Up in Them Thar Hills Following our rare midweek trip to Murrayfield (Hopper Tales #74), this weekend we were back to the Northern League and Tow Law Town FC. Tow Law, (pronounced ‘Ow!’ the same way as if you hit your thumb with a hammer and have an aversion to cursing) is a small town…
Category: Hopper Tales
Murrayfield Stadium – Hopper Tales #74
A Rare Opportunity Murrayfield Stadium – There are some places that you’ve always wanted to visit but football isn’t played there. Sometimes, you go just to scratch that itch and in the past, I’ve seen Iron Maiden play at Twickenham and I’ve watched Stoke City play many times at the Bet365 Stadium… Ok, that last…
Shildon AFC, Dean Street – Hopper Tales #73
Off the Rails The third week of our new season, already and we were heading to Shildon, a small town in County Durham. Shildon is a town built on the back of the Industrial Revolution and in particular, the construction of the railways. To this end, Shildon is the home of the Locomotion Museum, which…
North Shields, Daren Persson Stadium – Hopper Tales #72
Week Two Following last week’s 2023/24 season opener at Newcastle Benfield, we carried on our exploration of the northeast with a visit to North Shields FC. North Shields is a small town on the banks of the River Tyne. It is part of the large sprawling urban area that stretches from the coast to Newcastle….
Newcastle Benfield, Sam Smith’s Park – Hopper Tales #71
A New Season Begins After a long bleak winter, bereft of food, water and clothes to keep off the chill, football is back! Ok, maybe a slight exaggeration but weekends just aren’t the same without a bit of footy, are they? It’s been a whole six weeks since we visited Tynecastle for the Hearts v…
Hearts, Tynecastle Park – Hopper Tales #70
A Change of Plans Today we will be venturing to the Scottish capital to watch the crucial game between Hearts and Aberdeen. This will be our second trip to Tynecastle, the first review is in the link below. It details the game against Motherwell from the 2021/22 league campaign. With groundhopping, you never quite know…
Stirling Albion, Forthbank Stadium – Hopper Tales #69
From the Beano to the Binos Following last weekend’s trip to Dundee, home of the Beano, we were now travelling to the home of the Binos. Stirling Albion is a club I have deliberately saved for a time when we could spend a couple of days in the city. Why? There is just so much…
Dundee United, Tannadice – Hopper Tales #68
We headed north of the border for our football fix for the third week in a row. This time a trip to the home of Dundee United – Tannadice Park. This is a place that conjures up memories of European football, David Narey, Paul Sturrock and Maurice Malpas are players’ names from the past that…
Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic, New Dundas Park – Hopper Tales #67
After last week’s trip to Gala Fairydean Rovers, Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic seemed like a perfect follow-up in the ‘great names for clubs’ stakes. Situated just to the southeast of Edinburgh, “The Rose” are the newest club addition to the SPFL. They won last season’s Lowland League Championship before defeating Fraserburgh (Highland League Champions) in the…
Gala Fairydean Rovers, Netherdale – Hopper Tales #66
Groundhopping Eye Candy Every now and again, as a groundhopper, you come across photographs or video that makes your head turn. I remember the first time I saw a photograph of Gala Fairydean Rovers‘ iconic main stand and I knew I would have to visit someday. Well, that day has arrived! A trip to the…