Conquering… Alton
What would you argue are some of the greatest achievements made by the human race?The development of modern medicine that saves countless lives over and over again? The discovery of electricity and the ability to harness its power, allowing us to lead the luxurious lives we lead on a daily basis? Sending human beings into…
Conquering… Stansted FC
Ryanair has been an absolute saviour for people like me. The ability to disappear to the four corners of Europe and anywhere in between without having to take out a second mortgage allows people from less wealthy backgrounds to enjoy what our continent has to offer. The beers, the food, the sights, the people. Everybody…
Conquering… Alresford Town
What even is an Alresford? Do you know what it is? I certainly don’t. It must exist because I’ve been there. Sort of. I’ve sort of been to Alresford. I’ve only been at night time which compounds my theory that it simply doesn’t exist. Located somewhere in the corridor of uncertainty between Winchester and Basingstoke,…
Conquering… Stockbridge
I’m a public transport groundhopper. That is to say, I don’t drive. Remember that oddball you saw on the 10:37 train heading west last week? That’s right, the bloke in the corner with a flask of coffee and the 1986 Ordnance Survey map of Bolton? That was probably me. I took a few driving lessons…
Conquering… Thatcham Town
Ah, yes. 2020. The year of good vision. The year the roaring 20’s swing back into life. The year I finally pull my finger out and turn this blog into the best-selling set of groundhopping mem… Oh I can’t be arsed. We all know that isn’t going to happen don’t we? This tick didn’t even…
Conquering… Unite MK
Every now and then an unmissable opportunity throws itself wilfully onto your doorstep. A bucket list opportunity, a possibility so great that refusal doesn’t even cross your mind. That could be any number of things; Marrying your long-time partner, buying the dream car, watching step 7 Unite MK field two separate XI’s in a pre-season…
Conquering… Eastleigh
Here we go again then. Doesn’t feel like I was gone at all. Some six weeks since my last game and I’m finally back up and out for the beginning of the 2018/19 campaign. I’ve promised myself that this will be the season I start to take my blogs seriously again, get my thoughts out…
Conquering… Ferring
With my move to university imminent, it was about time that I started to get used to life without the heartache and dread of watching Bashley every week. So, with a free Saturday on the horizon, it was decided that we’d venture somewhere new, somewhere different, somewhere silly, but where… The opening paragraph isn’t so…
Conquering… Worthing United
Sadly, on August 22nd 2015, the football world, and more specifically Worthing United, were struck by tragedy. It was the day of the Shoreham Air disaster, and amongst the 11 victims were Matt Grimstone and Jacob Schilt, both tragically taken before their time. United had been due to host Loxwood in a Southern Combination tie…
Conquering… Lancing
Ensuring that I don’t work Saturday’s this season has been one of the best decisions I’ve made for a very long time. It’s allowed me to travel, whilst also meaning I can avoid the elderly customers and their painstakingly boring small talk for at least another 24 hours that week. If you’ve ever worked a…
Conquering… Hassocks
With the season quickly drawing to an end, I’ve apparently made it my life goal to sack off revision for my exams and head back out in to the big, wide world in the search of some silly football to enjoy. I haven’t yet completely given up on my future, but Saturday afternoons are certainly…
Conquering… Plymouth Parkway
My Plymouth adventure had been in the pipeline for a little while, after my fellow groundhopping pal Matt Harrison (main man on the excellent LostBoyos site) had informed the Twittosphere of his intentions to head down to Plymouth, mainly intent on watching his beloved Swansea City visit Argyle on the Sunday evening. After a few conversations, it…
Conquering… Sway
With the decision not to travel with Bashley over to Swindon Supermarine this afternoon already in my mind (We lost 6-0 by the way), it was just a case of deciding where I’d be adventuring next to enjoy my Saturday football fix. Originally, a 13 choice random draw was conducted, and it ultimately chose that…
Conquering… Romsey Town
I think one of the moments I look back on most happily since I started this whole groundhopping lark, was way back at the beginning of October when I received a message from Romsey Town manager James Phillips inviting me to The Bypass Ground for one of their upcoming fixtures. I have to…
Conquering… New Milton Town
Considering Fawcetts Field is one of the grounds I’ve visited most often since the beginning of my travels last January, it’s probably about time that I finally got round to writing one of my (not so) infamous ‘Conquering…’ articles on the place. Being just a couple miles down the road from me, it’s no wonder…
Conquering… AFC Stoneham
The whole three men and a dog cliché is often banded around by people when discussing non-league football, and I know a disturbingly large number of people who think of me as fit for a straight-jacket, due to my seemingly rare knowledge of a world below the brainwashed, corporate epidemic that is the Premier League.…
Conquering… Verwood Town
With the end of the 2016/17 season fast approaching, it’s nice to finally look at the league table knowing that Bashley mathematically cannot be relegated this season. For the first time in three seasons, we’re actually going to beat the drop, and it’s bloody brilliant. The sun has also started to announce its return to…
Conquering… Sholing
Having struggled through Saturday, and watching Bashley finally have their inevitable relegation from the Southern League mathematically confirmed, what better way to spend my Easter Monday than finding a game elsewhere to take my mind off things. So, at 9:37 precisely, I set off from New Milton heading for Sholing’s Silverlake Arena, as they prepared…
Conquering… Portland United
Coach away days with Bashley were a staple part of my diet for a long time. I started travelling to watch away games back when we were scaling the lofty heights of the Southern League Premier, but sadly, those days are long gone. You may or may not have read into our financial troubles that…
Conquering… Newport (IoW)
With university taking over my life as of September of last year, I have found myself guilty of a fair amount of ‘CBA syndrome’ this season. That is to say, I’ve missed a lot of football because I’ve been so hungover that I can barely move myself from my bed to the sofa in my…
Conquering… Lymington Town
Unfortunately, it looks as though we’ve reached the stage of the season in which postponements become almost a certainty at many places across the country on a Saturday afternoon. What with Bashley’s Southern League South & West fixture against Bridgwater Town falling victim to the same fate, a waterlogged pitch putting pay to that one,…
Conquering… Horndean
Following the trip to Scandinavia, which saw us take in 5 games over a 4 day period, it was good to finally be back in Blighty and heading out for some proper British football. Hamble Club were to play host to my first English game of 2015/16 on a sunny afternoon in July, so without…
Conquering… Fareham Town
I had originally planned to be at the 2013/14 FA Vase Final last season at Wembley, as then Wessex League Premier side Sholing ran out 1-0 winners against West Auckland Town. As my luck would have it, the game fell on the weekend before the start of my AS Level examinations, and so I instead…
Conquering… Brockenhurst
Saturday for me has, and always will be, football day. What with my hours at work now being extended every Saturday morning until 1, I won’t lie and say they aren’t incredibly awkward. I’d originally pencilled in Weymouth vs Guernsey, and had even arranged to meet up with two or three Weymouth fans I’ve gotten…
Conquering… Bashley
It’s back. It’s here. The 2014/15 season rolled into town on Tuesday, and my attention immediately switched to this Friday night fixture between my beloved Bashley, and local rivals Christchurch. Don’t get me wrong, last season was good (I visited 50 games), but I have a little inkling about the quality levels going up a…
Conquering… Yate Town
There’s no doubt in my mind that battling through the last two seasons with Bashley Football Club has been a decent test of my true character. I didn’t see Bashley win a single league game throughout the 2014/15 campaign. If you know me in any way though, you’ll know that I wouldn’t change that for…
Conquering… Winchester City
Like most of my adventures, today was no different and it all kicked off at New Milton train station. The decision to visit Winchester, and their wonderful Denplan City Stadium home, had only come about as a plan B. Originally, I couldn’t decide between Winchester and fellow Wessex League Premier side Blackfield and Langley. Following…
Conquering… Wimborne Town
Following my away day with Bashley at Merthyr Town a couple of weekends ago, I had another chance to travel with Bash, this time away at local rivals Wimborne Town. It was to be only my second visit to Cuthbury, my last coming back in February (Bishops Cleeve won that fixture 2-1), and so I was…
Conquering… Salisbury FC
Part of the experience of this whole groundhopping lark is the ending up in places I either hadn’t considered a week previous, or simply don’t know exist until I pluck a random game from a handful of potential fixtures. I reckon over the past three years of this adventure I’ve seen more train station coffee…
Conquering… AFC Totton
I’ve always had a major love affair with the FA Cup. It is, of course, the greatest competition in world club football and will remain so for a very long time. Starting from the Extra Preliminary Round, all the way through to the Wembley final in May, the FA Cup, or the FA Challenge Cup…
Conquering… Farnborough
Sadly, my trip to Cherrywood Road, home of Farnborough FC, was to be born more out of necessity than the impulse adventure I would have preferred it to have been. For a number reasons that I won’t bother to bore you with, in the most part because I don’t actually understand what’s going on, Farnborough…
Conquering… Havant & Waterlooville
Waking up Saturday morning to travel into Brighton and decide my future in higher education, and then to go onto a football match that afternoon seemed somewhat irrelevant following the tragic events in Paris on Friday night. The attacks put everything into perspective and reminds us that we need to wake up and take every…
Conquering… Dulwich Hamlet
Okay, I don’t know how many of you lovely people care enough for an apology, but this blog is late. I’m talking near enough two and a half months now. I paid a visit to Champion Hill in the middle of July during pre-season, and I’m now publishing this in the third week of September.…
Conquering… Dorchester Town
I’ve been meaning to tick off Dorchester Town’s home, ‘The Avenue’, every since I began on this whole groundhopping adventure back in January 2014. It was recommended to me on numerous occasions, I know a couple of lads who claim to support Dorchester, and it’s ever so easy to reach via train. Unfortunately, I’d never…
Conquering… Portsmouth
I won’t lie and say that I’m not gutted to be missing out on Bashley away days this season, I loved them last year, despite our troubles on and off the pitch. This season however, I’ve dedicated my Saturday mornings to work, meaning that travelling with the team isn’t plausible. On the plus side, Bashley…
Conquering… Plymouth Argyle
Having spent Saturday getting used to my new Plymouth surroundings, and enjoying the football over at Plymouth Parkway, Sunday was to be used for a similar sort of structure, meaning I’d be taking in Plymouth Argyle vs Swansea City at Home Park, perched in the away end with the travelling Swans support. I donned my Swansea…
Conquering… Notts County
I’ve become known in recent times for being pretty spontaneous, and travelling to watch football that I probably shouldn’t care about, let alone spend my hard-earned money on public transport to get there in the first place. On that premise, County fan James’ message (he’s something of a regular on these blogs it seems) was only…
Conquering… Luton Town
As stated by the friendly Spurs fans we got chatting to on the train heading home from the game, I’m stark raving bonkers. Clinically insane even. Scientifically, economically, politically, mental. The accusation came after we’d discussed some of my weirder adventures in the lower echelons of Eastern European football, and to be honest, they’re not…
Conquering… AFC Wimbledon
With South West Trains once again offering their excellent £15 return across the network, it seemed rude not to take advantage of such an opportunity. Friday, 3rd April (Good Friday to some, another day with football to myself) seemed like the ideal chance to go somewhere further afield, but where to journey was the question.…
Conquering… Reading
Nothing compares to competitive football, I’d rather watch a league/cup game over a friendly any day of the week, but pre-season does have its merits. The main compliment I can afford it are the cheap ticket prices (See what I did there…?). My visit to Reading was no different, as I picked up tickets to…
Conquering… Newcastle United
Once upon a case of Newcastle Brown Ale, the Toon Army had a football team that they could be truly proud of. Certainly during my early years, there was a lot of success around the club. St James’ Park hosted fairly consistent European football during the early 2000’s, they had a crack at the Champions…
Conquering… Brighton & Hove Albion
I’m not ‘against modern football’. I watch a great deal more non-league than I do anything higher up the pyramid, but that comes with the task of supporting a non-league side. My upbringing through football has been in that environment, and I’m more comfortable with it, that’s just the way things have panned out for…
Conquering… Birmingham City
Almost inevitably, Bashley’s FA Cup adventure came to a stuttering halt at the very first hurdle this season, not that I expected anything less. That’s naturally heartbreaking, because regular readers will know the FA Cup is my favourite competition. It’s up there with my other favourite things, like Sauerkraut. I love Sauerkraut. Travelling to watch…
Conquering… Southampton
If you know me reasonably well, or have had at any time a footballing conversation of any length with me, you’ll know that the FA Cup is my favourite competition. I might even go as far to say it’s my favourite competition in world football. The ideas that the famous old cup has lost its…
Conquering… Arsenal
Highbury was often referred to by opposition fans as ‘The Library’. Arsenal’s home ground until the culmination of the 2005/06 season had a reputation for being a bit quiet, and the same nickname continued on after the club’s move to their current home, The Emirates, although it’s perhaps not as prominent nowadays. My visit for…
Conquering… AFC Bournemouth
On my only previous visit, I’d found myself in the opposite end (The newly built south stand) taking in a scrappy 1-1 draw with Watford in the middle of January. I noted the obvious difference in temperature, and the great big yellow thing in the sky as I perched myself down at the front of…
The Stadium Trotter 