✔790 Grange Park

Long Eaton United 3-0 Melton Town

United Counties League - Premier Division North

Saturday 28th August 2021

Long Eaton is a town in the Erewash district of Derbyshire, just north of the River Trent in between Derby and Nottingham.  In the Domesday Book it is referred to as Aitone, originally a farming settlement adjacent to the lowest bridging point of the River Erewash. Several meanings are associated with the name, such as "farm between streams" or "low-lying land".

(population:almost 38,000)

The football club originated from Long Eaton St Helens, who became members of the new Derbyshire Alliance in 1907. The club also played in the Notts & Derbyshire League and the Central Alliance, which they won in the 1912–13 season. They became Long Eaton Town in 1914, and joined the Midland League in 1925, but left after two seasons.

Long Eaton Town were re-established in July 1949 and joined the Central Alliance, taking over the fixtures of Mansfield Town 'A' during the 1949–50 season. In 1956 financial problems led to the club being rebranded as Long Eaton United with a new kit and club directors.

Central Alliance 1949 - 1961 Division One South champions 1958–59

Midland League 1961 - 1982

North Counties East League 1982-1989 and 2002-2014 

Division One South champions 1984–85 League Cup winners 2008–09

Central Midlands League 1989 - 2002

Midlands League 2014 - 2021

The Blues moved to the United Counties League for the start of this season and have won the Derbyshire Senior Cup twice in 1965 and 1976.

Grange Park 

Station Road, 

Long Eaton, 

Derbyshire, 

NG10 2EG

Total English Non-League grounds visited 487

Long Eaton Rangers, Long Eaton St Helens and the re-established club played at the Recreation Ground, before the new club relocating to Grange Park on the other side of the road at the turn of the 1950s.

The old main stand is on the far side, which was redeveloped with seating installed. Floodlights were added in 1998 and a new seated stand, later named the Big Jim Stand. There is also a covered enclosure on the same side.

Long Eaton United 3(Marshall 15 Walker 46 Shaw 82)

Melton Town 0

3pm ko

UCL Premier Division North matchday 3

Att.125

Admission £6

Programme available £2

Coffee £1

The Blues easily took care of Melton Town, going ahead after 15 minutes when an assist from the goalkeeper set up Alex Marshall to lob home. At the start of the second half Jamie Walker smashed in their second with a half volley and the three points were assured when substitute James Shaw poked in the third. 

#Heedhopper

160 miles door-to-door

Travelled with Katie & Lee

Departure 0910

Arrival 11.50

Back hyem 2000

On arrival we met up with Mr Groundhop UK and his good lady wife for lunch at the Eton Farm pub on the outskirts of the town. We had a toby around the town centre, before my only disappointment on this glorious sunshiny day. The only GBG pub in the vicinity was closed, so I had to settle for a bevvy in The New Inn before heading over to the match. Smashing day though. 

Pitch Neighbours

788.Riverside Sports Complex (Athletics pitch)

Chester-le-Street United 0-1 Gateshead Leam Rangers

Wearside League

Saturday 14th August 2021

I've visited the Riverside Sports Complex on a few occasions but always at the 3G enclosure on the east side of the complex. Until last Saturday, I hadn't seen a game on the main pitch, which is situated in front of the pavilion stand and used for athletics with a surrounding running track.

Ambitious Wearside League side Chester-le-Street United are currently using this pitch and have further aspirations to move to a new venue in the town. The club formed in 2020 and has a large junior set up covering all age groups for boys and girls.

The match was somewhat disappointing considering the large crowd in attendance. The contest was too stop/start, littered with bad fouls, only three yellow cards and decided by a Rob Houghton goal for the Leam early in the first half.

Chester-le-Street United 0

Gateshead Leam rangers 1(Houghton 16)

Att.155hc

789.Northumbria University Campus(Greenlee Drive)

Newcastle Independent 5-1 Wallsend Boys Club

Northern Footballl Alliance Division 1

Wednesday 18th August 2021

On Wednesday night I intended on ticking off another neighbouring ground beside the Coach Lane Sports Ground. The former home of Team Northumbria is now a Rugby ground, but the all weather pitch at the north end is home to Northern Alliance side Newcastle Independent. The Goat have a cracking young team, who I witnessed in action at the end of last season, when they lifted the Northumberland Minor Cup.

When I arrived there were only four other people around and no players. We found out that the match was taking place  through the woods and over the stream on Greenlee Drive at the Northumbria University Campus pitches. The ground is just along the road from the Newcastle United Academy at Little Benton, so a totally unexpected tick.

The match saw the home team take the lead through Wilson Kneeshaw, then miss several good opportunities to have the game wrapped up by half time. They were punished for their poor finishing when Wallsend equalised with a waxer from Rob Ene from a good 30 yards out.

Independent were more clinical in the second half and once Andy Hall fired them into the lead in the 52nd minute, they took full control with Luke Theobalds, Dan Bennett and Alex Cole adding to the score to make it 5-1 on the night. 

Newcastle Independent 5(Kneeshaw 14  Hall 52 Theobalds 64 Bennett 72  Cole 84) 

Wallsend Boys Club 1(End  39)

Att.23hc

✔787 Gasworks Park

Larkhall Thistle 3-2 Kilsyth Rangers

West of Scotland FL - Conference C

Saturday 7th August 2021

Larkhall is a town in South Lanarkshire, around 14 miles south-east of Glasgow. The town sits on high ground between the River Clyde and the Avon Water, which is crossed by the Morgan Glen viaduct, one of the town's most distinguished landmarks. It spans 285 yards and is 175 feet high, making it the tallest viaduct in Scotland. Larkhall was traditionally an ironworks, mining, weaving and textile area, but as these long established industries are now a thing of the past, it's now a commuter town for Glasgow (population: under 15,000)

 

Larkhall Thistle Football Club formed in 1878, making The Jags Scotland's oldest continuous Junior Football Club and the only remaining club of the 21 who formed the oldest Junior association - The Lanarkshire JFA in 1891. The Jags have appeared in three Scottish Junior Cup finals, lifting the trophy in 1908 (v Queens Park Hampden XI) 1914 (v Ashfield) and finishing runners-up in 1903(losing to Parkhead)

Lanarkshire Junior League Champions: 1895–96, 1912–13, 1913–14, 1930–31, 1947–48, 1951–52

West Central League C division Champions 1974-75

West Central League B Division Champions(joint) 1979-80

West Central Second Division Winners: 1999–2000

The club joined the West of Scotland League Conference C in 2020.

Many cup honours include winning the Lanarkshire Cup and League Cup six times each and the Lanarkshire Central Cup on three occasions. 

 

Gasworks Park

Raploch Street, 

Larkhall, 

ML9 1AJ

Scottish Non-League grounds visited 73

Total Scottish grounds visited 115

 

The Jags have played at Gasworks Park since 1884 and it was the venue for two Scottish Junior Cup finals in 1888 and 1889, the only Junior club to have the honour of hosting the final.

The ground has a classic looking large covered terrace which runs just over one half of the pitch, with a brick enclosure on the opposite side which is used as the team dugouts. There are sections of terrace sleepers on both sides, with some nice touches throughout, like the entrance gates, the crest on the stand roof, the team tunnel and informative display signs. 

 

Larkhall Thistle 3(Phairs 76 Bartek 85pen 90+1)

Kilsyth Rangers 2(McNulty 43 Stewart 52pen)

WOSFL - Conference C matchday 7/5 

9th v 10th

2pm ko

Att.108hc

Admission £6

Programme £2(I don’t purchase them anymore but the guys were determined I’d buy one)

Raffle £1(as always I dunno if I won)

Coffee £1

 

The Jags came back from two goals behind to clinch a well earned victory courtesy of a brace from Bartek Maćkiewic. Kilsyth went ahead just before half time with a neat effort from Andrew McNulty , then doubled their lead when they were awarded a penalty in the 52nd minute, scored by Gary Stewart. With a quarter of an hour remaining, a bullet header from Connor Phairs gave them hope, and they looked to have grabbed a point when Bartek scored a spot kick. The match was in stoppage time when the Polish forward broke into the box and curled the ball with the outside of his foot, to find the far corner of the net and ignite wild celebrations at the Gasworks. 

 

 

#Heedhopper

0620 LNER train to Glasgow Queen Street via Edinburgh and Larbert, arriving at 0940. Back hyem on the 1730 out of Glasgow, via Edinburgh and back in the Toon at 2040.

I had a hectic start to my day so I could also do a Groundhop, with a morning fixture at Glenconner Park. After the first game, the rest of the day was more relaxed. I arrived in Larkhall at half past one and enjoying a cracking game, at a ground which has been on my "T'Do list" for quite a while. 

Afterwards there was plenty of time to call into The Scotia in Glasgow for a pint, as it's now listed in the 2021 Good Beer Guide. Overall a tiring but quite enjoyable day, it was good to be back in Glasgow again and hopefully not too long until my return and another crack at a matchday double.