✔671 Northumbria Centre

Washington AFC Reserves v Seaton Carew
Durham and Wearside Development Division
Saturday 20th April 2019
Washington AFC set up a reserve side at the beginning of the season to compete in the new Durham and Wearside Development Division.
 
Northumbria Centre
Stephenson Road,
Washington
NE37 3HR


There are several pitches at the complex, with the club using the railed off pitch at the entrance into Stephenson Road. The pitch also has a cupboard style double dugout on one side. The changing rooms are a set right back along the road, where there is currently a lot of building work going on with the laying of new all weather pitches.

Washington AFC Reserves v Seaton Carew
TWR Bifolds Durham and Wearside Development Division matchday 15
2pm ko
Att.20hc
Weather:boiling

Washy took the lead when a Lewis Orrell free-kick from the edge of the box, took a big deflection off the wall to break the deadlock. The visitors equalised five minutes later when Ryan Jones was fouled in the box and he stepped up to convert the penalty. Straight from the restart Orrell fired in his second, before latching onto a long ball and produce a good finish to complete his hat-trick after half an hour. It was four just before half time when Stefan Rosca headed in from a right wing cross. There was plenty of decent chances created in the second half, but just the one goal scored courtesy of a long range effort from villain Cameron Arthurs.

Matchday Stats
WAFCR 5(Orrell 13,19, 30 Rosca 44 Arthurs 53)
SCFC 1 (Jones 18pen)

#HeedHopper
Just a 4.5 mile drive door-to-door before an easy double with the Toon match at 5.30pm
Just like all the other matches attended in this league this season, old Joe turned up to watch the game with me, even though he didn't know I would be there.

Current Durham and Wearside Development Division grounds visited 7/9

✔670 Trinity Catholic College

St Mary's 1947 0-3 Grangetown Boys Club
North Riding FL - Premier Division
Wednesday 17th April 2019

St Mary's 1947 relocated from Conveys School back to the Trinity Catholic College at the start of this season. The club joined the Teesside League in 2015 and finished 8th in the North Riding League debut season
Trinity Catholic College
Saltersgill Avenue,
Middlesbrough,
TS4 3JW
Trinity Catholic College opened September 2009, after the amalgamation of two of the area’s long established schools; Newlands FCJ Specialist Maths and Computing School and St David’s Roman Catholic Technology College.
The pitch is railed off at the sides with a pair of perspex dugouts on one side. The changing rooms are a bit of a walk away from the pitch, within the college at the other side of the car park.
St Marys 1947 (11th) v Grangetown Boys Club(4th)
North Riding Football League - Premier Division matchday 27
6.35pm ko
Att.26hc
Weather:sunny
After plenty of decent chances we had to wait almost an hour for the opening goal when Andrew Doddy knocked in a left wing cross from close range. Two late goals from Lewis Patchett wrapped up the three points for the away side, the second a cracking shot from the edge of the box.
Matchday Stats
SM1947 0
GBC 3 (Doddy 57 Patchett 86,88)
#HeedHopper
40 miles drive door-to-door down the A19 picking up Lee & Katie (and Jade) on the way.
North Riding FL Premier Division grounds visited 11/16

✔669.Broadhurst Park

FC United of Manchester 0-1 Kidderminster Harriers
National League North
Saturday 13th April 2019
 FC United of Manchester was founded in 2005 by Manchester United supporters opposed to American businessman Malcolm Glazer's takeover at Old Trafford. The club is owned by their members, who are able to vote on the running of the club. The supporter-owned football club is the largest in the U.K, peaking at over 5,000 members in 2015-16.
North West Counties Division Two champions 2005-06
North West Counties Division One champions 2006-07
Northern Premier League 2007-2015
Division One North runners-up 2007-08
Premier Division champions 2014-15
National League North 2015-present
 Broadhurst Park
310 Lightbowne Rd,
Moston,
Manchester,
M40 0FJ

From 2005 FC United  ground shared with Bury at Gigg Lane, but fixture clashes meant they also played home fixtures at Altrincham, Radcliffe, Hyde United, Stalybridge Celtic and Curzon Ashton. The new ground in Moston opened in 2015, named after the once landowner Sir Edward Tootal Broadhurst, a local industrialist, who in 1920 donated 80 acres of the land for use as a park as a recognition of victory in the First World War.

Cost £6.5M
Capacity: 4,500 (Seats 696)
Record Attendance 4,232 v Benfica B - 29th May 2015
Current National League North grounds visited 20/22

The Main Stand is pitch length split with seats at the top and standing paddocks at the front. The St Mary's Road End is a covered terrace, decorated with flags which holds around 2,500 fans. This stand belonged to Northwich Victoria's old Drill Field ground, but following its closure it was dismantled and transferred to Broadhurst Park.
The North Terrace at the side and the Lightbowne Road End are both similar looking covered areas, with hard standing and no raised steps.
FCUM(21st) v Kidderminster Harriers(9th)
National League North matchday 39
3pm ko
Att.1760

FC United stepped closer to the relegation trap door after a narrow home defeat to Kidderminster. The winning goal arrived on 33 minutes when Chambers was founded in the box and Ironside stepped up to score from the spot.

Matchday Facts
FCUM 0
KHFC 1(Ironside 33pen)
Admission £12
Pin Badge £2 (small version)
Programmes available for £2
 #HeedHopper
Following on from the morning game at Oldham Athletic Academy and our few hours in Middleton we arrived at Broadhurst Park at 2.30pm, where we were charged a fiver to park behind the St Mary's Road end. After the game we quickly navigated onto the M62, so back at Houghton in good time before catching my return bus hyem and back at 100FgCHQ in Gateshead before dark.

✔668 Chapel Road Training Ground

Oldham Athletic U-18 0-2 Doncaster Rovers U-18
EFL Youth Alliance - North-East Division
Saturday 13th April 2019

Chapel Road Training Ground
Hollinwood,
Oldham
OL8 4QL

The changing rooms are in the car park. There are two pitches at the training ground, with the Academy team using the bottom pitch at the far end. 
Oldham Athletic U-18(9th) v Doncaster Rovers U-18(1st)
EFL Youth Alliance - NE Division matchday 21v22
10.30am ko
Att.55hc

Donny strengthened their lead at the top with two second half goals. They took the lead early in the second half with a lovely right foot effort from Elliott Walker, before Rievers Boocock doubling their lead from the penalty spot just after the hour mark.

Matchday Facts
OAFCU-18 0
DRFCU-18 2(Walker 48 Boocock 63pen)
#HeedHopper
135 miles door-to-door

X1 bus at 7.15am to Houghton-le-Spring for 8am pick up with Katie & Lee.
We arrived at the ground at 10.30 to find the match just kicking off, half an hour earlier than advertised. The earlier kick off meant we had a few hours to spare in Middleton, where we had a ‘Spoons lunch and I wandered off to do a couple of pubs. From there we headed off to our second game which was just over 3 miles away at Moston for our visit to FC United 

✔667 Debdale Park

Sherwood Colliery 2-1 Ashby Ivanhoe
East Midlands Counties Football League
Tuesday 9th April 2019
 Sherwood Colliery FC are based in Mansfield Woodhouse in Nottinghamshire. The large village is situated just over one mile north of Mansfield town centre, between the rivers Maun and Meden.(population over 18,500)


The Sherwood Colliery was on the edge of the village and closed in the early 1990s after 90 years of production. During the UK miners' strike between 1984 and ‘85, some miners continued working, a decision made with members and officials as part of the Union of Democratic Mineworkers, a breakaway from the National Union of Mineworkers. 
The works football team played in the FA Cup during the late 1940s and early ‘50s with the current club formed in 2008.
Central Midland League - North 2012-2015
Central Midlands League - South 2015-2018
Runners-up 2017-18
Joined East Midlands Counties FL at the start of this season



Debdale Park
Debdale Lane
Mansfield Woodhouse
NG19 7NS

Current EMCL Premier Division grounds visited 6/20


There’s an impressive clubhouse which faces onto the cricket pitch, which was showing both Champions League fixtures on the big screens. The football pitch has a covered enclosure on one side with a bench seat inside. Opposite there's two enclosures either side of the dugouts, each stand having three rows of wooden benches. There's hard standing on three sides with the popular viewing point being on one side at the top of the hill, next to the second pitch. 
 Sherwood Colliery(3rd) v Ashby Ivanhoe(14th)
EMCL Premier Division matchday 34
7.45pm ko
Att.50
The Wood looked in total control after a left foot drive from Lewis Weaver and a bullet header from Keiran Wells put them two up after 34 minutes.
Just before the interval Liam Donaghy fired in a left wing cross and the visitors carried on that momentum into the second half. Ashby had chances to equalise as well as the home team, with both ‘keepers making good saves in a match which could have gone either way.

Matchday Facts
SCFC 2(Weaver 27 Wells 34)
AIFC 1(Donaghy 43)
Admission £5
Pin badge £3
Tea £1.20
Cuppa Soup £1.30
(Programmes cost £1)
 

#HeedHopper
141 mile drive door-to-door
I took up the driving duties with Lee riding shotgun and Katie in the “nanna nap” seats.
I picked them up at 4.20pm, arrived at The Greyhound pub in the village at 6.45pm for a quick drink before the match. The pub car park and bar lounge was already full as the locals were gathering for a night of bingo, which is Katie’s second favourite sport, but she was unable to participate because of the football.

The roads were quiet on the journey home, so after dropping off my travel companions I finally rolled into my bed at thirty minutes after midnight.