Exposing the Sham in Amersham Leads to a Rye Smile

On 17 November I hopped to Amersham Town and blogged on their 1-0 FA Vase win over higher-ranked Rye United.  Here’s the link:

http://modushopperrandom.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/stop-amersham-time.html

However, my thanks go to @TravellingFan for spotting the background to the FA’s decision to reinstate Rye to face South Park in the next round.  The text is self-explanatory, it comes from the Hastings Observer, and here is the original link.  Interesting that Twitter is once again part of the story!  I don't watch TV and wouldn't have noticed the "ringer" anyway.

http://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/sport/county-league-football/rye-back-in-fa-vase-1-4522365

QUOTE

“Rye United have been re-instated in the FA Vase after their complaint to the Football Association was successful.

The Quarterboys found out on Friday that their 1-0 defeat away to Amersham Town last weekend had been overturned after Amersham admitted to fielding a player under an assumed name.

Rye website manager Richard King, who did all the groundwork for the complaint, said: “We found another piece of evidence on Friday morning and that tipped them over the edge. They admitted it to the FA because the hearing was this Tuesday. They had no choice.”

Amersham named Matthew Stone on the teamsheet even though Stone was actually in Coventry and wrote on social network site Twitter during the game. Rye got in touch with Stone, who said straight away that he hadn’t played for Amersham on the day or since the beginning of September.

Amersham admitted to playing Eddie Savage under the name of Stone. Savage, an ex-Wycombe Wanderers player who also played the fictional character Steven Beale in BBC soap opera EastEnders until 2002, wasn’t signed-on for Amersham.

Rye also believe there was a second case of Amersham fielding a player under an assumed name, but haven’t received confirmation of that because once Amersham admitted the first one, there was no need to continue pursuing the second.

Like the 63 other second round winners, Rye will receive £1,200 from the FA’s prize-fund and will host South Park in the last 64 on Saturday December 8. Amersham’s punishment has not yet been announced, although it’s likely to be a hefty fine and ban from the competition.”

QUOTE ENDS

I really can’t argue with the FA decision and as a neutral lover of sport I feel cheated by this club.  I won’t be going back there ever.

Not in Doubt at Nottingham

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Saturday 24 November 2012 at the Capital FM Arena
Result	Nottingham Panthers 5 Cardiff Devils 0
Competition	Elite League – top-tier British ice hockey
Hopping	Number 9 on the rinkhopping list
Pre-match preparation
Not a lot – I arrived in the pouring rain with five minutes to spare from Brigg.
This match in one sentence
An efficient and dominant performance from the home team, and the points were won with the four goals in the second period.
So what?
Nottingham are fourth in their “southern” conference table and have closed the gap to Cardiff in third to just one point.
The drama unfolds
Panthers’ David Clark was penalised for hooking after 12 seconds.  This is excellent commitment on his part – his team successfully defended the powerplay.  Here’s my scene-setter clip.  This is an excellent and comfortable arena, by the way – thoroughly enjoyed the visit here. Each team had one more powerplay opportunity in the first period but there were no goals.  I was surprised to find the shot count announced as 8-8 because my impression had been that Nottingham were well on top.  What do I know?  I don’t even know all the actions to the music – it’s embarrassing when you get “Put your hands up in the air, put your hands up in the air” mixed up with “We will rock you” and I have no idea about this gangplank style thing that everyone is doing.  0-0 at the end of the first period Panthers removed any lingering doubt about this result with a second period demolition of the Devils.  Cardiff had three penalties and Nottingham were lethal in converting all three into powerplay goals, with another one thrown in.  Bruce Graham scored one and assisted two, Pat Galivan scored two, including one from a rebound from a shot smacked in by Jordan Fox from the blue line, and Matthew Myers had the even-handed goal.  See, I am picking up the jargon.  Game over, to all intents and purposes.  4-0 at the end of the second period Myers added his second and the team’s fifth in the third period.  Not much else by way of drama apart from a bit of coincidental 2+2 roughing penalties and two of the officials hitting the ice when trying to separate the teams.  One of the penalties was against the Panthers’ netminder Craig Kowalski so fair play to Devils’ Devin Didiomete for trying to rough up someone with even more padding.  Final score 5-0
The programme
Something random
Clockwise!!!! It was never in doubt. Look at the posts tagged ice hockey in the cloud on the right if you would like an insight into the strange world of Zamboni behaviour.  This one has been badly disguised as an aeroplane but fools no-one.
Hopping for Moorfields Update
Nothing to add – except that you can still make a pledge which I will ask you to pay up in June 2013 to help the funding of world-class eye and sight research at Moorfields Hospital.  Use the HoppingForMoorfields tag to look for further details.
What Next?
I will try to get to a midweek game, working hours and weather permitting.  Hanworth Villa v Littlehampton in a Vase replay on Tuesday is top of the shortlist.

Coalville's Win at Brigg is Fair Enough

Excellent non-league stadium design - a flat surface for pie parking while tweeting goalflashes 

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Saturday 24 November 2012 at The Hawthorns
Result	Brigg Town 0 Coalville Town 3
Competition	Northern Premier League Division One South (step 4)
Hopping	Ground 495 on the lifetime list, and I am here in a weekend of awful southern weather because @BriggFC tweeted so reassuringly on Friday night that the game would definitely be on.  Exemplary use of Twitter by the club if I may say so.
Pre-match preparation
Coalville are league leaders by 7 points with both the best attack (by far) and the best defence in the table.  Brigg have picked up most of their points away from home and are a bit too low down the table for comfort.
This match in one sentence
Brigg made a bad start and made it worse by gifting a second goal, and in the end it was a comfortable win for Coalville.
So what?
Coalville extend their divisional lead, and Brigg drop to 18th albeit with a game or two in hand over the teams immediately above.
The drama unfolds
After a pre-match chat with @knockernorton1, Coalville gave us an early notice of their intentions.  After 11 minutes, a direct free-kick from full-back and captain Cameron Stuart clipped the bar with home supporters complaining that large visiting forwards standing in an offside position must have been interfering with play.  One of them, Ryan Robbins, then burst through again and rolled a shot just wide.  He and Jerome Murdock terrorised the home defence all afternoon. It was only another few minutes before Coalville had the lead.  Robbins reached the left byeline and sent in a low cross, curling away from the keeper.  Miles Fenty got his fingertips to it but only managed to push it into the path of Stuart, again in a very attacking central position, and he finished gleefully.  0-1 The second came in the 20th minute and was a defensive calamity.  A mix-up at the back presented Lewis Dodd with the ball on the left touchline but with an open goal in front of him.  He kept his cool and rolled it in for a soft but killer goal.  0-2 Coalville had the ball in the net twice more before the interval, but the goals were correctly disallowed on both occasions.  They had looked dangerous every time they came forward.  Here is a scene-setter clip – remember Brigg are known as the Zebras. @BriggFC had tweeted yesterday that the rain was expected after 4pm and the first spots arrived during the break, so we moved to the comfort of the excellent stand on the far side opposite the clubhouse.  If Brigg were to make a game of it, they needed to get an early foothold and indeed they did show some ambition.  My second clip is from early in the second half.  By 4.06pm it was raining harder. However, the game was killed off as a contest by Coalville’s third goal on 63 minutes.  A left wing corner made it to the far post, the defensive header was missed, and this time the right-back, Danny Jenno, was in the right spot to head over the line.  0-3 The game then rather petered out, to be honest.  Both sides made substitutions which broke up the flow.  Robbins and Murdock seemed to get into some sort of argument with the Brigg bench as they walked back to the changing room, but there is not much else to report.  It was a convincing performance from the league leaders.  Final score 0-3
The programme
Something random
This is the first time I have ever seen Brigg Town.  I have sat alongside the Coalville Town supporters once before, in their narrow defeat in the FA Vase final of 2010-11 at Wembley.  That game can be picked up from the tag cloud on the right of the page. This visit also completes a bit of West Brom-related life trivia.  Next time anyone asks me about whether I have been to The Hawthorns, I can say, “Yes, both of them.”
Hopping for Moorfields Update
Three goals and thus another three-goal game!
What Next?
If the roads are clear, Elite League ice hockey at Nottingham Panthers as I head back south.  (I can reveal that I made it with 5 minutes to spare – the next post will report on the game.)

Needing More High Drama at Highmoor

Position at kickoff

Huddling together for warmth at a goalkick

Taken accidentally but an arty bonus!

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Monday 19 November 2012 at Palmer Park
Result	Highmoor Ibis 0 Binfield 3
Competition	Hellenic Premier League (Step 5)
Hopping	Ground 494 on the lifetime list.  A Monday off work so I was able to take on a midweek hop with a comfortable journey to the eastern outskirts of Reading.  Plenty of ‘hoppers in attendance for this one.
Pre-match preparation
Not much comment in the local press.  League table and the lack of a home win so far this season suggest that Binfield will expect to take the points.
This match in one sentence
Binfield took the points but two late goals gave the scoreline a more one-sided slant.
So what?
Binfield are now third in the table and Highmoor fourteenth.  However, the latter have played more games than some of the teams below them and they will be looking over their proverbial shoulder.
The drama unfolds
The refreshments were being served in the athletics club hut which, on my arrival, had the depressed atmosphere of a dentist’s waiting room with Mars Bars, and my appearance seemed to make no difference.  However, soon the Monday hopping fraternity were swopping tales of derring-do and then a home official came and read out the teams to us.  We sat quietly with our notebooks of various shapes and sizes, speaking only to query the spelling of Theophanides.  I took up a place at the back of the very comfortable main stand, standing next to a “No Standing” sign.  I am such a rebel sometimes. The early part of the game was, shall we say, undistinguished.  The tempo of the game in these athletic stadia venues is always staccato.  (Can you have a staccato tempo?  Musicians please advise.)  Periods of intense activity are punctuated by waits while the ball is retrieved from the long jump pit or the 3000m hurdle water jump, and it always seems to me to be very unsatisfactory.  I watched the trains go by on the adjacent main line, and made an early note that I would not report that there was a female referee, as it is irrelevant.  Oh. Here is a clip from about 20 minutes in, and Binfield are employing the long throw tactic.  There’s a half-chance at each end and that is as interesting as anything we had seen so far.  Highmoor are in blue. The aforementioned Adam Theophanides, in the home central defence, almost gave us a comedy own goal but his keeper, Daniel Smith, reacted sharply to grab his header.  The second clip has a Highmoor corner and a Binfield break, and comes from the half-hour mark. I have kept clip 3 in this week of Zlatan Ibrahimovic only because it features an as-yet-unidentified Binfield player attempting a bicycle kick.  The game faded to the interval, still a goalless stalemate.  0-0 at half-time Binfield started the second half well.  A cross delivered from the right came off the bar and fell safe.  Then Smith did well to block a shot, though it was straight at him.  Binfield started to look the more threatening.  They broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute.  Seb Bowerman caused problems on the left wing and Highmoor allowed him to do the same again a minute later.  This time his cross eluded the defence and several Binfield attackers were queueing up to finish.  James Suarez got the final touch.  0-1 I recorded, and deleted as being too tedious, several more clips after this.  It took till the 83rd minute before Binfield made the game safe.  The ball broke kindly for Carl Davies as he burst through the defensive line but he got round Smith and had an easy finish.  0-2 Here is a late clip to prove I was still awake. The third goal came in stoppage time from Garry Sergeant.  Job done.  Binfield will be happy with a three-goal away win I think.  Final score 0-3
The programme
Something random
News is in via @thecoldend that Rye United (see previous post) have lodged a formal appeal to the FA concerning the tie at Amersham.  Today’s draw has produced South Park of the Combined Counties League as the next opponents once the appeal is resolved one way or the other. My visit to Binfield was before the days of this blog (a 3-1 win in 2008-2009), but I saw Ibis earlier this season, in September at Marlow – you can pick up the post from the tag cloud on the right.  You will see that there too I reported that late goals had given their opponents a bigger win than the balance of play suggested.
Hopping for Moorfields Update
111 goals in 31 games, and a three-goal game.
What Next?
A Pot Noodle on the way home to be brutally honest.  I might try and get to an FA Vase replay on Tuesday evening if I can finish work promptly.

Stop! Amersham Time

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Saturday 17 November 2012 at Spratleys Meadow (which, it must be said, is in a very scenic setting!)
Result	Amersham Town 1 Rye United 0
Competition	FA Vase Round Two.  This is a giantkilling as the hosts play at Step 6 in the South Midlands Division 1 and the visitors are in the Step 5 Sussex League Division 1.
Hopping	Number 493 on the lifetime list – the shortest journey to an unvisited ground on the FA Vase rankings today.  I decided not to risk a longer journey today as the overnight weather had been very wet in many parts of the country.
Pre-match preparation
Form book would point to an expected away win – Rye are third in their higher-ranked league and Amersham haven’t won a game since their victory over Flackwell Heath in Round One.  They beat Henley and Carterton in the earlier rounds.  Rye beat Horley Town.  They were quarter-finalists a couple of seasons ago.
This match in one sentence
A splendid victory for Amersham Town and although Rye will rue missed chances, Amersham could just as easily have scored more.
So what?
Amersham Town are in the hat for the next round, the last 64 teams in the competition. UPDATE: At the time of this amendment (23/11/12), the FA website is now showing Rye United at home to South Park in the next round. Rye appealed to the FA and it would appear that the appeal has been upheld.  Tweets from other sources indicate that Amersham fielded an ineligible player.  This match-that-never-was is now unique in my lifetime list and I will have to consider whether this causes me a constitutional crisis.
The drama unfolds
No player names this time - there was no teamsheet on display, or if there was, I missed it. If anyone can help with IDs then I'll be happy to edit the post.  GY The home side started well and I started my scene-setter clip after only 5 minutes.  Amersham are in black-and-white.  I was marginally surprised that Rye didn't object to the officials being in all black.  Skies were grey and the officials asked for the lights to be on from the start.  The first clip is rudely interrupted by the disintegration of the lino's flag, so I took another one soon after to reassure you that he was able to repair it and wave it at will.  Or anyone.  (This blog has been getting too serious, there will be more sentences like that.)  If you dislike football, enjoy the scenery. After 15 minutes a goalline clearance was needed in the Amersham goalmouth as Rye seemed to settle into their pattern of play.  However, the only goal of the game (as it proved) came after 18 minutes.  Amersham's number 6 drifted into the box from the right and was in space to collect a ball dropping to him from the left - he took one touch and finished well a second before being clattered by the outcoming goalkeeper.  The ref "had a word" but nothing more.  1-0 If number 10 had been a bit quicker to get a shot away four minutes later, it would have been 2-0.  As it was, a superb saving tackle by Rye centre-back number 5 saved the day.  The rest of the half was pretty even, with the best chance falling to the visitors' number 11.  His header back across the goal beat the keeper but also fell wide of the far post.  1-0 at half-time The Rye goalkeeper and the Amersham number 6 renewed acquaintance ten minutes into the second half.  The ref was well-placed to make a "no penalty" call as the former came out to dive at the latter's feet.  The officials were also spot-on (I was right in line) to disallow a Rye goal two minutes later.  At the moment of a flick-on from a free-kick there were several attackers offside.  The game continued to be even, with Rye committing more players forward and Amersham's number 8 on particular getting plenty of chances to lead breaks from midfield.  One such went to waste after 70 minutes as his attempted pass ended up looking like a badly pulled shot.  Or it could have been a shot that ended up looking like a pass.  I have no idea, I suspect you need to be UEFA grade B to be able to write about these things.  It missed. As the game became end-to-end, Rye's substitute number 12 did well to use his full-back's run as a decoy before cutting inside and shooting.  The keeper did well to push the fierce shot up and over.  Rye missed a golden chance after 73 minutes.  A neat routine from a quickly-taken freekick caught Amersham asleep and number 8 missed the open net from six yards. It became tense and officials had to consult after one touchline altercation before ... doing nothing much.  Then both keepers kept their sides in the game in successive attacks with decent saves. These two clips are from later in the game as Rye try in vain to equalise.  There is some classic backs-to-the-wall defending to enjoy here.  Honorable mention for Amersham number 4 in this regard. Rye's keeper was called on once more to save a deflection at the expense of a corner.  Amersham tried to keep the ball there.  When one such attempt failed, the ref played a good advantage, a long ball was flicked on and Rye's number 8 again found himself in a good shooting position.  He blazed it high and wide.  The final clips have Amersham holding on for a memorable win.  Final score 1-0 GOALKEEPER OF TRAILING SIDE GOING UP FOR A LATE CORNER KLAXON ...
The programme
I think that should be Molten, actually ...
Something random
The only other "17 November" new ground on my hopping list is from pre-blogging days in 2009, when I watched Atherstone United win 3-2 away at Barton Rovers in the Southern League Division One Central.  I have never seen Amersham Town win before – I saw them twice in 2010-11, losing at Cockfosters and London Colney in the South Midlands League Division One.  Both matches can be picked up from the tag cloud on the right of the page.  Today is the first time that I have ever crossed paths with Rye United.  When I go to their ground I will try to get some pictures of impressively big red-and-black hats.
Hopping for Moorfields Update
108 goals in thirty matches, which is around the halfway point for the season, at an average of 3.6 goals per game.  This is right in line with my initial prediction that a penny-a-goal pledge would be worth between £2 and £3 at the end of the season.  Premier league stars earn this amount in about 30 seconds.  It’s never to late too make a pledge – contact me by DM on twitter or on email at headyapp (at) hotmail (dot) com if you’d like to get involved.  World class research at Moorfields Eye Hospital is not just for Londoners – there are benefits worldwide.  Thank you.
What Next?
Who knows? At this time of the year the weather makes forward planning rather tricky. Follow @GrahamYapp on Twitter for further updates!

Heat and Flames Visible in Guildford

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Sunday 11 November 2012 at the University of Surrey Sports Park followed by the Spectrum Leisure Centre
Results	Surrey Heat 81 Leicester Riders 74 Guildford Flames 3 Basingstoke Bison 2
Competitions	The BBL (top tier basketball) The English Premier League (second tier ice hockey)
Hopping	Number 13 on the courthopping list, and a second visit to an arena already on the rinkhopping list.  My first hoops/hockey daily double.
Pre-match preparation
Leicester Riders are leading the BBL and unbeaten in all competitions.  Surrey Heat are unbeaten at home, so someone’s record has to give today.  The decision to add the ice hockey was impulsive – no prep other than the teams had played each other yesterday at Basingstoke and Bison won 3-1 to stay at the top of the table.
These matches in one sentence each
A very good, solid performance from Heat to hand a first defeat to Riders built on a points/rebounds double from Frank Holmes. Flames came from behind twice and scored a last minute powerplay winner to delight the home crowd.
So what?
If Heat can win their game in hand, they will join Riders and Newcastle Eagles with 8-1 winning records.
The drama unfolds
Heat settled the quicker on their home court and a three by Albert Margai opened up a seven-point gap at 13-6 midway through the first quarter.  Riders’ coach Rob Paternostro took less than three minutes to become Mr Angry on the sidelines and he was to spend much of the afternoon prowling back and forth to the officials.  My scene-setter clip comes from late in the period as Riders close the gap to three points with just over a minute to go.  Heat are in black, Riders in red.  They got one more score before the buzzer and Andrew Sullivan was leading all scorers with 9pts.  24-23 at the end of the 1st quarter Peter Semek continued his good defensive work for Heat, impressing with his rebound count, but Heat got into foul-count trouble in the second quarter.  Riders’ Yorick Williams rolled back the years with a D-to-D break to give them the lead for the first time at 27-28.  This clip is from midway through the second quarter and takes the score from 28-28 to 35-32. Frank Holmes of Heat was definitely fired-up as two scores in quick succession opened a 43-34 gap and prompted a timeout call from Paternostro.  This time, Riders were in foul trouble but a two from Sullivan on the buzzer meant that the gap was only two points at the halfway mark.  46-44 at the end of the 2nd quarter The third period was lower-scoring as Riders took control.  The clip ends with them leading 55-57, and they stretched this to four points by the end of the quarter.  Sullivan (18) and Frank Holmes (14) continued to lead the scoring charts.  57-61 at the end of the third quarter Frank Holmes got the first points of the final period and the next clip is part of the home side’s turnaround.  Julius Joseph got five consecutive points to tie the game at 64-64.  Paternostro was not a happy bunny.  At the end of the clip we have a score of 73-67 with just over 3 minutes to play. Frank Holmes then contributed another timely score as Heat then shut the Riders out of the next 24s on the shot clock and the clip has them holding the gap to 79-74 with seven seconds to play. Although Riders used deliberate fouls to try to get control of the clock, Heat kept their composure from the free-throw line and although the last two from Caylin Raftopoulos bobbled teasingly on the hoop they both dropped in to seal the home win.  Frank Holmes finished with 22 points and Sullivan and Zaire Taylor on 20.  Final score 81-74 A brief car journey took me to the Spectrum where Guildford Flames were hosting table-toppers Basingstoke Bison.  Bison took the lead through Joe Rand and Flames' Curtis Huppe equalised, and the first period finished level at 1-1.  Bison took the lead again in the second with a Doug Sheppard strike, but Flames levelled in the third with Huppe's second score of the game.  Here is the turning point in the last two minutes, as Flames converted a powerplay to take the lead for the first time with 27 seconds left  Jez Lundin is the scorer of the vital goal.  Bison took off their netminder but Flames held on for the win.  Final score 3-2
The programmes
Proof that I folded the Heat programme, which is actually an A3 poster.  Shocking.
Something random
The Guildford zamboni is still going round clockwise, but you knew that.
Hopping for Moorfields Update
Nothing to report – these fixtures don’t count towards the totals.
What Next?
In one word – dunno.  Follow @GrahamYapp on Twitter for any revelations.