GY reports from GY

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Saturday 24 September at Wellesley Recreation Ground
Result	Great Yarmouth Town 0 Felixstowe & Walton Utd 5 (Cole 11, 63 Hampson 61, Duzgun 70, Cranfield 90+2)
Competition	FA Vase 2nd Round Qualifying.  Both clubs play their league football in the step 5 Eastern Counties Premier league.
Hopping	I am here because the New Zealand All Blacks scored 37 points in their victory over France at the Rugby World Cup – see previous blogpost for details!
This match in one sentence
The result was still in balance at the interval as the visitors were only one goal up, but the hosts fell apart in the second half and meekly leave the competition.
So what?
Felixstowe & Walton will host Haverhill Rovers in the next round, who beat Norwich United 5-1 at home.
Something random
Scroby Sands Wind Farm on the horizon I wish I could give you a peer review of the pier revue I have to say that I am not a great fan of what the English do with their coastline.  Great Yarmouth is by no means the “last resort” for a day at the seaside but I find the promenades of amusement arcades and any-combination-with-chips restaurants to be unutterably depressing.  It’s as if town planners run out of ideas where the land meets the sea.  In its defence, Great Yarmouth looked clean, safe and friendly with plenty to do for young families but as a Midlander I prefer my sea to be wild, awesome and inspiring.
The drama unfolds
To describe this match in dramatic terms would probably be an offence under the Trade Descriptions Act.  Here is a scene-setter clip from the early minutes of the game.  Great Yarmouth are in gold-and-black, Felixsowe & Walton in red-and-white. After 11 minutes, a long ball from Matt Rylands bounced awkwardly between striker Jamie Cole and the debutant keeper Peter Souza, allowing Cole to get round and tap into an unguarded net.  0-1 The first sniff of an equaliser came after 20 minutes, but a shot came in at a comfortable height for Guy Clubb in the Felixstowe goal.  Ten minutes later, Great Yarmouth’s wide left midfielder Fernando Vide, always tricky in possession and ready to run at defenders, cut in and shot low but the save was easy enough.  Just before half-time, a great ball to Liam Bartley was followed by a nice finish, but the flag was up and the goal disallowed.  It had been a pretty ordinary half, and Felixstowe kept their one-goal lead at the break.  0-1 at half-time Felixstowe’s Ben Garnham missed a headed chance two minutes into the second period but in the end it didn’t matter as they started to stretch their lead.  The shot in this picture, again by Jamie Cole, was deflected in by Adam Hampson for the second.  0-2 The third was smashed in from close range by Jamie Cole after a good save, but attackers were queueing up and the game was over as a contest.  0-3 My second-half clip is taken from the back row of the main stand. The fourth goal was an easy finish for Sevitham Duzgun with Great Yarmouth in defensive disarray.  0-4 The fifth came in stoppage time, a low shot into the corner by Ben Cranfield.  Final score 0-5
Man-of-the-Match
Jamie Cole of Felixstowe & Walton United.
A snippet from the programme
Snippets from Mike Derbyshire (Great Yarmouth) in the Manager’s Notes: “Well, I have received a fabulous welcome from everybody connected with GYTFC since taking over the manager’s job here two weeks ago … Unfortunately, I have lost a second good player in the space of just a few days with our young goalkeeper moving on … I was so happy for everyone at the club that we were able to secure our first win of the season last Saturday (against Brantham) … but no-one is getting carried away and in some senses we were given a very quick and sharp reality check on Tuesday evening when we travelled to face the league leaders, Dereham… So we learn and move on. That’s what’s important!”
What I learned today
The main stand at the Wellesley is said to be the world’s oldest grandstand among those currently in use.  It dates from the reign of Queen Victoria, having been opened in June 1892 and is named after Sir Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, of Waterloo fame.
What Next?
No idea at the moment, so follow @GrahamYapp on Twitter for any announcements.

Where am I going?

Where am I going this afternoon for some FA Vase action?  Well, let's see how many points New Zealand get against France in the Rugby World Cup game just under way.  The ties in the table are all of those, at unvisited grounds, that I can get to comfortably (famous last words) by leaving the house at around 11.30am.  It's randomish.

10.00am update - have amended the table slightly as New Zealand are three tries up before I'd made a coffee - if they get more than 56 points we return to the top of that chart as shown.  If they get more than 110pts we go round a third time.

Long Eaton United	v	Lincoln Moorlands Railway	3 or 57
Dunkirk	v	Pinxton	4 or 58
Shirebrook Town	v	Glossop North End	5 or 59 etc
Ollerton Town	v	Deeping Rangers	6
Holbeach United	v	Newark Town	7
Arnold Town	v	Calverton MW	8
Teversal	v	Blackwell MW	9
Boston Town	v	Radford	10
Stafford Town	v	Pelsall Villa	11
Highgate United	v	Dudley Sports	12
Brocton	v	Earlswood Town	13
Alvechurch	v	Pilkington XXX	14
Coventry Sphinx	v	Norton United	15
Studley	v	Gornal Athletic	16
Wolverhampton SC	v	Atherstone Town	17
Walsall Wood	v	Ellesmere Rangers	18
Coventry Copsewood	v	Castle Vale	19
Wellington	v	Tividale	20
Racing Club Warwick	v	Bromyard Town	21
Westfields	v	Dudley Town	22
Stratford Town	v	Southam United	23
Heath Hayes	v	AFC Wulfrunians	24
Oadby Town	v	Huntingdon Town	25
Barrow Town	v	Ellistown	26
Ashby Ivanhoe	v	St Andrews	27
Birstall United	v	Yaxley	28
Lutterworth Athletic	v	Anstey Nomads	29
Godmanchester Rovers	v	Northampton Spencer	30
Aylestone Park	v	Desborough Town	31
Cogenhoe United	v	Kirby Muxloe	32
Stewarts & Lloyds Corby	v	Irchester United	33
Rushden & Higham United	v	Peterborough Northern Star	34
Framlingham Town	v	Diss Town	35
Gorleston	v	Mildenhall Town	36
Great Yarmouth Town	v	Felixstowe & Walton United	37
Ipswich Wanderers	v	Thetford Town	38
Debenham LC	v	Team Bury	39
Stowmarket Town	v	Walsham Le Willows	40
Whitton United	v	Downham Town	41
FC Clacton	v	Cornard United	42
Halstead Town	v	Newmarket Town	43
Clapton	v	Southend Manor	44
Hullbridge Sports	v	Bowers & Pitsea	45
Burnham Ramblers	v	Takeley	46
Barking	v	Potton United	47
Bedford	v	Basildon United	48
Reading Town	v	Aylesbury United	49
Winslow United	v	Wokingham & Emmbrook	50
Thame United	v	Hanwell Town	51
Henley Town	v	Milton United	52
Carterton	v	Shrivenham	53
Newbury	v	Clanfield 85_	54
Bracknell Town	v	Hillingdon Borough	55
Banstead Athletic	v	Erith Town	56

Small print: if it turns out to be a ground that breaks my personal hopping rules in any way (e.g. a groundsharing tenant that I didn't know about), then I subtract one from the score.  Other randomish methods of selecting football matches are available.  The value of your blood pressure can go up and down.  Pies will certainly go down later if available.  Mileage will go up.  Terms and conditions apply - it's term-time and I am not in the best of conditions.


THE OUTCOME: 37pts, so Great Yarmouth it is!