Ben - Cans on the Train

Lovely business.

High rents during the pandemic killed it. They were going strong still winning awards the year before.
They retired down to Devon or Cornwall in the end.

Bring back Piebury Corner. Going to a game hasn’t been the same since

But the real star of the weekend was The Prince Edward.

Hidden slightly further from Arsenal than most pre-game boozers the Ed’ provided a wonderful untouched interior, fantastic glasswork, and a £5 pint of Guinness.

Probably the best pub in the area. Although The Bank of Friendship runs close

It was a cup weekend.

On Saturday the Spartan Division 2 Cup (11th tier) over at Milton Keynes Irish:

And yesterday the FA Cup at Arsenal.

40 years after the release of seminal Housemartins album London 0 Hull 4, Chelsea exact their revenge.

I’ve seen us concede 7 (Seven)
First time I’ve seen us score 7 (Seven)

Hell of an afternoon down at Newport Pagnell Town Football Club

A pleasure to announce when we play that well.

I need to know more about the absolute lad in boots on the left.

"Manchester, so much to answer for" - Curzon Ashton Vs Hereford F.C - National League North - 31.01.26 After a few Newport Pagnell away days without any points to celebrate it was time to refresh and take in a neutral ground while they were ...

This weeks Cans saw us book cheap coach tickets to Manchester.

A few classic pubs and a game at Curzon Ashton Football Club gave us another day to remember.

Blog below ⬇️

cansonthetrain.blogspot.com/2026/02/manc...

I’ve just had a gander at the report. It’s probably for the best. But likely explains your drawings.

Curzon Ashton v Hereford in the National League North was where we ended up between pubs.

Good competitive game that the home side eventually won 2-1

Ideal level of football. Decent sized ground. But still intimate and non-league. And crucially fine to drink on the terrace.

Cheap coach to Manchester at the weekend was it?

Three top tier boozers was it?

Red Star by any chance?

I once ate marinated bone in there, it was bleak on my part.

The staff watched in awe like they’d never seen anyone stupid enough to order it. I had to wear a plastic glove!

First Arsenal game in a season and a bit.
First Champions League game in 10 years!

Started well.
Became a training game.

Then refused to shoot.

League Completion - Eynesbury Rovers Vs Newport Pagnell Town - United Counties Premier League South - 17.01.26 Just one ground remained in my quest to complete a league for the first time. Tuesday night games in rural outposts have always stopped ...

Read more in my blog about the day here.

cansonthetrain.blogspot.com/2026/01/leag...

Been a tough few weeks on the road. We just can’t seem to score away from home at the moment.

Still, Eynesbury (A) this weekend saw me complete all the grounds in the United Counties Premier League South.

Beaten by Nuneaton Nuneaton Town Vs Newport Pagnell Town - United Counties Premier League South - 02.01.26

As today is the 20th anniversary of the Nuneaton FA Cup game I recalled in this weeks blog, here is the link to the Substack version.

Click below and if you like what you see sign up so you can get it straight to your inbox.

open.substack.com/pub/cansonth...

Bumper car ran over my toe, burst it like a plum.

Yo

Highlight of the ground was “Debs shed” a fantastic treasure trove of Bedworth United history which may or may not have been under siege of wasp.

A few from a chilly hammering at the hands of Nuneaton Town in Bedworth this weekend.

They do have a lot of good music associated with them.

Behind Enemy Lines - Chelsea Vs A.F.C Bournemouth - Premier League - 30.12.25 Since I began documenting my football trips 5 years ago I've met so many people, and with this entry into the Cans on the Train oeuvre it...

This week’s blog about a now rare trip to a Premier League game.

Having grown up Arsenal a trip to Chelsea was an interesting one.

⬇️

The records I’ve had on repeat and likely annoyed people over the PA with at Newport Pagnell Town Football Club in 2025 in no particular order.

Live highlight, obviously Oasis at Wembley, the week after I turned 40.

And this is how I finished up.

One last game for 2025.

I won’t lie I felt dirty. But a new ground is a new ground.

Behind enemy territory as a man who grew up Arsenal.

Fucking hell.

It’s massive

I very nearly went back and did Indiana Jones again this year.
It made last Christmas.

An Atherstone Ballgame - Atherstone Town Community F.C Vs Newport Pagnell Town F.C - United Counties Premier League South - 20.12.25 I won't lie, there was apprehension about this fixture as soon as I saw Atherstone had moved into the league after the usual changes dur...

New blog

An Atherstone Ballgame

An apprehensive trip to Warwickshire