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Groundhopping: St Patrick’s Athletic (v Sabah FK, Tallaght Stadium)

Competition: Europa League 3rd Qualifying Round

Date: 8 August 2024

Result: St Patrick’s Athletic 1 – 0 Sabah FK

Tickets:  €25 adults, €9 kids

Attendance: 4,352

Game/ Experience Rating:  ☆☆☆☆

The Game: St Patrick’s Athletic are having something of a horror season in the League of Ireland under former national poss Stephen Kenny, but Kenny has a reputation for doing damage in Europe and this was perhaps the best performance in Europe I’ve seen from an Irish side since the day of Dundalk doing damage.

Pat’s saw their own post hit in the first minute… and that was about it. From then on they piled on the pressure, with Sabah FK, admittedly not exactly a big name, but arguably more favoured than Pat’s, looking overmatched to the point that I stood somewhere in the second half where I couldn’t see the Pat’s goal, and it didn’t effect my enjoyment of the match one bit.

Pat’s scored a great goal in the first half, a volleyed finish from the edge of the six yard box, and then Sabah had a man sent off. From then on, they’ll be huge disappointment that they didn’t win by more, which makes a trip to Azerbaijan a tough challenge. It could easily have been a rout.

The ground:  We’re regulars at Tallaght Stadium, but still haven’t managed to get ourselves into the new North Stand (tickets wouldn’t go through this time, odd as it was clearly sparsely populated). Pat’s had made it their own, with the Invincibles in the traditional away section, complete with plenty of banners and making a decent noise throughout.

The atmosphere has definitely improved now there are stands on all four sides, and I noticed even the west stand seats have been replaced.

Extras: The small number of Sabah FK fans getting progressively more irritated in the heart of the West Stand was quite entertaining. I think they expected a win.

Assorted asides: I think this was a touch overpriced to be honest. Great game, better than most I’ve attended in Ireland, but if they’d knocked the price down a bit from €26 including fees for adults they could have sold a lot more tickets.

My totals for the year so far:

Games: 7. Home wins: 2 Draws: 3 Away wins: 2

Goals: 22. Home goals: 11. Away goals: 11. Goals per game: 3.14

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Groundhopping: Shamrock Rovers (v Sparta Prague, Tallaght Stadium)

Competition: Champion’s League Second Qualifying Round

Date: 23 July 2024

Result: Shamrock Rovers 0 – 2 Sparta Prague

Tickets:  €20 adults, €8 kids

Attendance: 9,684

Game/ Experience Rating:  ☆☆

The Game: This was an odd one: Sparta Prague are unquestionably one of the bigger European names to turn up at Tallaght Stadium in recent years, but in my view Rovers kind of beat themselves. The first goal was scrappy as anything, and basically amounted to giving the ball away and then failing to clear it. The second was a bit more involved, but Sparta were by no means impressive (though obviously a much better side than Shamrock Rovers). Their away following was fairly weak, too.

Rovers themselves created a couple of decent chances, but nothing more than that, and had very little of the ball overall, struggling to play out from defence and create any space. Irish sides have struggled in Europe in recent years and this was never likely to be the game that changed that, but it could and perhaps should have been better than a 2-0 loss, simply because Sparta struggled so much to create. Still, Rovers are poor by their usual standards this year, so perhaps it’s not unexpected.

The ground:  This was my first time in the four-sided Tallaght Stadium with the new North Stand, and it really does give it the feel of a better ground, a more rounded, high-level spot. Nice to see in the League of Ireland, it’s always been a decent place to watch football. Having decided to go last minute, we didn’t get to check out the new stand, but felt lucky to squeeze in at all (the East Stand is definitely my least favourite location in the ground, but we got in a few minutes before sell out).

Atmosphere was only okay for this, but still a fun experience.

Extras: There were programmes, but I didn’t bother. Long queues for the refreshments throughout the first and second half surprised me. Maybe they need more food outlets; maybe people should focus more on the game!

Assorted asides: A continuation of my habit of going to any Irish side in Europe. Shamrock Rovers are out of this tie in my view, but at least they drop down the competitions, which means at least two more games, and only one win in those two required to make a group stage. Fingers crossed the draw is kind!

My totals for the year so far:

Games: 6. Home wins: 1 Draws: 3 Away wins: 2

Goals: 21. Home goals: 10. Away goals: 11. Goals per game: 3.5

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Aston Villa (v Liverpool, Villa Park)

Competition: English Premier League

Date: 13 May 2024

Result: Aston Villa 3 – 3 Liverpool

Tickets:  £42 adults, £14 kids (North Stand Lower restricted view – front row!)

Attendance: 42,600

Game/ Experience Rating:  ☆☆☆☆☆

The Game: My first time bringing the little lad to Villa, and he absolutely loved it. With Villa playing for a Champions League place, but clearly dead on their feet over the last few weeks, a Martinez error in goal in the very first minute gifting Liverpool the lead looked at ominous sign. Villa grew into the game, though, especially after Watkins beat his man and squared for Tielemans to equalise. The game had an air of chaos about it, with Moussa Diaby extremely effective on the break but unable to finish from at least three really good chances throughout the game.

Instead, Liverpool pulled away, and I must admit that at 3-1 just after half time, I turned to the little lad and said “that’s it” – it just didn’t feel realistic to come back given the state of the team recently. It turns out it wasn’t it at all. Villa were the better side for much of the game, and when Jhon Duran scored a long range beauty the place erupted, before an equaliser that may or may not have been intended made things 3-3, with both Villa’s late goals coming after the 85th minute.

Diaby could have won the game, drawing a top late save from Allisson, but the draw was enough to have Tottenham needing a win against league leaders Manchester City to catch Villa for that Champions League place. There was a sense of ‘nearly done’ in the vocal crowd reaction after the equaliser, and it proved right – the following day, Villa stepped out of Spurs’ reach to get into elite European competition for the first time in my lifetime. Incredible game.

The ground:  I loved showing the young lad around Villa Park, which was suitably adorned with a flag in every single seat to welcome the impressive team. We were in the very front row of the North Stand, the far side from the away fans, and my first time in the North Lower. It feels quite cramped and old school compared to much of the rest of the ground, but nobody sat down at any point from start to finish, so it had a terrific atmosphere.

We dropped in the shop for one last time – images of it being knocked down to buy a new one as Villa try to boost commercial revenue to aid the push towards the top-end of the Premier League appeared online only two days later. I’ve been going there since the mid 90s, so a strange feeling!

Extras: The ‘Up The Villa’ flags were a great momento, and I ended up bringing heaps of programmes home, mostly for Liverpool fans, but that’s Ireland! As the last home game, the speaches and crowd send off for the players was superb, too.

Assorted asides: The following day we rented a car and hit up Alton Towers Waterpark. Decent but a lot of effort for the reward all in.

My totals for the year so far:

Games: 5. Home wins: 1 Draws: 3 Away wins: 1

Goals: 19. Home goals: 10. Away goals: 9. Goals per game: 3.8

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Groundhopping: Leinster (v Northampton Saints, Croke Park)

Competition: Champion’s Cup Semi Final

Date: 4 May 2024

Result: Leinster 20 – 17 Northampton Saints

Tickets:  €26 (Hill 16 adult)

Attendance: 82,300

Game/ Experience Rating:  ☆☆☆☆

The Game: If you’re a regular reader of ‘Groundhopping’ (as if), you might know that it’s almost all about football, which makes this a bit of an aside, but I couldn’t resist the chance to see a high level rugby match from the iconic HIll 16 for less than €30. The game itself was actually not great – Leinster were utterly dominant for roughly the first hour, making for little in the way of contest, with James Lowe and Jamison Gibson-Park controlling the game. They lead by double digits for the bulk of the game.

Northampton woke up a bit in the second half, creating a tense atmosphere that felt a little bit unnecessary given the dominance Leinster had held throughout. Northampton got back within a kick and even held the ball – although in their own half – in the dying two minutes where a kick would have levelled up the game, but ended up giving it away. A good, close contest that didn’t seem like it would be a good, close contest for the majority of its lifespan.

The ground:  As a former Dublin football (GAA) season ticket holder, I’ve spent quite a lot of time in Croke Park, and it’s one hell of a place, just for the sheer scale of it. Hill 16, where I was stood, is an odd part of the ground on the face of it, an undeveloped terrace surrounded by massive stands that has some very substantial history connected to the formation of the State.

The atmosphere was decent throughout, and I was quite taken with the efforts of the Leinster mascot to pump it all up – unusually effective. At times, the aisles of the stand were crammed and the stewards had little interest, which felt uncomfortable and in some ways bordering on dangerous. It seemed to clear itself up in the second half. A phenomenal spot that’s rarely used for rugby or football, so you have to take the chance when it arises.

Extras: €8 for a medicore programme felt a bit much, but I guess it was a Champion’s Cup semi final. That aside, I didn’t really explore – the nature of Hill 16 is you have to hold on to your space or you end up shunted somewhere inconvenient (and honestly, watching rugby end on is not ideal in the first place).

Assorted asides: There is something genuinely quite funny about the cliche of Leinster fans and the north side of Dublin. I thought it was tongue in cheek, but quite a few looked genuinely quite uncomfortable, and I overheard one making quite a lot of noise about how he’d never be back unless Leinster play in Croke Park again. It’s just a stadium and a less affluent part of the city, lads.

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Groundhopping: St Patrick’s Athletic (v Waterford, Richmond Park)

Competition: League of Ireland Premier Division

Date: 19 April 2024

Result: St Patrick’s Athletic 1 – 1 Waterford

Tickets:  €18 adults, €5 kids

Attendance: 4,376

Game/ Experience Rating:  ☆☆☆

The Game: I must admit I saw less of the action at this game than I’d have liked to – the drawback of bringing a two year old who needs to be watched, and the need to keep her happy by giving her space to run around in the corner of the Camac Stand. From what I saw, it was of modest quality at best, with both sides scrappy in midfield and creating relatively few chances. Waterford led early on from a corner, with Pat’s equalising in the second half and then pushing for a winner that never really particularly looked like coming.

Both seem to lack a bit of patience and control, and I think they’ll be mid table at the end of the season in a League of Ireland that has a couple of quite poor teams this year (and a few other really decent looking ones).

The ground:  I’ve been to Richmond quite a few times and this is the first time I’ve seen it quite as packed as it was tonight, and my first time in several years since moving away from the area – the growth of the league of Ireland continues, and I believe this must have bene very close to a sell out, if not a total sell out, judging by how packed the stands were. So far as I can tell it’s close to impossible to get into the main (Inchicore side) stand this season due to season tickets.

There’s one main covered seated area that has space for home and away fans, another large uncovered seating area behind one goal and the rest is terraced standing. It’s all a bit old school but I’ve always liked that, nice to see so many packed in.

Extras: I liked the almost hidden food stall right at the far end of the Camac. Richmond seems to have decent facilities these days, but with the four kids in tow, I passed on the trip to the club shop or any search for a programme, and ended up buying small heaps of sweets.

Assorted asides: The kids were fascinated with the river running behind the terrace, in particular when a ball was blasted into it and they could watch it float down.

My totals for the year so far:

Games: 4. Home wins: 1 Draws: 2 Away wins: 1

Goals: 13. Home goals: 7. Away goals: 6. Goals per game: 3.25

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Groundhopping: Blackburn Rovers (v Sheffield Wednesday, Ewood Park)

Competition: EFL Championship

Date: Sunday, April 21, 2024

Result: Blackburn Rovers 1-3 Sheffield Wednesday

Tickets: Adults – £25-30, Seniors – £20-25, Age 18-23 – £15-20, Age 12-17 – £10-15, Under 12 – Free

Attendance: 21,718

Game/Experience Rating: ☆☆☆☆

The Game: With both sides embroiled in a battle to avoid relegation to League One, it was little
wonder that they both came out flying.

Josh Windass gave Wednesday an early lead, but Rovers levelled courtesy of a player who has been
the scourge of Championship defences this season.

Sammie Szmodics has been a standout performer for the Lancashire outfit and it was no surprise
when he fired home the equaliser. His efforts for Rovers recently resulted in a call-up for the Republic of Ireland squad and his performance highlighted why that was fully deserved.

Szmodics has become hugely popular with Irish sports bettors this season, delivering numerous
payouts for people who wager in the ‘anytime scorer’ market. However, punters who backed Rovers to win on the top Irish betting apps were left frustrated as Wednesday scored twice after the break to claim a valuable victory.

The result boosted the Yorkshire side’s chances of avoiding the drop and left Rovers looking
nervously over their shoulders.

The Ground: It is not too long ago that Rovers were hosting Premier League games at Ewood Park
and their stadium remains an excellent venue.

The atmosphere was helped in no small part by a 7,000-strong contingent from Sheffield who made
plenty of noise throughout the game. The playing surface was also in excellent condition despite the number of games that have been played on it this season.

Extras: Standard fare for a second-tier club. The prices were not too bad and the McDonald’s across
from the ground was an added bonus.

Assorted Asides: Rovers’ demise in recent years has been well-documented, with owners Venky’s
making a complete mess of running the club. It is sad to see how far things have fallen and conversations with their fans painted a sorry picture about the ineptitude they have had to endure.

Allowing under 12s in for free is a nice touch by the club, but they are unlikely to retain many of
them if Rovers’ fortunes do not improve on the pitch.

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Groundhopping: Ireland (v Belgium, Aviva Stadium)

Competition: International Friendly

Date: 23 March 2024

Result: Ireland 0 – 0 Belgium

Tickets:  About €30 for adults and €15 for kids when you break down the season ticket.

Attendance: 38,128

Game/ Experience Rating:  ☆☆☆

The Game: The first of what is likely to be two games in charge for John O’Shea (though on tonight’s evidence, there could be an argument for more), Ireland controlled this game against an admittedly weakened Belgium side captained by Youri Tielemens, who apparently captains Belgium exclusively when they come to Dublin.

With the impressive looking attacking trio of Ferguson, Ogbene and debutant Szmodics having lots of the play and Nathan Collins impressive at the back, there is the obvious spine of a team here ready to go, something that’s felt missing for a while. Szmodics on debut had a particularly good game, and while Ferguson is extremely highly regarded, it was his penalty being saved, as well as an Ogbene missed one-on-one in the opening minutes that probably cost a win against the world number four, who offered little. Unusually strong from Ireland.

The ground:  The Aviva up high on a March evening is absolutely baltic, with large chunks of the crowd retreating to under the stands until right before the whistle and as soon as the break came along. Good view though and the good has improved a bit, I think. We absolutely flew out of the stadium and back home today, which is unusual.

Extras: I left the programme as usual – I’ll save that for the bigger games. I’d like to see more places to buy stuff like shirts, but maybe I just need to look a little closer.

Assorted asides: The ‘duo’ ticket system the FAI are insisting on for home tickets at the moment is being widely criticised and with good reason: they’d have sold a lot more tickets to this game if it didn’t also require buying tickets for Tuesday night against Switzerland (which are now on sale individually a late notice – also not ideal), a far less easy to attend game if you live outside fo the Dublin area. Daft, with huge spaces in the stadium that could have been filled and created a better atmosphere.

My totals for the year so far:

Games: 3. Home wins: 1 Draws: 1 Away wins: 1

Goals: 11. Home goals: 6. Away goals: 5. Goals per game: 3.66

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Groundhopping: Loughgall (v Cliftonville, Lakeview Park)

Competition: Northern Irish Premier League

Date: 16 March 2024

Result: Loughgall 2 – 3 Cliftonville

Tickets:  £13 for adults

Attendance: circa 500

Game/ Experience Rating:  ☆☆☆

The Game: Conditions didn’t help with this, a scrappy contest played out on something of a bog, and made somewhat closer by a very average performance by the Cliftonville goalkeeper, who played a fairly major role in both the Loughgall goals. Both sides had several more decent chances in what could have been a goalfest, and ultimately the final minute or so – which saw a brief barrage on the Cliftonville goal after Loughgall got back within a goal – were the best part of the game.

There was something quite mellow about the whole thing, though – I didn’t ever feel that Loughgall really believed they could win the game, despite being well in it at times, and the Cliftonville fans on the way out sounded less than happy with their performance despite the three points. It was very watchable, but certainly not a great advert for the quality of the Northern Irish Premier.

The ground:  Lakeview Park doesn’t, at least from within the confine of the stands (and yes, I checked), have a view of Lough Gall, or any other lake, but what can you do. An unlikely spot for a top-tier football club, I went early enough to feel like the attendance might be in the two figures, but the ground – which will hold the population of Loughgall more than four times over – soon filled out, not least with two thirds of one side and one end’s worth of away fans, outnumbering the home support.

It’s a tiny but tidy little ground, with a small amount of seating and a handful of very windy terraces. A youth side welcoming the teams on is a nice touch. For this particular rainy March day, I did briefly think my trip up north might have been in vein, with the pitch a bog in some areas and probably not a million miles from seeing the game called off. Proper, old-school football; remarkable to think it’s at the level it is, really – I understand the club represents the smallest town in Europe to have a top tier club.

Extras: I didn’t find a programme, and while there are two food outlets – a coffee and snack stall and a cooked foot spot – I didn’t visit either as they were both cash only and I didn’t have any sterling with me. They did seem more than adequate for the number of people there.

Assorted asides: As someone commented on Twitter, what a superb Football Manager challenge this spot would be. I had a great walk around Loughgall Country Park for about an hour before kick off, and learnt that the town is where the Orange Order formed more than 200 years ago, which made me feel slightly nervous of my Irish reg plates. A friendly and enjoyable experience, though.

My totals for the year so far:

Games: 2. Home wins: 1 Draws: 0 Away wins: 1

Goals: 11. Home goals: 6. Away goals: 5. Goals per game: 5.5

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