Report from the Borough Surveyor

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Monday 26 August 2013 at Privett Park (3pm)
Result	Gosport Borough 1 Dorchester Town 1
Competition	Conference South (Step 2)
Hopping	Number 522 on the lifetime list. I am here to re-complete “The 160” (all the current English grounds down to Conference North and South) – I need to do this because Gosport were promoted from Step 3 last season and I have not been here before.  It is the afternoon half of a Bank Holiday double.
Pre-match preparation
Newly-promoted Gosport got their first league point on Saturday with a draw at Bath, but visitors Dorchester have had an awful, pointless start to the season and arrive on the back of a 2-6 home defeat to Whitehawk.  I recognised the names of Paul Hinshelwood (Junior, I assume!) and Sammy Igoe on the bench for Gosport.  No sign of Steve Claridge this season!
This match in one sentence
Maybe a lapse in concentration cost them the Dorchester equaliser, but Gosport are proving they can at least compete credibly at this level.
So what?
Maybe relegation battles ahead for both teams (although it is very early in the season) – they are the only teams ahead of Farnborough, who may even be kicked out of the league altogether.
The drama unfolds
The first quarter of the game was pretty even.  Dorchester had a lot of the ball, but Gosport got into the opposing six-yard box more often.  The home side gradually grew in confidence, and Dan Wooden was involved in two good attacks.  First, he was released on the right, pulled Dorchester’s towering centre-back Steve Walker out to the flank, and then crossed for Mike Gosney.  Alan Walker-Harris did well to tip the header over the bar.  Then Wooden himself came close before another long through ball gave him a clear chance, and this time he finished calmly.  1-0 after 22 minutes My scene-setter clip is taken from the shade of the newer stand and comes from the half-hour mark.  Gosport are in yellow. Gosport’s Tom Dunford teed himself up a long-distance shot, again tipped over by Walker-Harris, and then Andy Forbes hit the bar with a header from the resulting corner.  This short clip has a disallowed goal at the other end, just before the break.  1-0 at half-time Dorchester nearly scored a classy equaliser as Ben Watson headed down to Charlie Clough, whose first-time lob cleared the bar.  As time went on, the game remained too close to call.  I felt that Borough would need the second to be safe, and that if Dorchester could get one then they could well go on to win.  As things turned out, the game turned with around 20 minutes left.  An innocuous challenge on the left wing left Gosport full back Luke King on the floor.  No blame could be attached to the attacker, but it was clear that King was badly injured.  To my surprise, the ref brandished the yellow card at him as soon as he was on the stretcher and the game restarted with a Dorchester free-kick.  The ball was headed down and Walker had an easy chance.  Distracted by their team-mate’s injury? Maybe, but harsh on Gosport at that point.  1-1 after 72 minutes To their credit, Gosport nearly scored soon after with a neat move involving James Beasley, Nick Crittenden and Jamie Gleeson.  Likewise, Dorchester had this set-piece chance with a minute to go. There was still time for a great block by Walker-Harris to deny Gosney again after a pass by Beasley.  Probably a fair result overall.  Final score 1-1
Ground Pix
Match Pix
Something Random
Current groundshares by Coventry City (at Northampton), Gloucester City (at Cheltenham) and Worcester City (at Kidderminster) mean that “The 160” actually only consists of 157 venues at this precise moment in time.  I am not sure that anyone knows what will happen with Coventry.  Gloucester are certainly trying hard to get a new home sorted out, and Worcester also have the plans if not the resources.  Under my own personal hopping rules I count these teams as “ticked” because I have seen a competitive game at the stadium.
Huddle Stats
Both huddled.  Stalemate. Synchronised Huddling 2013-14 Summary so far: P W D L GF GA Pts Pts per Game Non-Huddlers 11 5 2 4 13 11 17 1.55 Huddlers 9 2 4 3 6 8 10 1.11
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats
We had blue (Gosport) against grey (Dorchester) for the second time today! The Spinnaker Tower is visible on the horizon 2013-14 Summary so far: P W D L CS(5pts) GA(-1 each) Pts Pts per Game Yellow 3 2 1 0 2 3 7 2.33 Grey 5 2 2 1 2 3 7 1.40 Green 5 2 0 3 1 7 -2 -0.40 Orange 1 0 0 0 0 1 -1 -1.00 Blue 2 0 1 1 0 2 -2 -1.00 Radioactive Bile 1 0 0 1 0 2 -2 -2.00 Pink 3 0 2 1 0 6 -6 -2.00
What Next?
Follow @GrahamYapp on Twitter for announcements!  No concrete plans as I have to turn my attention to professional stuff this week, but I have a choice of 82 FA Cup ties next Saturday and I am pretty certain I will be at one of them.