Penistone (11-08-2021)

Penistone Church 1 - 2 Lower Breck (FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round Replay), Wednesday 11th August 2021

Entry £5

Programme £1-50

Tea £1-25

Petrol estimate £5

Total £12-75

Sheffield Wednesday (04-03-2020)

Sheffield Wednesday 0 - 1 Manchester City (FA Cup 5th Round), Wednesday 4th March 2020

Ticket £30
Tram park & ride £4-50
Tea £2-50
Programme £3
Total £40

Kidderminster Harriers (17-09-2016)

Kidderminster Harriers 4 - 0 Tamworth (FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round), Saturday 17 September 2016

Train (Sheffield-Derby) £11-30
Train (Derby-Kidderminster) £17-20
Entry £13
Tea £1-50
Total £43

Kidderminster Harriers was always one of those teams which intrigued me on Final Score. When I first started watching football, they were always in and around the Conference. The name intrigued me – where was this place? Well today I would find out. The town is in Worcestershire and is just South of the edge of Birmingham (not far from Stourbridge and Halesowen). Some years ago, I stumbled on a defunct ground for Halesowen Harriers so the appended nickname must have some local significance. Anyway, for today’s game, Kidderminster welcomed Tamworth, from the other side of the M6, almost on the opposite side of Birmingham. On a brief exploration of the centre of Kidderminster (which is worth a visit by the way) I was careful as I was aware this was a potentially fiery derby match.

In reality, this was a bit flat for a derby. Kidderminster still regard themselves as a bigger club than Tamworth, who have flitted between the National League and its regional equivalents in recent seasons. On entering the terracing at the near end, I found a spot right at the back. This was a nice neat ground, with terracing behind both goals, and plenty of seating bedecked in red and white on either side. The far end was closed off to spectators so a cluster of noisy away fans were located at the far end of one of the seated stands to my left.

As I mentioned, this FA Cup tie fell flat quite early on. Kidderminster, who should be just about favourites today, took an early 2-0 lead, thanks to 10 sliding in from a corner and then 9 tapping in after excellent work on the wings. Tamworth had a slither of an opportunity through number 10, before the home side banged in a 3rd when 9 grabbed his second. Tamworth were trying in vain to match their opponents but to no avail.

The second half was dreadful. On 52 minutes, Kidderminster’s 11 made it 4-0 when he converted after going through. After that there were hardly any chances for either side, and the action was limited to a midfield kick-about. There was a decent attendance for this one (1050), which included 98 travelling supporters, so while this wasn’t the best game ever, some fans had a good day out. I headed back to the station, where the train to Birmingham and the next one onto Sheffield ran without delays.

Liverpool (30-01-2016)

Liverpool 0 - 0 West Ham (FA Cup 4th Round), Saturday 30 January 2016

Bus Sheffield £1-80
Lunch & tea £6-35
Bus to Anfield £4
Programme £3-50
Pie and tea £5-60
Match ticket £27
Tea and snack £5
Lunch on Sunday £5
Taxi (£10/2) £5
Train £23 each
Dinner c£11 each
Hotel c£50 each
Total £147-25

What is it about West Ham? In the space of about 6 weeks I've now seen them play 3 times (admittedly one was a Ladies game). Liverpool are probably sick of the sight of them too, having lost at Upton Park a couple of times recently and at Anfield back in August.

After Liverpool's replay win over Exeter, this seemed like it could be a decent match. So we headed across on the Saturday, treating ourselves to a hotel in the city centre. These 5:30 kick offs are not great fun in winter, particularly when you're travelling some distance, so I was glad we'd taken the easier option. To be fair this was one of the more reasonably priced games at £27 apiece.

Despite arriving in the city nice and early it turned into a bit of a rush to the ground, where we arrived just after 5. There was no time to have food so we headed straight up to our Kop seats. These were closer to the middle than previously and gave a good view of the action as well as letting us soak up the atmosphere.

I decided not to bother taking notes, instead just to enjoy the match. For these blog reports I often write a match summary but I have found they can become quite repetitive.

This was overall a reasonable cup tie. Liverpool could have won it a few times over, if not for some excellent goalkeeping by Darren Randolph. Benteke, as usual, looked low on confidence and out of place, miscuing a couple of clear cut chances, and generally looking pretty useless.

Liverpool's line up, it has to be said, was a mixture of youth and experience. Brad Smith at left back did incredibly well, while Kevin Stewart and Teixeira put in a good shift in midfield. So West Ham will have been a bit disappointed they couldn't really capitalise on this. The away side did have the odd chance and a half hearted penalty appeal, but nothing more threatening than that. On 90 minutes we came away from Anfield pretty deflated. Again the Red Men had put in a decent performance, but like the Palace game in November, they had nothing to show for it. The pendulum in this tie had perhaps swung towards the Hammers, who would have the advantage of a home match at Upton Park under the lights. Liverpool's fixture list is piling up now.

Bradford City (06-12-2015)

Bradford City 4 - 0 Chesham United (FA Cup 2nd Round), Sunday 6 December 2015

Train ticket £12-30
Tea £1-85
Tea at stadium £2-20
Entry £15
Programme £2
Total £33-35

Taking advantage of the weekend's FA Cup ties I decided to head to Valley Parade. By chance Mrs 'Hopper was off to York to see a friend so we travelled together for once. I arrived in Bradford at 11am so had a couple of hours to kill before KO. After wandering up to the ground for some exterior photos, I found the National Media Museum and its cafe for a cuppa. The air was crisp so I purchased a cheap woolly hat from a Primark, before heading to the ground.

Valley Parade can be seen from some distance away, largely due to its elevated position and the steep L-shaped stand. Presumably this is a legacy of their time in the Premier League at the turn of the century. Due to the relatively low key opposition today the club had only opened the lower tiers of 2 stands for the home fans. £15 entry laterand I was in the bowels of the stadium. Like Burnley the ground has a lot of history, and has also seen its share of developments over the years.

Today's opposition were the lowly Chesham United, who are in the Southern League - the same league as Kings Lynn. To them this was understandably a massive game, and it reminded me fondly of Kings Lynn's run to the FA Cup 2nd Round in 2006-07. The King's Lynn connection continued when I realised they had Matt Nolan (a former striker) on the bench.

Chesham did themselves great credit in this game and the 4-0 score line flattered the home side. There were few chances in a slightly cagey first half, though Bradford had made it 2-0 through goals from Reid and Hanson. Chesham's Blake looked most impressive for them, with a calm assurance when on the ball. Their 8 - Youngs - on the right also looked dangerous, although he couldn't muster any chances of note.

The game gradually opened up a bit on the second period. First Chesham's Blake charged down a clearance from the goalkeeper, then at the other end Darby squared to McMahon who could only fire over. Bradford's Clarke then had a diving header which flew wide of the away post. They looked in charge but were being well contained by Chesham's high work rate and organisation. Chesham had a couple of half chances of note, with Pearce curling wide from the edge of the box and Blake having a one on one shot foiled by the home keeper. They deserved a goal at least but it was the Bantams who grabbed a couple late on. Liddle made it 3-0 with a simple header from a corner and then Cole made it 4-0 when the home attackers outpaced the tired away side. It was an unfair score line though Bradford were probably worth the win.

I headed back to the station with the sky already half-dark, and was glad I'd managed another double header this weekend. Upon arrival at Leeds I discovered that half the trains down to Sheffield were cancelled. After finding Mrs 'Hopper we found a packed and slowish Northern train down to South Yorkshire.

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.

Liverpool (08-03-2015)

Liverpool 0 - 0 Blackburn Rovers (FA Cup Quarter-final), Sunday 8th March 2015

Petrol £30 (estimate)
Programme £3
Ticket £34
Parking £5 (£10 divided by 2)
Total £72

For some reason, we have been unlucky enough to see all the home games where Liverpool have stuttered and struggled this year. They came into this one on a good run of form, having beaten Man City a week ago.

Frankly you would not have believed there was a Wembley place at stake here. Liverpool looked tired and short of ideas while Blackburn evidently came to get a nil-nil. The tone for the match was set when Martin Skrtel was KO-d for a couple of minutes, which was a concern given the seriousness of head injuries. The best opportunities were half chances at best, with Toure's poked goal disallowed for offside and a couple more efforts flying into the side netting. At the other end Blackburn's Rudy Gestede was a real thorn in the side of the home defence, and they were working hard to keep Liverpool's midfield 'box' firmly closed.

The second half was not much better and began slowly to peter out. For all their negativity it was Blackburn who had the best chance with Mignolet making a great reflex save from a flicked header. At the Anfield Road end Liverpool's chances were drying up with Henderson's flash drive across goal saved. Plenty of other speculative efforts were blocked and again it was clear that the home side had run out of ideas and energy. The only faint consolation was that they were still in the cup and did have a second bite at the cherry at Ewood Park.

Liverpool (24-01-2015)

Liverpool 0 - 0 Bolton Wanderers (FA Cup 4th Round), Saturday 24th January 2015

Train: £22-30
Ticket: £30
Bus to Anfield: £4
Parking (£14.30/2): £7-15
Bovril: £2-50
Tea: £1-85
Total: £67-80

Every year, every season, I hit a low point, either through self-pity or actual physical illness. For this one, I had a strong dose of 'man flu', with a heavy cold and cough knocking me for six in the build-up. I wasn't sure that a late kick-off at Anfield would do me any good, particularly with the January weather getting colder. As we huddled with our bovrils just before kick off, two positive things happened. First, I realised I was able to connect to the LFC Fan wifi, so was able to check the scores as they came in. Then, we noticed two huge scorelines in the FA Cup - City losing at home to Middlesbrough and Chelsea losing 4-2 to Bradford at Stamford Bridge. This game against Bolton now had added significance, as a win would surely give Liverpool a good crack at a decent run this year.

The build-up to the game was dominated by talk of Emile Heskey, playing for Bolton against his former club. In fact, the key player for Bolton was very nearly Eider Gudjohnsen, who wasted a couple of decent opportunities for the Lancashire side. This was not a bad game, not by a long stretch, but another one where Liverpool were left ruing missed chances. They fizzed and sparkled, particularly through Sterling and Coutinho, and forced several superb saves from Bodgan in the away goal. Liverpool created plenty of chances, but just couldn't find the net, coming up against some determined Bolton defending. Having seen the same side at Sheffield Wednesday a week earlier I could see how they had managed to defend so well in both games - utter, resolute commitment to defending and stopping any attack. The Red men would have to do it all again at Bolton in a replay, not exactly ideal with so many games piling up. I was glad to get home after this one, and collapse in a heap before doing nothing on Sunday. 

Liverpool (05-01-2014)

Liverpool 2 – 0 Oldham Athletic (FA Cup Third Round), 5^th January 2014

Train ticket: £23

Bus to Anfield & back: £5-70

Programme: £3

Match ticket: £20

Tea: £2-40

Parking at Sheffield station (£14 divided by 2): £7

Total: £61-10

2 years ago on a wet and cold Friday night, we saw Liverpool beat Oldham 5-1 at Anfield.  A year ago, we’d watched TV in disbelief as Oldham had beaten Liverpool 3-2 at Boundary Park. So we weren’t really sure what to expect from this one, even though Liverpool should probably easily beat a League 1 team (near the bottom of League 1 in fact). After a train journey across from Sheffield (smooth again), we took our seats in the Kop one row from the back. I’d never sat this far back before and it gave a completely different perspective of the ground. I’d definitely rate the Kop as the best stand in Anfield, because of it is the simplest, most atmospheric and generally the cheapest.

The game was turgid to be honest, and Liverpool couldn’t seem to break down Oldham. Suarez was on the bench, but that wasn’t much of an excuse give the apparent ‘quality’ Liverpool have in attack in midfield. Poor first half, but at least they weren’t losing and it wasn’t getting too cold! At half-time, I overheard some Scouse season ticket holders around us complaining about the lack of atmosphere and that the ground was full of ‘tourists/out-of-towners’ – like us I suppose. One bloke was clearly selling tickets for away matches at Villa and Stoke. Its nigh on impossible to get many Liverpool away tickets (legitimately at least), with all games requiring attendance the previous year to even stand a chance. So clearly one effective route is to get to know a hardcore season ticket holder, and ask for a favour every now and again!

The second half wasn’t much better, but at least Rodgers brought on more attackers – Aspas and Coutinho – and was forced to bring Suarez off the bench. Even though Oldham were resilient, and even threatened the Liverpool goal – with Brad Jones starting today, they stood a chance against a dodgy keeper. The opener finally came when the much-maligned (and overrated) Iago Aspas turned in a hip-height cross just outside the 6-yard box. Plucky Oldham were finally put to the sword when an own-goal followed shortly after. Liverpool looked like they could add to their tally, but seemed content to sit on 2-0. Another win, and maybe it didn’t matter how it came. Burton or Bournemouth awaited in the next round to be played in a few weeks, so (barring a replay), the next time we’d be here for an FA Cup game would be February. It felt strange that I had seen Nantwich and Curzon play in the early round of this competition back in September/October. I wonder if this would be my last FA Cup game of the season?

Curzon Ashton (28-09-2013)

Curzon Ashton 0 – 0 Lancaster City, FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round, 28th September 2013

Train (Manchester to Ashton-under-Lyne): £3-20
Entrance: £7-50
I Paper: 30p
Tea: £1
Bovril: £1
Total: £13

Ashton-under-Lyne is located just to the East of Manchester, next to the ring road (the M60), and is home to two non-league clubs – Ashton United and Curzon Ashton. Again, I took advantage of my monthly trans-Pennine season ticket to get to Manchester for ‘free’ from Sheffield, before walking to Manchester Victoria for a 10-minute train ride to Ashton (return £3-20). On a busy train from Sheffield, I sat next to a drunk and cheerful Man United fan in a tie-dye t-shirt, who gave me his thoughts on the sports headlines as I tried to read the paper. He even gave me regular updates from the Spurs-Chelsea game! I didn’t have a chance to explain my destination for the day – I think he assumed I was also off to the Theatre of Dreams!

Curzon’s ground is about a 15-20 minute walk from the rail station, located within a sports village which includes athletics fields and racing tracks. The Tameside Stadium was similar to Nantwich and Witton in its spaciousness and modernity, with a stand of seating faced by a row of 8-10 terraces. Both ends had terraces with crush barriers, which probably put it ahead of Nantwich in terms of capacity. The only really distinctive feature of the ground was a statue outside which looked like a couple of rugby or football players grappling for the ball.

Like the game at Nantwich, today was an FA Cup Qualifier – only 10 games away from Wembley. I’d decided to attempt to follow the FA competitions wherever possible up till Christmas – even at these early stages (as I’d found out at Knaresborough) there is a certain magic to these qualifiers. The game was slightly disappointing to be honest, as the teams seemed to cancel each other out. Curzon Ashton oozed quality on and off the ball, while Lancaster were clearly a well-organised outfit who communicated well with each other. The main events of the first half were when the Lancaster number 10 skied a good opportunity over the goal, and when the Ashton goalkeeper was substituted on 20 minutes.

The second half was similar until the teams started to realise this was a knockout game – and it began to open out in the closing stages. Lancaster had a header tipped over from close range, before their number 9 had a right-footed shot saved by the replacement keeper. Curzon threatened, and nearly scored when their number 8 hit a deflected shot, only to be foiled by the away keeper. It finished goalless in front of a crowd of 302. Not the worst game in the world, but not exactly the most thrilling either. Perhaps I was paying the price for that brilliant game at Knaresborough! I sprinted back to the station for the 17.05 back to Manchester – one more ground ticked off in the North West…

Nantwich Town (14-09-2013)

Nantwich 1 – 2 Rugby Town (FA Cup 1st Round Qualifying), 14th September 2013

Train (Stockport to Nantwich) £12-30
I Paper 30p
Entrance £9
Programme £2
Tea £1-30
Bovril £1-30
Sandwich £3-99
Total £30-19

Today I was off to see Nantwich play Rugby in the FA Cup. But isn’t this blog about football I hear you ask? Bad joke I know. Nantwich Town, like Witton, is one of the many grounds in Cheshire which has been on my list for a while. I have to confess I am somewhat ignorant of the geography of the county (and neighbouring Staffordshire), despite a large non-league set-up in the area. This was an ideal opportunity to learn my geography today. Nantwich is just outside Crewe, and can be reached by an 8-minute ride on the Arriva service to Shrewsbury. Like Knaresborough, I’d recommend a visit to the town itself, which is full of independent shops, and has a marina alongside the Shrewsbury Union canal.

Weaver Park is located about a 10-15 minute walk from the centre of the town, and sits alongside the River Weaver. Another ‘W’ to continue the theme from Worksop and Witton. The ground was modern, having been built relatively recently, and wasn’t dissimilar to Wincham Park in Northwich. I am ambivalent about newer grounds, as sometimes they lack character and atmosphere. I handed over my £9 entrance (not bad for a club at this level) and asked for a programme from a kiosk just inside the ground. I was just about to hand over my £2 when the bloke said ‘just one second’, and proceeded to swat a wasp with a copy of the programme, making sure it was dead with a deft swipe. And of course he handed me the programme used to kill the wasp – not often I’ve been sold a murder weapon at a ground! Inside, the ground was neat and spacious, but lacked terraces at either end. A main stand of seating was directly opposite a section of terracing of about 5-6 terraces high. I wasn’t enamoured by the ground, and as I munched an egg sandwich, wondered whether this might be a memorable day today.

For the start of the game I took up my place almost bang on the halfway line in front of the terraced section. My fears about the ‘flatness’ of the ground were soon allayed when it became evident that the Nantwich fans were in good voice, and determined to generate an atmosphere. One chant, directed at the cluster of Rugby fans, ran ‘Ten fans on your big day out…’ In fact it was closer to 15 I would have said, but maybe that wouldn’t have fit into the bars of the song! The game started a bit flat, but gradually turned into a decent match. Rugby’s number 11 had a low shot saved, while Nantwich missed a sitter one-on-one with the keeper. There was an equal distribution of chances between the teams, with Rugby’s number 9 having a further shot saved, before the number 10 fired over. Nantwich took the lead just before 30 minutes, with a fine surge into the box from the Nantwich number 9.

The second half was as open as the first, and both teams looked like they would score. The key moment came on 50 minutes, when a legitimate free kick goal from Nantwich’s 11 (and a fine free kick at that) was disallowed. It was unclear what has happened, as the ball had clearly gone in, and the linesman appeared to be flagging for offside. It looked like the home side were in control of the game, and it would only be a matter of time before a second one. The Nantwich fans were in high spirits, with second half chants including ‘Your kit’s too big for you’ (directed at a short Rugby midfielder).  Another missed opportunity came when the home side’s number 19 just couldn’t quite connect with a cross from the left.

Nantwich couldn’t make their possession and dominance count in front of goal, and were punished on 80(ish) minutes when Rugby’s number 10 hit a venomous shot from outside the area, which deflected off the keeper before hitting the back of the net. Now it was anyone’s game. With the momentum swinging their way, Rugby took the lead on 85 minutes with a shot from number 6 rocketing into the bottom corner of the net. Their supporters were delighted, and finally started singing on their ‘big day out’ (all 10 or 15 of them!). Nantwich were perhaps a tad unlucky in this game, with the deflected equaliser, and the disallowed free kick just after half time. Rugby, on the other hand, should be proud of their dogged determination and grit to get back into the game. I’d recommend a visit to the Weaver Stadium, if only to experience the humorous and witty chants of the Nantwich crowd.