Scottish Groundhop Saturday 2024

Saturday 16th March

The Saturday leg of this year’s Scottish Groundhop was based in Perth. The first three matches were played in and around the city, followed by the final game at Sauchie in Clackmannanshire. Katie & Lee picked me up at 7am for the long drive north for the four matches in the East of Scotland Premier Division.


911.Brownlands Park

Luncarty 5-3 Crossgates Primrose 

(1115ko)

Luncarty is a village in between the A9 motorway and the River Tay, 4 miles north of Perth. The football club was formed in 1886 by employees of a local bleachworks, who joined the Junior ranks in 1921. The club played in Tayside Division One in the SJFA East Region, and finished second in the division's final season in 2005-06, when the Bleachers were placed in the new Central Division, following the reconstruction of the East Region Juniors. Luncarty left the Junior setup to join the East of Scotland Football League within the senior pyramid in 2020.

Brownlands Park

Main Rd, 

Luncarty, 

Perth PH1 3EP


Capacity 1,200

The clubhouse and changing room block are behind the goal. The ground is open with wooden dugouts on one side, in front of steep banking where the railway line passes. 

Luncarty 5(Woolley 21 McLachlan 33 Davies 34,40pen Scarborough 84)

Crossgates Primrose 3(Sutherland 3 Muirhead 31,77)

Matchday 20

15th v 14th

Att.386

Spondoolicks :

Admission £7

Steak pie £2.50 Tea £1.50 


The first fixture of the day was a battle in the bottom three, which turned out to be a cracker. The away side took an early lead when a long ball was nodded in by Jake Sutherland from the edge of the box, before the hosts equalised, when Kyle Woodley nicely cut inside and finished with the outside of his boot. 

Primrose quickly restored their advantage with Cammy Muirhead netting a rebound from close range, but moments later a left wing cross was met by a cheeky back header from Ross McLauchlan to draw them level.

Luncarty went into half time two goals up, when a shot was deflected in by Rhys Davies, then a silly handball saw Davies get his brace from the penalty spot.

The visitors got back into the game when a through ball found Muirhead to fire into the keepers left hand post, before our hosts clinched the win when a Ben Scarborough left wing cross flew into the far corner of the net to make it 5-3. 


912.Tulloch Park

Kinnoull 0-0 Penicuik 

(1400ko)

Kinnoull FC formed in 1943 and are based in the Tulloch area of Perth.

The Noull won the Tayside Premier Division in season 2005–06 and gained promotion to the East Super League for the 2006–07 season, but were relegated the following season. They moved from the Junior leagues in 2018 and won promotion to the East of Scotland Premier League in 2022-23.



Tulloch Park

Tulloch Hill, 

Tulloch Rd, 

Perth PH1 2SN


Capacity 1,200


Similar to the last ground, with the clubhouse behind the goal, open standing, no stands and both dugouts on one side, which are decked out with leather seats. There's plenty of space on all sides if the ground needs to expand.

Kinnoull 0

Penicuik Athletic 0

Matchday 21/22

16th v 11th

Att.356

Spon :

Admission £7

Macaroni pie £2.50(my 'hop aim achieved)

Irn Bru £1, chocolate £1


The match was starved of decent chances. Penicuik had the majority of the possession in the second half, but lacked quality in front of goal. Kinnoll could have won it with the last kick of the game, when a Reece Barnard shot from the edge of the box scraped off the crossbar. 



913.Riverside Stadium

Jeanfield Swifts 1-1 Dunbar United 

(1645ko)

Jeanfield Swifts FC  are based in the North Muirton area of the city. They were also part of the reconstruction in 2006, having won the league title in the final season of Tayside Division One. They were promoted to the East Region Premier League as champions in 2011–12, then won the division in 2015–16, to reach the Superleague for the first time. In 2018–19, Swifts were admitted into the East of Scotland Football League. They finished third in Conference C and were promoted to the new 16-team Premier Division, after the league reverted to a two-tier system.

The club became full members of the Scottish Football Association in June 2019, making their debut in the Scottish Cup preliminary rounds. The club progressed to the third round for the first time this season, beating SPFL opposition Elgin City 6–0.

Riverside Stadium, 

Bute Drive, 

Perth PH1 3BP


Capacity 1,000


The ground has a covered terrace with an overhanging roof which backs onto the clubhouse, which is decked out in green. The rest of the ground is open with the dugouts on the far side. 

Jeanfield Swifts 1(Smith 5)

Dunbar United 1(Hendry 90+3)

Matchday 21/22

3rd v 5th

Att.385

Admission £10 


The Swifts took an early lead with a screamer of a free kick from Fraser Smith, blasting the ball home from 25 yards. Surprisingly, that early strike looked to be the decisive moment until deep into added on time. A push in the box resulted in Taylor Hendry converting the resulting penalty to give Dunbar a share of the spoils. 


914.Beechwood Park

Sauchie Juniors 3-2 Hill of Beath Hawthorn 

(2000ko)

Sauchie is a town in the Central Lowlands, north of the River Forth and south of the Ochil Hills, Sauchie has a population of around 6000, located just one mile northeast of Alloa.

Sauchie Junior Football Club began as Sauchie Juveniles, which was a league for players up to 27 years of age. Sauchie won the Scottish Cup four times in a ten year spell between 1951–52 and 1959–60, before switching into the Junior grade in 1960. In the Club's second season as a Junior team, they won the East Region League in 1962–63, using mostly the Juvenile players.

In 2011, the club won the East Region South Division to gain promotion to the Premier League, followed by promotion to the Super League the following season.. Following relegation the club won a second Premier League title in 2016-17.

In 2018 Sauchie were one of many clubs to move from the Junior leagues to the East of Scotland Football League.

Beechwood Park, 

Sauchie, 

Alloa FK10 3AX


Capacity 5,000


Sauchie Juniors originally played at Fairfield Park, before building a new ground at Beechwood Park. The ground was developed in 2003 with a new stand, enclosure and floodlights. The stand is built up with the changing rooms underneath and has red seats with SJFC picked out in white. Opposite is a pitch length covered in enclosure which is also painted in the club colours, with open standing behind the goals. 


Due to the rotten weather I was unable to get any decent photos, so I've posted some alternative pictures of Beechwood Park in all its glory.

Sauchie Juniors 3(Smith 7,32pen 45)

Hill of Beath Hawthorn 2(Watt 46 Tosh 83)

Matchday 23

6th v 7th

Att.447


It lashed down with rain during the 36 mile drive down to Sauchie, so when we arrived the pitch at Beechwood Park didn't exactly look match fit. Thankfully it went ahead and what a match it was, with both sides fully committed and putting in a great shift for the watching supporters and groundhoppers. 

A fabulous Danny Smith hat-trick put Sauchie 3-0 up at half time, made up of two brilliant strikes from outside the box and an unstoppable penalty in between. Just before the third goal Ross Kavanagh was sent off for violence conduct, due to the interference of the linesman who spotted something the referee missed, so Sauchie were down to ten men after 39 minutes. 

Straight from the restart Dan Watt side footed in at the near post after just seventeen seconds to put Beath back in it. The visitors then missed an array of chances, then finally scored with a Jordan Tosh effort from the edge of the box to make it 3-2. 

Both teams went for it in the final ten minutes with chances at both ends, but the hosts won it in a great match to finish off a long day of footy. 

Credit: Scottish Groundhopping Guide

Credit:Sauchie FC Facebook


#Heedhopper

382 mile round trip door-to-doors

Current East of Scotland League grounds visited 33/58

Total Scottish grounds visited 122

Much gratitude to Katie for chauffeuring us around the grounds in the Katiemobile and getting me safely home this morning at 1.25.

Half A 'Hop

Friday 1st March 2024

908. Windleshaw Sports Ground

FC St Helens 1-0 Daisy Hill

NWCFL First Division North

7.45pm ko

I previously visited the town of St Helens at Langtree Park in 2014 and again in 2019, at Ruskin Drive, as part of the 2019 NWCL Hop.

FC St Helens formed in 2014, following a split from St Helens Town reserves, initially entered the West Cheshire League.

West Cheshire League Division 3 - 2014-15

Cheshire League in 2015 - 2022 Premier Division champions 2021 -22

North West Counties League Division One North 2022 - present

Finished 3rd in their debut season in Division 1 North 

Windleshaw Sports Ground

Windleshaw Road, 

Denton's Green, 

Saint Helens, 

Lancashire WA10 6TD


The Windleshaw Sports Ground is a site of great historical significance in the town, as it's also the headquarters of St Helens Cricket Club and once the home of St Helens RFC until their move to Knowsley Road in 1890.  

The ground has a standard covered seated stand on one side in between the dugouts and corner flag. Opposite is the clubhouse, club shop and food outlets with a warm up pitch along the side.

FC St Helens 1(Hall 24)

Daisy Hill 0

Matchday 28

1st v 14th

Att.504

Spondoolicks:

Admission £5

Pin badge £3

Coffee £1.50, Cheese pasty £2.50 chocolate 50p


The match was settled midway through the first half. Josh Hall was denied the opener from the penalty spot when the keeper made a fine save, then just a few minutes later a challenge on the goalkeeper looped into the air and dropped to his feet for an easy tap-in. 

Surprisingly that was the only goal as both teams created plenty of chances, with the hosts hitting the woodwork twice and the away side also denied by the frame of the goal. 

Saturday 2nd March 2024

909.Inglewhite Road

Longridge Town 2-3 Padiham

NWCFL Premier Division

11am ko

Longridge is a market town and civil parish in the borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, situated 8 miles north-east of Preston and at the western end of Longridge Fell, a long ridge above the River Ribble. ( population over 7,500)


Longridge Town formed in 1996 following a merger between Longridge St Wilfrid's and Longridge United. They started in the Preston & District League, winning the Centenary Guildhall Cup in 2005.  Promotions saw the club reach the Premier Division, and a second-place finish in 2005–06 saw them step up to the West Lancashire League in 2008.

West Lancashire League 2009 - 2018: Division One champions 2011–12, Premier Division champions 2017–18

North West Counties Division One 2018 - present: Division One North champions 2018–19.


The Recycling Lives Ground 

Inglewhite Road, 

Longridge, 

Preston, 

Lancashire PR3 2NA


All the amenities are down one side of the ground. - the main stand, clubhouse, refreshment bar and a covered terrace enclosure. There's another covered terrace between the corner and the goal, with the rest of the ground open. The dugouts are on the far side where there's no spectator access. 

Longridge Town 2(Homson-Smith 20 Marshall 45+1)

Padiham 3(Price 27 Brownhill 37 James 79)

Matchday 37 

21st v 7th

Att.438

Spon:

Admission £7

Cappuccino £1


The hosts took the lead with a neat turn and left footed curler from Morgan Homson-Smith, but Padiham quickly turned it around. Good left wing play saw the ball squared to Jack Price to fire in, then a defensive error allowed Joel Brownhill to put them ahead.

It was all square just before the break, when a ball was played across the box to Mitchell Marshall, who fired in an unstoppable shot into the top bins.  

The second half could have gone either way but it was Padiham who took all three points when Tyler James dribbled through the defence and fired home the winner.


910.The Riverside

Garstang 3-2 Ashton Town

NWCFL First Division North 

2pm ko

Garstang is an ancient market town and civil parish within the Wyre borough of Lancashire, 10 miles north of Preston and the same distance south of Lancaster.

(population over 4,000) Garstang is famous for being the world's first ever “Fairtrade Town” influencing many other towns and cities around the U.K. to work towards the same purpose. 

It is mentioned in the Domesday Book as ‘Cherestanc’, and there’s been many adaptations of the name over the years.

The town name translates as "'gore by the boundary pole", "spear post", "triangular piece of land" which signifies the site of a meeting-space. The Saxon derivation 'Gaerstung' probably refers to the historic market cross at this same site.

Garstang FC was established in 1885, and became members of the Preston & District League. The club won the league's Guildhall Cup in 1927 and remained in the league all the way up to 1994, when they moved up to Division Two of the West Lancashire League.

West Lancashire League 1994 - 2018 : Premier Division champions 2007–08, 2017–18, Presidents Cup winners 1999–2000, Richardson Cup winners 2017–18

North West Counties League Division One North 2018 - present

The Riverside 

Lancaster Road, 

Garstang, 

Lancashire PR3 1EB


The club played at the Beeches before moving to the Riverside in the mid-1960s, located next to the River Wyre. A small stand was built behind the dugouts, but was removed in 2006 due to vandalism. Nowadays there's two covered sections behind the goal next to the paying entrance. The clubhouse is behind the goal, and again, this ground is three sides due to the neighbouring cricket ground.


Garstang 3(Darley 24 Ball 33 Bailey 50)

Ashton Town 2(Lomax 67 Ready 70pen)

Matchday 28/26

16th v 5th

Att.388

Spon:

Admission £6

Coffee £1.50


This match had a 10.30am pitch inspection and the club played a blinder to get the game on. The Riversiders were totally in control of the game when Joel Darley deflected in a Harris Bailey shot, followed by Theo Ball finishing off a quick counter attack to make it 2-0 at half time. When Harris Bailey curled in a fabulous shot into the top corner of the net five minutes after the restart, it looked like it was game over. 

Ashton Town kept plugging away with Chris Lomax finishing off a well worked move, then with twenty minutes remaining Conor Ready fired in a penalty to make it 3-2. 

The visitors were denied an equaliser with a good save quickly followed by a goal line clearance, but The Stang held on, and also had chances to extend their lead in a hectic final fifteen minutes. 




#Heedhopper

Current NWCL grounds visited 38/60

330 mile round trip drive door-to-door


This was a solo road trip, departing Gallowgate View at 9.10 and arriving in Leyland two and half hours later (after driving through a storm on the M6) for my bonus match at the Leyland Sports Ground. The match was due to kick off at 1pm, but just as I arrived the referee was doing a pitch inspection and had no hesitation in calling off the Burnley U-21 v Coventry City U-21 fixture. I wasn’t the only Groundhopper who arrived in the area early to tick off this ground, as I spotted a lot of familiar and totally pissed off faces in the car park. 

This meant I had a few hours to kill before booking into the Ibis Hotel, which is north of Preston, just off the M6. The Leyton Lion was handy for some bait and numerous cups of tea and coffee, then I had a cheeky half in the Market Ale House. 

The rest of my plans went perfectly and without any hitches. I only planned to do the first three games of the NWFL Groundhop, because I’ve already been to the two grounds in Blackpool which formed the rest of the Saturday schedule. I was back home at 6.15 on Saturday evening and I was sad to learn that both of the later games fell foul to the weather. (so I imagine there were  a lot more pissed-off faces!)

It was an enjoyable trip and it's always good to meet up again with like minded friends. I also met Angus “Statto” Loughran, who those of a certain age will remember from the 1990s TV show Fantasy Football League. We chatted for about half an hour, and he told me lots of interesting and informative football stories, plus shared his success in betting on football matches. He’s a really nice bloke, hopefully our paths will cross again in the future.

(last picture courtesy of Simon Lee)