The Machine Will Inevitably Crush Your Wembley Dream - Matchgoing 17-23rd March

[Snake Plissken]

I have a ticket to the Etihad for the 6th Round of the FA Cup. 90 minutes from a Wembley semi-final, potentially against a Championship side, even them down the road.


Last 14 games against City? W0 D1 L13 GF5 GA44

[Patrick Thistle]

Getting picked up on Saturday at 7.10am (very precise) for the long car journey to Portman Road. Never been to Ipswich before. I think I've only ever been to Suffolk once.

Anyway Ipswich v Shrewsbury, inshallah.

Tuesday night it's Goytre United v Barry Town. Goytre United are another club in the Port Talbot area and it will be the fourth new ground I've been to in Port Talbot this season. There's another Goytre FC who play near Abergavenny, and I've been there before so will have both Goytres on my list.

[Nesta]

Tuesday night it's Goytre United v Barry Town. Goytre United are another club in the Port Talbot area and it will be the fourth new ground I've been to in Port Talbot this season. There's another Goytre FC who play near Abergavenny, and I've been there before so will have both Goytres on my list.

Fair brings a lump to the throat

[elguapo4]

Bohs v UCD

Fourth match in seven days, I'd feel like a proper groundhopper only for three of them being at the same place. I normally don't stray outside on St Patrick's day, even the local pubs tend to be full of all day drinkers, but the bars in the stadium are open to matchgoers only, so shouldn't be too bad.

[Ray de Galles]

Saturday afternoon is Wimbledon v Crawley which is the clash of the two teams bottom of the current D4 form table, while the visitors also occupy that section of the overall table.If The Dons can't get a win (which would be their first in ten) then worries about joining their opponents in a relegation fight might increase.

Not sure about next week as I am confined relatively close to home by domestic arrangements. I quite fancy seeing London Samurai Rovers v British Airways FC in the Combined Counties D1. The home team represent the Japanese diaspora in the capital and play at Hanworth Villa's ground meaning it's something of a derby with the (unsurprisingly) Heathrow-adjacent visitors.

[The Mighty Trin]

Back oop north to watch Farsley v Darlington on Tuesday. Thanks to train strikes and engineering works I am now reconciled to not quite completing the National North this season. Southport, Buxton and Darlington, we shall meet some time soon.

A 5 day working week the following week is going to be a real challenge...

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Carlisle v Stevenage, 3rd v 2nd in Division Four, in what could be a decisive match for our prospects of automatic promotion. Obviously there is still time to recover from any setback but we've been a bit moody this season and the sort of defeat we suffered at the hands of Mansfield could knock us badly for the rest of a tricky run of fixtures which continues with Bradford away on Tuesday.

[jameswba]

Friday : Zilina vs Banska Bystrica

Quite looking forward to this. Both sides are playing well, and are now under no real pressure after scraping into the top six. Bystrica were promoted last season and their top scorer, Robert Polievka, has received a call-up to the Slovakia squad. He used to play for Zilina, and is certain to score against them tomorrow. I predict a 2-2 draw.

Thursday : Slovakia vs Luxembourg (Euro 2024 qualifying, Trnava)

Last November, Slovakia played Chile in a friendly, Marek Hamsik's 136th and last appearance. Tickets were priced at €12 and €8, there was a full-house, a great atmosphere and it was a very decent game, despite the 0-0 scoreline.

For some reason, this week's fixture has been deemed twice as attractive, with tickets costing €25 and €15.

It's 2-hour train ride home following a 10.30pm finish, then work the next day, so I hope the game will be worth it. Slovakia to edge it 2-1 in front of 4,500.

[Southport Zeb]

It's the Scottish groundhop this weekend. The Friday evening game is at Meggetland where I've been previously, so instead I'm driving up to Horden v Redcar Town in the Northern League after work. Saturday will then see games at Dunbar, Haddington, Tranent and Musselburgh. The hop continues with a game at Penicuik on Sunday, but I will be driving back to Southport after the Musselburgh game - I am doing the Mad Dog 10k on Sunday morning, and had already paid for my entry by the time I realised that it had moved from it's usually early February date.

[RobW]

Back to Sincil Bank for a 1pm kick off on Saturday against Peterborough. Posh did get beaten last Saturday but won away convincingly midweek, and I fear our unbeaten home run may well come to an end.

[Capybara]

On Saturday I'm at a game between two teams I'm amazed haven't made it to the 'despised' list yet.

[caja-dglh]

I have a ticket to the Etihad for the 6th Round of the FA Cup. 90 minutes from a Wembley semi-final, potentially against a Championship side, even them down the road.


Last 14 games against City? W0 D1 L13 GF5 GA44

Given that form you would have to hope to get the rub of the green.

https://twitter.com/bryansgunn/status/1631917833897623552?s=46&t=3Gn_QLKqeoCK_5o_gA2izw

[MrLeam]

Southport Zeb On Saturday I'll be at some of the Scottish football groundhop too, despite lacking interest in Scottish football, grounds, or hopping. I'll be wearing a Poland hat, Northwestern scarf, and a scowl. And other things as well. I'm not completely stupid...

[Foot of Astaire's]

I've got Wembley to look forward to. Its our next game. Sheffield Wednesday away tomorrow night first though. Last week v Ipswich highlighted the difference between promotion contenders and promotion pretenders and now it's the champions in waiting. It's been a while since I've travelled to a game feeling so pessimistic.

[cantagalo]

Brentford v Leicester on Saturday. Leicester are one of only four Premier League teams Brentford haven't beaten since being promoted. The others are Newcastle, Spurs and Palace.

On Tuesday, I'm in Kent and hope to stay very local. According to the SCEFL website, Kennington are at home to Hollands & Blair but I can't find confirmation of this from any other source.

The following day I might do Staplehurst Monarchs v Larkfield and New Hythe though I'm a bit deterred by the longish drive through narrow and poorly lit country lanes.

[Strangers On A Train]

Sheffield United v Blackburn FA Cup Quarter Final, at the preposterous time of 12 Noon...on a Sunday.

[Artificial Hipster]

I've been looking at my games from this time last year and with the sole exception of seeing West crowned champions I managed a game at a new ground with something riding on it from the middle of March right through to the end of May. There's no chance I'll repeat the same feat this time round but with a limited window tomorrow a cup tie at Baguley seems most likely.

On Tuesday I fancy a trip to Southport v Alfreton but I'd be entirely reliant on Mrs H making it home from work in time.

[Rob]

I have a ticket to the Etihad for the 6th Round of the FA Cup. 90 minutes from a Wembley semi-final, potentially against a Championship side, even them down the road.


Last 14 games against City? W0 D1 L13 GF5 GA44

I'm hoping for a honourable respectable defeat as anything else is unrealistic. We play the same style as City but all their players are better than ours. Interested to see how Vinny plays it. Too much high press could leave us open. Play too deep and they're used to breaking it down.

[jameswba]

MSK Zilina 6 MFK Dukla Banska Bystrica 4

And it wasn't ice-hockey. A madly entertaining game which I'll have to watch the TV re-run of to recall all that happened.

Lots of skill and pace in both attacks, and the two defences allowed all the time and space necessary for those qualities to be utilised.

Bystrica's top-scorer Robert Polievka missed out with illness. If he'd played, we might have been looking at 6-6.

1,265 present, and (mostly) a positive atmosphere for a change, notwithstanding the odd tedious git moaning on about how hopeless the defence is.

[jameswba]

[jameswba]

[Capybara]

FC Augsburg II 3-1 SV Wacker Burghausen
Regionalliga Bayern

I know we are not supposed to like reserve teams playing in leagues against first teams, but when the games are played at a different ground to the main club and, particularly when it’s that club’s old ground, it can be something special. FC Augsburg played at the Rosenaustadion until 2009 and since then it has been used for the women’s and reserve teams and athletics. It’s a classic old oval German stadium with an athletics track and most of the terracing and some seating (which are no longer used) open to the elements with just the one side, comprising the main stand, covered. And the players emerge from below pitch-level. It’s well worth a visit if you like that sort of thing.

It always amazes me the level of police presence at some games in Germany. For this one the police outnumbered the visiting support of about 50 who were isolated in the only open part of uncovered terracing, and the main road outside was closed. The match got off to a quick start when, as the visitors pushed forward, Augsburg’s no 23 found himself ahead of the defence just inside the Burghausen half on the right hand side and used his speed to pull ahead and slot the ball in off the far post after 5 minutes. The home side increased their lead after half an hour with a move on the left and it was looking like Burghausen were out of it but they pulled one back with a scrambled goal after 37 minutes.

The second half was largely dull but then something happened off the ball which I missed but the referee immediately showed the red card to an Augsburg player. It looked like he probably decked his opponent as he went straight off with no complaint. Anyway, the player in question turned out to be the former West Ham player Reece Oxford who I last saw play for Augsburg at Freiburg’s old ground four years ago. He was sent of that day too. The ten players continued to look the better side, however, but then a Burghausen defender was shown a second yellow and, with the numbers level again, Augsburg scored a late third. No programme but I managed to find a left-over team sheet. Att: 450

[Kevin S]

Getting picked up on Saturday at 7.10am (very precise) for the long car journey to Portman Road. Never been to Ipswich before. I think I've only ever been to Suffolk once.

Anyway Ipswich v Shrewsbury, inshallah.

Tuesday night it's Goytre United v Barry Town. Goytre United are another club in the Port Talbot area and it will be the fourth new ground I've been to in Port Talbot this season. There's another Goytre FC who play near Abergavenny, and I've been there before so will have both Goytres on my list.

We'll be at Portman Road as well, PT, in the south stand block adjacent to the Shrews. Don't walk on the roof of the lower Cobbold (there's often one idiot but I'm sure it won't be you :-) )

[Greenlander]

Argyle overload for me this week. Home to Forest Green this afternoon then a Tuesday evening in Accrington. Six points please.

[ursus arctos]

There are German forces that see football matches as sources of ridiculously easy overtime and those in Augsburg would have been encouraged by the hysteria over the stamashes involving Frankfurt fans in Napoli in midweek.

Reports have Oxford clattering an opponent after being fouled. It was his first match back after injury.