It was a 10 minute drive from Garstang to arrive just after kick-off at this one. It’s a pitch with dugouts and it is railed off on two sides. A bit of rope was put up on the dugout side for this game. Hosting a groundhop game is hard enough for a step 5 club like us at Easington, so I can only imagine how difficult it is for a club like this who are effectively at step 9. This is the third tier of the West Lancashire League, so I can’t imagine you’d normally have a huge amount of volunteers or very big crowds! Today though they did a good job. They had a few different options for food, and for the level it’s at, the ground is quite tidy. You get a great view of trains passing on the west coast mainline, and there were plenty of groundhoppers trying to get the perfect photo of action on the field while a train goes by in the background. Some groundhoppers probably are put off by the level of games like this, but there were still plenty there, and it was still a very good day for Galgate.
On the pitch, Galgate came from behind twice, but Appley Bridge won it with a goal in second half injury time.
Full-time: Galgate 2-3 Appley Bridge
Next up for me is probably Retford on Tuesday night.
When I looked for a game today a few weeks ago, Wolves vs Stoke is the one that caught my eye as a 12:30 kick-off and then go somewhere else, but I needed to be signed up on the Wolves ticketing site well in advance of the game to get a ticket, and so I was unable to get a ticket. Nothing else really screamed out at me. I knew the West Lancashire League groundhop was on, but I would have preferred a higher level. It was only this morning that I decided to do this game and then make a quick dash for the 5pm kick off on the groundhop. I will probably try to complete the north division of the North West Counties League this season. Doing the new clubs in the Northern Prem Premier Division and the Northern Counties East League will be the priority, but then I’ll move onto the North West Counties. Ticking Garstang today would mean one less later in the season.
The ground is quite basic and adjoining a cricket pitch. You can’t go on the side of the cricket pitch. It has two small stands behind the goal where you enter, and the bar shared with the cricket club is behind the other goal. Basic refreshments are available in a container. Hard standing is on three sides and it’s ever so slightly elevated behind the dugouts. Further behind the dugouts are tennis courts and the bowls club.
Colne started well before Garstang came back into it. It was fairly level towards the end of the first half, but Colne were the brighter in the second half, and they broke the deadlock when a deflected effort wrongfooted the goalkeeper and snuck into the near bottom corner in the 72nd minute.
In added time, Garstang equalised in similar fashion. A free-kick was swung into the penalty area and not dealt with and an eventual effort was deflected into the net to mean the points were shared.
Full-time: Garstang 1-1 Colne
Next up for me is a game on Tuesday night. It will probably be Retford.
Admission: £6 adults, £3 concessions, £2 under 16s
Easington Colliery claimed an emphatic 9-0 win at home to Whickham on Friday night.
Thomas Bott, Ethan Ord and Aiden Stanton all scored braces, with Liam Adamson, Denny Tapping and an own goal adding to the tally.
Whickham arrived at the Welfare Park with a young inexperienced side after the turmoil in the club in recent weeks. They couldn’t field a team for Tuesday’s game at Blyth, but credit has to be given to them for fielding a team for this game.
The Colliers led after just 65 seconds. Tapping challenged the goalkeeper for a ball around the penalty spot, and with the keeper unable to collect, the ball fell to Bott who finished well.
In the fifth minute, the Colliers scored their second. Ryan Lincoln Barrow’s throw was quickly worked all the way across to Adamson and he cut in before doing the rest.
Still inside the opening 10 minutes, the Colliers had a third. Liam Cooke curled a dead ball into the penalty area and Ord rose highest to head home.
A fourth arrived in the 18th minute. Adamson’s initial effort was well saved, but the ball rebounded off a defender and bounced into the net.
Credit has to be given to Whickham goalkeeper Robbie Smith who produced a many good saves throughout the game. Without him, it would have undoubtedly been comfortably into double figures.
Following an array of further chances, the fifth goal arrived in the 32nd minute when Tapping found the bottom corner with a very good finish.
Favour Ekomemen had Whickham’s first shot in the 35th minute, but it was saved by James Hopkinson.
The Colliers had several other good chances in the first half, but no more goals were scored.
Seven minutes into the second half, Bott scored his second and Easington’s sixth. He stole possession from a defender in a very dangerous spot and gave the goalkeeper no chance with the finish.
In the 55th minute, Ord scored his second. Another wide free-kick was curled into the area and again Ord rose highest to head home. Ethan says it was his first ever brace, but he was denied the opportunity of a hat-trick when he was subbed off.
Many more good saves followed from Smith in the Whickham goal, before the Colliers scored an eighth when Stanton blasted a free-kick in off the bar in the 83rd minute.
Just a minute later, Stanton scored his second when a simple finish made it nine.
Whickham probably should have scored late on when Ekomemen took the ball round James Hopkinson, but he couldn’t find the target with his shot.
It finished 9-0, but as previously mentioned, it would have been a lot more if not for Robbie Smith in the Whickham goal.
Easington Colliery suffered a first league defeat of the season with a 1-0 loss at home to Newton Aycliffe on Wednesday night.
Sam Johnson’s 84th minute strike proved the difference between the sides on a night where there was a lot of huffing and puffing but little end product from the Colliers.
Easington were the better side throughout, but only one real chance was created with many other shots failing to find the target.
Upon kick-off, the Colliers had a few early chances through Logan Herron, Dan Maw and Thomas Bott, but none of them could find the target.
What proved to be Easington’s best chance arrived in the 19th minute. Maw took aim from 20 yards and his shot took a wicked deflection to loop over the goalkeeper. It bounced back off the crossbar and dropped to Liam Adamson whose shot was well saved by the legs of Tom Shanley.
There wasn’t a huge amount to write about for the remainder of the first half. Easington had the majority of possession, but little was being created with it.
Five minutes before the break, Aiden Stanton found himself in a foot race with Shanley in the Aycliffe goal. Stanton got there first and knocked the ball past Shanley looking for Adamson who would have been left with a simple finish, but a defender was on hand to deny the ball from finding Adamson.
Andrew Nelson had a half chance for Aycliffe early in the second half after Aaron Jackson headed down to him, but he got his shot all wrong.
Although Easington continued to look the more likely to find a winner as the second half wore on, Aycliffe were still a threat, and that threat was evident when Johnson hit the crossbar in the 82nd minute.
Two minutes later, Johnson scored the winner. A controversial free-kick was lifted into the penalty area and flicked on to find Johnson who was left with a simple finish.
The Colliers looked to respond, but nothing was created and the unbeaten start to the league campaign was taken away.
Full-time: Easington Colliery 0-1 Newton Aycliffe
Next up for me is Easington Colliery vs Whickham on Friday night.
I was planning on doing Workington on Tuesday night, but when Ross Weaver said he was in the north east and asked if a few of us fancied going to this game, I quickly decided to just head to FC. I’m fairly confident I can say I was the only person there who was also at OFI Crete vs CSKA Sofia last week! The game wasn’t the most memorable with an 89th minute close range strike sealing the three points for FC. There are normally plenty of goals when I watch Alnwick, but not in this one.
Full-time: FC Hartlepool 1-0 Alnwick Town
Next up for me at the time of writing is Easington Colliery vs Whickham on Friday night.
It’s very rare I get to games when I’m on Greek islands, and so when I realised OFI Crete were maybe at home in the Europa League a couple of months ago, I was very interested. They just needed to be drawn a home in the first leg of the Europa League play-off, and when the draw was made, it was perfect. They were playing either CSKA Sofia or Macabi Tel Aviv. I expected it to be Macabi, but in the end CSKA beat them. We were on Crete for two weeks for my sister’s wedding, and this was on Thursday night before flying back late on Saturday. We hired a car and then drove the hour or so over to Heraklion for this one. Tickets for Greek games need to be added to their gov wallet, but that was no issue as I had done it last year when watching a friendly at Panathinaikos. Tickets were easy enough to get for this, but you needed to buy a membership first. So it was 20 euros for a membership and then 20 euros for a ticket. I may use my membership to watch them somewhere else in Europe! Who knows. The ground was built for the football at the 2004 Olympics, and it’s a big bowl holding 26,000. It looks like it has two roofs, but those roofs don’t actually have a roof. If it was to rain, you’d get wet everywhere in the ground.
OFI are very good vocal fans, and the few CSKA fans tried to make a noise too. I thought OFI were narrowly the better side early, and then they took control when taking the lead. The lead was doubled when Taxiarchis Fountas scored his second with a penalty to collect his brace. CSKA then had a man sent off, and OFI were cruising late on. Looking to put it to bed in the first leg, Lorenzo Dickmann added a third for OFI in added time. There is still some work to be done on Thursday night on Bulgaria for OFI though.
Full-time: OFI Crete 3-0 CSKA Sofia
Next up for me is probably Workington on Tuesday night. We’ll be back to normal again now.
I wouldn’t have been too opposed to a trip a couple of hours tonight to somewhere I hadn’t been, but there wasn’t much choice for that. Had I not been flying to Greece tomorrow, I may have done Wolverhampton Wanderers in the League Cup, but it would have meant getting back very late and I still had a bag to pack. So, I opted to a local Northern League game. I don’t remember behind the goal being fenced off at Chester-le-Street on my last visit, but it was tonight.
This was a competitive game between two equal sides, and FC came out on top through a goal early in the second half. Chester probably edged possession in the first half, but FC had the best chance of it. It won’t go down as a classic, but it was a watchable game.
Full-time: Chester-le-Street Town 0-1 FC Hartlepool
Next up for me is hopefully OFI Crete vs CSKA Sofia or Macabi Tel Aviv a week on Wednesday!
Colliers continue impressive start to season with Blue Star victory
Easington Colliery continued their impressive start to the season with a come from behind 4-1 win at home to Newcastle Blue Star on Wednesday night.
Jakub Zych put Blue Star ahead in the 24th minute in a game heavily influenced by the wind, but with the wind on their side, the Colliers romped to a 4-1 win with second half goals from Ryan Taylor, Brad Hird, Liam Adamson and Denny Tapping.
Taylor came into the side for his first start in almost a year after being out injured, with Harrison Price moving across to fullback.
Kicking against the wind, the Colliers registered the first shot of the game as Aiden Stanton did well on the left to create an opportunity for himself, but Phil Mills saved at his near post.
Blue Star had a number of corners in the opening quarter of an hour, but they couldn’t create any chances from them.
In the 24th minute, with their first real chance, the visitors took the lead. A ball through the middle wasn’t dealt with and Zych took the ball round James Hopkinson before slotting home.
Little happened in the remainder of the first half. With the wind providing a big advantage, Blue Star maybe went into the break thinking they needed more than a one goal cushion.
The Colliers started the second half perfectly by equalising less than four minutes in. A corner was swung into the area where the towering Taylor guided a header beyond Mills to make it one-one.
Luke Pearn and Reece Kenney both had further chances as the Colliers looked to take control of the game.
In the 65th minute, with their only half chance of the second half, Alfie Coulthard tried his luck from 20 yards for Blue Star, but his shot was straight down the chest of Hopkinson.
Two minutes later, halfway through the second half, the Green Army took the lead. Adamson was denied by a block at the near post, but the ball came back to Liam, and he did well to work it across to Hird whose lovely finish put the Colliers in control.
Inside the final 20 minutes, a crucial block denied Tapping, and another blocked denied Adamson.
The Colliers’ lead never really looked in danger, but it took until the 88th minute for Tapping to wrap it up. With undoubtedly the strike of the evening, Denny took aim from 20 yards and drilled an unstoppable effort into the stanchion on the far top corner.
In injury time, Adamson put the cherry on the cake with a very tidy finish to make it four.
The Colliers have now picked up 10 points from their first four games of the season. Attention now turns to Saturday’s FA Cup game at Whitley Bay.
Full-time: Easington Colliery 4-1 Newcastle Blue Star
Next up for me is maybe a game on Friday night. If not, I’m hoping to get to OFI Crete’s Europa League home game!
Easington Colliery claimed a comfortable three points with a 4-1 win at home to Carlisle City on Saturday afternoon.
In the Colliers’ first home game of the season, Liam Adamson scored a brace alongside goals from Aiden Stanton and Brad Hird.
Ewan Tedford pulled one back late in the game for Carlisle, but it was over by this point.
The Colliers started well, and the first chance arrived in just the third minute when Logan Herron’s cross picked out Stanton, but his header was saved by the Carlisle goalkeeper.
In the ninth minute, Easington took the lead. Herron engineered a perfectly weighted ball over the top to release Adamson who had beaten the offside trap, and Liam raced through before finishing nicely.
Denny Tapping had a good chance to double Easington’s lead just three minutes later, before Jordan Little headed over with Carlisle’s first chance.
Halfway through the second half, Carlisle had their goalkeeper to thank for keeping the deficit at only one. Good passing football carved Carlisle open and gave Dan Maw a big chance, but Aaran Taylor made himself big to save well. Seconds later, he produced another good save to deny Adamson.
Just before the half hour mark, Carlisle could have been level. A ball through the middle released Jordan Holt through on goal, but he could only poke a shot wide while under pressure from Thomas Bott.
Eight minutes before the break, Adamson doubled the Colliers’ lead. Tapping drove forward down the left wing, and he pulled a ball across the edge of the penalty area to find Adamson who curled a lovely finish into the top corner.
Bott looked to get in on the act with the final chance of the first half. He took control of a long range free-kick but could only blast it wide.
Following the break, James Hopkinson in the Easington goal produced a smart save to deny Adam Gordon, and then Stanton shot wide for the Colliers.
There was no missing the target with Stanton’s next attempt though, as he made it three with the pick of the goals. Picking up the ball on the left corner of the penalty area, Aiden curled a superb effort towards the far corner and in off the post.
On the hour mark, there was almost a hat-trick for Adamson. Tapping worked a well weighted ball through to Adamson, and he again raced through, but this time, the shot rolled just wide.
As the second half wore on, Dane Eltringham saw his free-kick deflect wide for the Colliers, before Robert McCartney headed wide for the visitors.
Seventy-seven minutes into the game, Hird scored Easington’s fourth. It was great work from Adamson who flicked the ball over a defender before latching back onto it and charging down on goal. Liam squared it to Hird who tucked the ball into the net to make sure of a good afternoon for the Colliers.
Carlisle were allowed to pull a goal back in the 87th minute when Tedford was allowed to lift the ball over Hopkinson for his first senior goal, but it was just a consolation as the Colliers claimed an impressive three points.
Full-time: Easington Colliery 4-1 Carlisle City
Next up for me is Easington Colliery vs Newcastle Blue Star on Wednesday night.
I wasn’t planing on a game tonight given I was looking after my uncle’s dog overnight, but in the end, I decided to take him to his first ever football match at the age of seven! The Wearside League website suggests they play on one of the pitches between Brandon cricket club and Meadowfield Leisure Centre, but they actually play on the pitch behind the community hall. Brandon United is at one side of Brandon Park, and this pitch is at the other side. From Brandon United, you get a good view over Durham city, and you’d expect it to be good from this pitch too given it’s further up the hill, but it’s more enclosed than United’s ground, with trees preventing any possible view. It’s just a pitch with a portakabin in the corner housing the changing rooms. It is somewhat enclosed though.
As for the game, this was Brandon Community’s first competitive match against a Shotton Reserves side who struggled last season. Brandon were the better side from the off, but they weren’t thoroughly dominant. Shotton had a few spells, but Brandon deservedly led by two at the break. The first was a penalty and the second arrived just before half-time. In the second half, Brandon ran away with it, although Shotton did manage to grab a goal to make it 2-1 through a penalty before the hosts regained control.
I ended up doing quite a few laps of the pitch with the dog!
Full-time: Brandon Community 6-1 Shotton Colliery Reserves
Next up for me is Easington Colliery vs Carlisle City tomorrow.
Connor's Football Travels 