Hoppers do it Anywhere
New Beginning for Newbiggin AFC Newbiggin are one of the latest two teams to join the Northern League for the first time in their history. They join Durham United in their newly-earned NL Division Two status and will look to kick off the new season with a bang. That won’t be an easy task, with…
Change of Plans Spennymoor Town versus Stockport County wasn’t my original plan for this weekend, but what a great substitute! Discovering the cancellation of Morpeth Town‘s friendly against Hartlepool United on Thursday, I did what any self-respecting Hopper would do – grab my phone and load up the Futbology app. It didn’t take long for…
Back to Grassroots (Atchoo!) The 2025/26 Hoppers Guide season starts with a friendly game between Brandon United and Esh Winning. Not the sort of glamour tie that kids dream of, maybe, but two local sides where community means more than money. After my successful avoidance of the horrendous Club World Cup, while players should have…
Third Time Lucky Having attempted to visit Stockton Town on two previous occasions, hopefully, today goes smoothly and I finally achieve the goal. If you are reading this, then we can safely assume I did… The first time I attempted a trip to Bishopton Road West coincided with the local bus company staff deciding to…
Oh! Hebburn is a Place on Earth This would be my second visit to Hebburn Town, and I was looking forward to seeing the progress made. In Hopper tales #37, Hebburn Town were in the NPL East Division but have since been promoted to the Premier Division. A new stand has also been constructed since…
Almost Done! Newton Aycliffe and Stockton Town are the only teams left for me to visit who play above Northern League level. Today was all about making that just one left to visit, as I headed south to Newton Aycliffe. The visitors were Belper Town, a friendly Derbyshire club we have already visited and made…
Oh, I do Like to be Beside the Seaside… Today saw us heading south, to Marske, or Marske-by-the-Sea to give it its full Sunday name, on the fantastic Northeast Coast. I’m lucky enough to live in an area with several coastal teams to visit, which means plenty of opportunities for fresh sea air and, more…
After the Storm Today would see me heading to Whitby, a town I have wanted to visit for many years. The great British seaside is often overlooked, with holidaymakers understandably, preferring the sunnier climes abroad. However, there are nuggets scattered around the United Kingdom’s coastline, and Whitby is one of them. Steeped in history, with…
A Double Game Weekend I have visited North Shields before but with the FA Vase games starting to spread out over the country, the closest and easiest game to get to was here, at the Daren Persson Stadium. It would be the first fixture of a rare double-game weekend for Hoppers Guide! Tickets for Rangers…
Landlords versus Tenants Both Sunderland West End and Chester-Le-Street United, currently call the Ford Hub Complex home. I have visited the complex before but neglected to do a blog review at the time. So, with both of today’s teams calling the ground home, it was a perfect opportunity to rectify that prior neglect. With Stoke…