✓991 Olympic Park

Field Olympic 4-0 Route One Rovers

Northern Counties East League Division One

Saturday 22nd August 2026

Field Sports & Social FC were formed in 2005, joining the West Yorkshire League. They won the Division Two title in their first season, then gained promotion to the Premier Division the following year. Field won the top division in 2014-15 and the name change to Field Olympic came last year following a merger with Olympic FC. Last season they won the league and County Cup double and stepped up to the Northern Counties East League this season.

Olympic Park

Harrogate Road

Bradford 

BD10 0HU

Current NCEL grounds visited 34/42

Spectator facilities mostly on one side with a covered enclosure and school chairs on the grass bank terrace, with the changing rooms also on the entrance side. There's standing room behind the goals and the team benches are on the far side. The dodgy car park looks into the ground, so if you're a tight arse, you could just watch the match from your car.

Field Olympic 4 Route One Rovers 0

NCEL: Division One matchday 6

(5th v 7th)

3pm ko

Att.350

Admission £7

Programme available £3 (disgraceful price for a 30 seconds read. Everything was over priced - hot drinks £2.50, pin badges for a fiver)

Both teams were evenly matched in the first half, but it was Field who put away their chances. They were the better side in the second half and ran out comfortable winners. 

Danyal Yasin 18’

Jonathan Mwembie 38’ 

2-0 HT

Aiden Day 71’

Kieron Batey 79’

4-0 FT

#Heedhopper

93 miles door-to-door

I went with Katie and Lee, with the plan to nip into Wetherby on route to tick off the JDW Angel Inn. The 70 minute drive took almost two hours due to roadworks on the A1, but the onward journey went smoothly (good job we left early) and likewise coming home. 

✓990 Lowhills Road

East Durham Reds 1-10 Chester-le-Street

Wearside League Division 3

Wednesday 19th August 2026

East Durham Reds are a newly formed senior club who have joined the Wearside League Third Division. The club is based in Peterlee, playing at Lowhills Road Playing Fields. There's three pitches on the site, situated behind the Acre Rigg Social Club, with the Reds senior team using the bottom pitch(one of the junior teams were playing in the top pitch at the same time).

East Durham Reds 1 Chester-le-Street 10

Wearside League Third Division matchday 5/4

12th v 9th

1845 ko

Att.34hc

The visitors strolled to victory with half of the goals scored by Jack Dodd, including a hat-trick of penalties. 

Reece Robson 12’ 0-1

Jamie Oaks 30’ 0-2

Jack Dodd 38’pen 43’ 0-4

Lennon Gamble 44’ 0-5

(0-5 HT)

55' red card Ross Bates (East Durham) dissent 

Jack Dodd 56' pen 63' pen 0-7

Ben Cummings 73’ 0-8

Jack Dodd 77’ 0-9

Tyler O'Donnell 78’ 1-9

Joshua Dixon 87’ 1-10

#Heedhopper

20 mile drive door-to-door 

Current Wearside League grounds visited 57/59

✓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.