Hoppers do it Anywhere
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…
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…
Washington? How Capital! This weekend saw us head to Washington! Nope, not that one, the less famous original version in the Northeast of England. As someone lucky enough to have visited the USA’s capital city, it was interesting to find out that there was a connection between the two places. More on that later. Most…
The Other Prudhoe This week we headed to the town of Prudhoe, for a game between two teams sharing the same ground. Both Newcastle University and Prudhoe Youth Club call Essity Park ‘home’. Despite sometimes being called ‘The Essity Park Derby’, neither of today’s teams owns the ground. Prudhoe Town men’s team folded during the…
By Hook or by Crook Last weekend, despite severe weather warnings for much of the country, I was determined to keep my FA Vase run going, with a game at Crook Town. Unfortunately, the weather, with Storm Darragh as its champion, won the battle – with the Millfields pitch waterlogged. So I did what every…
This is Sparta! This week saw Hoppers Guide return to Croft Park, the home of Blyth Spartans. As a Stoke City fan, I could never head here without remembering one of the bleakest days in the Potters’ long history. It was 6th February 1978 and an FA Cup 4th Round game Stoke City should have…
Thorn(aby) in the Side This weekend saw us heading to Thornaby, a Teesside town just west of Middlesbrough. We would be taking in another Northern League game between two Division Two sides I had yet to see play live. Thornaby have been a thorn in the side of many teams in recent weeks and are…
The Return of ‘Er Indoors This weekend sees us travelling across the country for a trip into the Lake District for a game between Penrith AFC and Shildon AFC. Saturday also sees the return of Mrs Hopper, my trusty navigator and speaker of sense. She will be with me for next week’s game too, so…
Familiar Faces This week saw us head down to Billingham in the southeast extremities of County Durham, where it meets Teesside. Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium sits on the other side of the River Tees, a four-mile walk away, via the Transporter Bridge. Hartlepool United’s Victoria Park is a little over eight miles to the northeast. Today’s…