✓989 Yorebridge

Askrigg United 0-7 Carperby Rovers

North Riding FL Division 3

Tuesday 18th August 2026

Askrigg is a small village and civil parish in Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The North Yorkshire village and its parish are located in Upper Wensleydale, in between Leyburn and Hawes. 

The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Ascric, and the name Askrigg is of Old Norse origin, combining  askr (ash tree) and hryggr (ridge), meaning the ridge where ash trees grew, denoting the existence of Viking settlers and their farming.

 

Askrigg United are one of several clubs who have switched from the Wensleydale League to the newly formed NRFL Division 3. The club play home fixtures at Yorebridge, which is next to Askrigg VC Primary School at the far end of the village. The ground is enclosed with picnic table seating on the hill next to the car park.

Askrigg United 0 Carperby Rovers 7

North Riding FL Division 3 matchday 5/3

1830 ko

12th v 9th

Att.61hc 

Carperby bossed this local derby, hitting five first half goals on the way to a 7-0 victory, and they could have easily doubled their tally. 

11’ 0-1 Harry Davis

17’ 0-2 Eidur Pickard-Sparne

35’ 0-3 Tim Weatherill

42’ 0-4 Aidan Simpson

45+2’ 0-5 Tom Weatherill

60’ 0-6 Joe Walker

83’ 0-7 Jamie Dent

#Heedhopper

66 mile drive door-to-door, picked up Lee & Katie for the bendy and hilly drive through Wensleydale. 

Current North Riding Football League grounds visited 42/49

✓988 Sowerby Sports Village

Thirsk Falcons 2-5 Darlington RA

North Riding FL - Premier Division

Saturday 1st August 2026

I visited Thirsk Falcons at Thirsk & Sowerby Flatts in October 2019, which can be read here. Since then, the club had a brief spell in North Riding FL Division 1, before winning promotion back to the Premier Division in 2024-25. The Falcons have now settled a mile south of the town centre at Sowerby Sports Village, which has an adaptable 4G pitch and seven grass pitches. The changing room block has a refreshment area, and the pitch has room for spectators along one side and behind one of the goals, with the team benches on the far side.

Sowerby Sports Village,

Inspiration Way, 

Sowerby, 

Thirsk YO7 1ST

Current North Riding Football League grounds visited 41/49

Thirsk Falcons 2 Darlington Railway Athletic 5

North Riding FL Premier Division matchday 1

2pm ko

Att.54hc

The competitive season got off to a flying start with two goals each in the first sixteen minutes. Darlo RA tightened up at the back in the second half and were quick on the break, adding three well taken goals to run out worthy winners. 

1-0 3’ Eliot Summers

1-1 4’ Daniel Hull

1-2 10’Ryan Groves

2-2 16’ Eliot Summers

2-3 62’ Kyle Tyrone Dwight Davidson

2-4 73’ Cameron Holiday

2-5 89’ Callum Perriton

#Heedhopper

63 miles door-to-door

1127 train from Newcastle via Northallerton, arriving in Thirsk 1255.

I had a 36 minute window in Northallerton to tick off the Buck Inn, a pub which I’ve been in before, but not since it became a Wetherspoons. That time slot was broken up by a 15 minute walk each way to the far end of the town, five minutes waiting to get served and one minute to neck my drink! 

It's only seven minutes onto Thirsk, and from the station it was a bit of an expedition, walking through and around farmers fields until finally returning to civilization in Sowerby.(see pic)

As expected, daytrips never seem to go as planned, finding out on the hike back to Thirsk that my train from Northallerton to Newcastle was cancelled(along with several others on the east coast line) I called into the Old Red House for a pint and to work out how I was going to get back home. As it happens, the Thirsk - Northallerton train was going to sunderland, so I booked a ticket to stay on the train, then caught the bus back on the long tedious 56, so finally back home an hour later than scheduled.

20 n.o.

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the award winning Heed Hopper blog… or the website formerly known as ‘The 100 Football Grounds Club’ 

The 100FgC part of the site was formed on the 25th July 2006 with 5 founder members, posting their ground lists on launch day. Membership closed after 5 years in August 2011, the squad coming to a close with the final allotted total of 199 members. Due to popular demand, membership reopened in 2013, with the introduction of the ‘Affiliated Squad’  which eventually closed in June 2019 with 101 members, which gave us a total of 300 Groundhoppers. 

On the 25th May 2023, I declared the club defunct, due to a lack of interest from its membership, the Futbology app killing all interest in the squad using the site to keep a record of logging football grounds. 

Over the last two decades I’ve photographed and put words to almost 900 different grounds, some of which are no more and a lot unrecognisable from the original visit. There’s been many highlights along the way, but the main element has been the friends I’ve made, some of whom are sadly no longer with us and who I miss terribly.

Many other Groundhopping blogs appeared, mimicked, then soon disappeared, but I’m pleased I’ve kept it going and  still have the enthusiasm to still do it, so hopefully with the aid of good health and faculties intact, I’ll still be producing this bollox for another twenty years. Cheers!

✓987 Kinsley Timber Stadium

Kinsley Boys 2-3 Athersley Recreation

Pre-Season Friendly

Saturday 11th July 2026

Kinsley is an ex-mining village in the civil parish of Hemsworth and the City of Wakefield.The village is between Wakefield and Pontefract, with its neighbouring villages of Fitzwilliam to the north and Hemsworth to the south-east.

The club was originally a youth team, founded in 1962 as Kinsley Village FC. The club then progressed as a senior side playing in various local leagues, becoming champions of the Doncaster & District Senior League in 2007, then taking the step up to the Central Midlands League.

Central Midlands League 2007 - 2014 and 2024 - 2026

Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League 2014-15

Doncaster Senior League 2015-16

Joined the NCEL following their Premier Division North title win last season.

Kinsley Timber Stadium 

Kinsley Street

Wakefield Road,

Kinsley, 

WF9 5HA

Current NCEL grounds visited 34/42

The clubhouse and changing room are behind the goal, with a covered standing enclosure on one side and the team benches opposite. 

Kinsley Boys 2 Athersley Rec 3

Pre-season friendly

2pm ko

Att.80hc

Admission £3

Pin badge £3

Coffee £1(served by a canny lass)

An entertaining first half saw Kinsley take the lead, with the Rec equalising twice. Late pressure from the visitors resulted in a last minute winner. 

1-0 #10 12’

1-1 Kenneth Effah 18’

2-1 #23 45’

2-2 Alex Reed 45+4’

2-3 Leon Osborne 90’ 

#Heedhopper

103 miles door-to-door

0920 Flixbus Newcastle to Leeds, arriving at 1120.

1248 train Leeds - Fitzwilliam, arriving at 1315.

When I arrived in Leeds I stumbled upon a record fair in Kirkgate Market, where I spent so much time vinyl digging, that I didn't have time for a drink before catching the train to Fitzwilliam. 

I did have a pint at the Liquid Spirit in Kinsley before going into the ground, where I met up with Katie & Lee. Also at the match was Groundhopper acquaintance Stuart Long and long lost Heed fans(and now Athersley Rec followers) Nick & Alan Percival. I cancelled my coach home and cadged a lift from Katie back to the north-east. A canny day with one off the 26-27 ‘t’do list’ marked off straight away.