13/04/19 Review: Bath City vs St Albans City

Bath City 0-3 St Albans City (National League South)

Twerton Park

Finally, the much awaited trip to Twerton Park happened last weekend and although the game itself was a massive disappointment I was still over the moon to be visiting one of the greatest grounds in non-league. Just a couple of months on from my encounter at the National North's historically beautiful equivalent, Bootham Crescent, I was this time making my merry way down to the South West of the country in search of my old pal Tom- and, of course, the high stake clash between playoff hopefuls Bath City and St Albans City.

Twerton Park, bring it on!

With a wealth of grounds already ticked off in this part of the world, twelve in total before this outing, it was a delight to be spending the weekend in Severn Beach and although we were equally as quick to get the hell out of there as we boarded the train towards Bristol, to be honest we were both just glad to be out and about with a pack of beers and a full day of frivolities ahead. Neither of us have a track record of smooth travelling and the first test of the day would be at our first transfer at Bristol Temple Meads as my partner in crime got us off to a good start by losing his wallet. I won't reveal where he lost it (*cough* his coat pocket *cough*) but it was fairly embarrassing and it meant that we missed our rail replacement bus by a whisker and instead had to settle with landing in Bath centre around 2pm. Still plenty of time to make the game though, so no really worries.

Chill out lads, it's the weekend

By the time we'd faffed around, completed our half a dozen stubbys, jumped in a taxi driven by a Steaua Bucharest and been dumped out at the ground, we still had twenty minutes to spare and so decided to surprise the readers and check out the clubhouse! Rammed with pre-match drinkers, a tradition that will hopefully never die, we had a swift one and even wolfed down some free quiche which may or may not have been for people other than us. As much as I'd have loved to stay and bask in the glory of pastry and pints, we soon found ourselves inside the walls of Twerton Park and ready to cheer on the Romans. As is the norm, I made my prediction and I forced Tom into one too. Safe to say that with us both predicting a Bath win, 3-2 and 3-1 respectively, we were soon to be surprised by the purple wearing boys from Hertfordshire who had made a 120+ journey across the M4 in search of glory. The Romans opened proceedings with some attacking play and hit the post early through Adam Mann, but despite the roar of the thousand or so in attendance, the opener would come through a visiting attack. Clovis Kamdjo, who I'd noted as a good player when he visited the Moss Rose with Forest Green during our National League days, made a clever stride into the box from a corner and his head was the one to meet the ball and he was able to watch it nestle in the host's goal in the 15th minute. Bath 0-1 St Albans. The match, being labelled as "the Roman derby", had got off to a great start for the visitors.

Would the promotion push be steered off-track today?

The last time I watched a National League South game was at the opposite side of the country and it was quite fitting that after visiting Rookery Hill, arguably the worst ground in the league, I would be taking in a game at undoubtedly the most beautiful piece of stadium in the South West. As I walked around the ground with Tom, a Gashead and for obvious reasons a massive fan of Twerton Park, I was in awe of the olden style ground and how well it has aged. In the corners there are some fab corner terraces which give the stadium a wonderful round shape and these only add to the stone-laid raked standing areas in the surrounds of the pitch. A proper ground- hopefully the proposed changes won't take too much of the character away.

Okay, maybe they should give this Rovers bought stand back...

Speaking of Rovers-Romans connections, back on the pitch the game was winding down towards half-time and despite ex-Gas lad Sean Rigg looking good in the City midfield, there was nothing too much for the crowd to shout about and as a result we made the call to rush straight back to the bar on the blow of the whistle. With the next fifteen minutes stood nattering about how delighted we were at being down at Twerton, despite the game being poor so far, we got so involved with boozing and chatter that we almost missed the early second goal. Thankfully I arrived at pitchside just in time to see Sam Merson, son of former Premier League star Paul, tuck home a crucial goal that gave the travelling fans a bit of leverage for the remainder of the game. Bath 0-2 St Albans. Just before that, the Albans keeper had gone into the book for time wasting and I think it's safe to write that the game plan of the visiting side, who leapt into the playoffs as a result of this away win, would only become more and more about escaping Twerton Park with the three points and a clean sheet.

We returned to stand with the home fans on the off-chance of a comeback

Although we were optimistic about the home side's chances of a dramatic fightback, it would in fact be the ultimate kick in the nads for Bath at the end of the afternoon as Ben Wyatt rounded off a great break with a finish that put the full stop on proceedings and made for a dismal day at the office- the Romans had fallen. Bath 0-3 St Albans. Soon after this the Hans Moleman of referees decided he'd seen enough and that meant for us it was time to continue our pub crawl and of course get ourselves mentally prepared for Sunday's action in South Wales as we crossed the border for Goytre's Plough Road. All that's left to say is that Twerton Park has to be one of the best grounds at this level and with everything bar a result, it was a near-perfect experience for Pint of Football!

27/03/19 Review: Leek CSOB vs Tunstall Town

Leek CSOB 2-1 Tunstall Town (Staffordshire County Senior League Premier)

Pointon Park

Imagine being nine points off the top of the table with three games in hand. Now, imagine that top of the table have already played all of their matches and the ball is now in your court as the second placed team. Great, right? Finally, imagine all of the aforementioned is true but your goal difference is massively inferior. That's the kick in the teeth you need if you are following Leek CSOB this season. Yes, the Old Boys were in a position in which only a win would do, but ideally it needed to be a ten goal win and with a match against fourth place Tunstall Town coming up it was always going to be a big ask. Before yesterday evening's clash, CSOB had already managed 98 goals from 25 matches but unfortunately for the Pointon Park based side that was still a whopping 27 behind Silverdale Athletic and therefore meant that it is almost a dead cert that the Newcastle-under-Lyme side will eventually be crowned champions. Still, the hosts couldn't be blamed for dreaming and after a 6-0 victory over Ashbourne FC and a 23-0 win against whipping boys Florence FC, the very least the Old Boys would be asking is for three final wins to leave them level on points in a very respectable finish. Having lost only twice in the league this season, both against Silverdale Athletic, the only real setback that the club had encountered in the 2018/19 campaign was last Wednesday night in the Challenge Cup Final in which Stafford Town came back from two goals down to pip them to the Cup at Hanley Town.

I just about made it in time for kickoff

Seems as how I am moving out of Stoke and into Stafford soon, I wanted to get over to Pointon Park before leaving as I knew it was a ground worthy of visiting, but equally not one worth travelling more than the 17 minutes from my current house in Dresden. I have been lucky enough to visit a good number of the Staffs County League grounds already through my travels with Stone Dominoes last season at this level, but it's still nice to visit them as a neutral too and with only this match or a trip to Keele Uni on the cards, there really was only one choice for me on this nippy night. Arriving at Pointon Park just as the Ref blew to get the ball rolling, I strolled in to the ground and did my best to first of all decipher which team was which. My calculated guess was correct and it was the hosts in red and white, whilst their Tunstall opponents wore a yellow and blue kit and they were in ascendance when I approached pitchside. Town's towering striker headed the first chance over following a long-throw that Rory Delap would've been chuffed with, whilst at the other end the Old Boys number 9 fluffed his lines with an easy chance that could've given the perfect start with just a few minutes on the clock. Soon enough the quarter-hour mark passed and with that Tunstall shot themselves in the foot by surrendering the ball from an over-forced attack which led to Michael Keates getting the ball, having an initial shot saved and then following up to slide the first goal home. Leek 1-0 Tunstall.

Nobody could bear to sit down, scintillating stuff from the hosts

The twenty or so folk in attendance gave an optimistic cheer to suggest that with another half a dozen on the night, plus a couple of big wins against Foley Meir and Eastwood Hanley, the title was still a possibility. To be fair, the standard wasn't great in this match but it also wasn't a boring one and with Tunstall getting stuck in I was keen to see how things would pan out. We had to wait until almost the half-time whistle for the next big chance though and when the Tunstall left-back completely missed the ball and allowed Leek's number 11 in one-on-one, it was left up to the backtracking defender to make amends and get back to clear the eventual shot off the line as the visitors held on. During the break, the aforementioned number 3 for Tunstall, named Hussain, was subbed off in place of Sam Hati- a lad I'd seen a couple of times earlier in the season for the Dominoes. I was looking forward to seeing how the former Hanley Town player would get on in what was bound to be a tight second-half.

Let's hope he stuck to the strict regime available at the Outdoor Fitness Centre!

As the players reemerged for the restart, the neighbouring five-a-side pitch began to become vocal as the "Lads & Dads" match was obviously getting tasty. I'll be honest, I did almost get hit with the ball from the main pitch whilst glancing over. One man shouted "next goooooal winnnnnner", how could I resist?

Mind you, it was getting a bit cold by now

The hosts started off with an early chance and I must admit that I was astounded to see the offside flag deny the Old Boys a second goal just three minutes in. Tim, who would become a prominent feature in the second-half, was a tall and slow lino who struggled to keep up with play at the best of times unfortunately and when the Tunstall defence was unlocked they raised an arm as the Leek striker ran in. Tim, practically still bumbling around at halfway, ran down his wing and raised the flag just as the ball was struck into the net. A few fans began to shout their thoughts out and this caused a reaction from the big man who was clearly struggling to remain focused. "You best shut up or the club will report you" proclaimed Tim. Imagine the lino shouting that out at a Premier League game to the fifteen thousand abusive fans giving him a roasting. Hilarious. Back on the pitch there was to be a goal and it was a similar move to the previously ruled out effort. Leek's pass through the middle was inch perfect for Keates and he ran on to it, rounded the keeper, took a look up behind him at the backtracking defenders before tapping it into net. Two down, only another eight to go! Leek 2-0 Tunstall.

Game over?

The remainder of the match was very competitive, well fought and often scrappy, but the hosts did seem the more likely to score again. With five minutes to go CSOB squandered a good chance and just a minute later there would be a late twist to the tale as Flattley fired home after a classic goalmouth struggle. The scramble would see Tunstall shots ricocheting off of home defenders, the keeper, the woodwork before it was eventually forced home. Leek 2-1 Tunstall. I spent the remaining few minutes thinking about how much of a damp squib it must be for Silverdale Athletic to know that they are almost guaranteed the league, but also know that they won't get it through a result of their own. The title almost was sealed tonight as Tunstall went close to an equaliser in stoppage time, but ultimately the spoils would go to the hosts and the attentions now turn to Wednesday. The former FA Cup and FA Vase competitors next face off against third placed Foley Meir on Wednesday knowing that only a double figures win can realistically keep the fight alive.

09/03/19 Review: St Helens Town vs Garstang

St Helens Town 1-3 Garstang (North West Counties Division One North)

Acroframe Stadium

Wayhay, it's time for another landmark entry for 'Pint of Football' and this one is the big 150! Yes that's right, as time has gone by and the years have passed since my first ground visit to the Moss Rose in Macclesfield, I have proceeded to travel about in a journey that has seen be take in matches as far and wide as Mallorca and Belfast and as close and near as the local teams in Stoke and Staffordshire. With adventures in London, Bristol, Scotland and East Yorkshire, it became my destiny last weekend to end up in the North West of the country for St Helens Town versus Garstang, aka my 150th ground.

GroundhopUK were here too, obviously

Due to the fact that I'd already attended two games on this blistery and wet Saturday, my early arrival was a great excuse for me to grab a much needed pre-match nap. I know, I know, old man, young body. In fairness, with a 6am shift earlier that day and one more to come the following Sunday, this three game haul was a real stretch for me and after starting the morning in Stoke, going to work in Stafford, driving up to Bootle, then across to Wythenshawe, before heading over to St Helens, I was more than ready for kip by the time the 7:45pm kickoff rolled around. Some would even have settled on the back-to-back matches I'd done already, with Bootle versus Ashton Athletic proving to be a proper cracker of a game in the 11am start, alas that's not the 'Pint of Football' way and knowing that the GroundhopUK gang had managed one more match than me already today I soldiered on into the green fenced new build known as the Acroframe Stadium.

You know it's gonna be fancy when they have a map showing you to the damn pitch!

Unlike the grounds visited on my 50th and 100th outings, the Acroframe was in near-perfect nick and with an astroturf pitch it is clear to see that the club have worked well with their local council to secure a sustainable and economical ground. Are they my favourite type? No, but I can't help but sympathise with a club when they go forward with a basic and modern facility in these times of struggle for non-league clubs. Compared to the Barton Stadium in Winsford, the home of my 50th, the differences are monumental and from a club's point of view I'd say it is for the better. Sure, the smell of chip fat, bobbling pitch and broken seats at Winsford United are more my scene, but this enclosed football pitch does exactly what it needs to and with a healthy ground share arrangement with Pilkington FC of the Cheshire League, you can't knock St Helens. With that said, I made my way into the stadium about twenty minutes before game time and it was at this point I realised the biggest mistake of my pre-match snooze. With the starving footy fans piling into the ground, I overheard one chap at the back of a mega queue tell his mate that the pies had already sold out. Meat and Potato, gone. Steak and Ale, nope. Even a Cheese and Onion was out of the question as I sulked past the van and into the stand. Thankfully, I was able to have a natter with the club Chairman who I know through Stone Dominoes and he very kindly offered me a cuppa and a chat as the game began. Garstang, a small town just North of Preston, were tonight's opposition and the midtable side were fancied by most to grab a win in the build-up. One groundhopper went as far as to say that he felt this was the only "nailed on" result when he'd looked at the stats beforehand. I preferred to be an optimist for the hosts in my pre-match prediction, selecting a 1-1 draw. However the newly promoted side, winners of the 2017-18 West Lancs Premier, were soon putting doubt in my mind as they took an early lead through Rich Coar as the forward got in ahead of the St Helens keeper to poach the ball into the net and put the side in red ahead. St Helens 0-1 Garstang. Much like my first match of the day both sides had a host of opportunities and I found myself almost gobsmacked when three huge chances went begging for St Helens. Liam Diggle's was the worst one as he rifled over the bar from close-range. Half-time was soon upon us and the near 300 fans in attendance rushed back over to the van for a top up of tea on this now very cold night.

Another healthy crowd, lovely

The home side got things back underway in style within a few minutes of the restart as Diggle made the most of a scrappy set-piece to force the ball over the line and give the home fans something to cheer about. St Helens 1-1 Garstang. To be honest it was well deserved for the boys in blue and the romantic in me wanted to see them push on. The football on the whole had been scrappy in this one and with the cards being dished out for an unlimited amount of second-half fouls, it would take moments of magic or disaster to settle this one. Shaun Sailor, the best player on the pitch in my opinion, was the one to take the game by the scruff of the neck and his goal on the hour mark ensured we'd be in for a tense last thirty. St Helens 1-2 Garstang. The visitors would ultimately look more likely of getting a third than the hosts of an equaliser and despite a fantastic double save from Carl Williams, a penalty was eventually conceded from the defence and that allowed Jonathon Hothersall to claim the points for his side. St Helens 1-3 Garstang. The final ten minutes could've seen the scoreline become more devastating but with Williams producing a smashing goalkeeping display it remained as it was. I can honestly say I haven't seen shot stopping like that since Cribbs 2016.

Full time, 1-3

The match ended and the hoppers filed back into the bus, but for me it was time to get back on the road and head for home. A tiring but rewarding day all round.

09/03/19 Review: Bootle vs Ashton Athletic

Bootle 4-2 Ashton Athletic (North West Counties Premier League)

TDP Solicitors Stadium

A big weekend for Pint of Football arrived and passed by as Saturday 9th March would come to be known as the day that I visited three North West Counties grounds to get me up to 150. The great coincidence of this groundhopping landmark is that it came on a GroundhopUK weekend in which a group of thirsty enthusiasts from around the country head over to a chosen area and hop around as many matches as possible. I myself have attended one of these events back in 2017 as I took in seven Western League grounds in a hectic weekend with Bristol based hopper Tom (Partizan Bristle), but since then I have also made an effort to support the event as I drove through to Holbrook St.Michael's for a one-off match within their 2018 Midlands endeavours. Being a committee member of a NWCFL side, I already had plans to go and see my Stone Dominoes side away at Wythenshawe Town so it seemed only right that I sandwich the 3pm fixture in between the early fixture at Bootle and the late nighter at St Helens. It wasn't quite the four match haul the GroundhopUK lads were embarking on, but it was certainly a fair slog!

Before Frankie & Benny's there was....

Due to unfortunate circumstances at work, I began my day with a 6am shift in Stafford and as soon as I was physically able to I began my trawl up the gusty M6 in search of the 11am kickoff at Bootle. This Merseyside docking town would be the second I'd visited in as many weeks, with Cammell Laird being my away day with the Dominoes just seven days earlier. The main difference this time around would be that the match was a Premier Division fixture and with that I'd hopefully get to see the quality that has led the hosts to second in the league, whilst their opponents lingered in sixth- a massive nineteen points off the Bucks before this game. Knowing that the hosts would be well up for this high attendance crunch match, I predicted a comprehensive win for Bootle and set my stall out with a 4-1 triumph.

I arrived a few minutes late, but thankfully didn't miss the opener

To put things into perspective, the crowd attracted by the early kickoff for this opening GroundhopUK tie of the day would be recorded at 391- the third highest non-league step five crowd in the country. As I arrived through the TDP Solicitors Stadium doors I was delighted to see the place in good form with a great mix of groundhoppers, locals and kids all wrapped around the outskirts of the pitch. Despite the early start time, the beers were flowing nicely and after taking on a sausage butty I joined in the social atmosphere by heading into the clubhouse for a pint of my own. Overall, the ground was impressive and had plenty of places to stand to have a decent view, the wind was blowing around the open stadium and on the pitch of course was the main attraction. The hosts had made a solid start and it would be their pint-sized captain and leading forward who made the first breakthrough with what looked like a well-placed nutmeg through the Ashton keeper's legs. Bootle 1-0 Ashton. That goal from Peers set Bootle on their way to more early dominance and the club's top scorer was soon doubling his tally with a strike from just outside the box lofting into the net. Bootle 2-0 Ashton. You'd be forgiven by this point for thinking the game was going to become a classic, because that's exactly what would happen. No sooner had Bootle ran into a two goal lead and it would be Ashton's turn to turn on the heat. They'd already had chances of their own but when they got the chance to break in the 23rd minute they made the most of their swift counter and of course that meant it was game back on. Bootle 2-1 Ashton.

The Bootle boys looked bamboozled!

There were to be no more goals in the opening 45 and so I began to do my usual walk around of the ground. The highlights for me were the hustling and bustling Dodge Kop Stand, the wonderfully popular Bootle bobble hats (pictured above) and the obvious split of red and blue fans in attendance within the local contingent. Yes, being in the heart of Merseyside is always great for listening out for banter and on this occasion there were some great laughs to be had with one youngster, fully dressed in Liverpool attire, as the other Bucks fans kept stealing his red teddy bear and pretending to throw it over the fence. He responded with some anti-Toffees slurs and before we knew it, that was half-time.

Lovely clubhouse

After spending the break in the spacious and modern clubhouse looking through the collection of badges that "Terry's Badges" had brought to town, I made my way back out to the pitch ready for another great half of football. In what was undoubtedly game of the day for me, I was also able to witness the best of the fourteen goals I'd see as Athletic grabbed themselves an equaliser. The move was simple but effective as a quick free-kick was tapped over to Charlie Munro. The midfielder had time to look up, gather his thoughts and then launch a precise left-footed drive into the net from 25-yards. A great goal, albeit a disappointing one to concede from the hosts point of view. Bootle 2-2 Ashton. The comeback from two goals down was very impressive and all of a sudden Bootle looked shaken up to the point of looking likely to surrender the match. Ashton continued to press forward as we approached the hour mark and all the home side could do is try to ride the waves out until they could make their own chance again.

Time to freshen things up for Bootle

To the full credit of the Bucks, they did survive the pressure of Athletic and with the final twenty minutes to play they were now back in full control of the game. Eventually the decisive moment of the game would come as Ryan Cox crept into the box at the right time to gather up a parried save by Martin Pearson before reacting quickest to walk the ball into the net. Bootle 3-2 Ashton. The celebrations said it all as the Bootle kop end ran to the fence to celebrate with Cox, knowing the a win would keep them within touching distance of table-topping City of Liverpool. Once play restarted the fans began to shout a round of the "Heartbeat" theme tune which is obviously the sign of a delighted bunch of supporters. Most of the groundhop brigade had already started to crowd towards the exit ready for their trip over to the next game and I also knew that I needed to make a swift escape as I had a drive over to Wythenshawe in Greater Manchester, but thankfully none of us left prematurely and as a result we were treated to the game's final goal. Ashton's efforts to search for another equaliser were foiled as Ste Jones caught them out on the break and ploughed home their fourth goal. Bootle 4-2 Ashton.

Full-time, 4-2

A great way to start the day and a well-deserved victory meant that this potential banana skin of a fixture was done and dusted for Bootle. As I left amongst the GroundhopUK gang I overheard a lot of positive feedback about the game itself, the ground and of course one man asked his mate the ultimate question- "can the rest of the day live up to this?" I suppose the only way to find out is to tune in for my next entry, which comes from the fourth and final match of the day at St Helens. In the meantime, the hoppers had two mid-afternoon matches to get to and I myself would be on official duty at Wythenshawe Town- my 149th ground and the last one I was yet to see in the South Division of the North West Counties Division.

Next stop, Ericstan Park!

16/02/19 Review: Tividale vs Malvern Town

Tividale 1-1 Malvern Town (West Midlands (Regional) League)

The Beeches

Mid-February football is undoubtedly one of the greatest things around and it is safe to say that if a match at this level is on, it is bound to be a feisty one which is attended by only the bravest and the boldest fans of their respective clubs. Yesterday's outing to The Beeches in Tividale, wedged in between Wolverhampton and Birmingham, ticked all of the boxes for me and was therefore a dead cert for this weekend's antics. Astonishingly, this trip would be my first to a West Midlands (Regional) League match and this step six fixture would see me take in my second ground from this division- my only other was Wolverhampton Casuals' Brinsford Stadium for a Walsall Senior Cup match. One of the joys of groundhopping is that even 146 grounds in there's still whole leagues locally that I am yet to explore and after this afternoon's experience I certainly won't be hesitating to go along to a few of the more local ones to me in this league- Coppice Green Lane in Shifnal, Wednesfield's Amos Lane and Queen Street of Bilston Town. As the name suggests, this league covers clubs in the West Midlands, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and even South Staffs, with the North West Counties League First Division South also crossing into parts of Staffordshire and Shropshire. One club, Stone Old Alleynians, actually competed in the WMRL league last season and was transferred over to NWCFL for 2018/19 due to the recent restructures of the non-league pyramid.

This, my friends, is what a proper football ground looks like

Although yesterday was my first trip to Tividale's ground, it was not the first time I'd seen the Dale in action and I'm sure they will forgive me for reliving the last time I watched them as an Evo-Stik First Division outfit away at one of my favourite local grounds- The Novus Stadium, home to Kidsgrove Athletic. On the night of only my 13th ground, the Grove ran out as comprehensive 4-0 winners over Tividale and gave them a taste of what was to come. The Dale finished that season bottom of the table, nine points adrift.

These days the lads sit top of the league

Yes, this clash was a big one for both sides as the table-topping hosts welcomed Worcester-based chasers Malvern Town. The game was 1st versus 4th and although seventeen points separated the sides the visitors would undoubtedly wish to give the Dale their fifth defeat of the season and in the process close the gap as they look to try and at least reach potential promotion as the second place side. This position is currently held by Haughmond of Shrewsbury and is being tightly contested by third place Wolverhampton Casuals. With the scene set, I wandered into The Beeches, made a pit-stop at the bar and then headed pitchside ready for kickoff. The players emerged on cue and looked well up for the game, as you'd expect, meaning that this would be a tough one to call. My prediction was a tight 2-1 victory for Tividale. In the early exchanges, the yellow and blue dressed home team had the best chance as a strong attack down the left eventually led to Malvern having to clear one desperately off the line. This would not be the first time we'd see this in the match and as we approached the halfway point of the opening 45, a big triple chance came to the hosts. Following a set-piece, a strike was walloped off of a defender and onto the bar, before being whipped back in only for a header to be denied on the line. With the pressure still on, a third strike was directed towards the Malvern goal and again it was deflected away from off the line. I'm not sure if all three deflections were from the same guy, but either way it was heroic defending from Town as they looked to absorb the early pressure from the top side in the league.

Next up it was the Hillsiders turn to attack

With the game level still in terms of scoreline, the tensions were starting to rise for the home side and it was all getting a bit much for some of the players. Louis Loader, captaining the visitors today, had a great war of words going on with Curtis Cocking for Tividale and after a vast amount of off the ball nudges the referee eventually halted the match mid-play to have a few words. Both sets of fans were laying into the Ref by this point as he failed to give decisions to their beloved side, but on the whole the game was being played with a very stop-start feel as many free-kicks were awarded by Mr Fennelly. From these resulting half-chances Malvern got the feel of Ryan Cheshire's inconsistency to hold on to the ball in the Dale goal and in the 30th minute Harry Clark pounced on the latest spillage to prod home the goal's opening goal. Tividale 0-1 Malvern. The hosts would at this point argue that they'd been on top but to quote that old saying "goals change games" and this was certainly the case here. From the confidence of this strike, the Hillsiders grew in their attacking credentials and the hosts looked shell-shocked at a crucial stage in the match.

The neighbouring Tividale Treehouse Club couldn't bear to watch

Occasionally when a side is top of the league they have spells of not playing well but still manage to do the important thing in nicking a goal- and this would be exactly what we'd witness just before the break. Both of the Tividale forwards looked pretty handy to be despite having limited opportunity as of yet, but Darragh Bustin showed rapid pace on the ascendancy and as he went through on goal in the 40th minute he needed just one chance to equalise. He looked up, saw the rushing Malvern keeper and lofted his firm finish over him and into the net. Tividale 1-1 Malvern. Shortly after this the half-time whistle was blown and it was time for me to have a top up in the clubhouse. I made my way over to the newer of the two clubhouse areas this time and joined the queue of people paying £3.72 for a beer. Yup, peculiar pricing choice if you ask me.

Decent clubhouse though. I wonder if the additional 2p's from the Carling built it?

I've not really spoken much about the ground today and to be honest there wasn't that much to make note of. The only built-up stand was one of the classic old roofed structures which stretched along the length of the pitch at one side, with a few benches housed inside and a small amount of yellow "luxury" seats for the directors of both clubs. The humorous thing was that neither sets of club officials were sat in these seats and as I took a quick perch I soon found out why- you couldn't see the pitch from these seats as they were eye level with the advertising boards around the stand.

If you look very closely, you can just about see a Tividale player through the gap

Opting to instead stand near a couple of locals, the second-half soon got underway at The Beeches and although we would inevitably end all-square, it wasn't for the lack of trying by both sets of strikers. As the hosts kept on top of possession in the Hillsiders half, Demetri Brown was my favourite to grab the winner as he kept on forcing the Malvern defence into rushed clearances with his constant pressure from high up the field. At the other end, Malvern went close on a couple of occasions themselves and you would probably argue that they carved the more clear cut chances of the two sides. Dave Reynolds fought off three home defenders and then forced a long-range strike towards goal, whilst a later strike from midfield would also have to be palmed over by a resurgent Cheshire. Off the field, the fans to my right were giving the linesman a bit of stick over a few calls he'd made. We've all been to games in which the crowd begins to shout out things like "you wanna get yourself to Specsavers, lino!" and the such, however in this instance I was watching my first match ever in which the man running the side had already taken this advice. Yes, the assistant for the day was actually wearing glasses as he plodded up and down the wing.

Talk about leaving yourself open to crowd abuse!

As we entered the last few minutes there was to be a few "almost" moments for the home side, with substitute striker Alex Cameron providing yet another dimension for the Hillsiders defence to compete with. In the end the game ended in a 1-1 draw and I'm sure both sets of fans will suggest they could have gathered up the win, which to me is the ultimate proof that a draw was fair on this occasion. I was soon on my way back home to Stoke and with no groundhops planned in the next few weeks, I suppose it's time for me to go back to the drawing board and look out for some more matches to get myself down to! Until then, thanks for reading.

11/02/19 Review: Scarborough Athletic U19 vs Pontefract Collieries U19

Scarborough Athletic U19 8-0 Pontefract Collieries U19 (Northern U19 Alliance, East Division)

Flamingo Land Stadium

Having made the effort to finally tick off one of Yorkshire's finest old grounds at the weekend in the shape of York City's Bootham Crescent, I would now have the remainder of my trip back up to Bridlington on family visiting duties to find out what else was on offer. On this occasion, the opportunity to hop along to the new Flamingo Land Stadium was waggled under my nose and on a cold Monday night who wouldn't want to go out and watch under 19's football in a pair of horrendously flimsy shorts? It's like being on holiday, right?

Okay, maybe it was just me. Everyone else looks pretty cosy

In yet another act of bold braveness I stepped out of spending a night in front of the fire with my Nan watching Emmerdale in search of some fast-paced footy! Thankfully, I knew exactly the place to find such a thing and with a ding-dong battle of 1st vs 2nd lined up for the East Coast I was in my car and making the short journey from Flamborough to Scarborough. Although my intention was to visit the first team in my debut to their new ground, it isn't that often I'm in the area for a prolonged time and having been challenged by a work colleague who had a lot to do with the development of the facility, I arrived at the Flamingo Land Stadium about half an hour before kick-off so that I could have a potter around. Despite this being a development team game, I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were plenty of folk knocking about Scarborough Sports Village and as I circumnavigated the ground I managed to grab a peak over the fence at the lads warming up.

The usual turnstile was closed for this one

My next move was to head inside to the reception-cum-clubhouse area which was obviously also very fancy and modern. From a headcount it looked as though roughly 100 had come out to watch the match and this naturally included a good spread of Pontefract mums and dads out to support their young ens as they represented the under 19 segment of the Evo-Stik Eastern Division One club. I have already watched the two senior sides in action this season, both away games, and on what I can only describe as my wettest outing to date I saw the Colls crush Gresley at the Moat Ground last December. The week before that I was in Basford watching the Seadogs lose at Greenwich Avenue at a crucial time when Boro were top of the Evo-Stik Premier Division. At the start of yesterday's match, Scarborough's youngsters were top of the division by just two points, with the Colls' lads sat in second. Interestingly, the only defeat Scarborough have suffered so far was at the hands of their West Yorkshire opposition and if the visitors could repeat this they would leapfrog the coastal club. Would the Boro be able to take the pressure? I predicted a 4-2 victory, for the record.

No ultras in force tonight

The match got started at dot on 19:45 and within the opening minute the hosts were ahead, as Aiden Thurston took advantage of an early Colls error to slot home. Scarborough 1-0 Pontefract. Some people were still getting themselves comfy in the main stand for this table-topping clash and no sooner had they got settled they were up on their feet again celebrating a second. Harry Bissett managed to get away from the visiting defenders and he was able to double his side's lead with still just three minutes played. Scarborough 2-0 Pontefract. The blue kitted away side looked shell shocked and knew that they already faced an uphill task. This would be made even more the case in the 16th minute as Flynn McNaughton was brave in his efforts to poach yet another goal. Scarborough 3-0 Pontefract. Boro were clearly in ruthless form and well up for the fight, meaning that despite a fifteen minute goalless spell we would soon see the fourth. Bissett was the man again to hit home and it was already game over. Scarborough 4-0 Pontefract. The Pontefract gaffer responded with a quadruple sub in response and this did at least keep the score at four until the break.

A four goal first half, lovely

If, like me, you expected the second-half to be slightly less eventful, you'd be mistaken. The second 45 kicked-off and with the introduction of a Boro substitute in the form of George Warmsley, we would see the left-winger add another level of quality to proceedings. The number 16 picked up the ball on the left, cut inside and then smashed home the best goal of the game with his first touches. Talk about impact. Scarborough 5-0 Pontefract. On the hour mark it was a similar occurrence from Warmsley, this time from in the box, as he again was able to waltz past the struggling Ponte defence and knock home his second, Boro's sixth in another devastating attack. Scarborough 6-0 Pontefract. Although the scoreline at this point was reading as a rout, it would be unfair to not mention the chances that the visitors had too. With the side sitting in second and seven points clear of third placed Huddersfield YMCA, they are obviously a good side in their own right and were it not for a mixture of decent goalkeeping at times from Thordasson and poor composure by the away side we could well have seen a 6-3 or even closer scoreline. As it was though, the last five minutes approached and Boro still had a couple more goals in them. It would be Walmsley and Fergus McGauthrie who combined for both of these goals and on the first occasion McGauthrie laid it off for Walmsley who proudly swept his hat-trick much to the delight of Blott and Ingram on the Boro bench. Scarborough 7-0 Pontefract. The roles would then be reversed in stoppage time as this time Walmsley returned the favour and unselfishly allowed McGauthrie to get a well-deserved goal to round off a great evening at the Flamingo Land Stadium. Scarborough 8-0 Pontefract.

Full-time, 8-0

The game ended shortly after the final goal and I headed straight back to my car ready to drive home. All that's left to say really is well done to Boro on a great display and hopefully one that will help them on their way to glory!