Corby (29-08-2026)

Corby 0 - 2 Stafford (FA Trophy 1st Round Qualifying), Saturday 29 August 2026

Forest U23 @ Loughborough

Notts Forest U23 2 - 1 Manchester City U23 (Premier League 2), Friday 28 August 2026

Dodworth (26-08-2026)

Dodworth Reserves 0 - 4 AFC Dronfield (Sheffield and Hallamshire League Cup), Wednesday 26 August 2026

My first trip to nearby Dodworth, only a few junctions up the M1 and a ground with an impressive main stand. AFC Dronfield (the 'real' team in Dronfield?) took a 3-0 lead by half-time, and while the second half was evenly balanced, they deserved the win.

There was a boys match in progress on the adjacent pitch and I had an interesting chat with their referee for this during the half-time break. The hotly debated topic was whether there should be linesmen/people for games at this level...I politely declined the offer to run the line for their second half!

Beverley (25-08-2026)

Beverley Town 2 - 1 Ossett United (Northern Premier League East 1), Tuesday 25 August 2026

My latest visit to the Hull area, the time to see newly promoted Beverley. They have initially struggled in the league this year and had not scored before today. In a twist, they were actually put out of the FA Cup by Northwich in a previous round - the tie preceding the match I saw in Runcorn.

In a scrappy game, they managed to grab a 2-1 win against an (eventual) 9-man Ossett. It could have been a lot more comfortable but still this was a historic win for Beverley. 

A tough drive back home, due to a combination of evening roadworks, battery-watching miles and general tiredness. Reminded me of a similar drive back from Hall Road Rangers one Autumn evening. Still, my first 'new' ground for a while and in their first season at this level.

Northwich @ Runcorn (23-08-2026)

Northwich Victoria 4 - 4 Bootle (FA Cup Preliminary Round), Sunday 23 August 2026

In my first FA Cup match for 5 years, I saw a crazy tie between two North West teams. Northwich looked to have the initiative at 2-1 up, but fell behind to a penalty and 2 quickfire Bootle goals. They deservedly fought their way back into it to make it 4 all - not a scoreline I would have predicted at the start!

It's been 11 years since I first visited this ground. Going to this bit of Merseyside always brings back a flood of memories so they were on my mind for some of the match. I had not realised how close Runcorn, Northwich and Warrington are, so it's no surprise that Northwich make the short trip up here for home games. There's probably a dissertation to be written on football clubs and grounds in Northwich itself, where I believe Witton Albion still play. 

My first game of 2026/27 ticked off after a long wait. 

Liverpool (09-05-2026)

Liverpool 1 - 1 Chelsea (Premier League), Saturday 9 May 2026

A decent first 20 minutes by a lively Liverpool followed by a drab and directionless performance. No urgency or ideas to score, even as the clock ticked down - this lethargy from some players is the reason for the boos at the end. Something is wrong with this side, perhaps a lack of identity and purpose. This may well be our last game at Anfield for some time and it was a disappointing note to end on in the bright Spring sunshine. 

SJR Worksop (24-04-2026)

SJR Worksop 2 - 1 Harworth Colliery (Central Midlands Premier North), Friday 24 April 2026

A decent match at a ground I have driven past many times (and within a 5 minute walk of Worksop Town's ground). A strange Spring evening started in hot sunshine and ended in chilly conditions as the sun set (thank god they kept the light on at Asda as the glow from that helped a bit!).

SJR Worksop turned this one around against a tough Harworth Colls. The strangeness of the evening continued as half the spectators and cars leaving ended up locked in!

LUFC Women Development (19-04-2026)

Leeds United Women Development 1 - 2 Stoke City Women Development (Women's National League Reserve North), Sunday 19 April 2026

A revisit to Nostell's Crofton Community Centre, albeit on a different pitch. I hadn't realised there was a cup final in progress on the main pitch. On the "top field" I saw a decent match between 2 young women's sides.

Stoke deservedly won, thanks to a brilliant inswinging free kick in the second half. The highlight was an authoritative and friendly referee who explained his decisions clearly and acted as an on-field coach.

Plus a cheeky one of the men's cup final taking place on the main pitch.

Pontefract Collieries (17-04-2026)

Pontefract 2 - 2 Emley (Northern Premier 1 East), Friday 17 April 2026

My first match at Ponty - although I did visit back in 2009. They now have a 4G pitch. This local derby was buzzing as both teams tried to secure play-off places. I also worked out how to get more miles out of our electric car so a good night all round!

Youdan @ Steel City Stadium (13-04-2026)

Youdan 3 - 2 Sheffield Medics (S&H League Division 2), Monday 13 April 2026

I came to this half-expecting a poor end of season match, but it proved good quality and very entertaining. Both sides played with the ball on the floor and seemed like they wanted to play proper football. A couple of odd defensive errors in the first half were eclipsed by a brilliant second half finish. Note to self - toilets open but no cafe...bring a Thermos flask next time!

Bromley (07-04-2026)

Bromley 2 - 1 Shrewsbury (League Two), Tuesday 7 April 2026

A trip down memory lane given my family connections to Bromley. This is the other side of the town to the area I know well, but I have been here once before. The ground looked very different to 2005 and the club have clearly invested in the infrastructure, including some hi-tech turnstiles using QR codes.

Bromley are edging towards League Two promotion, possibly the title. They showed a lot of resilience against a tough Shrewsbury side in this one.

Another of the 92 ticked off tonight (although I suspect my list will be longer than that when I get to the end, what with new grounds and teams). 

Liverpool (15-03-2026)

Liverpool 1 - 1 Spurs (Premier League), Sunday 15 March 2026

This was always going to be a bit of a comedown from my half marathon extertions earlier in the day, but this was compounded by a poor Liverpool performance. They had enough to put away Spurs in the first half but lacked a cutting edge.

The away side grew more confident and the only surprise was that it took them until the last minute to score. A ponderous and directionless second half for Liverpool. Their season may be coming to an abrupt anti-climax already after such an efficient league title last year. This was actually our first Liverpool game of the season, but by this showing we have not missed much. The highlight today was picking up the latest Red All Over The Land to browse through at a later date.

Colliers Wood (05-03-2026)

Colliers Wood U18 6 - 1 AFC Wisla Krakow (Combined Counties U18), Thursday 5 March 2026

A low-key start to my 2026 matches saw a dominant performance by Colliers Wood. The ground was on the outskirts of Wimbledon, nr Raynes Park. The highlight of the evening was one of the best portions of fish and chips I've ever had - a reason to visit this corner of the capital again.

This league and its equivalents are good bets for those hard to find Thursday evening matches so I'm glad I found this one (only £5 entry too!). Much more favourable than the Spurs-Palace match the other side of London, which would have set me back c£120.