Sheffield United 3-4 Mansfield Town  (FA Cup Round Three) It’s been an incredible weekend already. On Friday night Wrexham beat Forest in a thriller on penalties to provide headline writers with their much anticipated ‘Hollywood Ending’… Yesterday sixth tier Macclesfield trumped even that by knocking out holders Crystal Palace to write themselves into David verses Goliath territory, the Silkmen became only the ninth non-league club in 100 years to beat top flight opposition i

Doncaster Rovers 2-3 Southampton (FA Cup Round Three) So I chose the right game to go to last night, not putting myself through a miserable watch as a Forest fan, they were beaten by Wrexham on penalties and became the first ‘giant killing’ of the round, today they’ll be more of the same as I head out the door towards Doncaster, who host Southampton, for more FA Cup action. 23rd in League One, Doncaster Rovers have never been as far as the fifth round in the FA Cup, their re

Port Vale 1-0 Fleetwood Town  (FA Cup Round Three) It’s the FA Cup Third Round weekend, the David against Goliath of annual football fixturing, although tonight I’ve got a pair of David’s to go see play. I was slightly concerned that I wouldn’t get to see any football at all this weekend, Storm Goretti threatening to cause havoc, but it looks like we are through the worst of it, the covers have been on at Vale Park and a midday inspection has given the match all clear. Vale h

Derby County 2-0 Atromitos  (Friendly) Whisper it quietly, but I’m a Nottingham Forest fan, and today I’m sitting in the Derby County...

Oxford United 1-1 Leganes  (Friendly) Only my second game of the month tonight, I’ve been busy cricketing and summer holidaying, so...

Hitchin Town 0-3 Barnet (Friendly) Back in the day, July 1st meant back to pre-season, after putting the pounds on from your lad weekends in Ayia Napa & Magaluf, you were expected to be in pretty bad shape all hungover but bronzed “bring trainers only” was usually the cry for the return to training, but not these days, the era of fitness fanatics and football throughout the calendar year, clubs have been back two or three weeks already, and with that a game already, to embrac

Rotherham United 1-3 Cheltenham Town  (FA Cup Round One) I drove all the way to Liverpool on Wednesday for their Academy match with Hertha Berlin, almost 4 hours it took me due to traffic on the M6, I arrived with only ten minutes to kick off, to be told they didn’t have any accreditation for me, so back in the car I went, fortunately it took just under two hours to get home and I was back in time for the second half of Spurs v Man City. Lessons learned I’ve got a ticket for

Reading U21 1-4 Monaco U21 (Premier League International Cup Group Stages) Erik ten Hag has been sacked from Manchester United. No surprise, the big news of the day for me is that Ian Culverhouse has also left his post at Boston. I did the Pilgrims last home game last week and said by the time of my return to the Jakemans (which will be 9th Nov v Dagenham & Redbridge) that Culverhouse won't be in the dugout. Turns out I was right. Tonight it's U21 action as Reading take on M

Cambridge United 1-0 West Bromwich Albion  (Friendly) The heatwave continues as we deepen into pre-season, just a week away from the Football League kick off and I’m off to Cambridge for a Friday night football feast between Garry Monk’s U’s and Carlos Corberan’s Baggies. Problem is, West Brom have a game at Birmingham tomorrow so tonight they’ll be bringing their kids. A chance to see the future however is not one to be passed up, I love an opportunity to unearth some new ge

Barnsley 4-3 Derby County  (Friendly) The last time I was in Barnsley, One Show Presenter Jermaine Jenas was scoring for Nottingham Forest in a 4-1 thumping from Sean O’Driscoll’s side. A lot has changed since, but this is a proper football town. Why? Because you wouldn’t come here for any reason at all, unless you’re coming to watch football. Size-wise, the town is actually smaller than Mansfield, which is testament to the success the club has had in once, reaching the Premi

Hull City 2-2 Fiorentina  (Friendly) It’s forty degrees outside. Bloody hot, but we shouldn’t complain as summer has finally started it feels, long due after a pretty underwhelming June and early July. Tonight, I’m back in Hull as they take on Fiorentina in a pre-season friendly at the MKM Stadium, the Italian Giants yet to win on their mini tour of England having played Bolton Wanderers (1-1) and Preston North End (1-2) as they warm up ahead of their 2024/25 Serie A campaign

Hull City 1-0 Barnsley (Friendly) It’s been pissing down all day. I’m on dog duty waiting for the wife to get back from Leeds for 5pm so I can head up north to the East Riding town of Kingston-Upon-Hull, a couple of hours drive it’s the Tigers v Tykes tonight, Championship side Hull City take on their Yorkshire rivals Barnsley of League One in a pre-season friendly. Hull finished clear of safety last season in fifteenth after former player Liam Rosenior took over to steady a

Bognor Regis Town 1-1 Portsmouth (Friendly) God help my motor who’s asked to clock up another 400 plus miles on a Tuesday night after HQ decided ‘not’ to give me Retford United v Mansfield Town or Alfreton v Burton Albion to instead, send me to the Sussex seaside resort of Bognor. The last time I was here was the 1992 Easter Festival of Football where I set up the winner (now known as assisted) against Glossop North-East before watching Manchester United beat Nottingham Fores

Notts County 1-5 Stoke City (Friendly) For the first time in my life, I’ve had the hayfever jab this year. £120 for a double dose back in late May and it seemed to be doing the trick, but it’s now starting to rub off… The nose is twitching the eyes are itching, didn’t help sat in the sun all day yesterday, watching the Blaze take on Northern Diamonds at Chesterfield’s stunning Queens Park in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy (if you ever get chance to watch cricket up there, d