Connect with us

Groundhopper

Bournemouth (Saturday, December 28)

Today is a bit of a mystery tour. My mate CAMRAman, quite possibly the ‘saddest’ man in the universe, kindly offers to ferry us down to Portland Harbour for an almost mythical bird (Brünnich’s Guillemot) with a match to follow.

bournemouth

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28
3
4

Today is a bit of a mystery tour. My mate CAMRAman, quite possibly the ‘saddest’ man in the universe, kindly offers to ferry us down to Portland Harbour for an almost mythical bird (Brünnich’s Guillemot) with a match to follow.

As we reach , the weather turns from pleasant winter sun to miserable heavy showers. This is not what the drenched south needs right now. With the bird ticked off it is my job to phone around to find a match. It is now 1.00pm. Four enquiries later, the secretary of Bournemouth, of the Sydenhams , is confident the match against high-flying Winchester City will take place but as we reach the outskirts of the town it is tipping it down and there are large puddles on all the approach roads. I’ve got a very bad feeling about this!

After parking up at Namu Road, I notice the players warming up on the soggy training areas. The main pitch looks fine: phew! The clubhouse is already very busy, mainly with away fans and home officials. I receive a warm welcome. I check the match is still going ahead. “Why, do you fancy a game? I’m sure we can fit you in”

bournemouth 2I notice a gaggle of activity near the bar where an official is besieged by fans clamouring for today’s programme (£1 + £6 entrance fee). The rain finally eases and I watch the first half from the uncovered area opposite the main stand, just behind the dugouts. The programme states that “anyone using foul and abusive language will be ejected from the ground”, so I wonder how the home number six gets away with several very loud exclamations of the C word (the one TV announcers like to describe as “very strong language”) without punishment.

The first half is uninspiring, ending at a goal apiece. There is no hot food available in the bar so I content myself with a Cup-a-Soup and some mangled Twix fingers. I haven’t eaten since before five this morning!

I sit in the stand for the second half being as the rain is falling once again. The faux posh bloke behind me constantly questions the referee’s (correct) decisions in exaggerated fashion but I refuse to pay lip service to a spectator who turns up to watch a match dressed in green wellies. The rest of the people in the stand ignore him, presuming he is just trying to impress his rather attractive girlfriend by regurgitating every nugget of excrement he has heard spewing from the mouths of TV pundits.

The half of is incredible. Lowly Poppies take the lead, are pegged back by City, take the lead again, lose the lead once more and then go down to a beautiful injury time goal worthy of winning any football match in the world.

Credit must go to the groundstaff being as the pitch satisfactorily holds up to the pounding. Seven goals at a new ground with a mega-bird to boot: what more could a pair of ‘sad hoppers’ wish for? Answer: food on the way home, please!

Ticket Value: 3.5, Programme: 3, Food: 0, Toilets: 3.5, Facilities: 3.5, Welcome: 3.5, Match: 5, Overall: 4.5

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tackle the News

- Sign Up for our weekly Non-League Newsletter
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.
1000gbp
My Betting SitesFootball progs
NLS Lens
Stadium Solutions
Isuzu
Brandon Hire Station
free bets

 

Irish Betzillionbest-betting-sites-by-betinireland-banner

Casino bee

More in Groundhopper

  • Diary of Diary of

    Diary of a Groundhopper: Gornal Athletic 1-3 Tipton Town

    TUESDAY, APRIL 30TH GORNAL ATHELTIC 1 TIPTON TOWN 3 THERE are still plenty of matches available to those who want their football fix and long may it continue into late spring and summer! While perusing my fixtures booklet, a short note leaps to my attention: Gornal Athletic are playing their...

  • Diary of Diary of

    Diary of a Groundhopper: Highworth Town 2-3 Great Wakering Rovers

    SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17 Today looks like it will finally be the day The Fox and I get to visit Highworth Town’s Save on Tyres Stadium. I know clubs are desperate for sponsorship but this is one of the dullest names for a ground I can remember. The weather has been...

  • Diary of Diary of

    Diary of a Groundhopper: Boro Rangers 4-0 Northallerton Town

    This week, I am following in the footsteps of The NLP’s own Tony Incenzo, who recently visited the home of Boro Rangers in the Northern League. His feature on the club revealed they play at England’s newest football stadium. It’s one of only two grounds I need in my favourite...

  • Diary of Diary of

    Diary of a Groundhopper: Paget Rangers 2 Walsall 5

    TUESDAY DECEMBER 12TH I’ve been in Panama dreaming of the cold weather in England (but not the place) while ‘sweating buckets’ in 100% (110% in football parlance) humidity! With no time for research on my return, I rely on The Fox to pick a match for us on Tuesday night....