Never! A Lucky Gift for Horsens in the Goalmouth

This man had a very bad day at the office

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Monday 29 October 2012 at the CASA Arena
Result	AC Horsens 1 FC København 0
Competition	Danish Superliga (top tier)
Hopping	Last hop of this trip (the fifth) and number 491 on the lifetime list.
Pre-match preparation
An Autumnal morning walk around Himmelbjerget enjoying the solitude and the colours, and a quick afternoon stomp round Aarhus.  For the evening game, FC København will start as favourites since they are league leaders and I will have the Horsens sausages for my tea. Aarhus, in the middle of a street ... Madness
This match in one sentence
The league leaders failed to turn up, and although the goal was a gift, the win was well-deserved.
So what?
FCK still lead the league by three points, AC Horsens are seventh, and fourteen rounds of games have been completed.  The headline in the paper is "Kielstrup Sagde Tak" ... Kielstrup Says Thanks.
The drama unfolds
Table-toppers FCK hit the post with an early header but actually Horsens had the better of the early exchanges.  After 11 minutes André Bjerregaard and Jude Nworuh combined well and the latter's shot rolled to safety off the post.  Kim Christensen in the visiting goal had his final good moment of the evening a few seconds later as he blocked a Nworuh effort.  He then fluffed his handling at the ensuing corner but got away with it.  I took my scene-setter clip after 15 minutes and captured a fine tackle by Horsens' Thomas Kortegaard. Nothing much happened of note for a few minutes.  Horsens' approach play was pretty and you wouldn't have known that København were league leaders.  The only goal of the game was a gift.  Christensen, under no particular pressure, passed straight out to Steffen Kielstrup in a central position.  He took a touch to flick it up off the ground before he belted it back over the retreating keeper.  Two defenders took the trouble to go and console him.  No-one else anywhere near me cared. 1-0 It could have so easily been 3-0 within a couple of minutes.   First Bjerregaard just failed to get a touch to a through ball and then a shot was deflected on to the bar.  Horsens' first task was to get to half-time in the lead, and despite starting to defend a bit too deep they did so easily enough.  1-0 at half-time Horsens kept their defensive line higher and by the time they got to 60 minutes on the clock their keeper had only one punch to make.  København were out of sorts and if anything the home team looked more likely to score.  My second clip from 66 minutes has a chance at each end. These short clips are from 77, 84 and 86 minutes as København finally threw more men forward.  Horsens had to defend one of the corners with ten men as someone got treatment. The window of opportunity for a dramatic finish was opened with a second yellow card in the last minutes for Mads Agesen.  Here's the incident and you are the ref - did he deserve that? The last clip is from stoppage time as Horsens held on, defending a couple of set pieces to take all three points.  Final score 1-0
The programme
Something random - hopping in Denmark
I've thoroughly enjoyed this Jutland trip.  I flew from Stansted to Billund and used a hotel in Herning as a base.  The driving in rural Denmark is a pleasure.  Everyone spoke English really well, it has to be said, so my attempts at the local language were confined to reading rather than speaking.  Especially when the hotel receptionist turned out to be Bulgarian. Even though I managed to avoid the English, I couldn't avoid the English Premier League.  It's everywhere - I could even have bought a Manchester United shirt in the shop at Esbjerg's Blue Water stadium, for crying out loud.  Fortunately I had cleaned my boots earlier in the day.  My newspaper of choice for the week (BT - it's tabloidish and has lots of piccies and short sentences) gave more coverage to the EPL than to the second tier of Danish football.  To be fair, they give priority to tracking Danish international players, and so there is coverage of important games in La Liga and Die Bundesliga too.  There are other sporting alternatives - as it happens I found football every day but there are alternatives in ice hockey, handball and basketball.  For hopping purposes, staggered ko times mean that there are good chances of a daily double. The stadia were all less than half-full for the games I attended - so parking was easy if you turn up early enough, and getting away not too bad - and with a family atmosphere, plenty of mums and children in attendance too.  The away supporters were noisier, as usual.  The cost of a match ticket plus programme was around £12-£16 at today's exchange rate depending on where you chose to stand or sit.  Given that these are visually interesting and well-equipped stadia, it's astonishingly good value.  How the Superliga is surviving at this standard with crowds of a few thousand is amazing really.  They deserve better - as it happens, all the games I saw were tight affairs, with the result in doubt right to the final whistle, and as a passing neutral that's what I like more than anything. For your pre-match food, embrace the sausage is my advice, and don't hold back on the condiments.  Repeat. The style was continental with triangles, by and large, not played at a frenetic and lung-bursting pace but a nice change from the athleticism and percentage plays of the English leagues.  I hope I get a chance to go again and tick off some more.  Thanks for your interest in my latest ramblings.
Hopping for Moorfields Update
The five-match Danish trip, with 12 goals in 5 games, has brought the rolling average down a bit.  However, with 102 goals in 28 games we are still well within the bounds of pre-season expectation and a penny-a-goal pledge will be between two and three pounds, still less than the price of your Danish pre-match sausage.  You can add a pledge via Twitter or by email on headyapp(at)hotmail.com and I will ask you to pay up at the end of the season.
What Next?
A pile of laundry.  Other than that, not sure - follow @GrahamYapp on Twitter for any announcements.

Don't Bank on Midtjylland when Brøndby Visit

The coaches squared up to each other even before kickoff

 

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Sunday 28 October 2012 at the MCH Arena
Result	FC Midtjylland 1 Brøndby 1
Competition	Danish Superliga (top tier)
Hopping	490 on the lifetime list and the fourth of the trip
Pre-match preparation
9th v 12th (bottom) in the Superliga
This match in one sentence
Frustration for the home side as they failed to protect a hard-won lead by conceding a soft late equaliser.
So what?
No change in league positions, and a pastry for me as I try to read the match report the next day in the James Richardson style.
The drama unfolds
Brøndby have the best figures for away support in this league and their noisy supporters brought flair and flares to the occasion, along with a periodic random rendition of "Yellow Submarine".  To be honest, there was not much of distinction in the first quarter of the game, so let's cut to the scene-setter clip taken at the midpoint of the first half. After 26 minutes there was a touching moment as the ref helped a Brøndby player, Clarence Goodson, to his feet and then produced a matching yellow card from behind his back to our general amusement.  The home side had gradually settled and this second clip has a chance for them from a set piece. The third clip is from the half-hour mark.  The lively Rilwan Hassan had been fouled and two more decent chances followed. However, Brøndby reminded us all of their presence.  Quincy Antipas, wearing 80, had also looked lively all game and his rising shot was magnificently tipped over the bar by a flying Jonas Lössi.  That could be one of the best saves I have ever seen in a live game.  The ref became the centre of attention just before half-time.  Mads Albaek went on a powerful run from half-way and cut into the area.  Although he seemed to have missed his best options, he was then tripped, or so I and everyone else at the FCM end thought.  Mr Hansen didn't (not that one, this is Kenn).  This clip shows FCM hitting the woodwork just before half-time.  0-0 at half-time The home support were reasonably optimistic at this point, even when Brøndby had a goal disallowed straight from the restart.  The optimism was cemented as FCM took the lead after 55 minutes.  Danny Olsen's initial shot was beaten out, but the ball came to Hassan on the right who created the chance for Petter Andersson to finish.  1-0 They almost gave a goal away again immediately.  Kolja Afriyie slipped and let in Dennis Rommedahl but his shot was deflected wide.  From the partially cleared corner, Hassan showed a sublime bit of skill to release Albaek with an overhead kick.  Albaek's rising shot, however, rose too high. This clip is from 77 minutes. The equalising goal has been credited to Antipas and here it is in Clip 6.  Decide for yourself whether he looks surprised enough as it goes in.  It may be one of the best clips of goalkeeper indecision you will ever see.  1-1 It was a nervy final few minutes for the now-disgruntled home supporters as Brøndby risked being greedy.  They could have won it in stoppage time.  Here's the flavour of the closing moments in three short clips.  Final score 1-1
The programme
Laer Dansk Gennem Fodbold (Learn Danish Through Football)
Weekendens Hold - Team of the Week(end) Weekendens Flophold - Team of Flops of the Week(end) Gule Kort - Yellow cards Røde Kort - Red cards Søndag - Sunday
Hopping for Moorfields Update
Two goals added to the cumulative tally.
What Next?
One game left on this trip - Horsens v København tomorrow evening

Hedinsson Taps In, Son

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Sunday 28 October 2012 at the Blue Water Arena
Result	Esbjerg 1 SønderjyskE 2
Competition	Danish Superliga (top tier)
Hopping	489 on the lifetime list and the third of this trip
Pre-match preparation
10th v 8th in the Superliga.  Top scorers are Jakob Andersen and Lasse Vibe with four each for the respective sides.  The visitors are based in Haderslev and the capital E at the end of the name stands for Elite.
This match in one sentence
An injury-time winner took the points.
So what?
Esbjerg stay 10th, SønderjyskE climb to 7th depending on Monday's result.
The drama unfolds
The teams traded half-chances in the first twenty minutes or so.  Esbjerg's Kenneth Fabricius almost turned in a dangerous low cross from the right in the first minute.  SønderjyskE's Lasse Vibe sent a volley wide and then a cross just eluded him.  In the meantime Jacob Ankersen had also gone close for the home side. On 16 minutes, a super SønderjyskE move released Gill Swerts down the right and he laid on another shooting chance for Vibe.  Esbjerg's goalkeeper, Lukas Hradecky, made a magnificent one-handed stop. The scene-setter clip is from 24 minutes in. Just after this, SønderjyskE had two chances in quick succession after Jakob Ankersen had been harshly judged to have fouled Tommy Bechmann.  It is Bechmann who makes Hradecky work again in this next clip. As the interval approached, Martin Braithwaite might have done better with a header for the home side, and then Fabricius got hurt in the box in almost the same circumstances as the first minute.  Here's the clip, with a delicious pass by Steffen Ernemann to set up the chance, followed by another clip from stoppage time which has Sebastian Andersen hitting the bar after a good save from the visiting keeper.  0-0 at half-time SønderjyskE took the lead very early in the second half.  Hradecky punched a cross clear but the ball fell to Vibe whose shot crept in through a crowd, maybe with a deflection.  0-1 The visitors' defence were looking right into low bright sunlight and that could have been a factor in the equaliser after 56 minutes.  Jakob Ankersen got in front of his marker to head in Peter Ankersen's cross.  1-1 The SønderjyskE keeper was perhaps a bit fortunate to save a shot from Ernemann - his block looped up and landed on the roof of the net.  The game entered a cagey phase - both sides made substitutions and the rhythm became staccato.  The next two clips are from late Esbjerg pressure as they responded to the home crowd's urging. The sucker-punch winning goal came in stoppage time - I just caught the end of the play on film.  It will be unpleasant viewing for the Esbjerg faithful.  The scorer is Eyolfur Hedinsson.  If only it had been a header.  Final score 1-2
The programme
Laer Dansk Gennem Fodbold (Learn Danish Through Football)
forsvaret  defence midtbanen  midfield angrebet  attack dommer  referee Bechmann og Vibe voldte forsvarerne visse problemer Bechmann & Vibe caused the defenders some problems raekke - row
Hopping for Moorfields Update
Three goals, and therefore a three-goal game which is a bonus affecting one of my kind sponsors!
What Next?
Midtjylland v Brøndby in the same league later today.

Viborg Not Vibrant Enough for a Win

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Saturday 27 October at the Energi Arena
Result	Viborg 2 Fredericia 2
Competition	Danish 1st Division (second tier)
Hopping	Second game of the trip and 488 on the lifetime list
Pre-match preparation
4th plays 6th and the home side are the division's biggest scorers.
This match in one sentence
An entertaining draw in which the visitors had several late chances to take all three points.
So what?
No change in league positions after the full round of weekend matches, but both sides are in the top six which are separated by only four points.
The drama unfolds
Presumably as a result of subliminal advertising, I entered the world of European pre-match sausage action with my first "Pølse med Brod".  (I am usually a pie man but the Vikings are not sold on them.)  They were very tasty both at the time and at regular intervals thereafter, if you get my drift.  I initially wasn't sure whether to eat the skin or make a pair of gloves with it, so I looked around for reassurance on Danish sausage etiquette.  I'd taken a miniscule portion of the two sauces on offer which gave me away as a foreigner.  Mind you I think the bloke I was observing ate the styrofoam tray too so this may be misleading. With a small contingent of Fredericia supporters led by a multitasking tuneless drummer with a megaphone, the match kicked off with the man in the moon watching from above.  After 6 minutes, Viborg's Patrick Nielsen was left unmarked after a throw-in routine on the left flank, and his good cross was headed just wide by Mikkel Rask.  After 13 minutes there was a mad goalmouth scramble at the other end.  My first scene-setter clip is from halfway through the first half, with the match still scoreless. Fredericia took the lead in the 30th minute.  A defender's slip let a visiting attacker in for a shot, but he hit the post.  The rebound fell to Anders Jacobsen whose first shot was saved but the second was unstoppable.  This was rather against the run of play.  0-1 The Nielsen throw-in move was repeated but this time his cross was over-hit.  The same player then showed nimble footwork in the box to win a corner, but his next contribution missed the target.  He was very much in the game though, and rightly went on the win the man-of-the-match accolade.  He was in the right place at the right time to get on the end of a right-wing cross in first-half stoppage time.  Defenders looked at each other - the defensive header had flicked the ball on rather than cleared it.  Draft plans for half-time team talks, if they existed, were binned.  1-1 at half-time Viborg were fired-up for the start of the second half and were soon in front.  Full-back Jonas Thorsen showed ambition and footwork (neat or nimble, take your pick) and got to the byeline - the ball ended up in the far corner from an impossible angle and was credited to Thomas Dalgaard.  2-1 The home side only held the lead for around 15 minutes, though, before they too showed their defensively charitable side.  They failed to deal with a corner, and the ball worked its way through to Jesper Christiansen at the far post who had the presence of mind  and chest to force it over the line.  2-2 There were other chances - Fredericia's keeper flapped at a couple of crosses, but they could also have scored.  They had three decent chances in stoppage time alone.  The best was a backheel from Pierre Kanstrup to Jesper Luth whose shot was well saved.  Nikolaj Hagelsklaer also fizzed one just wide.  Probably a fair result to an entertaining game.  I have one more second-half clip for the annals of history.  Final score 2-2
The programme
Lær Dansk Gennem Fodbold (Learn Danish Through Football)
Bedst hos  best player Mål  goal Målmand  goalkeeper Tilskuere  attendance Oprykning  promotion Nedrykning  relegation
Hopping for Moorfields Update
Four more goals for the total, but nothing else of fundraising significance.
What Next?
Esbjerg v Sonderjyske in the Danish top tier (Superliga) on Sunday.

AB They'll Win, AB They Won't

High-rise housing for birds next to the pitch

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Saturday 27 October at the DS Arena
Result	Hobro 1 AB 1
Competition	First Division (Denmark) - the second tier
Hopping	487 on the lifetime list and the first in mainland Denmark
Pre-match preparation
Hobro are seventh and AB are twelfth (of twelve) in this division.  Bassel Jradi of AB (which stands for Akademisk Boldklub) is the only name anywhere near the top of the divisional scorers list, with five this season.  AB are from Gladsaxe to the north of Kobenhavn.  Also, pre-match, a quick visit to the Randers Regnskov, a tropical zoo.  Somewhere warm to compensate for the rest of the day, which was a bit chilly! ... because toucan play at this game hahaha (* old joke alert *)
This match in one sentence
AB took the lead, gifted an equaliser to their hosts, and then had to hang on for the point after going down to ten men.
So what?
Hobro are still seventh but the point lifts AB off the bottom spot for at least one day.
The drama unfolds
Here's an early scene-setter clip taken from the side opposite the main stand.  This is a very neat and well-equipped ground in a delightful setting.  After this I took up a seat in the stand to avoid the low sun in my eyes. AB did better than their league table position suggested and marginally had the edge in the first quarter of the game.  Then suddenly, Hobro had a two chances in quick succession.  Rasmus Mathiesen cleared a goalbound shot off the line and there was also a block from the consequent corner.  Two minutes later AB took the lead as Thomas Sørensen crossed for Kevin Bechmann Timm to glance in a neat header.  0-1 The next clip is from the end of the first half.  0-1 at half-time Kristian Geertsen found space on the left to create another chance for Timm, whose dipping and swerving shot made the keeper scurry across his line.  These two clips are from 52 and 58 minutes.  The second contains the comedy equaliser gifted to Mustafa Hassan Ahmed.  He was a handful all afternoon and deservedly got the man-of-the-match award. 1-1 Hobro's Mathias Unkuri got through for a one-on-one with the AB goalkeeper, Rune Pedersen.  The contact seemed minimal but Pedersen started rolling around in apparent agony.  Sørensen ran 30m to confront Unkuri and definitely made aggressive contact.  The ref took a full minute to separate the various parties as Pedersen lay unattended on the ground.  His miraculous recovery was a few moments away.  Both Sørensen and Unkuri got a yellow, as did AB's Marc Dal Hende, who promptly fell dramatically to his knees.  There was half a minute of confusion before the ref, having consulted his notes, produced the red to go with it.  It must have been the second yellow.  If it is not for something he said, then I have no idea what it is for.  Klaus Lykke dropped into the back line and did sterling work for the rest of the game. Hobro's Kasper Fisker really should have scored soon after.  In the next clip, Pedersen goes down again. You decide how much contact there was this time.  The final clip is in stoppage time, of which we had six minutes or so, and Hobro are close to scoring.  The only other thing I can tell you is that someone hit the bar at some point with a header from a corner, and a shot was blocked.  I was working with freezing cold hands and no specs, and I wrote that particular note on my shopping list instead of on my match notes, so we will never know who and when.  I'm an amateur.  Final score 1-1
The programme
Lær Dansk Gennem Fodbold (Learn Danish Through Football)
Det bliver utroligt spændende at folge om Esbjerg holde dampen oppe mod Sonderjyske. It will be exciting to see if Esbjerg can maintain the momentum against Sonderjyske. (From the newspaper preview of the match I am headed to on Sunday lunchtime!) West Brom har haft en fantastisk start på saesonen. West Brom have had a fantastic start to the season. Alex har en hårtørrer. Alex has a hairdryer.
Hopping for Moorfields Update
Two goals to add to the tally, but nothing else of fund-raising significance.
What Next?
Viborg v Fredericia, in the same division, later on the same day.