Lovely Day for Glovers

Bobby Moore's head (above) and foot (below) ...

 

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Sunday 19 May 2013 at Wembley Stadium
Result	Yeovil Town 2 Brentford 1
Competition	League One Playoff Final
Hopping	17th visit to the new Wembley, and the second time embedded in Yeovil supporters.  I saw them lose out to Blackpool back in May 2007.
Pre-match preparation
Brentford were third and Yeovil fourth in the regular league table.  Brentford’s end-of-season has been astonishing – they were a penalty away from automatic promotion in their final game, but missed it and conceded to their rivals Doncaster on the break.  They recovered to beat Swindon over two legs in the playoff semi-final while Yeovil were coming from behind to beat Sheffield United.
This match in one sentence
A second Yeovil goal just before the interval proved crucial as they were forced into a rearguard action for most of the second half.
So what?
Yeovil Town are up to the Championship next season for the first time in their history.
The drama unfolds
Yeovil took the lead with a superbly taken goal after only 7 minutes.  Maybe it was lucky that the rebound from Sam Foley’s shot fell kindly for Paddy Madden, but the curling finish with the outside of the boot was classy.  1-0 after 7 minutes By the midpoint of the half, and my scene-setter clip, Brentford had settled and it was an even game.  Yeovil are in green-and-white. The second and pivotal goal came at just the right time for Yeovil.  Foley contributed by beating his man and reaching the byeline on the left, but his cross was headed out for a corner.  This resulted in a headed goal at the far post for Sam Burn (credited to James Hayter at the time) whose header was cleared but not until after it had crossed the line having passed through a group of players in the six-yard box.  2-0 after 41 minutes and at half-time It was clear that Brentford would need to score early and Clayton Donaldson earned a corner from a strong run into the box.  Harlee Dean timed his run to perfection and headed home unchallenged to give Brentford hope with plenty of time left.  2-1 after 51 minutes Another Brentford corner caused chaos and Marek Stetch made a brilliant save on his way to the man-of-the-match award.  The momentum was with Brentford and Yeovil could not keep the ball.  They defended ever deeper, but Brentford also became more desperate.  Stech was not beaten again.  My final clip is the 6 minutes of stoppage time and includes some of the finest agricultural hoofing ever to grace the hallowed turf of the national stadium.  Yeovil hung on for a historic win.  Final score 2-1
The programme
Something random
The density of osmium is a staggering 22.6g/cm3 … is that random enough for you?
Hopping for Moorfields Update
Up to 191 goals for the season now, and the 13th three-goal game.
Mars Bar Watch 2013
All sorts of crazy choconomics in the WH Smith at South Mimms Services on the A1(M).  A standard 58g Mars Bar costs 85p (bad enough in itself) but they sit just below the Duo (2 x 42.5g = 85g of Marsy goodness) for 95p.  I bought a small 46g Galaxy bar for 85p just for a change and even the assistant pointed out that I was committing chococonsumerism craziness because the giant 125g bars of the same stuff were on sale at the till for £1.  I have no willpower so I declined but I probably won’t sleep now.  Good job I am not the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
What Next?
No idea!  I will try to fit in another match or two, but the main thing is that I will be asking Hopping for Moorfields sponsors to pay up fairly soon.  Please adjust your budgets accordingly!

It's Just Bantam

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Saturday 18 May 2013 at Wembley Stadium
Result	Bradford City 3 Northampton Town 0
Competition	League Two Playoff Final
Hopping	My sixteenth visit to the “new” Wembley and my first game for several weeks (due to work commitments!).  It is the second time I have sat among Bradford City supporters.  The last time was at the end of 2001-2 when I managed to suppress my elation at Igor Balis’ stoppage time penalty winner at Valley Parade as West Brom took a giant step towards a first season in the Premier League.
Pre-match preparation
Bradford City have had a remarkable season, reaching the League Cup Final (and losing to Swansea) and sneaking into the final playoff place.  Both they and Northampton beat higher-placed opponents in the playoff semi-finals.  Bradford may find their Wembley experience to be an advantage, though to be fair that’s what West Brom thought after their FA Cup Semi-Final as they went on to lose narrowly to Derby County at the end of 2006-7.
This match in one sentence
Bradford City nailed the win in the first half-hour and this was as close to a stroll in the park as you could get for a Wembley final.
So what?
Bradford City are promoted to League One.
The drama unfolds
I had chosen the highest-altitude ticket in the stadium and took my place in block 527 high above the half-way line.  Here’s a scene-setter clip taken during the early sparring.  Bradford are in gold and black, Northampton in maroon.  Both sides have half-chances and long throws from Northampton pose an early threat. Bradford City took control of the game in the 15th minute.  An overhit cross from the left fell to Garry Thompson on the right of the penalty box and he chipped it intelligently back to the far post where James Hanson had a fairly simple header to open the scoring.  1-0 after 15 minutes It was only another four minutes before something similar happened.  This time the overhit cross was driven to the near post from the right by Nathan Doyle, and this time Rory McArdle stole a yard of space and glanced a header home.  2-0 after 19 minutes The game was effectively over as a contest before the half-hour mark.  Kyel Reid had acres of space for a left-wing cross which was headed back unselfishly across the 6-yard box by Thompson to Nahki Wells who finished easily.  3-0 after 28 minutes and at half-time The second half was largely forgettable for the neutral.  Northampton keeper Lee Nicholls made a fingertip save to stop a fourth, and although there was plenty of effort.  I took another couple of clips as the party atmosphere grew to my left and the right side dispersed in disappointment.  The last one has Northampton's final chance for a consolation followed shortly by the final whistle.  Final score 3-0
The programme
Something random
For readers not paying attention to my Twitter feed, the reason for my absence from the groundhopping world for a month or so is a change of job.  I made a leap back into a full-time teaching position as Director of Science at a large comprehensive school in Hertfordshire, and so the work-life balance has been disturbed and has not yet reached a new position of equilibrium.  Ofsted turned up on my eighth day!  I will be back in the summer with a readjusted blog, probably with more tangents as I try to make sense of the world of education in England once again.  I have some stories to tell.
Hopping for Moorfields Update
188 goals in 54 matches and the 12th three-goal game of the season.  The day of reckoning is not too far away, sponsors – my enforced recent break means that the final value of each penny-a-goal pledge will be around the £2 mark.
Mars Bar Watch 2013
An utterly outrageous £1.20 for a standard 58g bar in the concession kiosks on Wembley Way.  I think they rioted for less provocation than this in 1789 in Paris, or was that marzipan? I’m not sure.  Earlier this week the Shell service station on Breakspear Way in Hemel Hempstead was running a special offer of 3 standard bars for £1.50.  Capitalism, eh?  Shell must be getting a backhander from the independent dentists.
What Next?
Off to Wembley again for Yeovil Town v Brentford on Sunday!

Holmer Green Party Thwarted by Tiger Poop

Unenforced Signs of Great Britain Number 357

 

Things to do at half-time: undertake Owl Census.  (0)

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Tuesday 9 April 2013 at Airedale Park
Result	Holmer Green 2 London Tigers 3
Competition	Spartan South Midlands Premier League (Step 5)
Hopping	Quick change of plan when it turned out that a cup semi-final (see my last post) was being held at a neutral venue that I have already visited.  This ground is #512 on the lifetime list.  One more ground (London Tigers!) for me to do in this division.
Pre-match preparation
Holmer Green are bottom of the league table and need a miracle to avoid relegation.  Their last game was a 4-6 defeat at Hadley (in front of a crowd of 11) after they had been 4-1 up!  Tigers sit a few places above and will probably be safe whatever happens.
This match in one sentence
Heartbreak after a spirited performance from Holmer Green had seen them draw level from two goals down, but a 96th minute winner took the points for Tigers.
So what?
Unofficially, I believe that this result mathematically confirms Holmer Green’s relegation.  They could still avoid last place by overtaking Hatfield, but they can’t overtake Hertford.  Tigers need one more point (or for Hatfield to drop points) to be mathematically safe.
The drama unfolds
Holmer Green attacked from the whistle and shot narrowly over within seconds to announce their intent.  They played positively and with heads up in an even contest.  They encouraged teammates, more so than Tigers who tended to berate each other as the game went on.  My scene-setter clip comes from around 15 minutes into the game.  Green are in green! The second clip has the game’s opening goal.  Holmer Green lost concentration after a lengthy stoppage for an injury, and Tigers took advantage with this strike.  The scorer is either Terence Cariba or Jabir Laraba … (see later.)  0-1 after 29 minutes The home side regrouped and to their credit this was not the signal for floodgates to open.  My final first-half clip shows their best chance of an equaliser before the break – Joe Gleeson’s shot is straight at the keeper.  0-1 at half-time Holmer Green kept pressing in the second half.  They had plenty of possession but not all of it in dangerous areas, and Tigers looked fairly comfortable at the back.  When the home side found a way through, they found a keeper, Adam Atour, in good form, as the next two clips show.  Flying saves for goalkeeper fans out there.  These are at 60 and 70 minutes respectively. They had an even better chance when an excellent diagonal through ball from Joe da Silva in midfield was then played through to Dean Allen, but Atour saved with his legs at close range.  The tally of missed chances was now starting to mount up. Therefore it came to pass that a dipping and swerving shot from distance seemed to deceive the home goalkeeper and the ball pinged off the left-hand post to nestle in the opposite corner and Tigers were two up with only 14 minutes left.  The scorer was Terence Cariba – he scored twice but I am not sure whether this was the first or second.  0-2 after 76 minutes The shout on the pitch was, “We can still do this!” and Holmer Green got back into the game immediately with an excellent low finish from Allen who has now scored for five games on the trot.  1-2 after 77 minutes They almost had a leveller soon afterwards as Tigers began to look jittery at the back.  This clip comes from the 84-minute mark and has some corner carnage. There was another lengthy stoppage for an injury and it was the 90th minute on my watch when this freekick led to the equalising goal.  The scorer is Michael Green, who is pleasingly wearing Green and playing for Green.  (By the way, the referee was Mr Corner, who should be a lino really so his nominative determinism can be fine-tuned.)  2-2 after 90 minutes Unbelievably, however, they gave away the points and their last hold on a place in the division by conceding a goal in the 6th minute of stoppage time.  Tigers had players lined up on the edge of the area and there was not much that Dan Little could do as the winner was smacked in.  The scorer was either Terence Cariba or Jabir Laraba (whichever one didn’t score the first!).  Credit to both teams – a great game for the passing neutral and I hope Holmer Green keep their heads up for next season in Step 6.  Final score 2-3 Apologies for the confusion over identifying the Tigers' goalscorers this time.
The programme
Hopping for Moorfields Update
Tallies up to 185 goals from 53 games which remains around 3.5 per game.
Mars Bar Watch 2013
A standard 58g bar cost a season-standard 60p in the clubhouse.  Standard.
What Next?
Follow @GrahamYapp on Twitter for further hopping announcements.

Welcome to Eversley and California, It's a Lovely Place

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Saturday 7 April 2013 at the Eversley Sports Association Ground.
Result	Eversley & California 1 AFC Croydon Athletic 2
Competition	Combined Counties League Div One Cup Semi-Final (Step 6)
Hopping	511 on the lifetime list – chosen for me because it sounded interesting by Tweeter friend @cat_daisy.  That’s random enough for me on the day when most people use the same method for picking Grand National bets.
Pre-match preparation
Both teams placed in the top half of their league table.  Eversley & California are still in with a shout for the title, but that is probably unlikely now for AFC Croydon Athletic.
This match in one sentence
AFC Croydon Athletic took a while to get into their stride but two goals in quick succession just before the break proved enough.
So what?
AFC Croydon Athletic will play either Staines Lammas or Feltham in the final - their semi-final is played on Tuesday.
The drama unfolds
Thanks to the AFC Croydon Athletic website for help in identifying scorers. E&C started strongly with Neil Williams posing a threat.  An early effort hit the side netting.  It took them 23 minutes to take the lead, however.  It was a soft walk-in goal for number 9 Chris Fox after the offside defensive line had been broken.  The lead was entirely deserved at this point.  1-0 I took three short clips in quick succession around the 30 minute mark.  E&C are in the yellow-and-blue.  The first one finishes with an offside flag - would it have been a penalty if onside, I wonder?  The others show Athletic getting into the game and starting to make Richard Shelley work in the home goal. The visitors responded to the deficit and took control of the game with two goals shortly before the interval.  Daniel Cumber crossed from the right and it looped up and over the keeper to nestle in the net, not unlike a goal I scored for Selwyn College Third Team back in 1977-78.  I told everyone then that I meant it, and I trust he will do the same.  1-1 after 39 minutes Alan Bidi-Lacadoug then smacked a shot in from a central position and the game had been turned round.  1-2 after 41 minutes and at HT Within one minute of the restart, Neil Williams was bearing down on the Croydon goal again.  With the keeper beaten, his shot cannoned back off the post.  E&C put two subs up front but the second half proved to be a scrappy affair as Croydon sat back and looked for the break, and the home side got more desperate.  With 15 minutes left, they came close with this placed effort (by Jermaine Hamilton?) that went into the side-netting.  Generally speaking, the Croydon defence held firm. I took a few more clips in the closing minutes.  In the last one, E&C keeper Richard Shelley came up for a corner and won the first header – but only a cynical foul stopped Croydon from breaking away to score.  The referee did not allow them to take the freekick quickly, which rather rewarded the defender despite his yellow card.  The result was not affected, though, and the whistle went a few seconds later.  Final score 1-2
The programme
Something random
Eversley & California is a new club name for 2012-13 – Eversley FC have formally merged with California FC, who are a youth football club taking their name from the California district of Wokingham.  Together with the cricket club they have developed a large and impressive site which is leased from an aggregates company.  It is a work in progress but will be a fantastic facility. AFC Croydon Athletic is a “phoenix” club.  I last saw them in their previous incarnation going very well with a one-sided win at Ashford Town (as they were then) in Kent, three years ago to the day.  Then in 2012 their owner was arrested and eventually given a prison sentence for his part in a cricket spot-fixing scandal in the England v Pakistan series.  The club did not survive, and the new club plays at a different venue.
Hopping for Moorfields Update
I have double-checked the figures and can confirm that we are now running at 178 goals from 51 games at an average of 3.49 per game.  This was the 11th three-goal game of the season.
Mars Bar Watch 2013
Two standard 58g bars for £1.00 at the Shell petrol station on the A405 just off the M25 towards St Albans.  If you have the self-control to save one for later, this is the cheapest confirmed price of the season so far.
What Next?
Hitchin Town v Bedworth United at Top Field tomorrow evening (Monday 8 April) and, if the Yappmobile gets through its service in good time, maybe the Staines Lammas v Feltham semi-final on Tuesday.

The Daniels Done Good

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Saturday 1 April 2013 at Wothorpe Road, Stamford
Result	Stamford 4 Kings Lynn Town 1
Competition	Northern Premier League Division One South (Step 4)
Hopping	I was last here on 7/11/09 for a 4-0 win over Grantham.  My second visit is because of the chance for @CynInHerts and I to cross paths again with a group of friends from the continent.  We therefore watched the game in the company of @doingthe116, @DutchAddick, @HansRedMagic and @1904.  These guys have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the game and have been frequent visitors to these shores.
Pre-match preparation
2nd plays 4th.  Kings Lynn tailed away at the end of last season to finish second in the United Counties Premier, but still managed to grasp a promotion place with the way things turned out across the country.  They are chasing a second successive promotion and won 7-0 last time out.  Stamford have also announced their ambition by signing six players recently, and they are buoyed by the news that a new stadium is now definitely on the way.  Good choice of fixture by our European visitors.
This match in one sentence
After an excellent first half, Stamford were two up though Kings Lynn had looked equally strong, but the visitors’ second-half comeback plans were thwarted by a quick third goal and so they endured a long lingering defeat.
So what?
Coalville Town were held to a home draw by Gresley so this is a chance missed by Kings Lynn.  Coalville have a game in hand and lead by two points.  However, both Stamford and Kings Lynn look good for a playoff place and may yet have to meet again this season.
The drama unfolds
This was a good game straight from the kickoff, with two good sides trying to establish dominance.  There was both skill and strength on display.  If anything, Kings Lynn looked slightly more dangerous, though their keeper Daniel Gay had needed to scramble to push away a curling cross-cum-shot from Tom Byrne, one of Stamford’s new faces. It still felt slightly against the run of play when Liam Richardson poked a shot into the roof of the net to give Stamford the lead.  1-0 after 20 minutes This provoked Kings Lynn.  A loose crossfield ball from the Stamford defence allowed Daniel Jacob to link with Shane Tolley, but the latter’s shot curled just wide.  On the half-hour, Tolley played a neat flick to Steve Spriggs who also shot wide.  The approach play looked promising. My scene-setter clip comes from the 35-minute mark.  Stamford are in red. The second clip followed almost immediately and captures Andy Hall getting a second goal for the home side on the break.  2-0 after 42 minutes and at half-time The 2-0 scoreline seemed harsh on Kings Lynn but their fans remained optimistic in their half-time chat, especially as they would be playing down the slope.  They started the second half on the front foot and forced Matt Finlay to make a diving catch, but Stamford’s third goal, arriving shortly afterwards, was not in their script.  Jordan Hempenstall was the scorer.  3-0 after 50 minutes Kings Lynn left themselves short on numbers at the back as they tried to get back in the game, and Stamford soon had two more excellent chances.  One shot went just wide though it would have been called for offside if a teammate at the far post had made contact, and Ricky Miller rather scuffed a shot having created his shooting chance.  However, Miller’s goal came soon afterwards – the ball fell to him in lots of space after a freekick and he shot on the turn.  4-0 after 82 minutes Stamford’s Tom Batchelor picked up a needless second yellow (and thus a red) for a late tackle, and then in the final moments Kings Lynn got a consolation goal when they worked an indirect freekick routine after a passback infringement.  Russell Dunkley lashed the shot home.  Final score 4-1
The programme
Something random
@CynInHerts received a message alerting her to the beauties of Stamford Station, so we had to check this out.  The message was correct – it is a very pleasant old-school station which has pretty much everything except a bunch of Railway Children and Ted Ray.
Hopping for Moorfields Update
Five goals, two Dutchmen and two Belgians to add to the various tallies.  End-of-season total should be over £500.
Mars Bar Watch 2013
A standard 58g bar for a standard 60p.  Uncontroversial.
What Next?
No idea whatsoever!  I may look for some local evening hops as a reward if I have some good work days this week.  Regular readers will know that I am between jobs and have a lot to do before the new school term starts on 15 April.