A Year Like No Other...A Review of my Groundhopping highlights in 2020...

As 2020 started, I recall feeling upbeat and positive about what the year would bring in groundhopping terms. I was planning to edge ever closer to completing the 92, with a trip to Salford City booked, as well as a visit to Boston United before their York Street ground was to close in the summer. I was also hoping to take in some games abroad, in France and/or Belgium towards the end of the season, and possibly Scandinavia during the summer months. Of course, all of that was blown out of the water by the Covid-19 outbreak, which abruptly ended the 2019/20 season in mid March, bringing about months of uncertainty as to when the season would restart, and when it did, trying to keep up with what was allowed at which level, with the farcical situation of friendly games involving clubs down to Step 7 having to be played behind closed doors for a few weeks in early August, and then with further breaks to the season following in the autumn. It would also mean missing out on some of my favourite parts of the season - packing in plenty of extra games and possible doubles during the Easter weekend, the "silly season" of 6pm kick offs in April and May at grounds without floodlights, as well as the Christmas/New Year period.

I still managed to clock up 62 matches in this stop-start year, around 20 to 30 less than normal, but with the next games looking weeks if not months away, I will indulge myself now by looking back at some of my personal groundhopping highlights of 2020....

Biggest home win : Bexhill United 9 v 0 Westfield  , Wednesday 2nd December 2020

Although this was just a friendly game, it was one I was really looking forward, on the first evening after "Lockdown 2". And Bexhill carried on where they left off in the league with a free-flowing, attack orientated style of play which blew away their local visitors, who would have been glad to hear the final whistle.

Biggest home win (competitive) : Stotfold 7 v 0 London Tigers , Saturday 31st October 2020

It was no surprise that Stotfold would win this game, London Tigers having lost all seven games played previously. But Stotfold were ruthless in dispatching the chances they created, certainly helped by some pretty average defending by the visitors.

Biggest away win : Colden Common 0 v 5 Locks Heath , Saturday 5th September 2020

On the face of it, this was a most surprising result, given that Locks Heath were bottom of the table when last season was abandoned and Colden Common were mid-table. But after signing plenty of new players, and only going down 4-3 at the perennially strong Fleetlands in midweek, the signs were there that this would be a better season for Locks Heath, and this was a thoroughly dominant performance, with the scoreline not flattering the visitors at all.

Best game: Bexhill United 5 v 3 AFC Varndeanians , Wednesday 9th December 2020

This was an excellently entertaining game befitting its top of the table status, full of attacking intent, but after Bexhill went in at half time two goals to the good, and then 3-1, the visitors pulled it back to 3-3, at which time the game really could have gone either way, and the game really wasn't settled until Bexhill scored their fifth, as the game entered added on time. With four going up from this division, both clubs look likely, along with Littlehampton Town, to earn promotion to Step 5 next season.

  
Biggest surprise result : Binfield 5 v 1 AFC Totton , Saturday 12th September 2020

With Binfield playing a step below AFC Totton, the scoreline was quite remarkable, with the visitors seeming to be caught cold in their first competitive game of the season. The tone was set with the hosts taking the lead in the first minute, but when Totton equalised just three minutes later, it looked like the game would then go according to status. Not a bit of it though, as Binfield went back into the lead on 37 minutes, and then they simply blew Totton away with some delightful, incisive play that left their higher ranked visitors looking somewhat shellshocked.

Best groundhopping surprise : Larkfield & New Hythe Wanderers , Saturday 29th August 2020

Although the club were playing down in the Step 9 of the non-league pyramid last season, I had heard good things about their ground. But what a really pleasant surprise this ground was. Clearly a lot of time and money has been spent upgrading the facilities, with new signage, a bright colour scheme throughout, new stands installed, a tarmac area in front of a small but perfectly adequate clubhouse, all topped off with a really friendly welcome throughout. Clearly, this is a club on the up, I wish them all the best in their rise up the pyramid - with permission for floodlights now granted, not too much additional work would be required for the ground to be ready to host Step 5 football - and I'd certainly warmly recommend a visit to the Larkfield & New Hythe Sports Club.

Worst weather : Totton & Eling 2 v 3 Petersfield Town Saturday 24th October 2020

The weather was forecast to be worst in the Southampton area compared with the rest of the south-east. However, I had made many aborted attempts to visit Miller Park to complete the Wessex League, and so I was determined to visit today. The intense rain held off long enough to not endanger the game going ahead, but particularly during the second half, constant heavy rain fell, accompanied by strong winds, ensured thoroughly miserable conditions, and despite wearing waterproofs, I was soaked through by the time I got to the train station for the long return journey home.

Weirdest weather: St Panteleimon 2 v 1 Winslow United , Saturday 29th February 2020

This was a real "four seasons in one day" kind of day, with rain falling as I walked to the ground, giving way to bright sunshine. Midway through the first half, an intense hail storm arrived, followed by bright sunshine but with a strong raw wind blowing throughout the second half.

Most surreal day : Huntingdon Town 2 v 0 Blackstones , Saturday 14th March 2020

Well, this was a strange game, for what proved to be my final game of last season. As it was becoming clear what an imminent threat and danger to public health Covid-19 would be, the days leading up to this fixture were strange indeed. Amid increasing calls for games to be postponed for fear of spreading the virus, and with no clear directive on whether games should proceed apart from the government advising that events can continue (subject to precautions), there was the rather chaotic picture of the Premier League and EFL confirming on Thursday that the Saturday fixtures would proceed, only to reverse that decision on the Friday, as more and more players and coaches needed to self-isolate. The Southern and Isthmian Leagues also postponed their fixtures, along with many Step 5/6 leagues, yet the National League, Northern Premier League and other Step 5/6 leagues announced that the Saturday games would proceed. I took the precaution of travelling by car and avoiding any contact and confined spaces, but there was a really eerie feel around the ground at this game that is difficult to describe, with the tug of emotions about whether it was "safe" to play on. Happily, that conundrum was taken out of everyone's hands by Boris Johnson announcing a lockdown two days later.

Happiest, most emotional day : Stockbridge 1 v 2 Broughton , Saturday 1st August 2020

After so long without having any football to go to - 140 days to be precise - I was so looking forward to the first day that football was permitted again. And I wanted to mark the occasion with a lovely day out with a drive down to deepest rural Hampshire. The joy, happiness and relief I felt as I walked into the ground, looked around and breathed it all in was immense, and the game itself turned out to be entertaining, in a picturesque setting.

Best day out : Forest Green Rovers 1 v 2 Walsall , Saturday 8th February 2020

I had been looking forward to a visit to the New Lawn, and it did not disappoint, as unlikely an EFL venue as you could ever wish to see. A train ride ending with a lovely journey into the Cotswolds, a bus journey into deeply rural countryside, an EFL ground surrounded by a farm and fields, and a solely vegan range of food and drink available - it certainly was an experience like no other! Little did I know at the time, that this would be my last long-distance groundhop for at least a year...

Best "good old days" time : Thetford Town 2 v 0 Wellingborough and Godmanchester Rovers 0 v 0 Ely City Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd September 2020

In a year where travel for leisure has mostly been off limits, I really enjoyed a quick break away in East Anglia, booking a cheap overnight stay in a Travelodge, taking in a couple of games, and enjoying a relaxed day out in the middle. It was a hark back to happier times, and hopefully more, and more ambitious, breaks away will return in 2021 onwards...

Most picturesque ground : The Nest, Lakenheath , Wednesday 2nd September 2020

As I wound my way from Thetford to Godmanchester, I stopped off at The Nest to have a look around, and it turned out to be a really pleasant way to spend time eating my packed lunch. Nestled in a natural bowl, it is dramatically enclosed with steep green banks all around, and was mostly such a calm, peaceful location, albeit the peace was regularly punctured by the sound of roaring military planes at nearby RAF Lakenheath

The "Making the most of it" period : Sunday 1st November to Wednesday 4th November

After it was announced on the Saturday that the country would be going into a half-hearted national lockdown for four weeks which would prevent football from being played, I wanted to take in as much football in the remaining four days. And so I did, on each day, helped with having the week off work, and with the strange feeling of having to make the most of football whilst it was still available, in the face of impending gloom of another month without football to go to...

Season on hold between : 16th March to 31st July, 5th November to 4th December, 26th December onwards (home area in Tier 4 preventing travel outside home local authority, local leagues suspended)

Storrington 2 v 0 Billingshurst

Saturday 19th December 2020, Scheduled Kick-off 15:00 (Actual 14.55)

Southern Combination League Division One

Recreation Ground, Storrington

Admission: £5.00

Programme: Online

Attendance: 102

With Covid-19 infection numbers apparently rocketing in the south-east, prompting a much larger area being placed under the toughest restrictions of Tier 3 from today, and with it more leagues deciding to halt proceedings until the new year, I decided that travelling long-distance by train might not be the wisest of decisions, particularly with Christmas Day less than a week away. And so I decided to drive to a game within Sussex today, where the Southern Combination League still had pretty much a full complement of fixtures scheduled. Heavy rain in recent days, overnight and into the morning resulted in many games then being postponed, and I decided to head for the ground I had last visited the longest ago - just over 10 years - but which also offered the back-up of the plastic pitch at nearby Steyning Town should the further rain forecast to fall during mid afternoon cause a last minute postponement.

The Recreation Ground is located on the north western outskirts of the village of Storrington, and is part of the village's recreational facilities, with a cricket field alongside the complex's decent sized car park, and with a leisure centre, playground and a caged plastic pitch between the cricket field and the football ground. Admission is paid for at a small wooden kiosk in one corner of the ground, with the NHS QR code available for scanning, along with hand sanitising gel. Although facilities here are rather basic - more so because of Covid precautions - there is a nice village club community charm about the place. Hard standing is only available along the length and end closest to the entrance, although the rest of the ground is accessible. Grass banking around much of the pitch offers a slightly elevated view, and a length lined by a hedge, and various overhanging trees dotted around, add pleasant dimensions to the ground - which no doubt would be augmented in the late summer months. The Clubhouse building straddles the half way line, and although sadly its facilities are currently out of bounds, alcohol, hot food and other refreshments were available from a table just outside. Overhang pitchside offers some covered standing, and alongside which, 50 seats have been installed but that area was shuttered and out of use today. There is a public right of way through the ground, which results is dog walkers regularly passing through the ground. The club produces a 16 page programme, available exclusively online, and contained a decent welcome and preview message in the Manager's notes section, and offered various stats from the league to provided a decent preview of the game.

Storrington have had a difficult start to their season, although they have recovered from a nightmare start to the season, when they picked up just a point from their opening seven league games, before winning two and losing the other two of their four games since. They came into this game in 14th place in the 16 club division. Billingshurst were in ninth place, having won three and drawn four of their ten league games, but they were certainly not in good form coming into this game, losing 7-1 at Littlehampton Town last Saturday, and had lost their previous five league games, with their last league victory coming in early October, which was a 2-1 home win against today's hosts, Storrington.

With the pitch surviving a morning pitch inspection, a heavy downpour en route to the game was far from welcome, but happily it was indeed game on, with bright sunshine for most of the match, and light drizzle only arriving in the final minutes for the match. For some reason, the match kicked off five minutes early, and the first half was generally rather than uneventful, perhaps not helped by a heavy pitch that became increasingly muddy and quite boggy in places. But with three minutes on the clock, the visitors threatened when Tom Scott took the ball around the keeper and although he did seem to be fouled and might have won a penalty had he had gone down, to his credit he kept on his feet and his shot from a tight angle hit the side netting. And they had a couple of great chances in quick succession on 12 minutes, first when a pass upfield by a Storrington defender in his own area went straight to a Billingshurst player about 30 yards out, and he ran forward before unleashing a shot that was parried over the bar by the keeper, and from the resultant corner, a low shot was deflected just wide. The rest of the half was mostly a midfield battle, and the scoreline remained goalless at half time.

On the hour mark, the deadlock was finally broken when, after a long throw in wasn't dealt with by the defenders, and Jordan Suter headed the ball home via the woodwork. That really seemed to wake the hosts up, and straight from the restart, a low cross shot was well saved by the keeper's outstretched foot. Billingshurst had a decent chance on 70 minutes when, following a corner, a low drilled goalbound shot was blocked by a defender. But Storrington scored their second on 78 minutes with a lovely goal by James Benton, who ran in from the left and waltzed past defenders before firing low into the net from the edge of the area. That seemed to really kill off the visitors, and they had a player sent off four minutes into added on time for a second yellow card, as Storrington saw the game out fairly comfortably to claim their first clean sheet of the season, and to keep their revival on course, rising to eleventh place in the table.

As I drove home through a prolonged torrential downpour, so heavy it made driving extremely tricky, I mused that, had it arrived half an hour or so earlier, an abandonment might well have been on the cards. And listening to the tightening of restrictions in the battle against Covid, with the introduction of a Tier 4 in much of the south-east, it feels like the ability to go to games is becoming ever more precarious.