Football recap - August 2023

After doing a separate football round up for July and saying I wasn't planning to do this for every month, I changed my mind. I've decided it would be nice to have a record of the games I go to this season. So, here's a list of the games I saw in August. (The numbering continues from where I left off last month!)

Game 8: Haverfordwest County 1-1 B36 Thorshavn (after extra time; Thorshavn won 2-3 on aggregate)

Ground: Cardiff City Stadium

Excitement rating: 3/5 (a deathly dull first half)

Reason for going: It was a qualifying round match for a European competition within walking distance of my house.

Point of interest: The first time I'd seen a club side from the Faroes since I visited there when I was 12.

Game 9: Swindon Supermarine 2-7 (seven) Poole Town

Ground: Webbswood Stadium (new ground for me)

Reason for going: My friend Steve supports Poole and invited me along.

Point of interest: Former Barry Town centre back Luke Cooper was playing for Supermarine. He didn't look very happy at full time.

Game 10: Canton FC 1-2 Cardiff Draconians

Ground: House of Sport, Leckwith

Reason for going: My friend Scott was going as his son, Sam, plays for the Dracs now

Point of interest: Sam scored the winner!

Game 11: Leeds United 2-1 Shrewsbury Town

Ground: Elland Road

Reason for going: A chance to see Shrewsbury playing at one of the biggest grounds in the country.

Point of interest: There were over 35,000 people there so this is probably the biggest crowd Shrewsbury will play in front of this season.

Game 12: Bala Town 1-0 Barry Town

Ground: Maes Tegid

Reason for going: I'd not been to Bala before, and neither had Zac!

Point of interest: this was my third new ground in 8 days.

Game 13: Barry Town 1-1 Colwyn Bay

Ground: Jenner Park

Reason for going: First home league game of the season for Barry - and the first ever league meeting between the two clubs.

Point of interest: Cathy and some friends came with me and so we all witnessed Colwyn Bay's first ever Cymru Premier goal.

Game 14: Cardiff Draconians 1-4 Cardiff Corinthians

Ground: Orange Llama Stadium (formerly Lydstep Park)

Reason for going: A chance to see the Dracs in league action.

Point of interest: This was my 500th game since I started keeping a record of going to games (and my 10th game at the Orange Llama Stadium).

Game 15: Baglan Dragons 3-3 Cwmbran Celtic

Ground: Evans Bevan Field

Reason for going: I'd not been to watch Baglan before and it was bank holiday Monday.

Point of interest: this was Baglan's first home game in the Cymru South league (the second tier of Welsh football) after back to back promotion seasons.

Painting the pitch lines before kick off!

Game 16: Newport County 1-1 Brentford (Brentford win 3-0 on penalties)

Ground: Rodney Parade 

Reason for going: to meet an online friend who supports Brentford before the game. However this didn't happen because of a train mix up that meant I travelled from Cardiff to Newport via Reading!

Point of interest: I was sat with a mate who said it was the first penalty shoot out he had ever witnessed. He was aghast when I said its the third one I'd seen this season.

And that's it for August. In total I went to 9 games in 9 different grounds - and 4 of them were ones I'd not been to before.