Hooky Hanging On in the Vase

The visitors are known as The Satsumas ... no prizes for guessing which team is which.

Cricket boundary line explains the Sunday scheduling!

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Sunday 11 September, The Bourne
Result	Hook Norton 2 (Wyatt 11, Tillcock 100) Wokingham & Emmbrook 2 (Thomas 48, Rusby 114) after extra time
Competition	FA Vase First Qualifying Round.  Both these sides play in the Hellenic League, but Hook Norton are one step lower (step 6, Div One West) than their visitors (step 5, Premier Division).
Hopping	Third FA Vase tie of the weekend and #420 on the lifetime list
This match in one sentence
The teams shared four wind assisted goals, one each in normal time and another one each in extra-time.
So what?
A replay will be needed to decide who travels to Winslow United in the next round.  (Postscript – Wokingham & Emmbrook won it 2-0)
Something random
A herd of cows provided occasional distraction as they wandered around adjacent fields.  They started the game by keeping an eye on two matches (a youth game was in progress nearby).  The burger supply for this club would seem to be secure. However, they wandered round next to the main match as the tension increased and were duly rewarded with a stray match ball.
The drama unfolds
The wind conditions, albeit in bright sunshine, favoured the teams kicking towards the clubhouse, and Jamie Wyatt scored first after 11 minutes to give the home side an early lead.  1-0 The video clip shows that Jason Tillcock very nearly added a second after 26 minutes.  Set pieces at this end of the ground were always going to be a danger, and also in danger of sending me into Faroe Island hopper reminiscing to anyone in earshot.  (Hello, Lee...) It needed another fingertip save 6 minutes later to keep the score down to 1-0 as the home side made the most of their advantage, and the visitors may have been relieved with the single-goal deficit.  1-0 at half-time The Satsumas equalised only three minutes into the second half.  Dean Thomas was the scorer.  Hook Norton will be annoyed that they faltered defensively in what was otherwise a solid display at the back.  Thomas seemed to have an age to get the ball under control before he lashed it into the roof of the net.  1-1 The second clip shows that corners continued to be the main source of goal threat, but, against the odds, Hook Norton held on level after 90 minutes despite being under considerable pressure for most of the second half.  1-1 after 90 minutes In extra-time, Hook Norton grabbed the lead in the first period after the turnround. This was a superb move.  Great credit to #7 who made the decisive run and played a pinpoint pass, and Tillcock finished calmly for a great goal.  2-1 Almost predictably by now, there was a Satsuma leveller once again after the change of ends.  Hook Norton could not defend a viciously swinging corner and substitute John Rusby got the goal.  2-2 Five minutes before the end, Hook Norton’s defender Richard Stevenson picked up a straight red card having raised his hands.  The incident was two metres away from me and I missed it as I was looking up to make sure I avoided the ball coming down from the sky towards my head.  I did hear the ref say, “You give me no choice. You cannot do that on a football field.” The cows had wandered off into the distance and the match ended in an entertaining draw.  2-2 after extra time Acknowledgement to club websites for help in identifying scorers
Man-of-the-Match
Jason Tillcock for hitting the bar and for a cool finish.
A snippet from the programme
There was a minute’s silence before the game.  The programme explained that it was in memory of 17yo Jay Wills, killed recently in a car accident.  Jay had been a reserve team regular and had made a handful of first team appearances.  Other things are duly put into perspective.
What I learned today
Hook Norton is a delightful Oxfordshire village with a brewery, and Wokingham & Emmbrook are known as The Satsumas.  All of this is useful knowledge.
What Next?
The FA Cup plan for the weekend will see me at Kidsgrove Athletic to see if Gornal Athletic can continue with their precocious giant-killing and goalglut displays.