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

Size Matters

Hitchin Town 0-2 Dagenham & Redbridge (Friendly) I enjoyed my first visit to Top Field so much last summer, I’m back again tonight, as I head down the M1 to watch Southern League Hitchin face National League South Dagenham & Redbridge in a friendly. On Saturday, the Canaries played out a testimonial for Mr Town himself, Mark Burke, who not only played and managed the club, is now their secretary. He’s been involved for over 40 years in one way or another, having made over 700

10 hours ago

I'm Back

Alfreton Town 0-0 Burton Albion (Friendly) The World Cup is in full flow; I’ve only just got back off my holidays in Italy and Croatia but already the 2026/27 pre-season has started. I missed the first week of games so the second Saturday of July I’m finally back to business, a long old season ahead, again, and I’m itching, ready, I can’t bloody wait for it. Today I’m back at Alfreton Town, a team now close to my heart, but then I’ve always had a soft spot since my mate ‘Robb

3 days ago

One Half A Maverick

Leicester City 1-3 Chelsea (Women's Super League) Like my hair the games are thinning out, May is the last month of the English football season and most league competitions have already finished, but for the odd playoff to decide upcoming promotions. The WSL is in its penultimate week, Manchester City have just ended six years of Chelsea dominance to take the title, but the Blues are second and still aim to end the season strong. They face Leicester ahead of an FA Cup sem

May 4

Southampton Cruise To Win

Nottingham Forest 0-3 Southampton (Women’s Super League 2) What a season it has been in the WSL2, Nottingham Forest in their first campaign at the second tier of women’s football for thirteen long years, going into the last day with a chance of a sixth placed finish, the Reds enjoyed a fair start to the 2025/26 campaign with three wins in their first four games, but a sticky middle scuppered any outside hopes of back-to-back promotions, a good end however has seen them unbeat

May 3

Ceesay Edges Tulips Near

Spalding United 1-0 Halesowen Town (Southern League Central Division Playoff Semi Final) Last night I watched the most remarkable game I've seen in some years on the TV as Paris Saint-Germain beat Bayern Munich 5-4 in the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg at the boyishly loud and crazily atmospheric Parc des Princes. Today, I've spent it mostly arguing on Twitter (X) with Arsenal and Premier League football fans who are saying the French and German champions only pla

Apr 30

Last Day

Boston United 3-1 Hartlepool United (National League) The last day of the National League season and the biggest game in arguably the competition's history as leaders York City visit second place Rochdale with a winner takes all tie to secure promotion back to the Football League. York have 107 points and a draw will do for the Minstermen to return to the 92 after 10 years away. Rochdale on 105 points need nothing less than victory to themselves return to League Two after a t

Apr 26

Careful What You Say

Solihull Moors 0-3 Boston United (National League) Just two rounds remain until the end of the National League season and both Solihull Moors and Boston United have very little to play for, the battle for thirteenth is about as exciting as it gets so I’m looking forward to a hassle free game of little incident ahead of getting back home and attending a friends swanky engagement party later this evening. Solihull have drawn their last two games nil nil but before that they th

Apr 19

Europa Fever

Nottingham Forest 1-0 Porto (UEFA Europa League Quarter Final) Folklore will forever tell us that in 1979 and 1980 Nottingham Forest won back-to-back European Cups. I was too young to witness the early days of Brian Clough’s magnificent historical tenure, but I did get to watch his later years in charge, by which time English clubs were banned from Europe due to the Heysel Stadium disaster. During that time, FC Porto won the first of their two European Cups in 1987, beating

Apr 17

Grassroot Glassboys

Stourbridge 0-1 Needham Market (Southern League Central Division) Stourbridge FC are 150 years old this year. Formed in 1876 they are nicknamed the Glassboys due to the areas long link to the cut glass industry, and they play at the brilliantly named War Memorial Athletic Ground in Amblecote, a village in Dudley Borough which is one mile directly north of the town centre of Stourbridge near Birmingham. I’ve never been here, until today, and I have never even seen Stourbridge

Apr 16

Two Points Short

Alfreton Town 2-2 Buxton (National League North) Tonight’s Derbyshire Derby is massive. If Buxton win, they will probably be in the playoffs, if Alfreton lose, they will most likely be down, a winner takes all opportunity? Would it be wise to predict a draw? In actual fact, nothing can be decided tonight, the two teams have a game in hand on most around them, ahead of the final two weekends of the National League North season, but victory means bridging the gap on those abov

Apr 15

Great Saturday For York

Tamworth 0-1 York City (National League) It’s that stage of the season where it either matters a lot, or it matters not. Whilst winning or losing today might not make much difference for Tamworth Football Club it means everything to York City who are heading their head-to-head battle with Rochdale in the promotion race to decide who gets to go back to the Football League. Top of the table York have 101 points and have scored 109 goals and they are two points above Rochdale wh

Apr 12

Good Friday For York

Boston United 0-1 York City (National League) I'm off to a tulip festival on Saturday. Call it a compromise. The things you agree to do with the wife after working Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and having the rest of the Easter holiday weekend off. York City are gunning for the league and are bidding for promotion back to the 92 after ten years outside, but they are three points behind leaders Rochdale who they play on the last day of the season. Earlier in the week fans camped o

Apr 4

Latest Journeys

Saturday 11th July 2026

Alfreton Town

0-0

Burton Albion

Friendly

North Street

Tuesday 14th July 2026

Hitchin Town

0-2

Dagengham & Redbridge

Friendly

Top Field

Saturday 18th July 2026

Barnet

Luton Town

Friendly

The Hive

Player Search

Classic Games

2022: Notts County 2-3 Coalville Town (Read the Match Report)

2023: Gainsborough Trinity 6-2 Marske United (Read the Match Report)

2023: Scotland 2-0 Spain (Read the Match Report)

2023: Tiverton Town 2-4 Yeovil Town (Read the Match Report)

2023: Rangers 2-2 PSV Eindhoven (Read the Match Report)

2023: Biggleswade 1-2 Cambridge City (Read the Match Report)

2023: Newcastle United 4-1 Paris Saint-Germain (Read the Match Report)

2024: Bishop's Stortford 2-3 South Shields (Read the Match Report)

2024: Hartlepool United 3-2 Altrincham (Read the Match Report)

2024: Aston Villa 4-0 Ajax (Read the Match Report)

2024: Manchester United 2-1 Manchester City (Read the Match Report)

2024: Linfield 3-2 Stjarnan (Read the Match Report)

2024: Republic of Ireland 0-2 England (Read the Match Report)

2024: Northern Ireland 5-0 Bulgaria (Read the Match Report)

2025: Hemel Hempstead Town 2-1 St Albans City (Read the Match Report)

2025: Caernarfon Town 5-0 Bala Town (Read the Match Report)

2025: Chelmsford City 2-5 Farnborough (Read the Match Report)

2025: Lewes 0-1 Chichester City (Read the Match Report)

2025: Barwell 5-2 Stratford Town (Read the Match Report)

2025: Scotland 4-2 Denmark (Read the Match Report)

2026: Sheffield United 3-4 Mansfield Town (Read the Match Report)

2026: Forest Green Rovers 4-2 Woking (Read the Match Report)

2026: Redditch United 5-2 Barwell (Read the Match Report)

2026: Scunthorpe United 3-6 Boston United (Read the Match Report)

2026: AC Milan 0-1 Parma (Read the Match Report)

2026: Morecambe 2-3 Hartlepool United (Read the Match Report)

2026: Albion Rovers 0-1 Clydebank (Read the Match Report)

Favourite Venues

Non League Grounds in the UK

1) The Dripping Pan, Lewes 2) Top Field, Hitchin 3) Ballymena Showgrounds, Ballymena 4) Borough Park, Workington 5) Causeway Lane, Matlock 6) The Northolme, Gainsborough 7) Jakemans Stadium, Boston 8) The Oval, Caernarfon 9) North Street, Alfreton10) Vauxhall Road, Hemel Hempstead

Established Larger Stadiums in the UK

1) Ibrox, Glasgow 2) St James' Park, Newcastle 3) Wembley, London 4) Old Trafford, Manchester 5) Hampden Park, Glasgow 6) City Ground, Nottingham 7) Windsor Park, Belfast 8 Anfield, Liverpool 9) Dens Park, Dundee 10) Villa Park, Birmingham

Travelling across Britain To find football's next Superstar

Or at least a decent cup of bovril...

Size Matters

I'm Back

One Half A Maverick

Southampton Cruise To Win

Ceesay Edges Tulips Near

Last Day

Careful What You Say

Europa Fever

Grassroot Glassboys

Two Points Short

Great Saturday For York

Good Friday For York

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Travelling across Britain
To find football's next Superstar

Or at least a decent
cup of bovril...