✔640 Mill Lane

Wigginton Grasshoppers 1-4 Dringhouses

York Senior Cup 2nd Round

Saturday 27th October 2018

Wigginton is a village and civil parish 4 miles north of the City of York in North Yorkshire. (population about 3,600) The village name derives from Old English  - "Wicga", meaning "a beetle", plus the Old English suffix, "-tun", meaning a "settlement or enclosure. The village was named in the Domesday Book and noted as belonging to the cathedral church of St Peter in York. The name of the village has been recorded as Wichestun in the 11th century and Wygynton by the 1400’s. 

Wigginton Grasshoppers are a community and charter standard club, formed in 1982 by John Jeffery. Wiggy have teams of all age groups from the under 5's right up to the under 19's, as well as a growing number of girls teams. The senior team play in the York Minster Engineering League Premier Division and are the current champions with the second team playing in the Reserve A division.

York League Division One Champions: 1999-2000, 2010-11

Premier Division Champions: 2016-17, 2017-18

York FA Cup Winners: 2003-4

York League Senior Cup Winners: 2005-6, 2013-14

Wigginton Sports & Playing Fields

Mill Lane

Wigginton

York

YO32 2PY

Current York Premier League grounds visited 5/15

The club relocated to Mill Lane from Wigginton School in 1984. There are two pitches side by side at the far end of the complex, both with brick dugouts. The first team use the left sided pitch which is fully roped off. There is a set of cabins used as changing rooms and for storage.

Wigginton Grasshoppers have submitted a planning application for a new pavilion, which would include accessible changing rooms, a kitchen area and a community space. The project would cost £600,000 with finances generated by fundraising amongst their roster of over 300 players from juniors to seniors.

Wigginton Grasshoppers v Dringhouses

FA Senior Cup 2nd Round

2pm ko

Att.24hc

Dringhouses booked their spot in the third round of the York Senior Cup with a good second half performance. Wiggy took the lead midway through the first half with a header from the Michael Byram, but the visitors quickly responded through Cameron Sanderson who fired in a right wing cross. They took the lead on 51 minutes through Liam Robertson, then extended their advantage when Dave Watson finished well when sent through on goal with just the ‘keeper to beat. The match was wrapped up when Sam Drake produced a good finish on 77 minutes to make it 4-1 to Dringy. 

Matchday Stats

WGFC 1(Byram 22)

DFC 4(Sanderson 29 Robertson 51 Watson 75 Drake 77)

Entertainment 7/10

#HeedHopper

I was in York for my mate Zippy’s birthday beano, along with Plymouth Pete. We called into the Punch Bowl for breakfast, then the Windmill Inn, The Swan, The Slide Inn and The Phoenix before taking a taxi up to Wigginton, where I met up with Lee & Katie at the game. After the match we returned to the city centre to meet up with Honest Paul and Colin in the Eagle & Child to continue our York pub crawl, with the boozing continuing when we got back to Newcastle at 9.30.

✔639 Mo Mowlem Memorial Park

Redcar Town 4-1 Bedale

North Riding Football League - Premier Division

Wednesday 17th October 2018

 Redcar is a seaside town in North Yorkshire, just over seven miles east of Middlesbrough on the North Sea coast. (population over 36,000) Following  the opening of the Middlesbrough to Redcar Railway in 1846, it became a popular tourist destination, with regular holidaymakers from Scotland and the rest of Yorkshire.

Redcar Town formed in 2014. The club joined the second division of the Teesside League, winning promotion as champions and also lifting the MacMillan Bowl and Burness Plate in 2014-15. Redcar also enjoyed success in the JV Madden Trophy in 2015-16 and the following season the Lou Moore Trophy. The club became founder members of the North Riding League in its Premier Division last season. The club run an array of junior teams at all age levels as well as a senior Ladies side.

 I nipped down to Teesside for this midweek fixture with Lee, Katie and Jadey-bot. When we arrived there were a few southern based Groundhoppers in attendance, who had travelled up from Ipswich and Cheltenham. 

Mo Mowlam Memorial Park is named in honour of the late labour politician who served as MP for Redcar between 1987 and 2001. The ground is very impressive for Step 7 level, as the club look well set up to progress to the Northern League, with a full set of floodlights already up and working.

The entrance is at the back of the ground, around by the car park and not on the Trunk Road (as we learned the hard way) The clubhouse is quite spacious, with hot food and drinks available, plus a good selection of club souvenirs. The pitch is fully railed off with dugouts at the far side, with a selection of chairs and picnic tables in front of the clubhouse and changing room block.  There is plenty of room for progression with space on each side for a stand or two. 

Redcar Town(5th) v Bedale(8th)

NRFL - Premier Division matchday 11v10

7.30pm ko

A hat-trick from Ryan Bennions set up a convincing league win against Bedale. He broke the deadlock just after the half hour mark, nipping in at the near post to steer in a right wing cross, before a good strike on half time to make it two-nil. The number nine grabbed his third on 65 minutes with a first time effort inside the box, then Andrew Porritt got on the scoresheet to make it 4-0 with just over ten minutes remaining. Bedale grabbed a late consolation when a Jack Stapley effort was spilled into the net by the home ‘keeper in the last minute.

Matchday Stats

RTFC 4(Bennions 31,45,65 Porritt 77)

AFCB 1(Stapley 90)

Att.44hc

Admission & programme:none

Coffee £1

✔638. Westleigh Park

Havant & Waterlooville 0-1 Gateshead

National League 

Saturday 13th October 2018

 Havant is a town in the south east corner of Hampshire, situated in between Chichester and Portsmouth. The Borough of Havant covers the semi-urban area between Portsmouth and West Sussex, which includes Waterlooville, Bedhampton, Cowplain, Emsworth, Hayling Island, Purbrook and Widley.(population: 125,000)

The market town is distinguished by its fine Georgian buildings and narrow weaving footpaths called ‘Twittens’. Most of the town centre is a conservation area, which developed from a junction of ancient thoroughfares dating from Roman times.

The population doubled after World War II as agricultural land was replaced with housing following the bombing of Portsmouth and the Blitz.

 Havant & Waterlooville Football Club formed in 1998 following a merger between Havant Town (founded 1883) and Waterlooville (1905) 
They took residence at Havant Town’s Westleigh Park ground and their place in the Southern League Southern Division, becoming league champions in 1998-99.

Southern League Premier Division 1999-2004

Conference South 2004-2016

Isthmian League 2016-17 - Champions

National League South 2017-18 - Champions

The Hawks hit the headlines in 2007-08 with a fabulous run in the FA Cup. After battling through the qualifying rounds, they knocked out York City and Notts County, before beating League One Swansea City 4-2 in a 3rd round replay. This set up a fourth round clash with Liverpool at Anfield, where they twice gave the reds a fright by taking the lead, before eventually losing 5-2 in a gallant effort. 

 Westleigh Ground

Martin Rd,

Havant,

Hampshire,

PO9 5TH

Capacity 5,250

Current National League grounds 23/24

The Main Stand has a single tier of 560 blue seats with HWFC picked out in yellow. The team changing rooms are behind it with the players tunnel to the side and the dugouts across the pitch. The rest of the ground is covered terracing apart from in one open corner. There are refreshment kiosks in three corners with the club shop in the other at the away fans entrance. Overall it’s a very tidy and cosy looking ground.

Havant & Waterlooville(21st) v Gateshead(8th)

National League matchday 16

3pm ko

Att.1,250 (38 away)

A tight encounter was settled in the 56th minute, when a Scott Barrow corner kick was met by Steve Rigg at the back stick, to head home from six yards.

The match was pretty even up until that point, with both defences holding firm as chances were limited. As the game progressed the Hawks pushed hard for an equaliser, but the Heed back line coped with the late threat to make it four wins on the bounce.

Matchday Stats & Spondoolicks

H&WFC 0

GFC 1(Rigg 56)

Entertainment 5/10

Admission £16

Programme £2

Pin badge £3

Coffee £1.50

#HeedHopper

336 miles door-to-door

0140 Megabus: Newcastle - London Victoria

1100 South-Western train: Waterloo - Havant

My two priority trips from the naughty north to the sexy south this season, were the Heed playing at Havant, and the Seahawks playing Raiders at Wembley(for that other game called football) The fixture gods worked in my favour as both matches took place over the same weekend, so it was just the one return trip needed with an overnight stay.

After ticking off another three London JDW’s on Saturday morning, I arrived in Hampshire at 1220 where I was met with glorious sunshine and a roasting 20 degrees. I took a leisurely stroll around town, stopping off for refreshments in The Parchment Makers, Robin Hood, Olde House At Home and the Wheelwright’s Arms before walking up to Westleigh Park.

After the game I took the train down to Fratton for a few drinks before booking into my overnight digs. I had a busy Saturday night on the lash in Southsea and Portsmouth which took my pub total for the day to a quite impressive nineteen.

I headed up to London on Sunday morning, where I met up with Mark Wilkins for more of the same, pub ticks and a match, when for the second day running I saw my team win the game.

A fantastic weekend when all my plans came together perfectly. I left London on the 2345 Megabus which got back into Newcastle at 07.15 on Monday. I was totally “cattle-trucked” this morning and it’ll probably be knackered all week, but its been well worth it for a mega weekend like this.  

Photos from Wembley and the pubs I visited this weekend will appear on my sister blog - The Completist.

✔637.Silver Street

Irlam 2-3 Radcliffe

Manchester Senior Cup 1st Round

Wednesday 9th October 2018

Irlam is a town in the City of Salford in Greater Manchester, which lies on the River Irwell (Population almost 20,000) It was known as Irwellham in the 13th century, originally a small village in a large peat bog in the remote area of Chat Moss.

The completion of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway during the 19th century, saw the Irwell river adjusted to unite with the Manchester Ship Canal, stimulating the growth of Irlam as an inland port. Irlam Urban District was established in 1894, the same year as the Manc Ship Canal opened and was governed by its own district council until its abolition in 1974.

Irlam FC originally formed as a works team in 1969, as Mitchell Shackleton Football Club by workers at the Mitchell, Shackleton and Company engineering firm in Patricroft. The following year they joined the Eccles & District Amateur Football League before moving to the Manchester Amateur League in 1972. In 2001 they changed their name to Irlam Mitchell Shackleton, before becoming plain Irlam FC in 2006.

Division Two champions 1974–75

Division Three champions 1973–74

Manchester League:

Premier Division champions 2002–03

North West Counties League 2008-present

Promoted to NWCL Premier after finishing Division One runners-up 20015-16.

Silver Street

Irlam

Manchester

M44 6HR

Current NWCL grounds 18/60

Record Attendance: 950 v Manchester United Youth, August 2003

The club were originally based at the Oddfellows Arms in Patricroft, before moving to St Michaels Community Centre in Peel Green in 1973. After moving to Salteye Park, the land was earmarked for the new stadium for the Salford Reds Rugby League club in 2002. As a result the Shack moved to Silver Street, which had been the former home of Irlam Town, who had folded in 1995.

The ground entrance is behind the goal, where everything is based in one corner next to the clubhouse. There’s a covered terrace behind the goal, with the main stand running up towards the dugouts. The stand has four rows of flip seats with partial standing room at one end. The refreshment bar is in between, with a few picnic tables and chairs. The rest of the ground is open with hard standing.

Irlam v Radcliffe

Frank Hannah Manchester Premier Cup 1st Round

Att.125

7.45pm ko

An injury time penalty booked Radcliffe’s place in the second round of the Manchester Premier Cup. Shelton Payne slotted home from the spot to give them an early lead, and they looked well in control until the match turned on its head at the beginning of the second half. Sam Bolton danced his way through the defence to fire in an equaliser in the 47th minute, then moments later Connor Martin knocked in a pen to make it 2-1 to Irlam.  A fierce left foot drive from Payne made it all square with fifteen minutes remaining, then just as we were heading towards a penalty shoot out, Payne grabbed his hat-trick, converting the third spot-kick of the night.

Matchday Stats & Spondoolicks

IFC 2(Bolton 57 Martin 50pen)

RFC 3(Payne 3,75,90+3)

Entertainment 7/10

Admission £5

Programme £2

Pin badge £3

Coffee £1

#HeedHopper

145 miles door to door.

I headed off to Irlam with Katie & Lee for a midweek fixture in February 2016, before a superb change of plan on route, saw us witness a Twelve-niller at Ollerton Town instead. This time we stuck to our guns, setting off from Katie’s at 2pm to finally reach the outskirts of Manchester over three hours later, following a diversion off the A1 and the busy rush hour traffic on the M60 ring road. We still had plenty of time to knock off a couple of ’Spoons, namely the Eccles Cross (where I also ticked off a GBG next door at the Lamb ) and The Castle In The Air at Trafford Park. We arrived at Silver Street at half seven, noticing how dark it was outside the ground entrance, so we couldn’t took an quality pictures of the ground.  Yet another diversion on the way home meant I was back at 100FgC HQ at 0045 hours after a pleasant evening in Greater Manchester.