Coming up:
Football for a Fiver at Livingston FC for cup tie v Peterhead on Tue 24th November

Wednesday, 24 November 2021

Let The Train Take The Strain

Train standing at a railway station

A nice story from the South West Peninsula Football League where Okehampton Argyle take on Brixham AFC on Saturday 4th December at 2.15pm.

That kick-off time fits in nicely with the 12.37 train from Exeter St Davids to Okehampton where it arrives at 1.15.

The significance of the journey is that the train line to Okehampton has recently re-opened after nearly 50 years.

Transport is being laid on from the station to the ground (and back) and your £6 admission fee to the game (plus the cost of a rail ticket) also includes a special commemorative programme.

More details, including how to register your interest, are on the SWP website. 

Free Blog Photos

Saturday, 20 November 2021

The Positive Portman Road Piece

A fresh start at Ipswich Town this season with the famous old club under new ownership and lots of good things going on at Portman Road

A three-game bundle of tickets for matches over the holiday period (starting with the Sunderland visit on 18th December) is on sale, priced at £40 for adults and from £3 to £20 for concessions.

Individual tickets for each of the three games have been reduced in price and supporters have also been raising money to buy bundles for those not in a position to do so themselves, £12,500 having been raised as of Friday.

Tickets have also been reduced in price for the FA Cup tie against Barrow on 4th December, to £10 for adults, £5 and £3 for concessions.

Sunday, 14 November 2021

An Unofficial Non League Day

The logistics of co-ordinating Non League Day against the backdrop of the pandemic means this season's NLD will take place later than usual on the 26 March 2022.

But, judging by the number of clubs reporting fantastic crowds on Saturday, for every tweet that you might see from someone who 'hates' the international break, many more people were out on a beautiful autumn day watching a match.

Close to me there were over 650 at Hallam FC and over 400 at Penistone but the turnstiles were clicking across the country.

Coming up this week are FA Cup replays (no more than £10 at Plymouth Argyle for the Sheffield Wednesday tie), Family Fun Day at MK Dons on Saturday with adult tickets available from £10, some interesting FA Youth Cup ties and the next round of the FA Vase while in Scotland it is the next round of the South Challenge Cup.

Tuesday, 9 November 2021

A Big Night at Butlin Road

                             A well-maintained green grass football pitch with a covered grandstand and floodlights under a cloudy sky.

A big achievement for the youngsters of Rugby Town FC to make it to the Second Round of the FA Youth Cup and a home tie against the Under-18's of League One club Morecambe.

Admission at Butlin Road, a second home for me as a youngster when the Sky Blues were away, for a 7pm kick-off on Wednesday 17th, is priced at £3 for adults, £2 concessions and free for Under-16's.

Footage of the celebrations that followed Aylestone Park FC as they defeated Lincoln City on penalties has been widely shared on social media and the second round sees the club host Sheffield Wednesday, also on the 17th but with kick-off at 7.45pm.

Admission to this one is priced at £5 adults and £3 concessions.

Wednesday, 20 October 2021

Celebrate a 164th Birthday This Saturday

Prices from 1857 this coming Saturday at Sheffield FC as the world's oldest club celebrate their latest milestone.

Tuesday, 5 October 2021

Whiling Away an Afternoon

A soccer team in white uniforms practices on a vibrant green field inside a stadium with red seating, where the word "BLADES" is visible in large white letters across the upper stands.

To pass time in a leisurely manner is the dictionary definition of whiling and that summed up the opportunity to watch Coventry City's Under-23s at Bramall Lane on Tuesday afternoon.

Admission for non-season ticket holders was £3 for adults and for that price you got a padded seat in the main stand at this fine old ground, as well as a teamsheet.

The official Premier League website has a good fixture list for both Premier League 2 and the Professional Development League, with a number of matches played at the main ground of the host club.

This coming Saturday, all tickets are priced at just £1 as Sheffield United Women host Liverpool at Bramall Lane in the Championship.

Friday, 17 September 2021

The Sheffield Scene

Two recent matches in the Sheffield area provided plenty of contrasts but, ultimately the same sense of enjoyment at being out and about at a game.

Sandygate, Hallam FC

The first Tuesday in September it may have been but it felt like summer was in the air at Hallam FC as a perfect evening encouraged more than 600 spectators for the Northern Counties East League clash against Shirebrook Town.

Short sleeves and outdoor pints were the order of the day with the action on the pitch, where the visitors conceded two goals and a red card early on, a backdrop to the relaxed air of conversation on the touchline.

Sandygate, Hallam FC

Everyone involved at Hallam has done a superb job over the past few years, harnessing the history of the club to modern methods of promotion to get more people through the gate and gradually improving the quality of the facilities available once they are there.

Jamie Vardy Main Stand, Stocksbridge Park Steels

One week later and it was coats and warm drinks needed as Stocksbridge Park Steels hosted Tadcaster Albion. In Turriff in August one of the club officials had talked about a 'dreich day' and that uniquely Scottish word fitted the weather bill perfectly here.

Located around 10 miles from Sheffield, Steels' catchment area of potential supporters comes from mainly within the town itself and, following a recent managerial change, chairman Graham Furniss wrote in his programme notes that regularly getting 250 people into the Eco-Power Stadium (which I like a lot as it has plenty of different vantage points to sample throughout a 90 minutes) would be a real boost to the club.

Eco-Power Stadium, Stocksbridge Park Steels

154 was the attendance for the Tadcaster game but the quality and intensity of the game did reflect that it was two divisions higher in the pyramid than Hallam, Tadcaster's neat build-up not matched by their finishing and Steels eventually benefitting from a man advantage with two second-half goals.