Travelling across Britain
To find football's next Superstar

Or at least a decent
cup of bovril...

Welcome to my website The Journeyman diaries. Travelling across England, Wales & now Scotland in search of soccer talent, I want to provide a fly on the wall blog of my footballing journey across the grounds I visit.

I'm a PFSA Certified Football Scout & Freelance Data Scout with a background in playing & coaching, these days watching from World Cup to County Cup, WSL to NPL, Premier League to National League & beyond.

Based mostly in the Midlands I aim to bring you a light-hearted look into my life of watching football in the UK. So please ENJOY!

The Head Scout

£400

Nottingham Forest 2-0 Burnley (Women's Super League 2) I'm back at the City Ground for the third time this season, Forest are going well in WSL 2 unbeaten in their opening four games so far but with three draws including last time out on the road at Southampton. Burnley I last watched here a couple of seasons ago, promoted from the National League North in the summer they are still looking for a first league win in the second tier after two draws and two defeats so far. I was

2 days ago

Cojones

Harrogate Town 3-0 Hornchurch (National League) A spa town famed for its water, the home of Bettys Tea Rooms, the heart of Yorkshire, it’s one I’ve passed through on occasion, I may have even stopped off here once, but other than a quick passing by of the Marcy Fitness Stadium on Wetherby Road, it’s a ground I’ve not yet been to, so I’m excited to chalk this one off my list. Last year I watched Harrogate Town in an FA Cup defeat at Mansfield, by then already they looked a sor

3 days ago

A Matter Of Time?

Ilkeston Town 0-1 Warrington Rylands (Northern Premier League) It’s been a tricky season for Ilkeston Town. A couple of lads who I have previously worked with in football, Aaron Large and Triss Whitman, got the Robins job in the summer, two young coaches who made the leap from United Counties League side Hucknall Town (in step 5) to the third tier of the non-league game, I always felt it was going to be a tough ask, but they know ball, give them time they’ll get it right, I j

Sep 30

Forest Lotto

Nottingham Forest 0-2 Aston Villa (Women’s Super League Cup Group Stages) The Subway Players Cup is a competition involving 23 Women’s Super League and WSL2 sides (Manchester City, Arsenal & Chelsea aren’t appearing this season due to their European commitments) and after ditching the four team group formats of previous campaigns, this year will see the in trend Swiss model being used, a watered down copy cat of the UEFA Champions League format, but with another twist, draws

Sep 24

Full Throttle

Anstey Nomads 2-2 Alvechurch (Southern League Central Division) As it goes, I know little about either team… Even though I probably should know more, neither is that far from my home in distance, Alvechurch is 64 miles from Nottingham over in the West Midlands, Anstey just a 30-minute drive south of my house, both have played in the local leagues, but both largely at steps 4 & 5 which is why I haven’t perhaps crossed paths until now. I might have even played against Anstey No

Sep 23

Village People

Emley 0-4 Spennymoor Town (FA Cup Second Qualifying Round) It’s been fifteen years since I last visited Emley’s Welfare Ground, a then scouting mission to watch Stocksbridge Park Steels in the Sheffield Senior Cup, I remember the game because my report wasn’t needed in the end as the cold wet snap put pay to our following weekends fixture, but I recollect sitting in the old Main Stand looking out towards the Emley Moor tower underneath dark chilly skies hearing the deep thud

Sep 20

Shopping Money

Nottingham Forest 2-2 Watford (Women’s Super League 2) I’ve got an agreement with the wife. If I work Sundays, a proportion of the money I make goes to her and is (I’m told) put towards our weeks shopping. So with that in mind, and with the City Ground just a couple of miles away from my house, I see covering Nottingham Forest’s first home match of the season against Watford, as a bit of easy, extra shopping money for our household. I was here for the Forest women’s last matc

Sep 14

Grand Opening

Boston United 1-3 Wealdstone (National League) It’s been a while, the last day of last season saw Boston beat Hartlepool United 3-1 and I was at the Jakemans Stadium that spring afternoon in April but haven’t been back since, a ground I have frequented no less than 34 times in the last four or five years (according to my Futbology app) is one that I’m returning to after almost five months away, all of six games into this latest National League campaign. It’s been a tricky tes

Sep 13

Super Marine

Swindon Supermarine 3-1 Winslow United (FA Cup First Qualifying Round Replay) I’ve always been fascinated by the name the Swindon Supermarine. The club originates from a merger between Swindon Athletic and Supermarine FC in 1992, before that the Marine founded their football arm in 1946 as Vickers Armstrong which was a social club associated with the Supermarine Aircraft company which made planes during the second world war, in 1983 the club decided to adopt the name Supermar

Sep 8

The Wood Are Good

Boreham Wood 2-1 Carlisle United (National League) I’ve been looking to chalk off Meadow Park for a while now, not just because I’m yet to visit the home of Boreham Wood, but because their team under Luke Garrard has over the last couple of years became one of the most attractive football teams in the National League to watch. Abdul Abdulmalik was recently sold by the club to Swedish top tier team Djugardens for a non-league record £1.5m which surpasses the £1m Leicester City

Sep 6

FA Fridays

Quorn 2-1 Shepshed Dynamo (FA Cup First Qualifying Round) It’s a Leicestershire derby in the FA Cup first qualifying round on a Friday night for some reason? I’ve checked both SKY & TNT but I don’t think this one’s been moved to be screened on live TV? Martin O’Neill once managed Shepshed Charterhouse who became Dynamo in 1994 thanks to some much needed financial help from another local club, Loughborough Dynamo who’s ground sits between Shepshed’s Dovecote Stadium (located o

Sep 5

Blackout

Newark Town 2-4 Sherwood Colliery (United Counties Premier Division North) Following Tom Hayes MP’s letter to Andy Burnham I’ve been mumbling about the 3pm TV blackout on my socials and as an avid shouter of lower level and non-league football you might think I’m dead against it, but I’m all for it. Dated, it has been manipulated around for too long and fans are suffering having to watch games on Friday nights and Saturday mornings all because the TV companies can’t cash in a

Sep 3