Hungry Hungerford Deliver Parkway Flooring

No printed programme, and at the time of writing I haven’t managed to locate the way to download the e-programme. Here's the club crest on the toilet block instead.

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Saturday 15 March 2025 at Bolitho Park
Result	Plymouth Parkway 0 Hungerford Town 2
Competition	Southern League Premier Division South (Step 3)
Hopstats	796 on the lifetime list and I’ve been wanting to visit this ground for some time. It temporarily re-completes my coverage of all grounds in the English pyramid unless I count Everton as already open. As far as I know Hashtag United (at Aveley) are the only club currently groundsharing so this is “The 251” which is the 92 plus 72 National League (3 x 24) plus the 87 (88 minus 1) grounds in the four step 3 divisions of 22.
Context
Lower mid-table plays upper mid-table. I suppose Parkway will need a few more points to avoid a relegation fight, and Hungerford might still sneak into play-off places.
Match Report
I like Bolitho Park – it’s neat and tidy with covered seating or standing on three sides, and decent enough facilities and services for this level. I think it is the club’s second season at this level. On the pitch, the home side made a rather shaky start to this game and gave Hungerford confidence. It wasn’t much of a surprise when Rafa Ramos put the visitors in front midway through the first half. He had plenty of time to control a pass from the right flank and complete a composed finish. With just the one goal deficit at the interval, words must have been said at half-time, and Parkway started the second half brightly. However, they fluffed one good chance by not spotting a final pass and meanwhile Hungerford showed their threat with a header that looped on to the bar. To be brutally honest it was all rather flat, with not much for the home crowd to cheer. Their side never really threatened more than the odd half-chance, and then Ramos got his second with 81 minutes on the clock to seal the away win. There was time for Hungerford’s Louis McGrory to get a second yellow and thus a red card in stoppage time as they tried pragmatically to hold the ball at the corner flag. He got to the showers about ninety seconds earlier than his teammates, but the suspension will frustrate the management I should think.
So What?
The clubs end the day in 15th and 7th place respectively in the division. Parkway are seven points clear of the relegation places and Hungerford are six points short of a playoff place.
Pre-match Entertainment
I had stayed overnight on Friday, so had time for a walk around a couple of Plymouth dockyard areas. This is a city steeped in British colonial and maritime history. It’s the first time I’ve ever visited the city centre and I think I will be back at some point to engage more with those historical and cultural features. It made a very good impression for a short break in the future. First appearance of the buoy-meets-gull joke this season
Ground & Match Pix
Plymouth Parkway in Yellow.
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats Update
The background to this, and the latest keeper top colour league table, is here on this dedicated page. Today, Green beats a different shade of itself and keeps one clean sheet. Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Prediction: Draw Was the prediction correct? No % of correct predictions so far 49% (87 from 176)
What Next?
Nothing much else in March because of some other commitments, except for Cambridge United v Northampton Town on 29th, but I hope to get a few more grounds ticked before the end of the season. I suspect Everton will be my priority somehow at the start of 2025-26. I have 34 left at Step 4 but I dare say that promotion and relegation will change that. I’d like to get that list done by the end of next season if at all possible. It’s not realistic for me to try to get any further down the pyramid than that!

 

Slick City Open Up Newmarket's Defences Twice

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Saturday 1 March 2025 at FWD-IP Community Stadium
Result	Cambridge City 2 Newmarket Town 0
Competition	Isthmian League D1 North (Step 4)
Hopstats	Ground 795 on my lifetime list. Here for pragmatic reasons – I needed a relatively short journey after having been overnight at a conference in Hertfordshire. Since the last blogpost I also managed a midweek trip to Wembley to watch England Women 1 Spain Women 0 in the Nations League, and what a splendid evening’s entertainment that was.
Context
Upper mid-table plays lower mid-table. May just about qualify as a “local derby”. The home side are known at this level as “Jamie Cureton’s Cambridge City” in the same way that we have recently had “Frank Lampard’s Coventry City” and “Wayne Rooney’s P45”.
Match Report
City’s new ground is still a work-in-progress but it’s a good one for this level. The pre-match food was among the best I’ve ever had at Step 4 but as these pics show this is a place where the words carbohydrate and low are unlikely to appear in the same sentence. My choice was a Twix Blondie.   On the pitch, these two teams of “big lads” faced up to each other on a good surface. Cambridge took control with two first half goals. They had already won several corners and forced one good save from the visiting keeper before Samrai Gebrai rolled the ball into the net after Newmarket had lost possession in their own half. Jack Thompson added the second from close range after a very neat build-up. Newmarket did their best to get back in the game and should have scored at least once, but promising approach play often broke down at the last. Cambridge held firm at the back and in the end took the points comfortably enough.
So What?
City could still conceivably make a play-off spot if a team above them falters, and Town looked good enough not to be drawn into a serious relegation scrap.
Pre-match Entertainment
What happens at staff conference stays at staff conference. However, at Wembley a couple of days earlier, I found myself in the level 2 tier where the food outlets include M&S and there are artistic representations of lions.
Pix
Cambridge City in White.
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats Update
The background to this, and the latest keeper top colour league table, is here on this dedicated page. Today, Red (as expected) beats Blue and keeps a clean sheet. This is enough to restore Red to the top of the table. Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Prediction: Home Win Was the prediction correct? Yes (87 from 175) % of correct predictions so far 49%
What Next?
Despite the best efforts of the nation’s transport infrastructure to prevent it, I will try to get to Saracens RUFC in north London at the weekend to see the Oxford v Cambridge rugby union games (women and men).

 

Slough Despondent After Double Double-Barrelled Attack

 

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Saturday 22 February 2025 at the Truro City Stadium
Result	Truro City 2 Slough Town 0
Competition	National League South
Hopstats	Ground 794 on my lifetime list, which temporarily restores “everywhere down to Step 2 in England” or “The 164” for me, for the time being, at least until the new Everton stadium is officially opened. The first test event has happened there as most readers will know.
Context
Truro City are in the playoff positions and Slough Town are in mid-table.
Match Report
Over 1700 here today on a breezy but sunny day. It didn’t take too long for Truro to take the lead from the first long-throw of the afternoon. The ball was initially cleared but hooked back in and Connor Riley-Lowe scored from close range. Both keepers then made good saves. Truro’s Dan Lavercombe spectacularly tipped over a Slavi Spasov header, and Slough’s Charlie Horlock did well to block a close-range effort from (I think) Tom Harrison (assuming he was wearing number 5). The rest of the first half was pretty even, with enough to encourage visiting supporters that the result was still in doubt. The teams traded half chances in the second half, maybe the Truro ones were marginally better in the world of xG, but Slough did mess up a couple of their better bits of approach play. Another good Horlock block on 72 mins kept the deficit down but just five minutes later he found himself isolated and jumping one-to-one with Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain and the attacker won the duel to make it 2-0. That was it, really. Slough never gave up but Truro were quite comfortable. Time for me to get back to the long and winding road of the A30 with a tick in my groundhopping book.
So What?
Erm … Truro City are in the playoff positions and Slough Town are in mid-table. Gotta love copy-and-paste.
Pix
Truro in red.
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats Update
The background to this, and the latest keeper top colour league table, is here on this dedicated page. Today a notable victory for Purple over the table-topping Grey, with a clean sheet too. Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Prediction: Away Win Was the prediction correct? No % of correct predictions so far 49% (85 from 173)
What Next?
No idea! Back to work now after half-term with a busy few weeks ahead with all my groups looking towards GCSE and A level exams. I suspect that I won’t get to Everton before next season, hopefully for an important WSL or WFAC game, but I also have a long journey Plymouth Parkway to complete the whole of Step 3, and another 35 grounds in Step 4! Expect last-minute decision-making dependent on the weather.

Maybe I'm The Odd One at Cray Wanderers

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Saturday 15 February 2025 at Flamingo Park
Result	Cray Wanderers 2 Cheshunt 1
Competition	Isthmian League Premier Division (Step 3)
Hopstats	My first new ground since September 2024, and #793 on the lifetime list. Since the last blogpost, my only game has been a Stamford Bridge re-visit for a key WSL game (Chelsea 1 Arsenal 0) that had plenty of coverage elsewhere.
Context
It’s the first day of February half-term for me. My disappearance since September has essentially been work-related. I’ve repeatedly deferred retirement and in this phase of my career I’ve been a part-time science teacher in Hertfordshire for several years now. Such is the difficulty in finding good candidates in my subject areas (chemistry and physics), especially in comprehensive schools, that I’ve been persuaded (easily enough to be fair) to contribute at three different schools this year. So I have nine different exam classes – and hence the reason that 2024-5 weekends have been more about lesson planning and recovery than travelling to football matches. I’ve been close to completing “everywhere down to Step 3 in England” for a couple of seasons – with promotions and new builds moving the target – and today gave me the chance to tick of one of the three that I most needed. After this, I will need to get to Truro City’s new ground (Step 2) and Plymouth Parkway (Step 3) but whether I will manage that before Everton’s new ground opens is very much in doubt! My research for this match was restricted to a check that it is essentially a mid-table game with the hosts a few places higher, and both have similar recent records with a win last weekend and a draw before that.
Match Report
The early stages of the game saw very few chances created, though Cray established territorial superiority – something they would never relinquish. Cheshunt’s goal after 16 minutes came from a goalkeeper error. Shaun Rowley clearly called for the ball as he came several metres out of his area, but the fluffed clearance fell nicely for an easy roll-in for Kenny Coker. The lead lasted six minutes and the equaliser was deserved. Nyren Clunis was on hand to score from a flick-on from the right, tucking the ball into the opposite corner. The first half ended at 1-1 but not before Cheshunt spurned a great chance on the break in the closing seconds. Tobias Braney could not quite get enough power on a close-range downward header after the home defence had been sliced open down their left. The second half started with higher levels of entertainment as there were half-chances at both ends. Rowley redeemed himself with two good saves. Cray had a goal disallowed for offside and then smacked the crossbar with a textbook header. Cray were very much on top as the time ticked on but it took till the 68th minute for the winner. It was scored on the break after a Cheshunt attack, made for Soul Kader by a timely pass by Josh Williams. Williams had been a constant threat to the visitors’ defence with his direct running. Cheshunt heads never dropped but in the end Cray held on comfortably enough. Cray might feel they should have won by a bigger margin, but equally Cheshunt could be wondering whether a 2-1 lead at half-time would have changed things. I was left wondering when the feeling would return to my fingers and toes – even with five layers, it was cold.
So What?
The teams end the day in 9th and 15th places respectively, and I now think of myself as being “The One” in the official attendance of 401.
Pix
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats Update
The background to this, and the latest keeper top colour league table, is here on this dedicated page. Today, Orange beats Purple as predicted. Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Prediction: Home Win Was the prediction correct? Yes % of correct predictions so far 49% (85 from 172)
What Next?
No idea! Watch this space.