on my list on theT’Do Page.
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My Matchday - 452 Hall Corner

April 22, 2015, 2:28 am
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Glapwell 1v4 Clay Cross Town
Central Midlands Football League North Division
Tuesday 21st April 2015

 For my 100th game of the season it was Central Midlands League action, with a road trip to Derbyshire. While I'm quite content to reach three figures over the season, this is small fry compared with my travel companions. Katie, our reliable girl behind the steering wheel was attending her 182nd game this campaign, while her boyfriend Lee was on a mere 261 matches.

Whereabouts and Whatsabouts
Glapwell is a village in the north east of Derbyshire, between the towns of Chesterfield and Mansfield,  located on the main A617 road, next to the small town of Bolsover.
This village is mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086, observing that Serb held the village for William Peverel, who was a favourite of William the Conqueror and greatly honoured after the Norman Conquest. He received as his reward 162 manors in central England from the king, forming collectively the Honour of Peverel, in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, of which Glapwell was one of them.
Glapwell Colliery, known locally as the Glappy Mine opened in 1882, with seam workings stopping in 1973 before fully closing the following year. The village is also the birthplace of former page 3 bird Jo Guest, who was many a young blokes wet dream during the 1990's and among her many followers who drooled at the sight of this blonde bombshell was my good pal Zippy Turnbull. 
Plantpot History
Glapwell FC formed in 1985 and joined the Central Midlands Football League Division One in 1989, becoming league champions in their opening campaign, quickly followed by promotion to its Supreme League.  In the 1997–98 season Glapwell the club won the Derbyshire Senior Cup for the first and only time, beating Matlock Town on penalty kicks after the tie was level on aggregate. 
In 1996 they joined the Northern Counties East League and won promotion through its two divisions to reach the Northern Premier League Division One South Division in 2009. After three seasons they resigned, returning to the Central Midlands League due to ground licence issues. During their spell in the Northern Premier League their best performance was finishing 3rd in the 2009-10 season and narrowly losing in the play-off final to Chasetown.
Ground no.452 Hall Corner
(Non-League Grounds 222)

Hall Corner is found in the north of the village, having seen better days, with the floodlights chopped in half and condemned, plus the old club shop has closed. At the turnstile entrance there's the club bar and changing rooms situated behind the goal. There are three sections of cover down one side, from halfway up to the top corner filled with a mixture of different seats and benches. The dugouts are opposite with a covered standing enclosure at one side. The rest of the ground is open with hard standing all round.
The club returned to Hall Corner in December 2010 after an agreement with Mansfield Town which allowed Glapwell to play their home games at Field Mill for the 2010-11 season. That was until The Stags were locked out of their ground by their landlord, which saw Glapwell returning to their real home.
The Match
Glapwell faced promotion chasing Clay Cross Town, who strengthened their place in the top two with a convincing 4-1 win. Glappy took the lead in the 18th minutes when Daniel Russell headed in from a corner kick at the back post, but the visitors were soon level when the 'keeper fouled the number nine and Ryan Ordidge converted the resulting penalty.
The Millers got their noses in front when a deep free kick from Will Harcourt picked out Ryan Booker to head home just after the half hour mark. 
The points looked assured when Thomas Poole capitalised on a lack of communication between defender and goalkeeper to nip in and guide the ball towards an open goal after 52 minutes. Then five minutes from time James Whitfield latched onto a long through ball and hit a sweet half volley over the 'keeper from 20 yards to put the gloss on a fine away victory which puts them top of the league.

Matchday Stats and Spon
GFC 1(Russell 18) CCTFC 4(Ordidge 24pen Booker 33 Poole 52 Whitfield 85)
Att.78hc
Top Bloke - Thomas Poole (Clay Cross Town)
Admission £3
Programme £1
Coffee 50p
My Matchday
A big bonus in travelling to matches with Lee and Katie is ticking off a new Wetherspoons. The pub choice on this occassion was The Pillar of Rock in Bolsover, opened in July 2013 found in the shadows of the castle. The breadknife dropped me in Houghton-le-Spring earlier in the afternoon to meet Katie for my lift, so we arrived in Derbyshire at 4.30pm. I had a couple of previously unsupped ales and a John Shuttleworth meal("eggs and gammon,poor Rhyanin...") if you know what I mean. Overall another pleasant evening out and the early kick off meant I was back at 100FgC HQ by 11pm.

Foetoes (Matchday album of 33 pictures from Hall Corner)
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3rd Precision Notts Senior League Bonanza

April 28, 2015, 2:26 am
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Friday 24th April

453.Kingsway Park
Ashland Rovers 3v3 Newark Flowserve
Notts Senior Football League - Division One
7.30pm k.o.
For this year’s annual visit to Nottingham I was accompanied by the breadknife and my daughter Laura as I drove down to Notts on the Friday afternoon for the first match of the weekend in Kirkby-in-Ashfield. We arrived in the Ashfield District of Nottinghamshire at 4.40pm, but due to the heavy rush hour traffic we didn’t reach the ground until five thirty. With 2 hours to spare until kick off I had no option but to reluctantly spend the spare time in the local Wetherspoons; The Regent which is just along the road from Kingsway Park.

The ground has a nice welcoming archway at the entrance which leads into the park, which was laid out in 1930 on land sold to Kirkby-in-Ashfield District Council by a Miss Catherine Hodgkinson of Kirkby House. The land was to be used and maintained as a public playing field for the community. The football pitch is to the right of the main building opposite the kiddies park. It’s fully railed off down one side and behind the bottom goal with a wooden fence, with the other half of the pitch caged. There are tent style dugouts at the far side with the near side behind the popular spot for spectators benefiting by a slope separating the car park.

Ashland Rovers were originally called Sutton Trinity, formed as a junior team 20 years ago. The club became a senior team and began playing Saturday football as Acrumac FC in the Elizabethan League, before progressing to the Midlands Amateur Alliance when they changed to their current name. The club joined the Notts Senior League in 2013 from the Notts Amateur Alliance.

Ashland Rovers sporting a smart  Denis The Menace style kit, took an early lead when a free kick just over the halfway line from Matt Allen bounced in front of the ‘keepers and over his head into the net. The goalmouth was covered in sand, akin to Stamford Bridge in the 1970s, so this played a major assist in the opening goal. Newark who were the better side in the first half, equalising in stoppage time when Jamie Charlton latched onto a right wing cross, before two well taking headed goals from Luke Boddy made it 3-1 with twenty minutes remaining. This looked game over for Rovers but they showed great spirit to grab a well earned point thanks to Pete Dunn, who scrambled in at the back post from a corner kick on 86 minutes, quickly followed by nipping in front of the ‘keeper to guide the ball over the line. A great game to start off the weekend and the draw meant Newark Flowserve are promoted to the Senior Division.

Matchday Stats and Spondoolicks
ARFC 3(Allen 8 Dunn 86,87) NFFC 3(Charlton 45+1 Boddy 50,72)
Att.297
Top Bloke - Luke Boddy(Newark Flowserve)
Admission £3
Programme £1
Pin badge £3
Coffee £1 Hot Chocolate £1



Saturday 25th April 2015

454.ButtsPlaying Field
Bingham Town 0v0 Ruddington Village
Notts Senior Football League - Senior Division
10.10am k.o.
After arriving in Nottingham late on Friday night and going out for a few nightcaps, I was up early Saturday morning to first of all move my car to a cheaper car park, then to meet Rob Hornby and his coach load of groundhoppers outside the rail station at 8.30. While queuing to climb aboard the happy bus I overheard an incredibly hairy looking gentleman mention there was a Wetherspoons in Bingham. The town is just 11 miles east of the city centre, so we arrived an hour before kick off, so enough time to find The Butter Cross in the Market Place, where I had a few swiftys with Mark Wilkins. 

Bingham Town joined the Notts Senior League in 2009 and play at the Butt Field, which is as close to the railway station as you could possibly get, just off the eastbound platform. The changing rooms and smart looking clubhouse are on the same side as recently built new dugouts. The ground is shared with the cricket club so it is roped off on all four sides.
Bingham Town kitted out in a dayglow green hi-vis jersey were up against Ruddington Village. The hosts were the better side, creating plenty of chances without severely testing the goalkeeper. The goalless draw upset quite a few groundhoppers which made me smile, as they seem to look upon a nowts each as a bigger disaster than a relegation or a heavy cup defeat for their own particular clubs.

Matchday Stats and Spondoolicks
BTFC 0 RVFC 0
Att.387
Top Bloke - Harley Cox(Bingham Town)
(stuck a pin in the teamsheet)
Admission £3
Programme £1
Pin badge £3
Bacon & egg sandwich £2.50
Coffee £1



455. Victoria Park
Netherfield Albion 1v0 Nottinghamshire FC
Notts Senior League - Division One
12.50pm k.o.


Next stop was a nine mile trip to Victoria Park in Netherfield, found just on the A612 opposite the retail park. The ground has the changing rooms at the entrance with a refreshment hatch at the back. The ground is basically two football fields full of dandelions and daisies with the nearer pitch roped off. As the home side wear black ‘n’ white striped shirts I bought one for £3, having some really good crack with the big lad selling the hot drinks and the fellow selling the souvenirs & programmes.
Netherfield Albion formed in 1931, originally playing at Stoke Lane in the Notts Alliance. Amongst their many achievements in their early history was winning the Notts Intermediate Cup in 1936 in front of 2,625 spectators at Meadow Lane. The club have been members of the Notts Senior League since 2009, after progressing from the Notts Amateur Alliance League.
Prior to all the matches on the hop this weekend there was a minutes silence in memory of the Bradford Fire which is about to reach 30 years since that sad day at Valley Parade. The players for this game wore black armbands as the silence was also observed for Nottinghamshire secretary Colin Spencer, who sadly passed away just a few weeks ago while marking out the pitch before a home game. 
This match was a first for me as I’ve never seen a goalkeeper or a linesman (never mind both on the same day) wearing glasses. The Nottinghamshire ‘keeper made a few spec-tacular saves but the match looked to be heading towards another 0-0, which some of us perversely wanted as we headed into the last quarter of an hour. The poor game wasn’t helped by a heavy downpour of rain which would’ve had me soaked wet through, if it wasn’t for the extra layer made up from the three quid football shirt and the use of Chris Berezai’s big umbrella. However a day which promised an orgy of goalless draws was quashed with six minutes remaining when Chris Riley got on the end of a left wing cross to fire home at the second attempt to give Albion the three points.

Matchday Stats and Spondoolicks
NAFC 1(Riley 84) NFC 0
Att.292
Top Bloke - Chris Riley(Netherfield Albion)
Admission £3
Programme £1
Pin badge £3
Home worn football shirt (no.9) £3
Coffee £1


456. The Poplars
Burton Joyce 3v3 Attenborough
Notts Senior League - Senior Division
3.20pm k.o.
For the next match it was a short 2 mile drive along to Burton Joyce. An acquaintance of Mark Wilkins offered us a lift to a GBG pub on route, so we ditched the bus and went to the ‘Inn For A Penny’ in Carlton before the game. 
Burton Joyce were formed in 1990 as a junior team playing home games at Lowdham. They moved to The Poplars in 1997 and added a senior team to their set up who joined the Notts Alliance Division Two in 2002-03. As well as the changing rooms the pavilion also houses the John Harris Room clubhouse, from there it’s quite a long walk to the football pitch in the far corner over the cricket field. The roped off pitch was in immaculate condition with a set of dugouts on one side.
After two poor games we were treated to more action in the opening five minutes than previously witnessed in the previous 180. Burton Joyce were quick off the mark, missing a penalty in the fourth minute, before Sam Buckle ran through on goal and fired in just a minute later. Attenborough quickly drew level with a nice ‘n’ neat 20 yard free kick from the aptly named Joe Nice, before taking the lead on the half hour mark when Alex Elliker did well to slide the ball into the net from a tight angle. Elliker grabbed his second of the afternoon on the hour mark, meeting a left wing cross on the half volley which looked to have guaranteed the visitors all three points. However after reading the script from the Friday night game, the home team finished strongly and grabbed a draw with a well taking individual effort from Ryan Easom, before Troy Smith was on hand to make it all square. Five minutes from time Burton Joyce ‘keeper Roscoe Easom was sent off when he took out Elliker when running through on goal, but the ten men held on in a thoroughly entertaining encounter.

Matchday Stats and Spondoolicks
BJFC 3(Buckle 5 Ryan Easom 67 Smith 83) AFC 3(Nice 9 Elliker 29,61)
Att.279
Top Bloke - Alex Elliker(Attenborough)
Admission £3
Programme £1
Pin badge £3 Tea 80p



457. Walesby Sports & Social Club
Sandhurst 4v2 Kirton Brickworks
Notts Senior League - Senior Division
6.15pm k.o.

For the final game of the day is was a 20 mile journey north to Walesby. The longer distance between the grounds gave me a chance to catch up on my sleep, before the coach arrived ten minutes before kick off. 
Sandhurst FC share the Walesby Sports & Social Club with the local cricket club. The pitch is at the bottom end of the site over the cricket pitch, which is roped off with a pair of brick dugouts. The small village club formed in 1994 from a reserve team from Bilsthorpe, formerly playing in the Notts Amateur League and the Notts Alliance before joining the Notts Senior League in 2004.

The battle for the wooden spoon in the Senior Division, produced another good game to round of this 3rd Notts Hop. The visitors Kirton Brickwork were originally meant to host this game, but due to ground issues, Sandhurst their local rivals from a mile along the road staged the event.
Scott Ricketts blasted Kirton into a sixth minute lead, rifling in his free kick from a good 25 yards, but they fell behind with two goals in three minutes before half time. In the 29th minute Lee Shaw nodded in the rebound after the ‘keeper saved the initial shot, then a few minutes later the goalie carelessly flapped an Eric Pearson cross into the net. 
Sandhurst added two more in the second half to take the Brickworks goals against tally up to 136. Kyle Clarkson fired in the spot-kick after a penalty was awarded for handball, quickly followed by a right wing cross picking out Ashley Siddall with a simple finish at the far post. The visitors grabbed a late consolation through Cooper, but a well earned victory for Sandhurst still gives them hope in avoiding the drop.

Matchday Stats and Spondoolicks
SFC 4(Shaw 29 Pearson 32 Clarkson 54pen Siddall 55) KBFC 2(Ricketts 6 Cooper 82)
Att.346
Top Bloke - Lee Shaw(Sandhurst)
Admission £3
Programme £1
Pin badge £3
Baked Potato with cheese & beans £2.50
Coffee 50p
Chicken & vegetable cup-a-soup 50p


After the game we headed straight back to Nottingham Rail Station, where our day had started over 12 hours earlier. From there I ran back to the hotel to meet Debra and Laura, had a quick wash and change, then I was out on the lash until 1am. 
It was yet again, another well organised Groundhop by Rob Hornby and next year will be the last Notts Senior League ‘Hop. Rob will hopefully continue to organise these events as he’s already in talks with another league for the season after. As is always the case on these weekends its great to meet up with my groundhopping friends, which makes it such a great event, so all going well I’ll be back again next year for the fourth consecutive year of the Notts Senior League Bonanza.

Links -
Rob Hornby's blog
100FgC Archive -
1st Precision Notts Senior League Bonanza (2013)
2nd Precision Notts Senior League Bonanza (2014)

Foetoes (Matchday Web album of 89 pictures from the Notts 'Hop)

Bevvy Almanac
The Regent (Kirkby-in-Ashfield)
Lincoln Green 'Sherwood' (4.3%)***+
Greene King 'George & Flagon' (4.5%)***
Roebuck Inn(Nottingham)
Burton Bridge 'Spring Ale' (4.7%)***+
Milestone 'Crusader' (4.4%)***+
Ye Olde Jerusalem(Nottingham)
Nottingham 'Legend' (4%)***+
The Butter Cross (Bingham)
Grainstore 'Spring Time' (4.5%)***+
Grainstore 'Ten Fifty' (5%)***+
Inn For A Penny (Carlton)
Castle Rock 'Harvest Pale' (3.8%)**** (Re-sup)
Joseph Else(Nottingham)
Mr Grundy's 'Big Willie'(4.3%)****
Springhead 'Argenta' (4.2%)****+
Nutbrook 'S S S Sintra' (4.2%)****
The Ned Ludd (Nottingham)
Navigation 'Apus' (5.5%)****
Ye Olde Salutation (Nottingham)
Woodforde's 'Flagondry' (3.6%)***+
Purity 'Pure UBU' (4.5%)***+
Hop Back 'Summer Lightning' (5%) ****(Re-sup)
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My Matchday - 458 Miners Welfare Ground

April 29, 2015, 10:42 am
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Bentley Colliery 2v5 Bilsthorpe
Central Midlands Football League - North Division
Tuesday 28th April 2015
 Following on from last Tuesday's trip to Glapwell, the north-east contingent of the 100FgC were back watching top of the table action in the Central Midlands North League, with title chasing Bilsthorpe away to Bentley Colliery.

Whereabouts and Whatsabouts
Bentley is a village in South Yorkshire, about 2 miles north-east from the centre of  Doncaster.  The former mining village  lies on the River Don and is made up of three parts; West End, New Village and Rostholme
After negotiations with local landowners the sinking of the Bentley Colliery began in 1904 and by 1910 employed over 1000 men.  On the 16th of November 1993, British Coal announced its intention to close Bentley Colliery and by  early 1995 the site was demolished. The redevelopment of the site began in 1998, and now forms part of the Bentley Community Forest.
 Plantpot History
The club was originally founded in 1912 and played  in the Yorkshire League during the early 1920s. After the Second World War, they rejoined the league and won  promotion to the top flight in 1952. The club played within the top two divisions of the Yorkshire League  until they eventually folded in 1961. 
The club was reformed in 1976 as a Sunday league side before re-entered senior football  in the Doncaster & District Senior League during the 1990s. The club won the league title in 2001, gaining  promotion to the Central Midlands League. They won promotion from the Premier Division to the Supreme Division in 2007, but despite a mid-table finish they were forcibly relegated the following season due to their lack of floodlights. The reconstructing of the league in 2011 saw them  placed in the North Division of the CMFL, where they have played since.

Ground no.459 Miners Welfare Ground
(Non-League grounds 228)

On entering the ground there's a collection of cabins which are used for home, away and officials changing rooms, the cafe and the toilets. Further along on the Avenue Road side is a large seven step covered terrace with the traditional Yorkshire welfare design roof. The stand is set back from the pitch with the dugouts in front and hardstanding along this side. The rest of the ground has grass banking on the far side and behind the goals.
The Match
Prior to the match Bilsthorpe were joint top of the North Division, neck in neck on points with Clay Cross Town, but with games in hand. They took control from the kick off, taking the lead midway through the first half courtesy of a Liam Black header followed by Joseph Mear firing in on 37 minutes.  Bentley halved the deficit in the 72nd minute when Elyja Takrem Sham(simply known as Tak) stopped a goal bound effort on the line, before quickly firing in with an overhead shot, but five minutes later Mear wearing the number 77 shirt scored in the 77th minute running onto a through ball and sliding in past the advancing 'keeper.  A late brace from Mark Carter sealed the win, capitising on a defensive mistake before netting the rebound after an initial shot came back off the foot of the post to make it 5-1. The match was rounded off  by a 30 yard screamer from Ryan Nicholson, its a shame such a terrific goal was just a mere consolidated in an enjoyable contest.

Matchday Stats
BCFC 2(Takrem Sham 72 Nicholson 90+2) BFC 5(Black 26  Mear 37 ,77  Carter 84,87)
Att.32hc
Top Bloke - Joseph Mear (Blisthorpe)

Spondoolicks
Admission £3
Programme £1(sold out)
Pin badge £3
Coffee(in a proper mug) 60p
Double Decker chocolate (out of the fridge) 60p
 My Matchday
My regular reader should know my Tuesday night routine with Lee and Katie by now. The teatime Wetherspoons this week was the Broken Bridge in Pontefract and there was also time to call at  The Blue Bell in Hemsworth before heading to Bentley for the 6.30 kick off. These were two new pub ticks for me but were revists for my fellow travellers, so this kind gesture was much appreciated. 
As we entered the ground the first person we saw was Facebook legend John McClure(100FgC A9) who had travelled down from York for the game. He had managed to trouser one of the ten programmes issued, but there was none left by the time we arrived, but they did have pin badges for sale. Another good trip into Yorkshire watching Central Midlands League action, and the early kick off meant I was back home at 11pm, despite the many road diversions which crossed our path.

Foetoes (Web album of 28 pictures from the Miners Welfare Ground)
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My Matchday - 459 The Ings

May 3, 2015, 3:06 am
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Wetherby Athletic 1v2 Leeds City
West Yorkshire League - Premier Division
Saturday 2nd May 2015
With the majority of the football in the north-east finished, its that part of the season when you look further a field for any remaining fixtures, and the closest match from home was in north Yorkshire in the market town of Wetherby, within the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire. 
I drove down to the match after finishing work picking up Lee and Katie in Houghton-le-Spring on the way. We arrived in the town an hour before kick off, so plenty of time for them to visit the Wetherby Whaler chippy before the match. 


Wetherby stands on the River Wharfe, having been for many centuries a crossing place and staging post on the A1 Great North Road, in between London and Edinburgh. Wetherby Bridge which spans the river is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade II listed structure. The Old Great North Road passes through the town, so a large number of coaching inns were established which are still used by travellers today, and in its heyday there were up to forty inns and alehouses. 
Wetherby is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Wedrebi, thought to derive from wether- or ram-farm meaning "settlement on the bend of a river".
Wetherby is a place I’ve passed on the A1 thousands of times, but my only knowledge of the town is its racecourse and its famous chippy, a regular stop off point for the Newcastle United team coach and supporters after long road trips south in the 1980s.
The club was formed in 1949, from the amalgamation of  Wetherby AFC and Wetherby Rovers FC. They currently runs seven senior sides and two ladies teams playing both Saturday and Sunday league football. The club are based at The Ings, which is an old word of Norse origin referring to water meadows and marshes. The Wetherby Ings by the River Wharfe on the south bank are used as parkland and for sports grounds for the town's football and rugby  teams. 
The complex is home to all the town’s sporting clubs, as well as Wetherby Athletic, its hosted by Wetherby Bulldogs RLFC and Wetherby RUFC. 
The main football pitch is opposite the Wetherby Sports Association Club, which has bar and hot drink facilities with Sky Sports on view. The building also houses the changing rooms which means a walk across the car park to the fully railed off pitch.
Wetherby Athletic hosted Leeds City, buoyant from their League Cup success on Thursday night. The visitors maintained their slim hopes of adding the league title to this seasons honours with a lovely strike from James Houchstrasser, picking the ball up on the edge of the box and placing his shot into the postage stamp of the goal on 36 minutes. Early in the second half Joe Tucker was on hand to fire in at the far post, finishing off a fine team effort to double their lead.
Wetherby finished the game strongly as the Leeds team began to flag after playing two matches within the space of 48 hours and halved the deficit with twenty minutes remaining when Luke Duberry got on the end of a corner kick to head home from close range, but City just managed to hold on and take home the three points.

Matchday Stats and Spon
WAFC 1(Duberry 71) LCFC 2(Houchstrasser 36 Tasker 52)
Att.60hc
Top Bloke - Joe Tasker(Leeds City)
Admission & programme:none
Mug of Coffee £1, Mug of Tea 80p
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My Matchday - 460 McGrath Park

May 4, 2015, 1:13 pm
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Cleator Moor Celtic 0v2 Stockton Town
Monkwearmouth Charity Cup Final
Monday 4th May 2015

It was quite a few years ago when I originally ticked off all but one the Wearside League grounds. The venue that has eluded me all this time is McGrath Park, home of Cleator Moor Celtic, reason being it’s a canny hike and a bugger to get to on public transport. I was determined to finally head across to Cumbria this season and this was the ideal opportunity, as they hosted the Monkwearmouth Charity Cup Final on a sunny Bank Holiday Monday.

I left home at 10.30am and drove across the A69, stopping off for a refreshment stop at The Henry Bessemer in Workington as part of my Neverending JD Wetherspoons Tour. At the ground I met up with two members of the 100FgC; David Stoker(Squad#128) who had driven down from West Lothian and Carlisle based Geoff Jackson(Squad#169)
Cleator Moor is a small town and civil parish in Cumbria and within the boundaries of the historic county of Cumberland. The town's skyline is dominated by Dent Fell on the fringe of the Lake District, which is the first fell encountered by ramblers on the Wainwright’s Coast to Coast route. Historically the town was based around the ironworks industry with several iron ore mines which were served by two railways lines. The ironworks saw an influx of Irish workers which gave the town the nickname Little Ireland. The two World Wars saw a fresh inflow of immigrants from mainland Europe to join the settled Irish community, which has caused occasional conflict between Catholic and Protestant residents of the town.
The Irish immigrants formed the town’s football club Cleator Moor Celtic in 1908. The club first hit the headlines in 1950 when they reached the 1st Round of the FA Cup, where they lost to Tranmere Rovers 5–0, played at Borough Park in Workington. 

The club first joined the Wearside League in 1988–89 and spent seven seasons in the league before resigning and rejoining the set up a decade later. Since they’ve returned they’ve won Sunderland Shipowners Cup twice in 2008 and 2013.
Former England international goalkeeper Scott Carson played for Cleator at the tender age of 15 before going on to play in the Premier League. Another famous former player is Whitehaven born Charlie Woods, who was transferred from Cleator Moor Celtic to Newcastle United in May 1959, scoring on his professional debut at Craven Cottage in a 4-3 defeat to Fulham. Woods also played for Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town, Watford and Colchester United and following his retirement became a right hand man throughout Bobby Robson’s career as a coach and a scout.
 The Monkwearmouth Charity Cup has been contested for since 1889-90 and the trophy is a beauty, standing proudly on display at the ground’s entrance. Celtic faced Stockton Town, having already won the League title and the Shipowners Cup, they kept up their chances of a winning all four Wearside League competitions this season with a comfortable victory with two first half goals. Stockton broke the deadlock after 20 minutes when well worked corner kick routine saw Kallum Hannah fire in from close range, followed by a cracking swerving 25 yard drive from Max Craggs ten minutes later. Overall the game was evenly contested and Cleator Moor played well especially in the second half, but Stockton showed what a quality side they are and now it's just Easington Colliery standing in their way in the League Cup final, in their pursuit of winning the quadruple. 

After waiting so long I picked the perfect day to finally complete the Wearside League. The bright afternoon showed off the fabulous surrounding views of the fells and considering it was a Bank Holiday the traffic wasn’t too bad either. All this as well as ticking off another ‘Spoons and meeting up with a couple of the 100FgC squad, meant it was a very enjoyable afternoon, so well worth the canny hike!

Matchday Stats and Spon
CMCFC 0 STFC 2(Hannah 20 Craggs 29)
Att.180apx
Top Bloke - Kallum Hannah(Stockton Town)
Admission £2
Programme £2
Coffee & flapjack £1.50






Foetoes(Matchday album of 27 pictures from McGrath Park)





 
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My Matchday - 461 Malorie Park

May 7, 2015, 10:36 am
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Ripon City 2v3 Boroughbridge
West Yorkshire League - Premier Division
Wednesday 6th May 2015

One of my favourite places is the small city of Ripon,  located in North Yorkshire on the River Ure. The market town was founded over 1300 years ago, and is famous as an old Cathedral City where monasteries have stood since the 7th Century.
Ripon is the third smallest city in England and was originally known as Inhrypum, founded by Saint Wilfrid during the time of Angle kingdom Northumbria, which was an important religious period in Great Britain. Once a year, Ripon holds a procession through the town to commemorate St Wilfrid, with themed floats, morris dancers and classic cars.
The city came to prominence through the wool and cloth industry, then later became well known for its production of spurs during the 16th and 17th century.A market is still held every Thursday in the square next to its 300 year old Obelisk, where the Hornblower will sound his horn at 9 o’clock every night.
I’ve spent many weekends in Ripon, usually for a day at the races, but as well as its racecourse and cathedral, the town is a tourist hotspot because of its close proximity to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Fountains Abbey and the Studley Royal Park.
A football club in Ripon was first established in 1898, but it was after the First World War that the town’s two existing teams Ripon United and Ripon City merged, becoming Ripon City AFC. 
The new club immediately made improvements to their Malorie Park home by erecting a new stand. The 95 year old stand is still sitting on the halfway line, fitted with five rows of bench seats, with the club name proudly marked out in red on the roof facade. At the front of the stand on each side are the brick dugouts, which are painted white. The clubhouse which was built in 1977 is at the entrance facing the car park, with the team changing rooms in a separate building at the back. The pitch is railed off on all sides with no hard standing.
The club purchased the ground in 1962 and are seeking to sell up then relocate to much larger premises, eventually building a community based sports complex, to develop a higher standard of football and progress up the pyramid.

The club have played in the York & District League and also the Allertonshire League and by the 1950s had a decent side, winning both the Ripon League Senior and Junior Charity cups as well as reaching the final of both the Whitworth and Hulme cup in 1958.
In July 1990 the club amalgamated with Ripon Yorkshire Magnets A.F.C. to becoming Ripon City Magnets from the 1991-92 season. The club moved from the Harrogate League to the West Yorkshire League Division One in 1999, winning promotion to its Premier Division in their second season. In 2007 they reverting back to their original name and the club currently also runs a reserve team in the West Yorkshire Alliance One Division, a Sunday team in the Claro League and an occasional appearance from the Ripon Veterans.
It was a battle to avoid the wooden spoon at Malorie Park, as City facedBoroughbridge, who sit just two points adrift at the foot of the table. Ripon raced into a two goal lead courtesy of a fortunate effort from Dan Hickey on 14 minutes, which bounced in front of the ‘keeper and through his hands, quickly followed by a fine one-on-one finish from Luca Crompton. Boro finished the half strongly and got themselves back in it just before half time when a corner kick was headed home by Ben Jones from six yards.
The second half was evenly poised but the visitors finished the game on top, grabbing an equaliser when a free kick from the right was met by Josh Gardner at the back stick, then with seconds remaining Jake Fletcher picked the ball up on the left before cutting inside and chipping the ‘keeper at the far post. That late winner meant Boro leapfrog Ripon at the bottom of the table, so this derby battle will go ahead again next season, but unfortunatly it’ll be a Division One fixture.
Nowadays there’s usually someone at the match who I know, this time it was Paul Brockett, a regular contributor on the 100FgC Facebook page along with Adrian, a relatively new groundhopper. The drive to Ripon takes an hour and a quarter from 100FgC HQ, however as much I enjoyed visiting the football club, it was hard work to come to Ripon and not go into the One Eyed Rat for a pint, which is in my Top 10 Favourite Pubs of all time. As this season comes to a close I’m hoping to make a quick return to Ripon during those few football free Saturday’s during the summer, for one of my favourite pub crawls.


Matchday Stats
RCFC 2(Hickey 14 Crompton 16)BFC 3(Jones 43 Gardner 82 Fletcher 90+3)
Att.65hc
Top Bloke - Josh Gardner(Boroughbridge)
Admission & programme:none



Foetoes (Matchday album of 23 pictures from Malorie Park)
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My Matchday - 462 Warout Stadium

May 16, 2015, 2:25 pm
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Glenrothes 1v1 Forfar West End
East Region Premier League
Saturday 16th May 2015
 My future publication project continued with the tenth visit to a club that has won the Junior Cup during my lifetime, with a trip to Glenrothes within the Kingdom of Fife.

Whereabouts and Whatsabouts
Glenrothes is a town in the heart of Fife, situated approximately 30 miles in between the cities of Edinburgh and Dundee. The name Glenrothes comes from its historical link with the Earl of Rothes, who owned much of the land with "Glen" (Scottish for valley) added to the name as it lies in the valley of the River Leven. The small village became one of Scotland's first post-second world war new towns, with the original plan to provide houses for miners at the newly established Rothes Colliery. The town developed as an important industrial centre in Scotland's Silicon Glen sector from the early 1960’s with several major electronics and hi-tech companies setting up facilities in the town. Glenrothes is the administrative capital of Fife and has a quite unique town centre(akin to Washington), as the majority is indoors within the Kingdom Shopping Centre, the largest of its kind in Fife.


Plantpot History
Glenrothes Football Club formed in 1964 and enjoyed instant success by winning the Fife County League in their second competitive season, the first of three successive league titles. The Fife Regional League was won in 1969-70 and they were crowned champions on four occasions through the seventies and twice in the eighties, the last of which was in 1984-85. Since the Fife clubs became part of the the East Region Junior set up, they were relegated from the Super League in 2006, but made a quick return after clinching the Premier League the following season.

Exactly four years from the day the club was founded, they reached the Junior Cup final. They negotiated some tricky ties on route to the final at Hampden Park, where they met Johnstone Burgh in front of a crowd of 28,800. The match finished 2-2, but three days later the clubs returned to Hampden for the replay, with the Glens narrowly losing out in a 4-3 thriller, witnessed by an attendance of  21,700. 
The club have won an array of cup honours over the last half a decade but the Junior Cup took pride of place in 1974/75. The club defeated Arbroath Victoria, Dunipace, St Roch’s, Cumbernauld United, Baillieston after a replay and Ashfield in the semi-final. Hampden Park again hosted the final where they faced Rutherglen Glencairn in front of a 17,776 crowd, who witnessed Willie Cunningham grab the only goal of the game to take the prestigious trophy to the Warout Stadium for the only time in their proud history.
Ground no.462 Warout Stadium
(Scottish Grounds 60 SJFA Grounds 15 Lifetime Junior Cup winners 10/27)

The Glens originally played at Dovecote Park where a record crowd of 5,400 attended the 6th Round Scottish Junior Cup tie against Shotts Bon Accord in 1968. The club moved just a half a mile south to the Warout Stadium in 1974 which has a capacity of 5,000. The ground has one main stand which has 730 seats made up with seven rows of benches, with a small standing section at the top. At the rear of the stand looking out towards the pitch is the spacious clubhouse and the committee room. The stand is split by the players tunnel where the team dugouts are at each side, which are the proper kind which are actually dug out into the ground. The rest of the ground has grass banking which is beautifully maintained, with the large pitch separated by a surrounding oval track. The highest attendance recorded at the Warout Stadium is 5,600 for a 6th round Junior Cup tie with Cambuslang Rangers in 1974.
The Match
Both clubs game into the game level on 32 points, but with Glenrothes having played more games they still have an outside chance of being relegated.
The match was a basic game of two halves with the hosts having the better of the opening period before taking the lead just before half time, when John Martin was put clear and finished with a neat nutmeg through the goalkeepers legs.
After the restart West End were on the front foot and equalised after just three minutes when a long throw in fell into the path of Matty Reynolds who found the net from six yards.
The Glens poor start to the second half continued, being reduced to 10 men after the Glens number 8 was shown a straight red card. Both teams had chances to win the game but the match finished with the clubs still remaining level on points at the bottom section of the East Region Premier League.

Matchday Stats
CJFC 1(Martin 40) FWEFC (Reynolds 48)
Att.170.est
Top Bloke - No.10 Forfar West End

Spondoolicks
Admission £5
Programme:none
Steak Pie £1.70
Coffee £1
 My Matchday.
I arrived in Edinburgh at 9.25, a hearty breakfast and a patrol around the city centre filled in the few hours before I met up with Mark Wilkins who had travelled up from London. This whole Matchday was made possible by James Little who picked us up at the station at 11.30am and drove us over the Forth into Fife. A few Wetherspoons pubs on route saw us calling at the Robert Nairn in Kirkcaldy before heading to the Golden Acorn at Glenrothes. When we arrived at the ground we were greeted by John Hay the club's media man, who was expecting my presence as I had posted my pending visit on Twitter. He introduced us to the club chairman Dougie Cooper who invited us into the boardroom at half time for tea and sandwiches. So far during my Junior Cup winners adventure, the hospitality has been superb and yet again I enjoyed the warm welcome that myself and my travel companions received. 

After the game we heading back to Edinburgh, listening to the football updates on the radio which left me totally pissed off after yet another pitiful performance from NUFC. On the way back we called at The White Lady, another uncharted JDW next to the zoo in Corstorphine, before James dropped us off at Waverley at 6pm, as we were both booked on the 1830, there was time for a few swifty's in the Jingling Geordie. 
Another terrific day in great company in my pursuit of visiting the winners of the Junior Cup over the last half a decade, and I can't wait to continue on this fantastic odyssey again next season.

Foetoes(Matchday album of 28 pictures from the Warout Stadium)

Bevvy Almanac
The Robert Nairn - Kirkcaldy
Wild Weather 'Howlin Gale' (3.9%)***+
The Golden Acorn - Glenrothes
Black Wolfe 'Lomond Gold' (5%)***+
The White Lady - Edinburgh
Inveralmond 'Fair Maid' (3.6%)*****
Harviestoun' Schiehallion(4.8%)' ****+ (re-sup)
Jingling Geordie - Edinburgh
Skye 'Blaven' (5%)*****+


Footnote
All going well I’m in the process of writing a book on the winners of the Junior Cup over the last 50 years, so I’ll be writing a more thorough piece on my matchday at Glenrothes. This chapter will also include a look back at my first ever season of going to the match.
You can check the progress and a map of the grounds on my list on the T’Do Page.
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463 Dimotiko Stadio

May 26, 2015, 6:14 am
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My final new ground of the season was on the Greek island of Zante, whilst I was out there celebrating the 50th birthday of my old friend Lynn Ainscow. Unfortunately for the second occasion this season I lost my camera, so the superb set of foetoes I took at the match are lost forever, not unless I hear of news of its whereabouts from APS Zakynthos FC. 
As you can imagining I’m total gutted to lose not only the ground pictures but the highlights of a terrific week in Zante. This huge disappointment means I’m not going to write a My Matchday blog report, so the story of my two trips to the ground with Nikos the taxi driver will have to remain untold….for the time being.

However I do have one picture of the Dimotiko Stadio which I took on my phone to post on Twitter…


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Facebook Pic of the Week Cup - Round 3

June 1, 2015, 1:38 pm
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100 FgC A62 John Blair - Blackburn Rovers
100FgC Sq#119 Michael Hudson  - SC Saganihara
100FgC Sq#81 Jamie McQueen - Armadale Thistle

100FgC A11 Laurence Reade - Guru Nanak

100FgC Sq#50 Joris van der Wier - Forfar Athletic

100FgC FB Group Ulf Lange - B.93 Copenhagen

Please vote by leaving a comment or on our Facebook Group


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My Matchday - 464 Beltane Park

June 4, 2015, 11:13 am
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Wishaw Juniors 2v1 Blantyre Victoria
West Region - Central League Division 1
Wednesday 3rd June 2015
 I had resigned myself to the fact my groundhopping was over for this season, before receiving a message from my favourite Kiwi asking if I fancied a midweek trip up to Wishaw. The Scottish Juniors have become my new obsession this season, and although Wishaw Juniors aren’t on my “T’do list” I welcomed the chance of bagging another new ground.

Whereabouts and Whatsabouts
Wishaw is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire on the edge of the Clyde Valley, found 15 miles south-east of Glasgow. The settlement in the area dates back to the 12th century when St. Nethan established a kirk dedicated to St. Michael by a bend in the Clyde near what became Netherton. The area then became known as the parish of Cambusnethan until the Scottish Reformation. The site of the original church remains as a ruined burial ground, including a majestic mausoleum to Lord Belhaven, The village itself was laid out in 1794, later renamed Wishawtown, before incorporated with the villages of Coltness and Stewarton to form the Burgh of Wishaw in 1855.
Famous people that hail from the town includes world snooker champion John Higgins aka “The Wizard of Wishaw” and new wave modsters The Jolt who build up their following gigging at the Crown Hotel in Wishaw. They enjoyed moderate success during the early new wave era and became forerunners to the mod revival in the late 70’s. They moved to London and signed to Polydor Records, releasing an album dedicated "to the memory of the Saturday lunch times at Wishaw". The band supported the likes of The Jam, The Stranglers, Generation X and Ultravox, before splitting up around 1979.
 Plantpot History
Wishaw Thistle founded as a Junior club in the 1880s, enjoying instant success by winning the Lanarkshire Junior Cup in three successive years from 1886, before becoming the second club to lift the Junior Cup, beating Mayhill 3-1 in the 1888 final(far too early to feature in the book...Eddy) 
The club hosted Liverpool and Everton in their formative years as well as Notts County when they were English champions. Following the Junior Cup success they turned Senior and played within the Senior ranks until football recommenced at the end of the First World War, when they restarted as Wishaw YMCA Juniors. The name was changed to Wishaw Juniors in 1924, winning the Lanarkshire League and Cup the following season. More league titles were added in 1934-35 and 1945-56, with the county cup won four more times, the last of which was in 1966. The club also won the West of Scotland Cup in 1934 and their last honour came in 1967, when they won the Lanarkshire Hozier Cup for the fifth time. The club currently play in the Scottish Junior Central District League Division One.

Ground no.464 Beltane Park
(Scottish grounds total 62 Scottish Junior grounds 16)

Wishaw Juniors originally played at Stewarton Street and then at Belhaven Park, the site of the former Wishaw Dog Track. For the majority of their history they were based at Recreation Park on Kirk Road until the ground closed in the early 1990s. This lead to a groundshare with Coltness United for a number of years until 1999 when they secured a tenancy at Wishaw Sports Centre. This was the first of two spells at the ground, with another period sharing with Coltness in between. 
The club moved to their current home at Beltane Park, securing a 10 year lease for the start of the 2011–12 season. The ground has been transformed from a basic park pitch with perimeter fencing around the pitch and a small terrace cover on the east side. All the amenities are set back from the pitch in portacabins,  installed at the venue are toilets, a snack bar, a players lounge and chancing rooms. The rest of the ground is grass standing with one metal framed dugout on each side.
 The Match
I saw Wishaw Juniors earlier this season winning a penalty shoot out in the Central League Cup at Cambuslang. The club went onto reach the semi-final of the competition, where they lost to Kilwinning Rangers. Tonight they were back in league action against newly crowned Central District First winners Blantyre Victoria, who were confirmed as champions just 48 hours earlier after a 2-0 home win over Vale of Clyde. The hosts provided a guard of honour for the title winners and they still had something to play for themselves at the other end of the table. After falling behind to a goal by David Galt who finished off a quick breakaway from a Wishaw corner with a clever chip over the keeper, their chances improved when Blantyre were reduced to ten men. The Vics number 6 was giving a yellow card after reacting badly to a foul, then a few minutes later he received a straight red card which was sealed with a Glasgow kiss. 
Just before half time a free kick from the left was volleyed in at the far post by Paul McGeogh which gave Wishaw a huge lift which they took into the second period. The winner came seven minutes from time when Kevinbarry Grant, who was unlucky with a first half effort which smacked off the upright, was on hand to fire in after a goalmouth scramble, to the delight of his Dad, who I was standing next to when the decisive goal hit the back of the net which secured safety for Wishy.

Matchday Stats
WJFC 2(McGeogh 40 Grant 82 BVFC(Galt 26)
Att.153.hc
Top Bloke - Kevinbarry Grant(Wishaw Juniors)

Spondoolicks
Admission £4
Programme £1
Coffee 80p
My Matchday
After travelling to plenty of grounds with Katie and Lee this season I don't need to tell my dozen or so readers, the usual routine, just that the JDW this week was the Wishaw Malt on Stewarton Street. I posted our plans on Twitter so when we arrived at the admission hut, Robert the club secretary greeted us and although we hadn't asked, he was kind enough to have reserved a match programme for each of us, so once again another Junior club showed great generosity and made us welcome. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Katie aka “My favourite Kiwi”  for driving me around various grounds this season. I hope I’ve been a model passenger and I’m looking forward to one final trip this season as we head to Kilmarnock for the Junior Cup final this Sunday.




 Foetoes (Matchday album of 29 pictures from Beltane Park)

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My Matchday - 465 Newlandsfield Park

June 11, 2015, 10:06 am
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Pollok 2v2 Auchinleck Talbot
Evening Times League Champions Cup Semi Final
(Pollok win 3-2 on penalties)
Wednesday 10th June 2015
 Just when I was beginning to think my football season was finally over, along comes another invitation to a game, as I joined Katie and Lee for our third road trip to the west of Scotland in the space of a week. Last Wednesday we travelled to Wishawthen on Sunday we were in Kilmarnock for the final of the Junior Cup. Auchinleck Talbot captured the biggest cup prize in Scotland, and they were in cup action again with a semi final tie at Pollok, a club I’ve been really looking forward to visiting (must be the black ‘n’ white stripes...Ed) as part of my book quest to visit the winners of the Scottish Junior Cup.

Whereabouts and Whatsabouts
With a population of around 8,000, Shawlands is a district of Glasgow located less than 2 miles south of the River Clyde. The area consists mostly of tenement flats and is surrounded by the neighbouring districts of Crossmyloof, Langside and Pollokshaws. The nearby Queen’s Park was developed in the late 19th century in response to the increasing population on the south side of the Clyde, with the need for open spaces within the large community. The park was opened in 1857, designed by Sir Joseph Paxton and dedicated to the memory of Mary, Queen of Scots - who lost the Battle of Langside near the park. The entrance to Pollok FC is just south of Shawlands at the other side of the White Cart Water in Newlands.
 Plantpot History
Pollok were formed back in 1908 and had their first successful period during the Second World War years, winning the Glasgow Junior Cup and the Glasgow Dryburgh Cup in 1941-42. They won more honours during this decade and also reached the semi finals of the Junior Cup in 1944-45. In the quarter-final they beat Fauldhouse United after a protest, winning 3-1 in the replay in front of a crowd of over 15,000 at Newlandsfield. Many spectators had to leave the ground as they were unable to see any of the match action, so they headed to the Pollokshaws East Station just 50 yards away, where for the price of a platform ticket they had a birdseye view of the game. In the semi finals they lost out to eventual winners Burnbank Athletic 1-0 before a crowd of 25,000 with the ground full signs going up an hour before kick off.
The club benefited after the demise of senior club Third Lanark in 1967, with many fans switching their allegiance to their south side neighbours. The club won the Central League Cup for the first time in 1978 and lifted the trophy on eight further occasions, the same number of times they won the Central Division from their first title success in 1978-79.
The Scottish Junior Cup first took residence at Newlands in 1981, beating Arthurlie in front of a crowd of over 13,000 at Hampden Park with Norrie Fulton grabbing the decisive goal. Pollok followed up this success in 1985, returning to Hampden to beat Petershill 3-1 in the replay after a 1-1 draw, but missed out on the double the following season, losing 3-2 to Auchinleck Talbot in the centenary final. 
The 1990’s was a hugely successful period for the ‘Lok including a third Junior Cup triumph in 1997, defeating Tayport 3-1 in the final at Motherwell’s Fir Park. However disappointment followed twelve months later as Arthurlie finally gained revenge for that ‘81 defeat by gubbing Pollok 4-0 at Fir Park. 
Following the reconstructing of the Junior Leagues in 2002, Pollok were placed in the West Region Super League Premier Division. The ‘Lok were the first club to win the division and have been champions in 2004-05, 2006-07 and 2007-08, making them the division’s most successful club. Those last two triumphs coincided with the SFA inviting the winners of the 3 major Junior leagues and the Junior Cup winners to take part in the Senior Scottish Cup. Pollok overcame St Cuthbert Wanderers and faced Montrose in the 2nd round, achieving a 2–2 draw at Links Park, but narrowly losing the replay at Newlandsfield, then the following year they were knocked out by Spartans FC in the 1st round.
Last season Pollok were relegated for the first time following a disastrous season, having four different managers and the club also entangled with off the field problems. This season under the guidance of Tony McInally they’ve comfortably won the league, so they’ll be back in the West Region’s top division next season.
 Ground no.465 Newlandsfield Park 
(Scottish grounds 63 SJFA grounds 17 Lifetime Junior Cup winners 11/27)

The southsides local team began life at Haggs Park in the Pollok Estate, but were forced into a move during the 1926-27 season when the city council wanted the land for school pitches, despite the club spending hundreds of pounds on improving the facilities. After playing temporarily at Rosebery Park and the Queen Mary Tea Gardens in Thornliebank  they acquired Newlandsfield Park in 1928.
The ground is a gem, made up of terraces on all four sides, dominated by a 1,500 covered enclosure on one side. The roof is decked out in black and white with the club and ground name proudly displayed in the centre. The dugouts are in front of the stand and opposite there's now a row of apartments to block the view from the train station. The changing rooms and social club are in the corner beside the paying entrances. Newlandsfield is without floodlights and has an overall capacity of 4,000

The Match
Talbot were looking for a hat-trick of wins in this competition and another trophy in what's been a terrific season for the Bot. They took the lead after quarter of an hour when following on from his magnificent strike in the Junior Cup final, Dwayne Hyslop scored with a much simpler task to fire in a right wing cross from twelve yards. At the interval I expected the Super Premier champions to march into the final but the 'Lok had other ideas in what was a cracking second half. 
Tam Hanlon equalised from the penalty spot following a handball ten minutes after the restart, then moments later their job was made easier when McCulloch totally lost his rag. He was shown a red card after pushing over an opposing player, before arguing the toss with fellow players and the referee, then to top it all off on his way to the dressing room he chinned the corner flag!
Pollok instantly took advantage of the extra man when Robbie Winters was on hand to head home a right wing cross from close range to make it 2-1 on 57 minutes. It was Gordon Pope who scored the decisive winning goal in Sunday's final with a coolly taken penalty, but he was denied from 12 yards this time 'round as Longmuir pulled off a fine save in the 67th minute. Talbot pressed for an equaliser and were rewarded a few minutes later when a free kick from a central position found Graham Wilson, who showed good control to pick the ball out of the air and finish neatly from ten yards.
Auchinleck should've had the tie wrapped up late on but were denied by some stunning saves from Jordan Longmuir who took the tie into a penalty shoot out after keeping the score locked at two apiece. After a man of the match performance from the Pollok 'keeper I fully expected him to again produce something special and he didn't let me down, saving twice to book the 'Lok's place in Saturday's final against Blantyre Vic's, winning the penalty shootout 3-2.

Matchday Stats
PFC 2(Hanlon 54pen Winters 57)ATFC 2(Hyslop 16 Wilson 70)
Att.800.est
Top Bloke -  Jordan Longmuir(Pollok)

Spondoolicks
Admission £5
 Programme £1.50
Coffee 80p
Scotch pie £1.30
 My Matchday
Due to the usual heavy tea time traffic I got picked up later than we planned, which meant we didn't pull into the Morrisons car park outside the ground until 7pm. Although we missed out on our usual Wetherspoons tea, I wasn't going to be denied another tick so I ran along to the  Sir John Stirling Maxwell by myself for a swift pint. 
I was back home much later as well, so there was just 4 hours sleep before graft this morning, but I’ll happily sacrifice that much needed extra kip for what turned out to be one of my favourite grounds out of the 67 I’ve visited this season. 
Not only was it it a cracking ground but the match was entertaining as well and a good one to finish the season on, which means that I can now finally make it official, after 116 matches and 447 goals, I’m declaring the end of the brilliant football season of 2014-15.
Foetoes(Matchday album of 20 pictures from Newlandsfield Park)
(Sorry for the poor quality, used phone after recently losing camera number 2)

Footnote
All going well I’m in the process of writing a book on the winners of the Junior Cup over the last 50 years, so I’ll be writing a more thorough piece on my matchday at Pollok. This chapter will also include my life on the motorway and Never Mind The Polloks Here's ThE 100 GrOUndS ClUb.
You can check the progress and a map of the grounds on my list on the T’Do Page.
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Here we gan again ...

July 5, 2015, 8:44 am
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466. Catterick Village Sports Ground
Richmond Town 1v5 Tow Law Town
Pre-season friendly
Saturday 4th July 2015

 My 2015-16 football campaign began in the north Yorkshire village of Catterick. The village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district lends its name to nearby Catterick Garrison and the hamlet of Catterick Bridge. It’s found just off the A1 motorway and lies on the route of the old Roman Road of Dere Street. Horse racing has been ran at Catterick Racecourse since 1783, which also hosts the largest Sunday market in the north of England.

 Catterick Village Sports Ground has been a regular pre-season venue for Wearside League club Richmond Town, who played host to Tow Law Town from the Northern League.
The lower ranked side made a good start, taking the lead after just eight minutes courtesy of a Scott Guy header and put on a decent first half display to hold onto that slender lead.
Scott Brassell equalised just before the hour mark before the Lawyers bossed proceedings, with the number nine heading home at the near post from a corner kick, before dispatching a penalty and grabbing his fourth in injury time. Adrian Bailey also got on the score sheet, heading home a right wing cross late on in an entertaining game played in sizzling heat.

It’s just three weeks since my last match of the season, so I haven’t waited too long to get cracking again, with plenty of plans already in place for another long football season. You can check out my forthcoming games on the Fixture Diary page, so if any of my dozen or so readers are at the same game make sure you say hello.


Matchday Stats
RTFC 1(Guy 8) TLTFC 5(Brassell 57,70,77pen 90+2 Bailey 88)
Att.33.hc
Top bloke - Scott Brassell(Tow Law Town)
Admission & programme:none
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My Matchday - Wirral Double

July 13, 2015, 5:38 am
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In 2005 as part of my 40th birthday celebrations, me and the lads had a splendid weekend in Liverpool. So for the tenth anniversary of that memorable weekend(and for another significant birthday) we returned to Merseyside for a couple of nights on the lash. Of course there has to be some football as well, so special thanks to Tranmere Rovers for arrange a double with their Wirral neighbours  to coincided with our visit. 
We travelled down on the Friday afternoon. Jimmy Jimmy and Zippy are survivors from the 2005 team, with Plymouth Pete and Honest Paul replacing absent “pilot light friends"

After a heavy drinking session on Friday night/Saturday morning, I had breakfast and hair of the dog in the new 'Spoons in Lime Street, before we(apart from lightweight Zippy, who was bad with the beer) caught the Merseyrail service from Central Station to Heswall. This was Tranmere's opening friendly in preparation for life in the Conference (can't get used to the new fangled name) with a 1pm kick off. 


467. Gayton Park
Heswall 0v3 Tranmere Rovers
Pre-Season Friendly
Saturday 11th July 2015(1pm ko)
 Heswall is a town in Wirral in the county of Merseyside, located on the eastern side of the Dee Estuary. The town is found in between Liverpool and the Roman city of Chester, with a population of over 16,000, which includes the nearby villages of Barnston and Gayton. 
Prior to the Norman conquest, Heswall has been cited in Egil’s Saga as a possible location for Dingesmere, in the Battle of Brunanburh. Heswall was recorded in the Domesday Book as Eswelle and owned by Robert de Rodelent, as well as much of the land on the eastern side of the River Dee. Before 1897 it was known as Hestlewelle or Hesselwelle, and the small population of the town grew with the arrival of two railway connections to Liverpool and the Borderlands Line between Bidston and Wrexham.

The town is the birthplace to quite a few famous people including former England cricket captain Ian Botham, Bullseye presenter Jim Bowen and a couple of ex-footballers like Paul Bracewell, Ian Woan and Scott Minto. The town also gave birth to vocalist Ian Astbury from The Cult and Andy McCluskey, the singer from OMD who had a dancing style similar to my old Geography teacher at the end of term disco.

In August 1939 a radio broadcasting legend was born in Heswall, one John Robert Parker Ravenscroft who became Radio One DJ John Peel. I used to listen to his late night show as a young teenager, lying in bed with an old transistor radio glued to my lug. When I got my first radio/cassette player I used to tape all the Peel sessions, amassing dozens of tapes of performances from punk bands from the late 70’s early 80’s.


 Heswall FC have been in existence since 1891 and joined the West Cheshire League in 1958-59. They were promoted to the First Division as Second Division champions in 1968-69, winning the top division twice in 2004-05 and 2012-13. They also reached the third round of the FA Vase on three occasions during the 1980’s.
Gayton Park is hidden off the main road between the rail station and the town centre. The ground has a small covered enclosure with one dugout at each side. The impressive clubhouse is at the top corner of the ground elevated about the pitch and its leafy surroundings make it a pleasant venue to watch football.


 A decent crowd was in attendance to see Rovers ran out comfortable winners with three first half goals. Jack Fleming headed Tranmere in to the lead on 17 minutes, before Lois Maynard doubled the lead from close range just half the half hour mark. On the stroke of half time Liam Ridehalgh rifled in from 20 yards. In the second half Rovers fielded a fresh set of players but they were unable to add to the tally in which was a good workout against the West Cheshire League side.

On route to the match I met Steve Horton(100FgC #87) for the first time and at the game another first meeting with Stuart Latham (100Fgc #94) which means I’ve now met 62 original members of this gang. Also at the match I swapped a smile, a nod, a wink and an “Alreet!” with Nigel Blackwell from Half Man Half Biscuit. 
My mates knicked off back across to Liverpool while Steve took advantage of a rare visit to this side of the Mersey to tick off some CAMRA pubs. Thankfully Stuart agreed to travel down to Vauxhall, so instead of trying to cadge a lift off a kind stranger (as public transport between to two grounds is too much of a clart on) I was sorted for the second game of the day in Ellsemere Port.

Matchday Stats
HFC 0 TRFC 3(Fleming 17 Maynard 33 Ridehalgh 45)
Att.450.apx
Admission with programme: £4

468. Riveracre Park
Vauxhall Motors 0v7 Tranmere Rovers
Pre-Season Friendly
Saturday 11th July 2015 (4pm ko)

The distance between the two grounds is just over 8 miles so we arrived a good 45 minutes before kick off, so plenty of time for a chat and something to eat before the game. Riveracre Park is found just off the M53, the club originally played on the company-owned Hooton Park, before moving here in 1987. The ground brags a large car park, although we struggled to get a decent spot and I avoided having a pint at the Astra Bar in the entrance grounds, as I was still feeling a wee bit fragile.
The ground has a main stand on one side with a capacity of 350 blue and white flip seats. The large dugouts are in front of the stand which means the bottom two rows of seats have a restricted view. Opposite the stand is a fairly large standing enclosure and there’s open hard standing areas behind each goal. The changing rooms are next to the turnstile entrance along with the Cafe Bar.
 The town of Ellesmere Port was founded at the outlet of the never completed Ellesmere Canal, originally part of a project to connect the rivers Severn, Mersey and Dee. The canal was intended to be completed in sections, but due to financial problems the canal never reached the Severn. The village of Netherpool gradually changed its name to the Port of Ellesmere, then to Ellesmere Port in the early 19th century.
The growth of the expanding industrial areas around the canal and its docks attracted more workers to the region, to incorporate the villages of Great and Little Sutton, Hooton, Whitby, 
Overpool and Rivacre as suburbs, once the the Manchester Ship Canal opened in 1894. 
In the 20th century, a number of new private and council housing estates were developed, many of them on the sites of former farms such as Hope Farm and Grange Farm. The demand for housing increased with the opening of the Vauxhall Motors car plant in 1962, opened as a components supplier to its main Luton plant. It’s now Vauxhall's only car factory in the UK since the end of passenger car production at the Luton plant in 2004, and employs 2,500 workers.
Out of the car plant came a football club - Vauxhall Motors F.C. was founded in 1963, beginning life playing in the Ellesmere Port League and the Wirral Combination.The club progressed to the  West Cheshire League, becoming championship in the 1985–86 season, before joining the North West Counties League in 1987. They won the league's Second Division in their second season, then finished fourth in the First Division in 1989–90, but after just two more seasons the board took the decision to move back down to the West Cheshire League.
In 1995-96 they rejoined the NWCL, again winning the Division Two title, then at the turn of the millennium joined the Northern Premier League after becoming Division One champions as well as reaching the semi finals of the FA Vase. Another promotion quickly followed, before the high point in the club’s history when they knocked out Queens Park Rangers in the first round of the FA Cup in 2002-03. 
The Motormen were placed in the Conference North after the pyramid reconstruction in 2004, escaping relegation due to the misfortune of other clubs.In March 2014 the club announced its intention to withdraw from the Conference North due to "ever-increasing costs" leaving the club with no alternative but to return to the West Cheshire League to stabilise and rebuild once again for the future.

The Motormen provided a stiffer test for Tranmere with new signing Andy Mangan producing a good finish on 31 minutes to give the visitors a slender half time lead. Again for the second half a new team took the field which meant over 40 players had represented the club on this afternoon. The team was made up of trialists for the second half and one of them was the star of the show. After just 15 seconds “Trialist H’ fired in with a fierce shot before helping himself to another three goals and hitting the woodwork twice, surely this lad has done enough to earn himself a contract. Another two trialists “J” and “I” scored late on to round off a brilliant second half performance from players playing for their futures.


Matchday Stats
VMFC 0 TRFC 7(Mangan31 Trialist H 46 60 77 81 Trialist J 85 Trialist I 87)
Att.400.apx
Top Bloke - Trialist H
Admission £3
Programme:none
Coffee £1.50
Pasty £1.50, Mars Bar 70p


After the match Stuart was kind enough to drop me off at Hooton station and I only had to wait a few minutes for a train, so I was back in Liverpool by 6.20pm. I returned to the hotel earlier than I anticipated so I was ready for the second part of our Liverpool CAMRA trail by half seven. Overall we had a fantastic weekend. I always enjoy my visits to Liverpool,  so much so that we’re already making plans to come back again next year, as it’s Jimmy Jimmy’s turn to have a significant birthday celebration.


My Matchday photo album (32 pictures from both games)
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Pre-Season Oddities

July 18, 2015, 11:07 am
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The good thing about pre-season is the possibilities of watching matches at venues that aren’t generally used by non-league clubs. A good example is the annual Clayton Charity Cup which this year has its group stage at Wallington’s Oakford Park and for the first time - Selman Park in Heddon-on-the-Wall. The ground is found on the east side of the village and it hosted Group B in the round-robin competition which involves Hexham, newly formed Prudhoe YC Seniors and Heddon St Andrews from the Tyneside Amatuer League. 
Hexham were expected to easily progress through this section of the Tynedale tournament and I was in attendance for their opening match with hosts Heddon St Andrews. As anticipated they took the lead after just 12 minutes when Kurtis Harvey followed in to net from close range but they failed to build on that positive start and fell behind by half time. Just before the half hour mark a Dan Walker daisy cutter free kick from a good 25 yards found the bottom corner of the net, then he repeated the trick five minutes later, this time lifting the ball past the ‘keeper again from a good distance. St Andrews held on to take the three points but that wasn’t the end of proceedings as the match finished with a penalty shoot out for a bonus point, with the hosts winning that as well 4-2 to give them a maximum 4 points on matchday one


 The following night I again headed over to the west end of Newcastle to Blakelaw Park. Ryton & Crawcrook Albion hosted Wearside League newcomers Murton on the park’s 3G pitch as the new surface at their own Kingsley Park ground isn’t quite ready yet. 
The game got off to a lively start with Sam Moore scoring after just three minutes when a clearance by a defender fired off the strikers body and past the helpless ‘keeper. Moore grabbed his second on 26 minutes, but Murton finished the half strongly and halved the deficit when Anth Cowie headed home from a corner kick two minutes before the break. The second half was a goal fest, starting off with a cracking 30 yard drive by Phil Robinson on 55 minutes, quickly followed by a fine strike by Adam Chrostowski. Phil Hodges nodded in on 61 minutes before Chrostowski added his second to make it 6-1. Kendjo Zadjo was introduced as a second half substitute for Murton and he looked quite lively, scoring a brace with two opportunist finishes, which was sandwiched with a second goal for Hodges which made the finally tally 7-3 to Albion.

 My final game of the week was in the former colliery village of Marley Hill, situated six miles south west of Gateshead. As Whickham FC share their ground with the cricket club, I can usually rely on them to host a game elsewhere, so the Marley Hill Welfare ground is the third different venue that I’ve seen the Lang Jacks at “home” but away from the Glebe.
Whickham were up against Felling Magpies, who are part of the Leam Rangers set up, promoted into the Northern Alliance First Division for this season. The match was a good workout for both teams and a comfortable win for Whickham, who had the advantage of the slope and the wind factor in the first half. They took an early lead when a low Mark Pattison free kick(see bottom picture) went under the wall and the ‘keepers body, before Chad Collins doubled their lead on 38 minutes. Just before half time Pattison capitalised on a clumsy error by the goalie to make it 3-0 at the break. 
I watched the match with Squad #121 Paul Johnson, who had travelled up via several buses from Stockton for just another ground tick. We saw Felling improved in the second half but fall further behind late on when Pattison completed his hat-trick with a fine finish on 74 minutes, to round off an easy 4-0 victory for Whickham.

(click on images to enlarge)

Matchday Stats
469. Selman Park
Monday 13th July 2015 (6.45pm ko)
Heddon St Andrews 2(Walker 29,34) Hexham 1(Harvey 12)
Clayton Charity Cup Group B Att.25hc

470. Blakelaw Park(3G)
Tuesday 14th July 2015 (7.30pm ko)
Ryton & Crawcrook Albion 7(Moore 3,26 Robinson 55 Chrostowski 57,67 Hodges 61,79)
Murton 3(Cowie 43 Zadjo 74.84)
Pre Season Friendly  Att.25hc

471. Marley Hill Welfare
Saturday 18th July 2015 (1.30ko)
Whickham 4(Pattison 8,38,74 Collins 38) Felling Magpies 0
Pre Season Friendly Att.34hc


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My Matchday - 472 Duncansfield Park

July 23, 2015, 7:51 am
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Kilsyth Rangers 0v4 St Roch's
Pre-Season Friendly
Wednesday 22nd July 2015
 This was the week of my 50th birthday so I headed off to Scotland for a few days beginning with two nights in Glasgow. I arrived at 4pm, checked into the guest house, supped a quick couple of pints before catching the 89 bus from Buchanan Street to Kilsyth for the first part of my Kil’ Rangers double.


Whereabouts and Whatsabouts
Kilsyth is a narrow strip of land about 200 feet above sea level, between the Kilsyth Hills and the River Kelvin. The town occupies a sheltered position in the Kelvin Valley, between Kirkintilloch to the west and Falkirk in the east, with the “Tak Ma Doon Road” from Stirling heading from the north to Cumbernauld in the south. The North Lanarkshire town has always been one of the main routes between Glasgow, Falkirk and Edinburgh, and is very close to the Roman Antonine Wall, and the Forth & Clyde Canal.
There is archaeological evidence of a settlement since Neolithic times, before The Romans got in on the act building forts at Colziumbea and Castle Hill  as well as the Antonine Wall forts of Bar Hill and Croy Hill which are clearly still visible from the town. In the Middle Ages its central narrow location made it the prime site for two castles at Balcastle and Colzium which have since been destroyed.
The Civil War Battle of Kilsyth took place on hillsides between Kilsyth and Banton, as part of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in August 1645. The battle was another victory for the Royalist general Montrose over the Covenanters despite a numerical disadvantage and marked the end of William Baillie's pursuit of the Royalist forces.

Modern day Kilsyth is now more of a commuter town to nearby Glasgow, having a high proportion of council housing, built during the 1950’s replacing old miner’s rows and run down accommodation. The town can also claim to be the birthplace of the winter sport of curling. The Kilsyth Curling Club was formed in 1716 and is the oldest surviving club in the world. The sport has been played in Kilsyth since the 16th century on the Curling Pond in the Colzium Estate in the east of the town.

Plantpot History
Nicknamed “The Wee Gers” Kilsyth Rangers formed in 1913 and have won the Junior Cup on two occasions. The first of which was in 1955 against Duntocher Hibs, when a huge Hampden Park crowd of 64,976 saw the game end in a 1–1 draw. Less than half that figure saw Kilsyth win the replay 4–1 with all four goals scored by Alex Querrie, the club’s most prolific striker, who is the only player to achieve this feat in a final (so far)
The Wee Gers were red hot favourites to win the trophy two years later but narrowly lost the 1957 final 1-0 against Banks O'Dee. It was ten years before Rangers again graced the final, winning at the second attempt beating Rutherglen Glencairn 3–1 after a 1–1 draw in the first game at Hampden, which was played in front of 22,000 fans.
The club have won a large selection of cup honours, especially during the 1950’s when they lifted the Stirlingshire Junior Cup eight years running and were twice Central League Champions during that decade. Recent years have brought league and cup success for the first time in a long while. After a gap of 30 years the club won the Central League Division One title in 2002-03 followed by the Superleague First Division title in 2004–05.
The club has been a decent breeding ground for players who have gone onto senior level, including six players who have gone on to win full Scotland caps, such as:James Dougall (1 cap 1932),George Mulhall (3 caps 1960-64),Drew Jarvie (3 caps 1971),David Stewart (1cap 1977),Frank McGarvey (7 caps 1979-84) and Willie Wallace (7 caps 1965-69).
 Ground no.472 Duncansfield Park
(Scottish Grounds visited 64 SJFA Grounds 18 Lifetime Junior Cup Winners 12/27)

Duncansfield is another belter Junior ground, dominated by the pitch length covered terrace enclosure on the far side. The stand has a con-iron peaked roof with an old advert in large capital letters for Whiteinch Demolition Ltd, with room for 500 spectators. Opposite at the entrance side is terracing with grass banking behind each goal. The main area of the ground has a car park and two separate buildings; the members bar and the changing rooms. A great feature of the ground is its proper player’s tunnel, which leads from the changing rooms, then underneath the terrace and onto the pitch between the dugouts. There is also a perimeter track and 4 sets of lights on each side.
The current capacity is set at 2,000 but the record attendance at Duncansfield Park is 8,740 for a Scottish Junior cup tie against Broxburn Athletic in 1951 
 The Match
The Wee Gers were in pre-season action for the first time this season against St Roch’s. Before the match I was outside the changing rooms and I overheard one of the team managers telling his team, that this ISN’T a pre-season friendly and to treat it as a competitive match. Judging by the performance and result I’m guessing I had earwigged on the away dressing room.
Kilsyth donning a red changed kit fielded an inexperienced side and were punished for some sloppy play. They went a goal behind when a cross was cut out by the defender who headed past his own ‘keeper after quarter of an hour. Just before the break Jordan Logan banged in a brace, the first with a mazzy run and good finish, before finding the bottom right hand corner again after good work from Mussa. The big number 19 for St Roch’s looked a good player, his stance and movement reminded me of Mario Balottelli, but thankfully he has a good attitude and no stupid haircut. It was he, Baboucarr Mussa who made it 4-0 ten minutes from the restart with a close range finish, before being subbed along with his strike partner Logan.
Kilsyth played much better after the fourth goal, after rearranging the back-four and adding a bit more width, they looked much better going forward, but were unable to find the net and the visitors comfortably kept the clean sheet in a good pre-season performance.

Matchday Stats and Spondoolicks
KRFC 0 StRFC 4(Heenak 15OG Logan 40,41 Mussa 55)
Att.102hc
Top Bloke - Jordan Logan(St Roch’s)
Admission £2
Programme:none
Pin badge £3
My Matchday.
My trip to Glasgow was on the 1239 from Newcastle to Edinburgh, then for a change I caught the bus between the two cities. That’s because it cost a quid on the bus, yes just 100 British pence if you book on the Megabus website, so there’s a handy tip for fellow football travellers. The 89 bus to North Lanarkshire took a good 50 minutes, but the bus stop as it turned out is just outside the ground. When I arrived I was approached by Russell from the club committee who took me inside the Members Club and made sure I got a cuppa tea and sorted out a pin badges, courtesy of fellow committee man John. I had a chat with some of the Kilsyth fans in the bar, all good crack and very friendly.

After the match, I made sure I caught the last bus back to Glasgow, arriving at the bus stop with plenty of time to give the breadknife a ring to let her know I was still alive. Before heading back to my digs I stopped off at the Bon Accord on North Street for a night cap, which was recommended via a Facebook comment by Paul “Splodge” Proctor. Overall a great first day in Glasgow and another day to look forward to when I’ll be heading to North Ayrshire for the second part of my Kil’ Rangers double at Kilwinning.

Foetoes(Matchday album with 33 pictures from Duncansfield)

Footnote
I'm in the process of writing a book on the winners of the Scottish Juniors Cup over the last 50 years, so I'll be writing a more detailed piece on Kilsyth Rangers with a few added extras.
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My Matchday - 473 Abbey Park

July 24, 2015, 2:36 am
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Kilwinning Rangers 1v3 Kilmarnock
Pre-Season Friendly
Thursday 23rd July 2015
 Following on from the match at Kilsyth the previous evening, the second game on my Glasgow stopover was 20 miles south of the city in Kilwinning.
Whereabouts and Whatsabouts
Kilwinning is a town on the River Garnock known as "The Crossroads of Ayrshire" Its ancient name is Segdoune/Saigtow from the word 'Sanctoun', meaning ‘Saint town’. Kilwinning is steeped in religious history deriving from its 12th century Abbey, the site of which is said to have been revealed to Saint Winning by a visionary Angel. It was founded sometime between 1162 and 1188 with monks coming from Kelso, dedicated to Saint Winning and the Virgin Mary. The date assigned to St Winin is 715 AD, when his festival was celebrated on the 21st January, when a town fair was held and called St Winning's Day.
According to legend the Saint sent his monks to fish in the River Garnock, however no matter how hard they tried they could even catch a tiddler. The dejected saint placed a curse on the river, preventing it from ever having fish in its waters; the river responded by changing course and thereby avoiding the curse.
This part of North Ayrshire was where the missionary enterprise began in Scotland, with the Celtic Christians or Culdees founded here. The town is also home to the oldest Masonic Lodge not only in Scotland, but the world. The Mother Lodge of Scotland attributing its origins to the 12th Century, and is often called Mother Kilwinning
Kilwinning was a noted centre of Archery in medieval times. Later the town had an association with coal mining, quarrying, iron-founding and textile manufacture, with the Pringle knitwear company originally manufactured their goods in the town.
Kilwinning fell within the area designated to Irvine New in 1966, expanding with new estates built on surrounding farmland to meet the planned increase in population. This included new inhabitants relocated from the Glasgow overflow, and according to the last Census the population is just over 16,000.
Modern industries include the manufacture of plastics and electronics. The refurbishment of Kilwinning Main Street in 2010 by Irvine Bay Regeneration Companyled to a number of new businesses opening shops in the town centre, one of a number of regeneration projects in the Irvine Bay area.
Plantpot History
Kilwinning Rangers formed in 1899 and are affectionately known as “The Buffs” a nickname giving to them by the Irvine Herald newspaper after an emphatic win over Kilmarnock Belgrove in 1900. The club began life as a juvenile club, originally playing at Blacklands Park, which they shared with senior team Eglinton Seniors, before officially joining the Junior ranks on the 26th July 1902. The club bagged their first trophy in the Ayrshire Cup in 1905 and won the the Ayrshire First Division in 1920-21, becoming champions an additional nine times throughout their history.
The Junior Cup was won for the first time in 1909, beating Strathclyde 1-0 in a replay after the original tie finished goalless. The Buffs lost out twice in the final against Ashfield in 1910 and St Rochs in 1922, before finally lifting the trophy again after a 90 year wait, when a goal from Gerry Peline was good enough to beat Kelty Hearts at Firhill Park. That 1999 success meant they were the first and last Ayrshire club to win the Scottish Junior Cup in the 20th century, which topped off their greatest season when they won six trophies in 1998-99.
Kilwinning were the second club and the first from Ayrshire to win the West Super League in the 2003-04 season, but over recent years they’ve yo-yoed between the Super League First Division and the Ayrshire District  League, winning promotion again last season. 
Ground no.473 Abbey Park
(Scottish Grounds 65 SJFA Grounds 19 Lifetime Junior Cup Winners 13/27)
Abbey Park is hidden off Church Street, just a short walk from Main Street. From the corner entrance there's seven wooden sleeper steps running up half way towards the away dugout. These sleepers are also behind the far goal with a covered terraced enclosure opposite. The main part of the ground is down one side behind the home dugout. There are cabins which provides catering, a hospitality bar, toilets and the changing rooms. After walking around the ground I discovered there's another paying entrance around the far side, although this too lacks a sign to let you know this is the home of Kilwinning Rangers. The ground looks in great nick, the pitch is immaculate (Aye, I know its still July) and overall the lawns and facilities are well maintained.
The Match
Kilmarnock are regular pre-season visitors to Abbey Park. The Buffs wear blue and white hooped shirts, but tonight they were kitted out in an all lemon number, while Killie wore all orange, so this along with the bright sunshine gave it a summery feeling.
Kilwinning took the lead after just seven minutes when a 20 yard free kick from a central position was nicely placed out of the 'keeper's reach by Ben Lewis. Kilmarnock quickly responded and equalised minutes later when Scott McClean headed home a left wing cross. The first half was pretty even, but it was the senior side that dominated the second half, snatching victory with two goals in the last ten minutes. The game seemed to be heading for a draw until substitute Jack Whittaker got on the end of a right wing cross with a neat side foot volley at the far post. Moments later a shot from Adam Frizzell took a big reflection off the defender to wrong foot the goalie to make it 3-1. Judging by this performance I think the Buffs will do OK in the Super League First Division this season, while Killie have a few talented young'uns on their books.
Matchday Stats and Spondoolicks
KRFC 1(Lewis 7) KFC 3(McClean 13 Whittaker 80 Frizzell 81)
Att.270.apx
Top Bloke - Dean Hawkshaw(Kilmarnock)
Admission £4
 Programme £1.50
Mince & onion pie and coffee £2.30
My Matchday
After a pleasant day in Glasgow, where I got up to my usual gubbins of pub ticking and record store shopping, I caught the train down to Kilwinkie at 6pm. I didn't have to time for a bevvy in the town before or after the game, but a steady pub crawl of about 5 pubs from station to ground is an option for visitors. After returning to Glasgow I called into The Horse Shoe, my favourite pub in the city then a couple of bevvys on Sauchiehall Street, before retiring back at my digs after a long eventful day.
I had a smashing couple of days in Glasgow, my next stop on my wee Scottish tour is Edinburgh, where I'll be meeting up with the breadknife, James Little and Jamie McQ for a birthday eve night out, before my next match which is as far north as I could possibly get to this Saturday.
Foetoes  (Matchday album of 20 pictures from Abbey Park)

I'm in the process of writing a book on the winners of the Junior Cup over the last 50 years, so there'll be a more detailed account of my Kilwinning visit in the publication.
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