Up the A1

Tuesday 17 March 2026, Newark and Sherwood United 3 Wisbech United 0 - United Counties League, Premier North, Fruehauf Stadium

Do not be fooled by the score, this was a very poor game. 0-0 at half time and not sure either keeper made a save, Newark at least started to get chances on target in the second half, the first goal was from the penalty spot after a handball on 66 minutes then a header from close range on 77 minutes for the second goal. A third goal was added on 83 minutes then a Wisbech player was shown a straight red card for a bad tackle on 89 minutes.

Wisbech spent far too much of the game throwing themselves to the floor whilst too many of the home team seemed to want to referee the game rather than play football.

Newark do well to survive on such low crowds and not even playing in Newark! They do seem to have a good set of volunteers, which does help. Stand and covered terrace plus good social club are all OK for this level, pitch is in poor condition, but with two teams using it, not a surprise.

Chose this game as it was my closest new tick and had been thwarted twice this season, first time by an accident then a frozen pitch. Easy journey up but 3 diversions on way back put a further 45 minutes on return trip.

Meeting friends

 United Counties Groundhop - Nottingham 2023

11am - Radford 0  Harrowby United 0 - Selhurst Street UCL, Div 1

2pm - Gedling Miners Welfare 0 Blackstones 1 - Mapperley Plains, UCL Div 1

5pm - Hucknall Town 1 Wisbech Town 1 - RM Stadium, UCL Premier, North

Some people do not like the hops - and I myself have issues- no concession price and a few other gripes, that I will keep to myself, however it is great to have so many games in one day, some clubs make the most out of it and for me it is a great chance to met friends I made on trips to Romania and Serbia. I not make many hops but I make sure I enjoy the ones I do go to.

Best bits - the 0-0 at Radford - plus programme shop and food, the seated stand at Gedling and how they sorted the car parking at Hucknall.

Radford

Gedling Miners Welfare

Hucknall Town

Fenside duo

Friday 19 August 2016, Wisbech St Mary 1 Kings Lynn Town Reserves 1 -  Thurlow Nunn Division One, The Playing Field
Saturday 20 August 2016, Wisbech Town 1 Peterborough Sports 4 - FA Cup Preliminary Round, Fenside Stadium

Two trips to the Fens in just two days, first visit was to Wisbech St Mary, a new club to the Eastern Counties League who seem very well organised and very welcoming- they should also do OK footballing wise. Not a bad game, second half became very scrappy and not helped by two sending offs that only the Ref seemed to think were needed..

Seats should be added to the ground by 2017.

Saturday saw me at the older Wisbech club, a club with a great tradition who used to have a great town centre ground - that has gone now and the new ground is on the edge of town. It may not have much character but it has everything a football club needs - large car park, good social club and a reserve pitch next door.

But footballing wise, it is their opponents who are on the up, only promoted last season but already sitting top of their new league - not many teams will want to face Peterborough in the next round.