A Long Time Gone

'Take me home, Highfield Road', sing Sky Blues supporters and, even as the years roll by, there's many a moment when I find myself thinking about a place where I spent so much time between the early 80's and Coventry's move to their new stadium in 2005.

I'm sure Everton fans will feel the same in years to come, however nice their new home is (and it looks fantastic from the videos), and are taking in as many memories as they can this season of the sights and sounds of a matchday at Goodison Park.

If you fancy doing just that then tickets for the women's Merseyside Derby, on Sunday 17th November (kick-off 3pm), will be on general sale later this week, priced at £10/£5 and £2.

Free By The Sea

There are probably enough pictures on this blog already of the famous old grandstand at Great Yarmouth Town to post another one but if you want to see the real thing then this coming Wednesday evening is a good opportunity.

Thanks to sponsors HTG-UK there is free admission to everyone for the league game at home to Mulbarton Wanderers.

Thank You Very Much

To Cadbury Athletic FC, currently playing in Division Two of the Midland Football League, for following on X.

Not only a thriving community club in their own right but with the added bonus of their home matches being played against the backdrop of the Cadbury factory in Bournville, Birmingham.

The Chocolate Men have a busy month at first-team level with opportunities every Saturday to catch a home match for £5/£3 and easily accessible by public transport too. 

Keep up to date with the Midland Football League through MFL Matters, a bi-monthly magazine dedicated to the league.

It's Only National League (But I Like It)

The Stones are in town, Wealdstone FC that is of the National League and their home game against Braintree on Wednesday 23 October has been dedicated to the club's Community Foundation.

An independent registered charity, the Wealdstone FC Foundation does some brilliant work in the local community.

All tickets for the Braintree game have been reduced to £5, for both home and away supporters, and all proceeds will be donated to the Foundation.

There is also some free football at a favourite National League ground of mine, Altrincham FC's J.Davidson Stadium, when Alty take on Blackburn Rovers' Premier League 2 side in the new National League Cup on Tuesday 8 October at 7:30pm.

Quick Wins

Some details of matches I've come across that may be of interest.

Two Norwich City under-21 games coming up at Carrow Road, against Sparta Praha in the Premier League International Cup on Tue 24th September and Manchester United in Premier League 2 on Fri 27th.

Tickets for each 7pm kick-off are priced at £2 adults and are free for under-18's.

Plenty of free football at the Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld, in early October with three matches for Scotland Women's Under-17s as they bid to qualify for the European Championships and also six games in the Victory Shield for home nation under-16 teams.

England Mens Elite League Squad (formerly the under-20's) have home fixtures against Czechia in Doncaster on Tuesday 14th October, 7pm, and Germany in Chesterfield on Friday 15th November, also 7pm.

Tickets for both games are priced at £5, £3 and £1.

And England Women's U23s take on Portugal in Shrewsbury on Tuesday 29th October (5.30pm) with tickets again priced at £5, £3 and £1.

Grab A Seat

Back in 2013 I wrote a piece on transport to and from games, how having bus or train travel included with the cost of your match ticket, or at a reduced price at least, can make a small positive contribution to what, increasingly, can be an expensive day out.

I highlighted at the time how such an initiative had never really been put in place at the Ricoh Arena (as it was then) despite the presence of a train line running alongside it and plenty of talk about a green travel plan when the stadium first opened.

So, in keeping with the positive moves that have been, made over the past year or so, to improve the matchday experience for Sky Blues' supporters, it is good to see a free shuttle bus service being trialled for the upcoming matches against Tottenham and Swansea.

Any Publicity Is...

If the old saying is true then Barnet FC have had plenty of good publicity this week, the after-match comments of their manager Dean Brennan following the midweek win against Altrincham having reached a worldwide audience.

Having finished second in the National League last season, the Bees are again in the play-off places in the early weeks of the new campaign and Brennan, far from 'losing it' as some of the headlines would have it, seems to be a popular figure at the club and one willing to engage with supporters.

The club have moved quickly on the back of this week's events to offer football for a fiver when AFC Fylde are the visitors to The Hive on Saturday 28th September, so come and see what the fuss is all about!

A Brentford Bargain

Brentford Women will take on Clapton Community at the Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday 29th September, 3pm, and tickets for the game are just £2 for adults and free for under-18's. 

Also coming up this month, Exeter City Women versus Oxford United at St James Park on Sunday 15th, 1pm. Tickets priced at £5/£3 if purchased in advance.

And Cambridge United Women against Dulwich Hamlet at the Abbey Stadium on Sunday 22nd, 2pm. Under-18's free, adult tickets £5.

Updated 8th September: Another good chance to watch a game at Brentford comes in the next round of the Carabao Cup, on Tue 17th Sep, against Leyton Orient.

Adult tickets are priced at £10, concessions £7 and juniors are £5 or free with every full paying adult or concession.