Newcastle Benfield (26-10-2013)

Newcastle Benfield 2 – 1 Benfield (Northern League Division 1), 26^th October 2013

The final game of the Tyneside ground-hop was at Newcastle Benfield’s ground – not far from where I’d started the day at Chillingdon Road. There was enough of a gap between the Team Northumbria-Whitley Bay match and this one, so I had time to get fish and chips of the way. The shop seemed to be doing a good passing trade as many hungry hoppers ambled past. Benfield’s ground was located circa 2 miles from Team Northumbria, at the end of a cul-de-sac, with covered seating on the right, and nets on the near side. This was much what I expected from a Northern League ground.

After finishing off my chips, and the remainder of my oxo, I settled down for this one. To be honest, I was pretty exhausted after the run of games and was looking forward to reaching the B&B in time for Match of the Day. This game again proved competitive and tough. Morpeth threatened early when their number 9 hit straight at the keeper after a poke on the floor. The home side took the lead on 8 minutes, and doubled it almost immediately when number 9 slotted in on half an hour. Morpeth’s 10 scored after a mistake from the keeper to make it 2-1 on 34 minutes, and their number 9 missed a chance to equalise just before half-time. The second half definitely slackened off a bit in terms of pace and aggression and with it went my concentration levels. I discovered how difficult it is to focus on four football matches in a single day - hence the lack of any second half analysis!

I headed off to the B&B in Gateshead, where it turned out the proprietor was involved in Dunston UTS. I was relieved to put my feet up in the warm, have a cup of tea, and settle down for MoTD. On my way back to Newcastle station in the morning (along the banks of the Tyne), I managed to get a decent shot of Dunston’s ground. It was glorious sunshine as I left Newcastle, and even when I arrived in Sheffield. On the weekend that the clocks changed, this trip signalled the end of Autumn, and the imminent onset of winter.

It had been quite an experience, and I’d definitely do this again. Not sure if I have the stamina for one of the Easter hops, but I’d definitely do 3-4 in a day again. Well done to the organisers of this day from a grateful hopper!

West Allotment Celtic (26-10-2013)

West Allotment Celtic 0 – 0 North Shields (Northern League Division 2), 26^th October 2013

Before visiting West Allotment Celtic for the second game of the North Tyneside hop, I had a clear idea of what the ground would look like. I imagined that the team played to the West of an old allotment which was cultivated to give the appearance of green stripes. The reality – I have to say – was far more interesting.

After the Heaton Stannington game, I had begun to wake up from my early start, helped by the short walk to West Allotment’s ground. The club was well-prepared for the influx of today, with a dedicated turnstile for the groundhoppers. The entrance opened out onto a flat section of terracing on an embankment – to my right was a small section of covered terracing, while on the left was a clubhouse and tea bar. The pitch was down a steep embankment, and was surrounded by the usual concrete walkway, sitting next to a cricket pitch which stretched into the distance. No allotment as I had quaintly imagined! I immediately liked this ground as it had a lot of character, and one where there was a friendly welcome from the club. Team sheets were available for 10p, and I even bought a copy of the club magazine ‘Three Miles West’ – pretty impressive to have a club magazine at this level. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the teams announced over a clear and audible PA system, which made a nice change. After sitting to take a break and eat my sandwich, I took my place on the far right corner flag closest to the embankment. This should be a good game today, as both teams were in and around the top 6 and I wasn’t disappointed.

 

The game was played at a high pace, and good quality as both teams kept the ball on the floor. Tackles were enthusiastic to say the least, with the referee clearly deciding to let the game flow a bit. North Shields created the first opportunities, with Holmes and Tait both having shots smothered by the home keeper. West Allotment were equal to the task, and Liam Hudson fired over before Ian Dunn missed another chance on the 40 minute mark. Just before half-time, North Shield’s Gareth Bainbridge took a great first touch to take the ball down in the area before firing an angled shot just wide. This was a very evenly balanced game, turning into a very watchable game of football.

The second half opened out even more, with chances being exchanged tit-for-tat. North Shield’s Daniel Smart rounded the keeper but couldn’t finish, before Sean Reid for West Allotment hit a stinging shot straight at the keeper. West Allotment hit another shot wide, while they had a free-kick deflected just wide. West Allotment were starting to seize control, and created more chances – Paul Stoneman hitting straight at the keeper, while Dormand did fantastically well to rob the ball in midfield, ending up shooting just over. The home keeper (Ryan Beal) was subbed off with around 10 minutes to go, and looking back at my notes, it looked like they had started to lose a bit of momentum. North Shields threatened briefly, scoring an offside goal which had been deflected off a post, before a neat flick from a corner was foiled by the new keeper. It finished 0-0, and it was one of those goalless draws which are thoroughly watchable and entertaining. The reality was the teams had probably cancelled each other out, but they had put on a decent performance.

This had certainly exploded two of the great myths in English football at the moment. Firstly, that English teams play 'kick-and-rush' route 1 football - today's game had been played on the floor, with creative movement of the ball throughout. And (in the TalkSport version of football) the myth that Northern football is in a steady decline. Today I saw evidence of the strength of teams in the North-East, and was really impressed with my first games in the Northern League. In a procession of ground-hoppers, I trudged onwards to the next ground at Coach Lane (Team Northumbria). This was definitely the highlight of the North Tyneside hop – a ground with plenty of character, friendly folk and a decent game of football.

Team Northumbria (26-10-2013)

Team Northumbria 3 – 4 Whitley Bay, Northern League Division 1 (26^th October 2013)

I’ve always liked the idea of a team representing an entire county, so I was looking forward to this game at Team Northumbria. The third game of the North Tyneside ground-hop brought us into the top Northern League division at Coach Lane, in what proved to be something of a classic encounter. A short walk from West Allotment Celtic, Coach Lane is actually on the campus of Northumbria University, as the team are technically part of the university set-up. This is similar to Team Bath, who King’s Lynn had encountered a couple of years earlier in the Southern League. The ground was not quite as idiosyncratic as West Allotment’s, but was certainly modern and neatly laid-out. Entrance was through a turnstile (yes, actually a turnstile, not just a table!) next to a sports centre – to my right was a short section of covered seating, and round the pitch perimeter was the usual paved area. The grounds-men here had clearly looked after the pitch, which was a healthy bright green, with hardly any of the muddy patches we’d seen at Heaton.

After a brief sit-down to gather my energies for this game, I took up my place just along from the seated area – strategically positioned in front of the tea van! The game was terrific, played at a fast pace and with great football from both sides. Team Northumbria took the lead on 7 minutes, with their number 8 slotting in, while Whitley Bay tested the home keeper with a header which was saved. The away side were sending various warning shots, and duly equalised on 15 minutes. This was looking like a very evenly balanced match today. The home side responded with another goal on 21 minutes, following a dribble into the area, before Whitley Bay made it 2-2 with a penalty from number 10. Both teams forced further saves from the keepers before the half-time whistle went.

This had been a frenetic game of football so far, and it continued in this way in the second half. As the shadows on the ground grew a bit longer, Whitley Bay’s number 10 made it 3-2 on 55 minutes, before his opposite number for Team Northumbria made it an incredible 3-3 after a mazy run into the penalty area. The away side looked like they might sneak it, and could have made it 4 when their number 10 rounded the keeper and fired over an empty goal. It wouldn’t matter, as the same player scored to make it 4-3 with a diving header late on. Team Northumbria weren’t done yet, and forced a superb tip over from the away keeper, and then hit the crossbar in the 90^th minute. A crowd of 396 saw this game, in what was another great advert for the Northern League with goals galore. 3 games down, and 1 to go!

Heaton (26-10-2013)

Heaton Stannington 3 – 0 Birtley, Northern League Division 2 (26^th October 2013)

Total costs for the Newcastle ground-hop = £142-10

Ground-hop ticket: £20

iPaper: 30p

B&B accommodation: £30

Metro ticket: £2-50

Train ticket: £61
Taxi: £11-60

Tea and sausage sandwich at Team Northumbria: £3

Fish and chips: £5-60

Tea at Heaton: £1
Tea at Newcastle Benfield: £1

Team-sheet at West Allotment: 10p

‘Three Miles West Magazine’: £2
'Northern Conquest Magazine’: £4

Game one of my first ‘ground-hop’ weekend in Newcastle – the North Tyneside hop, organised to celebrate the 125^th anniversary of the Northern League. I started at the pre-dawn time of 5.45am to make the 10.30am kick-off, and after a 2 hour train journey from Sheffield, just made it on time. Heaton Stannington’s Grounsell Park is located a short walk from Chillingham Road on the Newcastle metro system, and was fairly easy to find. The ground was positively bustling with ground-hoppers from all over the country judging by the accents.

After collecting my programmes for the day (in a pack of 4), I took up my place on the corner flag and surveyed the ground. The ground had the usual metal pole round the pitch, and on the opposite side to the entrance there was a grassy embankment which looked fairly muddy this morning. The entrance side had a short section of terracing, and an even shorter section of wooden decking, with spectators crammed in. The club had only recently joined the Northern League, so obviously hadn’t had the capacity to develop facilities as they might have liked. Still, I had received a friendly welcome on entering, and the atmosphere was jovial and relaxed.

The game was rather less friendly, and was fiercely contested by both teams. Heaton, in black and white stripes, took the lead early on when their number 9 slotted in a penalty. The away side – in light blue shirts – created a couple of chances, with numbers 5 and 9 missing half-chances. The home side made it 2-0 shortly after, and were looking like they would add to their tally when their number 3 (a Joe Hart lookalike) hit over from just inside the box. Birtley’s number 9 missed a chance when clean through on the keeper, and so they went in 2 nil down at half-time. It was a good competitive game so far, if made a little bit scrappier by the state of the pitch.

Heaton came out looking determined to get the third goal, with numbers 8 and 9 firing over just after the break. Birtley did create the odd chance, but their 9 wasted another chance when he took too many touches in an over-elaborate dribble inside the penalty area. Then – in the controversial moment of the match - a Birtley player swung a fist at one of the Heaton attackers, catching him in the jaw. The referee missed the incident, and was consulting his linesman on what had happened when the Birtley bench signalled a substitution, conveniently of the offending player. To much outrage from the home bench, and even the neutral ground-hoppers, the referee let the substitution go ahead, and the hot-headed Birtley player escaped a certain red-card. The moment was captured on video, and ended up on the Northern Echo website! It later transpired that the player had broken his opponent’s jaw in the attack, so there must have been some impact for that to happen.

There was still a game going on here, and Birtley’s number 15 had a shot well-saved by the home keeper, before missing an absolute sitter shortly after. Heaton looked fired up by the injustice of the missing red card, and made it 3 nil on 83 minutes, with their number 9 grabbing his second of the game. Thanks to the bobbly pitch, their number 5 almost gifted a consolation to Birtley late on when a back-pass went awry. Then Heaton’s number 11 hit the away post on 90 minutes after an excellent dribble into the box. This had been a tough game, and not exactly entertaining, but had been a good start to the day. Time for a breather before the next game at West Allotment Celtic at 1.15pm.

Winterton Rangers (19-10-2013)

Winterton Rangers 1 – 5 Maltby Main (NCEL Premier), 19th October 2013

Train (Sheffield-Scunthorpe) = £14-20 minus £8 travel voucher = £6-20
i-Paper = 30p
Bus = £4-90
Entrance = £5
Programme = £1-50
Tea = £1-10
Total = £19-00

October is definitely one of the best months for ground-hopping – by then, the season is in full swing, but still with all to play for. And of course, the ground-hopper’s great foe – the British weather - is Autumnal, and landscapes are colourful (if a bit wet at times!). Today I was off to Winterton, which is located on Humberside, 6 miles north of Scunthorpe, and is one of a cluster of clubs on the Humber – along with North Ferriby and Barton Town Old Boys. To get there, I caught a direct train from Sheffield to Scunthorpe (Northern Trains naturally), before catching the 350 ‘Humber Fast Cat’ service (which runs from Scunthorpe to Hull). This was the first game of the season which was slightly out of the way, and I was looking forward to seeing one of the harder to reach grounds.

The West Street ground did not disappoint, as I found a club with excellent facilities and a decent pitch. Unlike many clubs in this league, the pitch was surrounded by a wall of breeze blocks, rather than a metal bar. A small covered terraced section (2-3 terraces) on the halfway line faced a seating area on the far side. The highlight of the ground was a neat and clean café serving hot food and drinks – this may a pleasant change to the usual tea hut or kiosk. I was impressed by the ground, and pleasantly surprised too.

Today’s match had all the hallmarks of a scrappy affair, with Winterton sitting near the bottom of the league with a goal difference of -30 (and Maltby not doing much better). Winterton started brightly, with 4 hitting a shot wide before 10 sliced over a clear-cut chance on 11 minutes. Maltby then gradually grabbed hold of the game, and created opportunities of their own – no 11 hitting wide on 17 minutes, before they deservedly took the lead on 22 minutes with no 9 scoring a header. I was impressed by the way the away side seemed determined to keep the ball on the floor and to play neat one-touch football. They created chance after chance, but Winterton just about held it to 1 nil at half time. Perhaps the most bizarre chance came when the Winterton goalie caught a header back before the Maltby striker hit it from his hands..only for it to cleared off the line! It got worse for Winterton when their number 2 was stretchered off with what looked like a twisted knee.

Maltby really took charge in the second half, with their no 11 (George Conway) hitting an easy shot wide before no 8 forced a save. Conway made it 2-0 on 55 minutes, sliding the ball neatly underneath the oncoming keeper. For once, I knew the exact time of the goal because it was announced very clearly on the PA system – again, a rarity at similar grounds, where I usually found announcements either non-existent or inaudible. Poor Winterton were doing their best, but Maltby’s superior organisation and quality was starting to tell. Two more followed on 62 and 74 minutes, with an own goal from 6 and a header from Conway.  Winterton still showed some fight, and grabbed a late consolation when their no 15 showed persistence in hassling for the ball in the box. Maltby rounded off proceedings with no 9 making it 5-1 on 81 minutes.

Something of a rout, but a good game nonetheless - the first half in particular was really competitive and attractive football. As I made my way out of the ground, a couple of kids asked me the score, and who Winterton were playing. ‘Maltby, ah – isn’t their badge like Chelsea’s but in red?’ I wasn’t sure of the similarity between a colliery and a lion but agreed anyway – I’m sure that Maltby would be flattered that they were being favourably compared to their London cousins.

England (11-10-2013)

England 4 – 1 Montenegro (World Cup Qualifier), 11^th October 2013

Match ticket = £32-50

Coach = £34

Programme = £6

Tea (x2) = £3

Taxi (Sheffield-home) = £15 (approx.)

Total = £90-50

I write this several months after the event, so forgive me if details are a little unclear! This was my third World Cup qualifier of the 2014 qualifying cycle (after San Marino and Ukraine), and was a crucial game in ensuring England reached Brazil safely. Montenegro had done incredibly well in this group, and could have easily beaten us away when it finished 1-1 back in March. Now England were two home wins from topping the group after a key draw in Ukraine and an easy win over Moldova. It sounded so simple!

For once, the coach down from Sheffield was delayed on the M1, and we only reached the ground at about 7.30, so it was a bit of a rush to get in, grab a programme and get set for this one. I barely had time for rolls before the game kicked off. As is so often the case, England couldn’t get a breakthrough before half-time, and the crowd began to get a bit nervous. This was in spite of a very attacking line-up which included Andros Townsend. I couldn’t contemplate the anguish of a World Cup play-off, or indeed, missing out entirely.

Rooney settled nerves on 48 minutes when he tapped in a rebound from a Danny Welbeck shot to make it 1-0. Perfect start to the second half. The game’s intensity strangely dropped off after 62 minutes when an unfortunate Montenegro player scored an OG to double England’s lead. It felt odd to be comfortably ahead when we had struggled to break the away side down in the first half, and when they carried so much of an attacking threat. In the next 15-20 minutes England began to relax more and attack with more fluidity. It seems we do best when playing with a comfortable lead, and little pressure. Up stepped Andros Townsend to make it 3-0 with a wonderful rocket of a shot into the goal, which left the away goalkeeper with no chance. This was terrific, and vindicated Hodgson’s decision to play him ahead of Milner, who has been described as more ‘yeoman-like’. A Sturridge penalty in the last minute made it 4-1, and gave a slightly undeserved gloss to the scoreline. In truth, we had definitely deserved to win, but had got some good fortune at key points in the game to make it look like a better win than it had been. This was good for the goal difference, and great for confidence going into Tuesday’s game with Poland. This hadn’t been a classic, and the atmosphere around Wembley (particularly in the first-half) was tense and almost angry. But this was another key win at the right time, and backed up Hodgson’s confidence that we would make it to Brazil.

Liverpool (05-10-2013)

Liverpool 3 – 1 Crystal Palace (Premiership), 5th October 2013

Train (Sheffield-Liverpool): £21
Bus to Anfield: £4
Match ticket £41
Programme: £3
Tea: £1-85
Total: £70-85

Second game of the season at Anfield, and it was against newly promoted Crystal Palace. After the disappointment of the Southampton game, we were not sure what to expect of this one. We sat in the Anfield Road end, almost directly above the away supporters, who we could hear but not see. This may explain why a steward at the turnstile thought it necessary to confiscate a bottle lid from me – meaning that I had to quickly drink half a litre – and there went a trusty ground hopping tool for the season!

Today was definitely colder and wetter than our September visit, and it threatened torrential rain – before breaking into odd moments of bright sunshine. In a terrific 25 minutes spell at the start of the match, Liverpool raced into a 3 nil lead, with an angled goal from Sturridge, a poked goal from Suarez. This was what Liverpool could play like, and it looked like today might turn into something similar to the 5-0 win over Swansea and the 6-0 Newcastle win last year. This Liverpool side are like a rusty racing car which can struggle to get going at first, but when they do hit top gear, they really do get going. Today typified this, with an astonishing start gradually slowing down to a somewhat pedestrian performance, as Liverpool knew they were winning comfortably against a poor (if spirited) Palace side. It could have been more, but you can hardly complain at being 3 nil up at half-time!

Proving the point that they struggle to maintain intensity for 90 minutes, Liverpool really took their foot off the gas in a flat second half. Disappointingly, the clean sheet went to pot when Palace scored a consolation, and put on a determined performance. It seemed churlish to boo a 3-1 win, but most of the ground seemed non-plussed to be honest. Still this was another 3 points wrapped up, and hopefully showed that this Liverpool team were able to finish off games much better than last year. The highlight of the second half was listening to the groans of an old Irishwoman behind us (who had apparently not seen a football match before) – making it sound as though Liverpool were losing poorly. So a bit of a strange day out, all in all, and not a classic game. The next time we’d be back here would be in November, when winter would be nearly upon us….

Dronfield Town (02-10-2013)

Dronfield Town 2 – 1 Shaw Lane Aquaforce (NCEL League Cup), 2nd October 2013

Train (Sheffield-Dronfield): £4-20
Entrance: £3
Chips: £1-50
Tea: 60p
Pasty & fruit: £3-48
Total: £12-78

After the somewhat dull game on Saturday, I was looking forward to tonight’s NCEL cup game at Stonelow Road. This was to be the first floodlit match at the ground, and appropriately it was between two teams in their debut NCEL seasons. Dronfield had been playing in the Central Midlands League, while Shaw Lane Aquaforce had been in the Sheffield & Hallamshire County – and as far as I am aware, had not met before tonight. Last season in April I saw an impressive game between Shaw Lane and Handsworth, which ended up being the home side’s near title parade.
Dronfield is a town just south of Sheffield (on the way to Chesterfield) and sits in Derbyshire rather than South Yorkshire. I travelled straight from work in Manchester, catching the Nottingham-bound service which took about 10 minutes. Rather foolishly, I hadn’t prepared any food, so ended up buying a Cornish pasty and fruit at Sheffield station, before being tempted by a chip shop outside Dronfield station. It was about a 15 minute walk to the ground, which is actually located on Shirebrook Road. Visitors to the ground should note that the entrance is through the car park and across a field (I made the mistake of walking all the way down the road, before realising the way in).

The entrance was past the club house and down some steps, where I parted with £3 for entry – probably the cheapest competitive game I’d been to this season. Sadly, on such a major night for Dronfield, there were no programmes (problems with the printers apparently), though the kind woman at the entrance did offer to post it on if I gave her my address. This was a friendly ground, where the locals did seem genuinely pleased to see new faces. In terms of set up, the ground was fairly standard for this level, with a small covered area of terracing on the halfway line (with DTFC painted on the back wall), and the standard metal rod round the pitch. There were quite a few here tonight – including a handful of groundhoppers, identifiable through their professional looking cameras, and umbrellas. I overheard a conversation next to me, and heard that one of the blokes was off to Bradford the next day, and regularly did tours of the country.

The first half was very eventful, far more so than the weekend game. On 7 minutes, Shaw Lane’s no 5 headed over, before Dronfield’s no 2 hit a shot over 15 minutes. Shaw Lane opened the scoring on 22 minutes with 5 making sure of his header this time. The game was fiercely contested, and the away side’s no 8 was booked for a rough and late challenge. Dronfield were holding their own against a strong Shaw Lane, and (in quick succession) hit the crossbar and forced a clearance off the line. They deservedly equalised just before half-time, when no 11 slotted in a free kick from just outside the box.

After a cup of tea (priced at 60p!), I took up my place for the second half. I was quietly hoping that today’s game didn’t go to extra time, as I had a train to catch at 22.07. As I hoped, Dronfield took the lead almost after half-time, with their 11 slotting a penalty in after a foul in the box. I still felt that Shaw Lane could score, and they continued to threaten when no 10 hit a shot just wide. The game had turned into a really feisty affair, and tackles were flying in from all angles. Yellow cards were flashed, and both sides were complaining to the referee about perceived injustices. The only real ‘chance’ of note was when Dronfield’s no 3 looked like he had handled the ball in the box – only for the appeals of Shaw Lane to be waved away by the referee. It finished 2-1 to Dronfield, who had done well to beat a strong and well-organised away team. I’d like to visit this ground again, probably worth seeing in the daylight to appreciate it more. Good luck to Dronfield in their maiden NCEL season – I’m sure I’ll be back, hopefully with a programme next time!