Swifts Win is Hard to Swallow for Ar Tarn

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Saturday 6 January 2018 at Waterworks Field
Result	Desborough Town 2 Stourport Swifts 4 a.e.t.
Competition	FA Vase Round 4.  Desborough play in the United Counties Premier and Stourport in the Midland Football League Premier, both at Step 5.
Hopstats	Ground 630 on the lifetime list, a late choice for practical and travel reasons this time as the nearest FA Vase fixture on a day of many pitch inspections and postponements.
Context
We are down to the last 32 in the competition so it is a “big game” in Step 5 terms.  Both sides have been in the last 16 once before so a win would equal the club record.  Desborough have beaten Wellington, Pinxton and Eastwood Community to get here.  Stourport have seen off Paget Rangers in the final qualifying round, then Shirebrook Town, Kimberley Miners' Welfare and Walsall Wood.  Neither team is going particularly well in the league.  After all the recent rain, conditions will be tricky and the forecast is for a distinctly chilly spectator experience.  A quick check on social media suggests that several other seasoned hoppers will be in attendance so it will be a good day for lurking in other people's photographs.
In one sentence
Hard-fought and compelling with the result in doubt until the second period of extra-time, but in the end better finishing won the game for the visitors.
So what?
The draw for the Fifth Round is on Monday.
Match Report
Both sides got the ball into the six-yard box for a good old-fashioned scuffle in the early minutes.  The opening goal went to Stourport after seven minutes.  Dan Sweeney received the ball with his back to goal, turned his marker and shot across the goalkeeper.  Sweeney was to be the visitors’ main threat all afternoon. Desborough fought back strongly.  The Swifts’ keeper was not kicking the ball so they put him under pressure with high balls and a direct style.  The equaliser came from an own goal from close range as a low driven cross was diverted over the line.  Still only 20 minutes gone. Both teams had now settled and they both looked dangerous in their own way.  The surface was not easy for teams trying to play flowing football.  The bobbles and the risk of a slip meant a lot of safety-first or percentage tactics, quite understandable for the conditions and the occasion.  Sweeney switched flanks now and then and he was Stourport’s main outlet.  There were no more goals before the break. Swifts took the lead again through Sweeney very shortly after the restart.  It was a peach of a goal.  As with the first, he received the ball with back to goal, turned the marker and chipped it over the keeper into the far corner.  It looked as if it was intentional rather than an intended cross, and one of the classier goals I have seen at Step 5 for a long time. Home keeper Chris Jones then kept the tie alive for Desborough with a double close-range save from two separate shots.  The pattern of the first-half was then repeated with a second equaliser for Town after an hour or so.  Andy Hall put the ball in the net from close range after a switch of play from right to left.  Desborough were now the team on top, and if I didn’t earn my living teaching physics I’d say they had the momentum.  I was behind the goal being attacked by Swifts and I saw very little of the ball until the 83rd minute.  Jones made another good save as the tie headed towards extra time. In extra time, Jones once again made an excellent stop from a free-kick before his side conceded a penalty.  I can’t really comment in more detail on the cause-and-effect but the spotkick was converted by Sam Beasley.  I didn’t know at the time that this meant that he had scored for both sides. Of course, this meant that Desborough had to commit to attack and it was maybe a bit harsh that Jones had no chance when Nick Macpherson slotted in a fourth goal just after the final changeround. Macpherson gets number four for Swifts, game over. At that point the home side looked defeated for the first time.  Sweeney spent much of the final ten minutes in close proximity to the corner flag as Swifts managed the end of the game.  Stourport might need some cotton wool to protect their number seven if this run continues. Commiserations to Ar Tarn, congratulations to Swifts.  It was a decent (if cold!) afternoon for this passing neutral and I was glad that the current Yappmobile has heated seats, duly turned to Nuclear Fusion setting on my return.  Good luck to both teams for the rest of the season.
Ground Pix
New clubhouse and changing facilities surrounded by some old-school charm and a lot of potential for future development.  Well worth a visit.
Match Pix
Desborough in blue.
Something You Don’t Get in the Premier Leauge
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats
Green loses to Red and so there is no change in the league table, now based on 130 games. Results so far: Based on conventional 3pts for a win, 1pt for a draw, but also -1pt for a goal conceded (GC) and +5pts for a clean sheet (CS).  Colours ranked on a points per game (PPG) basis. For new readers the odd .5 was caused by a shocking half-and-half shirt and the .1 was due to a substitute goalkeeper in a different colour.  The Fire Cracker colour was confirmed with the help of the social media team at Dulux UK, and it deserves to be last, trust me.  All of this arises from a comment attributed to Petr Cech that orange is the best colour for a goalkeeper because it changes the behaviour of other players around the box. P W D L GC CS Pts PPG Red 10.0 5.0 1.0 4.0 11.0 3.0 20.0 2.000 Maroon 4.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 6.0 1.0 6.0 1.500 Blue 30.1 12.0 6.0 12.1 47.0 10.0 45.0 1.495 Grey 42.5 20.0 9.0 13.5 70.5 11.0 53.5 1.259 Green 70.0 34.0 9.0 27.0 121.0 17.0 75.0 1.071 Orange 28.5 9.0 6.0 13.5 46.5 5.0 11.5 0.404 Purple 11.0 5.0 2.0 4.0 25.0 2.0 2.0 0.182 Radioactive Bile 13.0 6.0 0.0 7.0 26.0 2.0 2.0 0.154 Yellow 28.0 8.0 6.0 14.0 58.0 5.0 -3.0 -0.107 Pink 15.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 30.0 1.0 -8.0 -0.533 Black 5.0 1.0 3.0 1.0 14.0 0.0 -8.0 -1.600 White 1.9 0.0 0.0 1.9 4.0 0.0 -4.0 -2.105 Fire Cracker 1.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 4.0 0.0 -4.0 -4.000
What Next?
Watch @GrahamYapp on Twitter for details!