Tag Archives: football

Apr 01 2018
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Daily Post, Sport

End of the match

Saturday 31st March 2018, 4.50pm (day 2,410)

End of match, 31/3/18

More non-league football in the village of Emley, whose football team in 1998 demonstrated the equalising power of the FA Cup by playing West Ham, 8th in the league at the time, and only losing 2-1. Ten per cent of the whole village turned out for today’s game, which (fortunately for my quest) managed to survive the wet weather: a higher proportion of the population than a lot of much bigger places manage (like Leeds, say), and for tenth tier football. I have enjoyed my tour of these localities this season, I was vaguely aware of the strength of these roots beforehand but days like today prove it. All seem happy here, and so they should as Emley won a tight game 1-0.

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Mar 18 2018
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Daily Post, Sport

Scene from the Campaign for Real Football

Saturday 17th March 2018, 2.05pm (day 2,396)

Real football, 17/3/18

There’s been a lot of football on here lately, I know that. There’s also been a lot of snow. I tried to avoid them both becoming themes again today, but…. not easy. Remarkably, thanks to there being a 3G artificial pitch beneath the snow, this game was played… perhaps appropriately, it was the team in white who ran out the winners (4-1). Traditionalists will admire the fact that today even saw the use of an orange ball (just visible here being carried out by the black-clad officials). But I am doubtless not the only one who is now fed up with winter 2018 and its sheer persistence.

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Mar 11 2018
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Daily Post, Sport

The ball comes my way

Saturday 10th March 2018, 3.15pm (day 2,389)

Stockton v Newton Aycliffe, 10/3/18

How often do football photographers, concentrating on their shot, fail then to pay enough attention to the shots of the players and get a ball in the face? A split second after taking this, the missile to top right smacked into the fencing a foot from my head. No wonder I seem to be the centre of attention….

Ah well, no harm done. The guys in yellow and blue were my hosts today, Stockton Town of the Northern League. Expect to see more of them on 24th March.

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Feb 19 2018
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Daily Post, Portrait, Sport, Stranger

In the home end at Elland Road

Sunday 18th February 2018, 4.20pm (day 2,369)

Leeds fans, 18/2/18

When Elland Road has featured on here in the past (such as this pic from Feb 2012 — hey, six years ago), I have definitely been sat in the away fans’ end. I admit that down the years I have developed rather an antipathy towards Leeds United FC but nevertheless decided to make them my Championship entry in this season’s attempt of mine to see matches from as many different competitions as I can. And my verdict? Well, the fans are a fickle bunch to say the least, but they can certainly generate an atmosphere, particularly when watching their team come from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 and nearly win it with a final shot off the bar. But I’m not changing my habits, never fear. This will be the one and only shot from the home end I’ll ever publish…. (By the way, here it’s still ten minutes or so from kick-off, before you start mocking the empty seats.)

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Feb 04 2018
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Daily Post, Sport

Beneath the windmills (more non-league)

Saturday 3rd February 2018, 3.25pm (day 2,354)

Hassocks FC, 3/2/18

Those of you who don’t see the point of football may be getting a little tired of seeing it depicted on here, but there’ll be more to come this season yet; in fact this was my ninth consecutive weekend of going to some game or other (2nd/3rd December was the last footie-free Saturday and Sunday). I’m not apologising — I’m enjoying the groundhopping. Today I got up at 6am and travelled 300 miles before lunchtime to see a game in the ninth tier of English football, specifically the Sussex County league, so I do mean it, I’m ‘keeping it real’. Hassocks, in red, were the hosts but lost an important relegation battle 2-1 to visitors Eastbourne United. Above the pitch, the famous twin windmills known as “Jack and Jill” look down from the rim of the South Downs.

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Jan 28 2018
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Daily Post, Portrait, Sport, Stranger

After the missed penalty

Saturday 27th January 2018, 5.15pm (day 2,347)

After Flint match, 27/1/18

Ieuan Hewitt, full-back for Flint Town United, is consoled after visitors Newtown won 4-3 in the penalty shootout at the end of their 2-2 draw in the Welsh Cup. Hewitt saw his kick saved as the shootout progressed under skies that looked like they were rough sketches for Dante’s Inferno.

POSTSCRIPT: After I tweeted this picture it was then used as the lead back page photo in the Flintshire Chronicle‘s report on the match. Which was flattering…

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Jan 15 2018
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Daily Post, Sport

View from the dugout

Sunday 14th January 2018, 2.40pm (day 2,334)

Dugout view, 14/1/18

A weekend of diverse entertainments continued at the over-named ‘Stafflex Arena’ as Huddersfield Town Ladies took on Leicester City Women in the Women’s Premier North and I collected my 17th different football competition of the season. Well, like this blog, it’s something to do isn’t it. A 1-1 draw — both sides might have benefited from practicing their finishing skills a little more.

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Jan 01 2018
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Daily Post, Sport

Rain (at £1.22/minute)

Monday 1st January 2018, 3.35pm (day 2,321)

Floodlights and rain, 1/1/18

2018 doesn’t get off to the greatest start, as our attempt to see a second football match in three days was thwarted by the weather; Accrington Stanley versus Morecambe being abandoned at half-time due to the rain. Although my suspicion is that the referee had a New Year’s hangover and just got pissed off with being drenched so couldn’t be bothered any more. During the half-time-interval-that-wasn’t, it in fact stopped raining. We, however, had paid £55 in total for two adult and one child’s entrance fees, so I make that £1.22/minute to watch some fourth-tier football that is now meaningless. They also suggest we should now pay another £25 to watch the replay. Previous positive feelings I had towards Accrington Stanley FC largely evaporated today.

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Dec 30 2017
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Daily Post, Sport

St. James’s Park

Saturday 30th December 2017, 4.20pm (day 2,319)

St. James's Park, 30/12/17

I have been to a lot of football matches in 2017 — around 25, give or take (I have lost count myself). But one distinction was claimed by this, the last match of the year — it had the biggest crowd. Around 52,000 were present at St. James’s Park, Newcastle, today to see them take on the mighty Brighton and Hove Albion — and everyone to leave rather underwhelmed by a 0-0 draw in which neither team seemed willing to take on the initiative. Frankly if there’s one thing the year’s football has shown me it’s that the 220 people at Mossley v Kendal Town last week (5-4) may well be getting rather more for their money. But we keep coming back, week on week. Amazing what tribalism can do isn’t it?

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Dec 24 2017
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Daily Post, Sport

The December non-league experience

Saturday 23rd December 2017, 4.35pm (day 2,312)

Mossley AFC fog, 23/12/17

Latest stop on my 2017-18 tour of the football competitions of the UK, to the Northern Premier League Division 1 North, at Seel Park, Mossley: a game with two distinctions by the end. Number one, it was the foggiest game I have ever seen, in danger of being abandoned throughout most of the second half as it was becoming difficult to see from one side of the pitch to the other.

But I’m glad it wasn’t abandoned, as were the 217 other fans in the ground with me, because the second distinction was that this game had more goals in it than any other I have seen in my life, nine to be precise: result was Mossley 5, Kendal Town 4. An absolute cracker of a game from start to finish. I really am starting to wonder why it’s necessary to pay the Premier League premium to be entertained (which I was not, particularly, last Saturday). Thank you to everyone involved with this game in fact, for giving me a quite excellent pre-Christmas day out.

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