BORTH UNITED (Uppingham Playing Fields)

CYNGHRAIR ABERYSTWYTH LEAGUE, BORTH UNITED 1-8 BONT FC,

ATTENDANCE: 47 (h/c)

My season of groundhopping ended, domestically anyway, with a trip to the seaside to watch the 2023/24 Aberystwyth League champions Bont comprehensively beat Borth to wrap up their season in style.

It finished with the visitors scoring eight but, after coming through the opening 15 minutes when Borth were well on top, they could've scored double that. It was only 1-2 at the break though but the game ran away from the homesters after a four goal blitz just after half time, The Crows heads and legs clearly going.

Goals:

Borth United - Ross Diamond (44)

Bont FC - Keiran Duggan (15) William Evans (22, 56) Jordan Perry (51, 57, 79) David Evans (54) Richard Jones (67)

Founded in 1890, Borth have spent the majority of their history in local leagues though, after winning the Aberystwyth League in 2014 they took promotion to the Mid-Wales League Division Two. In 2017 they reached the third tier of Welsh football but that sojourn only lasted one season as the club finished bottom of Division One. The club returned to the Aberystwyth League in 2020.

This has been a difficult season for Borth as their ground was flooded last October and this was only the second time they had played at home in 2024. Hopefully brighter days are to come for The Crows next season.

DODWORTH MINERS WELFARE FC (The Welfare Ground)

SHEFFIELD & HALLAMSHIRE COUNTY LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION, DODWORTH MINERS WELFARE 3-0 NORTH GAWBER COLLIERY, ATTENDANCE: 38 (h/c)

After a Friday night in Luton (watching Everton draw 1-1 with The Hatters) I headed across the Pennines to the village of Dodworth, which is approximately 2.5 miles from Barnsley.

This is a ground that has been on my radar since the covid lockdown restrictions forced groundhoppers like myself to look at grounds at step 7 and below. There are definitely some crackers at that level.

Dodworth is a former coal mining village and, like most of the old mining communities in these parts, the welfare ground boast excellent facilities, the football ground being no exception, boasting a large covered enclosure. After 135 years, mining ceased in October 1985, as part of the pit closure policy of the Thatcher government.

The game had something riding on it as the opponents, North Gawber Colliery, needed a win to help in their bid to avoid the drop but that always seemed unlikely as Dodworth dominated proceedings from the off. It was a comfortable victory for the homesters thanks to a hat-trick from Matthew Jacobs.