Ashton Town (25-04-2015)

Ashton Town 0 - 3 Chadderton (NWCFL Division 1), Saturday 25th April 2015

Train = £4-30
Sandwiches = £2
Entry = £5
Programme = £1
Tea = £1
Oxo = £1
Pasty & chewing gum = £2-10
Bus in Sheffield = £1-80
Total  = £18-20

Today was the last game of the regular non league season. With the summer beckoning, I foolishly assumed that it would be nice weather, setting off from Sheffield without a coat. It turned out to be absolutely freezing, and as an icy wind swept through platform 14 at Manchester Piccadilly, I regretted my earlier decision.

I'd picked a game today with at least something hinging on it. Ashton Town (3rd from bottom) were playing Chadderton, who were looking to secure a NWCFL play off place. This is the first year that the division 1 league will have play offs, and its something of a boon, keeping the season alive for many clubs.

Ashton-in-Makerfield is a tricky place to reach by train, involving 2 trains from Manchester, changing at Wigan. The town is about 4 miles from Wigan so I decided to train it on the way and walk on the way back. The town actually has two teams, the other being Ashton Athletic, who I hope to see next season.

After a 20 minute amble from Bryn station, I reached the Edge Green Street ground, at the end of a cul de sac. The ground reminded me a little of Nelson's Victoria Park. The turnstile opened out behind one goal and there was a welcoming clubhouse on the right. To the right was a white and red changing room block and to the left were two seated stands. I popped in for a cup of tea, and noticed a world map on the wall, with coloured stickers indicating countries the local amateur radio club had contacted! There was a trophy cabinet which seemed full of youth and local trophies, and a raft of club pendants on the wall from far and wide.

The programme acknowledged that Ashton had had a difficult season, and the game pretty much ran to expectations. Ashton looked disorganised throughout with no shape, and no attacking threat. Chadderton, on the other hand, were a competent NWCFL side, and took the lead on 11 minutes when their burly number 9 chipped over the keeper at the far end. They doubled their lead when the same player headed in shortly after, and thereon in the result was clear. 7 and 3 hit drives high and wide, with 9 at the centre of most attacks. Ashton really lacked any presence in midfield, particularly an enforcer, and were overrun in the middle at times. Perhaps the most noticeable thing on their side was a defender who vaguely resembled Gary Cahill!

Chadderton, playing in a rather slick orange and black kit, were not shutting up shop, and came out for the second period looking hungry for more. This may have been due to the fact that a vastly improved goal difference might nudge them up a place. I was impressed with their workrate and desire, and wasn't surprised when they made it 3 when 7 teed up 11 in the box. Then came Ashton's one moment of promise, when 11 hit a superb curler onto the top of the cross bar. Shortly after they forced a great one on one save from the away keeper, but this spurt proved to be their only real threat of the game. In the middle of the park, Chadderton's 7 was outstanding, at the centre of most attacks and spraying the ball around with ease. It finished 3-0 and as I headed out of the ground I couldn't believe another season was pretty much over, and that it had been so chilly at a game in late April! I marched back to Wigan, making the 17:59 down to Mancunia, and made it back through the door just before 8:30. Just playoffs, cup finals and a few League/Premier League games left, and another season will be over.

Liverpool @ Wembley (19-04-2015)

Liverpool 1 - 2 Aston Villa (FA Cup Semi-final), Sunday 19th April 2015

Tea x 2 = £4
Ticket = £3
Train (Sheffield-London) = £48-85
Oyster card = c. £15 each
(Another) tea = £1-85
Parking = £15.50/2 = £7.75
Total = £80-45

'Poetry in motion / Tra la la la la'. So goes one of the famous Anfield anthems. In truth their football at times has resembled a stuttering and stumbling prose, rather than the startling rhythm and pace of last season.

Thanks to the late date for the Blackburn replay, we only managed to get tickets for this on Saturday 11th. This was our second FA Cup semi final with the club, but Mrs Groundhopper was no less happy when a nervous morning on the iPod, phone and laptop resulted in 2 tickets. Phew!

The journey down on the Sunday was smooth, taking just over 2 hours from Sheffield to London, then a bit longer out to Wembley. I had planned ahead for once, loading Oyster cards before travelling. Coming out of Wembley Park station, we drank in the building atmosphere up Wembley Way, as fans streamed towards the ground.

Strangely once inside the ground took a while to fill up, but suddenly seemed full once the game kicked off. The atmosphere was great, and I have to admit far better than most England games. Disappointingly Liverpool did not rise to the occasion. From the first whistle, they were flat and lacked creativity, pinging it from side to side with little purpose. I was shocked at how much space Benteke was allowed on the ball, which was causing Liverpool lots of headaches in defence. The formation and selection was bizarre - with Henderson and Allen forming part of the midfield box, there were similar players competing for the same position. Despite their poor start, Liverpool took the lead when Coutinho played a one-two and ran through superbly to slot home. At this point I wondered if they might scrape through despite their performance. Within a few minutes, however, Villa equalised through Benteke who was seemingly unmarked in a dangerous area.

When the teams came out for the second half, I was sure that it couldn't get any worse for Liverpool. Bang! On 54 minutes the excellent Fabian Delph made it 2-1 to Villa. The red end of Wembley became quiet and flat, with the far end positively bouncing. On about 80 minutes Liverpool suddenly realised they were playing a football match, with Gerrard's free kick saved and Lovren heading over unmarked on 84 minutes. Gerrard almost looked like he had saved them when he flicked a header on from a corner, only to see it cleared off the line. Balotelli, who had actually been one of the more effective attackers, was then adjudged offside when he planted it in. Replays showed that it was onside so one crumb of comfort was that they had been a little unlucky today.

We've now seen one semi final win and one loss, and the latter was absolutely galling. It was the manner of today's defeat which was disappointing. No leadership on or off the pitch, no desire to win the game when they had half an hour to score, and a nonexistent tactical system. Credit to Villa, who played as a team, showed great tenacity and determination, and looked like they wanted a place in the cup final. Defeats happen in football for sure, but it was the manner of this surrender which was so depressing.

Accrington (18-04-2015)

Accrington Stanley 2 - 2 Stevenage (League Two), Saturday 18th April 2015

Train (Manc-Accrington) = £10-10 train
Ale = £5-80
Programme = £3
Entry = £20
Tea = £2-50
Pasty = £3-99

'Accrington Stanley? Who are they?' Accrington is something of a footballing Mecca, representing an older and happier footballing world. Today I headed off to East Lancashire for a late season League 2 game against Stevenage. This time I'm pleased to say that a friend and former colleague joined me for what proved to be a classic ground-hop as Spring made a brief sunny appearance.

Like Nelson, Colne et al, Accrington is bizarrely not accessible by direct train from Manchester. There is a direct bus but on this route it would have taken far longer than train. So we ended up changing at Preston, and ended up in Accrington at about 1pm. This gave ample time for a visit to a bookies for my friend to place an 8-fold bet on various matches taking place today. We then sidled up to the ground, and found an excellent pub - The Castle - where we stopped for a Spring Water ale. The barman gave a friendly Lancs welcome, though he did look slightly bemused when he realised we weren't Stevenage fans.

After another pint in the sunny beer garden of The Crown (Blonde Witch), we headed in to the Sophia Khan end, parting with £20. I had been slightly worried about being mistaken for away fans, but we had no such trouble. This end of the ground has about 5 rows of seats at the front with terracing and crush barriers behind. This gave it quite a nice balance, with kids and families at the front and the more vociferous fans at the back. The away end behind the far goal consisted of a completely exposed terraced block - fortunately today it was fair weather, though I did wonder what it must be like on cold January evenings. Just beyond there was a hill in the distance - a Pennine perhaps? - and another football match in full flow.

Stevenage came here today looking to cement a play off place, while Accrington were safe from relegation so had nothing to play for. Within 2 minutes of kick off there was a long delay due to an injury, resulting in a throw in near the halfway line. We later discovered on the Football League Show that Accrington had a man sent off but both completely missed it at the time! It didn't dampen their competitiveness, and they were ahead when 8's excellent run set up 19 to make it 1-0. With 20 minutes gone, Stevenage's number 8 made it 1-1 to the delight of the fans on the away terrace. Accrington looked more than a match for their higher placed opponents, and made it 2-1 when 19 scored another superb right footed goal.

The second half was as good as the first, with end to end aggression and determination. Stevenage's 18 forced an early save from the home keeper, while Accringtons 15 fired wide from a promising position. Stevenage's 32 then flicked a header towards the top corner only to be tipped around the post. Then the away side reached parity when 3 put in a superb cross, enabling 20 to poach a goal inside the 6 yard box. This was perhaps just reward for a well contested match. I have to say that throughout we enjoyed the atmosphere created by the Accrington fans, with several songs using existing tunes and new lyrics - I think that Anarchy in the UK was used at one point! Despite the awkwardness of catching 3 trains and a bus back home, this trip to the other side of the Pennines was well worth it.

Runcorn Linnets (11-04-2015)

Runcorn Linnets 0 - 3 Ashton Athletic (NWCFL Premier), Saturday 11th April 2015

Paper & fruit = £1-35
Train ticket = £11-80
Toilet stop = 20p
Entry = £5
Tea = £1
Rolls = £3
Total = £22-35

Runcorn Halton Linnets were the first team where I officially groundhopped - way back in Autumn 2004. It's been a long and eventful decade and today I was back to see the reformed club. The ground was accessible from Runcorn East, which is on the Arriva train service from Manchester to Llandudno. The town is surprisingly large, and as I wandered through various nondescript housing estates, I realised I was some distance from the Millennium Bridge across to Spike island and Widnes.

The home side were chasing the NWCFL Premier title, locked in a two-way fight with Glossop. They started with real intent, with 9 a threat and 8 hooking a volley over from the edge of the D. 9 headed over a great chance from a corner on 15 minutes, then stung the keepers hands with a snap shot outside the area. On 22 minutes the home keeper turned a terrific shot onto the crossbar, when a3 headed off the line it seemed like this was one way traffic. For the last 15 minutes of the half, Ashton threatened to score, with 2 missing after a calamitous mixup at the Runcorn back line, then 3 fired onto the crossbar after a shot from 9 was saved.

It looked like the Cheshire side would walk the second half but they came out looking slightly lethargic. Ashton its fair to say looked well up for it. A8 sent an early warning shot when his effort drifted wide, before he made it 1-0 with a right footed effort inside the box. To compound things for the home side, they then had 9 booked, with Ashton's 10 curling just wide. The same player made it 2-0 when he latched on to a through ball and planted it in (the keeper got a hand to it but couldn't stop it).  Ashton's 8 was a terrier in the midfield, and they really began to dominate proceedings in the centre of the park. To their absolute delight, 10 then made it 3-0 when he poked in after a nudge on. There were complaints of it being offside but this was not the case.

By now Runcorn players and fans alike were barracking the referee, and their burly central defender 5 was shown a yellow when he answered back again. His protesting came to nothing and he was firmly put in his place when a fan shouted 'shut up, you've been at it all game'. The game threatened to spill over, and 3 toppled the Ashton 10 with a wild tackle, receiving a yellow card in the process. So 3-0 to Ashton, and this game may well have put the kibosh on Runcorn's title ambitions. I hope to be back in these parts to visit Runcorn Town's Murdishaw Lane in 2015-16.

Whitehaven (04-04-2015)

Whitehaven Amateurs 5 - 3 (Saturday 4th April 2015), Wearside League

Costs - none except a walk down (and up!) a hill

Well today I had planned in Celtic Nation, but that ended up being shifted due to a Durham county cup tie. And my replacement - Northbank Carlisle - was out when I discovered that my train from Whitehaven would miss kick off. So I ended up heading to Cleator Moor to see the first half of Arsenal-Liverpool (it may as well have been the whole match) then walked the few miles down to the county ground for the 2.30 kick off. Whitehaven were relegated from the Northern League in the last couple of seasons partly due to the length of their turnstiles. I have some sympathy as the club is in Mrs Groundhopper's town, and is highly regarded locally.

This was one of a handful of step 7 games I've seen this year, but it was arguably one of the most entertaining. A topsy turvy first half ended 3-2 to the home side, with plenty of action and goals galore. First Whitehaven's Bradley Dryden planted a sitter into the roof of the net, before Horden's Nathan Waters swung in a superb left foot free kick to draw level. Then Dryden made it 2-1 to the Cumbrians, with a left footed shot from the edge of the 6 yard box. At the other end Whitehaven's central defender was fantastic in defence, and had a spectacular wrestle with Horden's 7 (John Bowes) at one point. Dryden had a hat trick soon after with a tap in - he was clearly a classic striker in a poacher mould. But as if in complete defiance, Horden's Ethan Payne scored a free kick which took a wicked deflection off the wall.

The second half was as unbelievable as the first. Whitehaven's right back sent a low shot wide early on, before Micheak Pattison scored an absolutely awesome free kick to make it 4-2. Think David Beckham vs Barca in 1998! They then had a goal disallowed and at the other end Horden's Waters had a shot saved then narrowly missed another chance with the keeper stranded. Whitehaven were starting to dominate and Lee Woolf (?) made it 5-2 when he evaded the attentions of several defenders before smashing in from the right of the box. I have to say I was particularly impressed with the home sides number 10, who was playing in a deep lying role and seemed cool in possession. Game over? No way. On came a very chubby looking player for Horden, who looked like he could barely move. But he had a sleight of touch and an intelligence which made up for his lack of speed. Halfway into the home half, facing the railway line, he took one touch on a nothing pass and smashed it into the top corner and in off the cross bar. Goal of the season without doubt, and an absolutely cracking Wearside League game to boot.

Handsworth (01-04-2015)

Handsworth (U21) 1 - 2 Swallownest MW (U21)

Bovril = 80p

With Handsworth apparently romping towards another piece of silverware, tonight's U21 game against Swallownest was theoretically a straightforward game. This is football of course, so the result flew in the face of expectations. This represented an excellent chance for nearby Swallownest to avenge their 7-0 trouncing in December.

The game began with one of the quotes of the season, with Handsworth's number 4 blatantly elbowing an opposition striker before claiming 'I never touched him!'. The first half was tight and evenly matched. The away side were a real threat in the box, with 10 forcing a save from a tight angle, before 9 turned, shot and again found the palms of the home keeper. Handsworth, as usual, were swift on the counter-attack, with James Dawes making some particularly dangerous runs and others spreading out around him. Their industrious running paid off when 12 was chopped down in the box with a penalty a no brainer. Dawes proceeded to miss the spot kick, with the keeper making a solid stop down to his right. It began to look as if the danger had passed and Swallownest were looking dangerous, creating plenty of space on both wings. But it is a funny old game, and the home side made it 1-0 when a cross from the right somehow dropped just inside the post.

Many other sides would have folded at this point, but not Swallownest. Barely a few minutes of the second half had passed and they were level when 9 slotted in coolly after some lax marking in the Amber's back line. Handsworth looked as threatening as ever, with Dawe's long range effort saved. Swallownest's 9 was a thorn in Handsworth's side, and netted a second to nudge the Swallows in front, latching on to a through ball which looked marginally offside. This brought a terrific response from the Ambers, with 8 testing the keeper with a couple of fierce shots, and the 17 sub looking skilful. The Swallows were not done, with 12 firing wide when they were through 3-on-1. Then Handsworth's Liam Flint clipped the heels of 9, bringing another yellow and a red. At this point the pitch was beginning to resemble a mud bath and one home player now had a completely brown shirt! The final action was when the home side's 8 had a drive saved. Swallownest deserve a lot of credit for this win, particularly how they set up in the second half - resolute in defence and skilful in the attack.