Red Dots

Leeds University  10  Alwoodley  3

Yorkshire Amateur League – Supreme Division

Admission / Programme – No / No

As you can probably imagine, I’ve got almost 1700 football grounds plotted onto Google Maps, which to be fair is probably not that unusual for someone of my disposition. That said, during lockdown what else where we supposed to do, throw parties?

Yes, I decided to log them all which was a bit of a painstaking exercise as some of the older ones I’ve been to, especially the more obscure, take some finding on a map, Glossopians anyone?

There are of course hotspots, one of which is the North Leeds area, which according to my red dot count, sits at thirteen venues stretching from the A1 in the East, across the Northern Ring Road, out to the Airport area in the West.

Specifically if we take the area just North of Headingley, I can point to eight all within very close proximity. AFC Horsforth, Old Centralians, Headingley, Westbrook YMCA, Horsforth St Margarets, Leeds City, Alwoodley and Leeds Modernians.

But, if you take the roundabout where Otley Road meets the ring road and the few hundred yards to each side of it, I can give you the aforementioned Headingley, Westbrook YMCA, AFC Horsforth and Old Centralians, so four all within walking distance of what is the area known as Weetwood, the home of the sports departments of Leeds University.

I’m off work as I type this by the way, yes, I have some time on my hands!

You could forgive me though for thinking that unless I wanted to be one of those weirdo’s that needed to see a game on every pitch at Weetwood (about six, of which one will do for me thanks), there wasn’t another piece of grass or indeed artificial turf to watch a game on in the area.

Wrong! It seems Leeds University, newly promoted to the top flight of the Yorkshire Amateur League, had moved from Weetwood, over the road to the Bodington Football Hub, and area that hasn’t recently been developed to create a number of 4G pitches, because of course, Weetwood itself clearly wasn’t big enough!

I was planning a trip at the start of the season when it came to light about the move, but it turned out there was a delay on moving in. So, it was a waiting game and thanks to a couple of quick responses from the club secretary my time had come, time to head back to familiar territory.

I’m quite well versed with trips to this area of Leeds, so the journey was quite a simple one to take, but what I hadn’t bargained for was the fact that it was Leeds Beckett University Open Day, and this meant a whole host of wanabee students and their parents were trying to park / walk / drive through the area of Headingley, and as a result it took an age to get out through the North of the City to the Weetwood area. Add in the fact that it was fancy dress student pub crawl day as well and you had the perfect storm, and talking of storms, it was wazzing it down to boot!

Eventually I managed to find the entrance to the car park and noticed what appeared to be a number of games ready to begin at the complex. I counted three artificial surfaces, one of which was Leeds Medics & Dentists Thirds v Athletico Reserves, while another was Leeds Modernians Thirds v Beeston Juniors Reserves, both in the lower reaches of the YAL, whereas on the pitch to the left was my game of choice.

The Bodington Football Hub has a smart clubhouse facility. As you walk in, to the right is a room which serves warm food and has draught lager, so I was a happy lad. You could see the pitches down below out of the patio windows but not well enough to be able to watch the games from inside, whether that is by accident or design I don’t know.

So, pint and hotdog later, considering I had been a bit pushed for time, it was down to pitch side to watch the game. Description of the facilities isn’t needed, it’s a 4G with a viewing area down one side, although, you could watch it from outside the building at the top with the slight overhang for shelter.

The game was an interesting one to say the least. University, who I’d seen get beaten recently in the Cup at Wyke Wanderers, raced into a two goal lead, but by half time it was 2-2 thanks to Stephen Dyer who scored a hat trick on the day for the visitors. University went 3-2 before half time and took it to 5-2 before Dyer got his third for Alwoodley.

It all fell apart after that for the visitors though with University scoring another five times to really put the visitors to the sword with a powerful display of pace and great finishing. Was ten harsh on Alwoodley, maybe, but heads went down towards the end and any sense of fight and defensive discipline was by then out of the window.

University look a very good side though, they won the Premier Division at a canter last season, and this time around, while in the upper reaches of the table, they certainly aren’t having it all their own way, having lost as many as they’ve won.

I think that’s all grounds in West Yorkshire done for another season what with this one and Wyke the other week, until of course someone finds another patch of grass in the area.

Now then, time to put another red dot on the map………