Cinderford, You Will Go to the Playoffs

This is an e-programme.  I’m not a diehard traditionalist over this, but I have no permanent official souvenir of my visit because this is not downloadable as one document as far as I can, and home printing is impractical and expensive.  I think that if we are to move towards e-programmes then they at least ought to be made available in the .pdf format rather than as a whole series of jpgs.

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Saturday 27 April 2018 at The Causeway
Result	Cinderford Town 0 Winchester City 0
Competition	Southern League Division One South (Step 4)
Hopstats	Ground 699 on the lifetime list and I am here non-randomly because of the importance of the fixture.
Context
It’s the last league game of the regular season. Cinderford sit in the final playoff position but only a point ahead.  Winchester will displace them with a win today, but only a win will do.
In one sentence
A forgettable first half was followed by forty-three largely forgettable minutes of a second half and two minutes plus stoppage time of chaotic tragedy or triumph, depending on your allegiance.
So what?
Cinderford are away at Cirencester Town in the divisional playoff semi-finals.
Match Report
The match was played in blustery conditions on a good surface.  Visiting fans had welcomed the team with a large number of identical face masks, but I’m not sure what that was about.  It was tense and quiet as the match kicked off.  Players were taking no chances and the ball was swirling in the air for much of the time.  Cinderford’s number 5 Andy Lewis was making headed clearances every 30 seconds or so at one point.  To be honest, it was technically disappointing as a match spectacle, but the gusty wind played a big part in making the players nervous and edgy.  Nothing much happened in the first half-hour except a defensive stalemate.  Winchester managed a header on target after 35 minutes, but it was easily saved.  Simba Mlambo then beat his opponent and sent in a good cross, eventually leading to a Winchester shot clipping the post, and maybe the flag was up anyway. We all hoped for better in the second half. To an extent it was indeed better to watch. Both teams upped the tempo, and there was more of a sense of urgency.  However, the real chances were again few and far between.  Cinderford sometimes committed five players into the box and left themselves vulnerable on the break, but still neither side created a golden chance.  With just under fifteen minutes to go, the wind almost created a comedy goal for Cinderford as a wayward cross was blown back into the danger area, but the danger was averted. Finally, the pattern was broken, along with Winchester hearts. With 88 minutes on the clock, Winchester finally had enough men forward in the right places at the right time and a thunderous shot hit the post and bounced clear across the face of the goal.  Their keeper Ryan Price then joined the attack for a series of chaotic corners as the game went into stoppage time.  Eventually the whistle blew to unleash Cinderford celebration, and several Winchester players fell to the ground in disbelief.  There was more drama in those last few minutes than in the rest of the game put together.  This is why I am all in favour of playoffs – without them this would have been just another complete-the-grid end of season fixture with no meaning.  Condolences to the visitors, and best of luck to the hosts, who will need to play better to win their semi-final.
Pix
Cinderford in black and white.  The ground has clearly needed some make-do-and-mend adjustments as the club has come up to Step 4.  It is quirky, somewhat crumbling, and lovable for it, but you can understand why there is a substantial display in the clubhouse of the plans for a new community facility.  I watched the game from an unusually low position, sheltering from the wind in a stand which meant that my feet were several feet below the pitch level.  Imagine the front row at The Dell, Southampton’s previous home.
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats
New this season – a pre-match prediction based only on keeper top colours as a preliminary test of the data.  Proper statistical significance test to follow in due course. A draw and a clean sheet each for Purple and Yellow, enough to take Purple up a couple of places in the table, now based on the last 200 matches seen. Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Prediction: Home Win Was the prediction correct? No % of correct predictions so far 55% (30 from 55) 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. The odd decimal places were caused either by half-and-half tops or sub keepers in a different colour.  The Fire Cracker colour was confirmed with the help of the social media team at Dulux UK.  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 11.5 6.5 1.0 4.0 11.0 4.5 32.0 2.783 Grey 53.5 25.0 12.0 16.5 84.5 16.0 82.5 1.542 Blue 48.1 22.0 7.0 19.1 77.0 14.0 66.0 1.372 Green 110.0 55.0 12.0 43.0 191.0 25.0 111.0 1.009 Fire Cracker 3.0 1.0 0.0 2.0 6.0 1.0 2.0 0.667 Purple 22.0 8.0 5.0 9.0 45.0 6.0 14.0 0.636 Maroon 5.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 9.0 1.0 3.0 0.600 Orange 58.5 21.0 12.0 25.5 101.5 11.0 28.5 0.487 Radioactive Bile 24.0 9.0 1.0 14.0 51.0 4.0 -3.0 -0.125 Black 6.5 2.5 3.0 1.0 15.0 0.5 -2.0 -0.308 Yellow 38.0 9.0 9.0 20.0 85.0 7.0 -14.0 -0.368 Pink 18.0 5.0 5.0 8.0 37.0 1.0 -12.0 -0.667 White 1.9 0.0 0.0 1.9 4.0 0.0 -4.0 -2.105
What Next?
Follow @GrahamYapp on Twitter!  A cricketing diversion at Trent Bridge tomorrow, and ground 700 all being well next week!

Bourton, Moreton and Four-None in the Hellenic League

Hopperational Details
Date & Venues	Sunday 21 April 2019 at (a) Rissington Road, (b) London Road and (c) The Meadow
Results	(a) Bourton Rovers 3 Headington Amateurs 1 (b) Moreton Rangers 0 Adderbury Park 1 (c) Brimscombe & Thrupp 4 Abingdon United 0
Competition	Hellenic League Division Two West (Step 7) for (a) and (b) and Hellenic League Premier (Step 5) for (c).
Hopstats	Grounds 696-698 on my lifetime list.
Context
At Bourton, 7th placed Rovers face 5th placed visitors in Amateurs. Moreton won the division last week and will receive the trophy before the game against 4th placed Adderbury.  In the final game, Brimscombe and Thrupp could still win the title if they beat bottom club Abingdon United, but Wantage will need just a point at Windsor the next day to drop them back to second place.
In one sentence each
(a) A close game of fine margins and the scoreline is slightly flattering. (b) Adderbury deserved this win with a feisty and determined performance against the divisional champions. (c) A routine win helped by the dismissal of an Abingdon defender.
So what?
Adderbury, Bourton & Headington are 3rd, 5th and 6th for now behind champions Moreton in Division Two West.  In the Premier League, Abingdon United finish bottom and Brimscombe & Thrupp lead the league at least until Easter Monday’s result from Windsor v Wantage.
Match Reports
As yesterday, all three matches were played in sunshine on decent but hard, bouncy surfaces. At Bourton, I sought the shade of a hedge to watch Steve Nurse give Bourton the lead after 20 minutes as the Headington defence found itself outnumbered.  The visitors kept pressing in an even contest and two near-goalline clearances were needed to keep them out.  The first half ended with the score at 1-0  but Headington kept knocking at the door after the restart. There were screams of dissent from their bench after one particular offside call from the assistant. With 15 minutes to go, Rovers doubled their lead with a curled and lifted left foot shot which looped into the corner of the net.  However, Bourton failed to set up proper defence for a set-piece and a well-executed but routine direct freekick from Ben Curtis reduced the arrears with seven minutes left.  His curling shot to the top right corner left the Rovers’ keeper flat-footed. Headington committed men forward and one good chance was thwarted by a slight bobble from the hard ground, and it was adding insult to injury when substitute Danny Way cut in with a stepover from the left and lashed the ball home from a narrow angle to make it 3-1. At Moreton, I considered hiding in the bushes like a Leeds United spy but eventually found enough shade to watch Adderbury Park have a real go at their divisional champions.  The visitors had watched the trophy presentation and paid their respect with a guard of honour.  They then forced the hosts to play on the break – also looking dangerous to be fair – but it needed a great reflex save from Rangers keeper Ollie Currill, followed by a goalline clearance from the resulting corner, to keep Adderbury at bay.  Add to that a desperate but excellent tackle from defender Harry Smith to prevent another chance.  No score at half-time and I noted that perhaps Adderbury might regret the missed opportunity. However, the second half fell into the same pattern and sub Josh Northam scored the winning goal just after the hour mark.  The sides cancelled each other out in the heat for the last half-hour and the visitors held on for the win. The setting of The Meadow at Brimscombe & Thrupp was a great reward in the last of the day’s sunshine.  It has an amphitheatric feel, and I found my shade under a floodlight post this time.  The pitch has an unusual slope – the whole of the touchline on the clubhouse side curls upwards like a slightly damp sheet of paper.  The hosts needed the win to keep mathematical interest in the title alive.  The first goal was created by Ollie Pitt with a run and cross from the left and Sam Blackie’s name was entered on to the scoresheet.  There was so little action in the home penalty area that a couple of thrushes took the chance of frequent visits to collect earthworms for tea. United held their own until Tom Butler was dismissed for a second cautionable offence early in the second half.  Kyle Pitts scored from the resulting direct freekick and now the win was secured.  Sub James Campbell showed perseverance to score with a low shot from distance and in stoppage time another sub, Jack Smith, lashed the ball into the roof of the next for an icing-on-the-cake fourth. At this point for practical and work reasons I need to dip out of the Hop which continues with three more games on Easter Monday.  I think that the Hellenic League and its clubs have made a good impression in the six games I have attended and as on previous occasions I would like to thank Groundhop UK for the organisation and effort before the event and behind the scenes.
Pix
Bourton – home side in yellow/blue:  Moreton – home side in red & blue stripes: Brimscombe & Thrupp – home side in white:
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats
New this season – a pre-match prediction based only on keeper top colours as a preliminary test of the data.  Proper statistical significance test to follow in due course.  This table is now based on my last 199 games. Today Blue beats Grey, Orange beats a slightly different shade of Orange with a sheet, and Red keeps a clean sheet to beat Green. Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Predictions: Away Win, Draw, Home Win Was the prediction correct? No, No, Yes % of correct predictions so far 56% (30 from 54) 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. The odd decimal places were caused either by half-and-half tops or sub keepers in a different colour.  The Fire Cracker colour was confirmed with the help of the social media team at Dulux UK.  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 11.5 6.5 1.0 4.0 11.0 4.5 32.0 2.783 Grey 53.5 25.0 12.0 16.5 84.5 16.0 82.5 1.542 Blue 48.1 22.0 7.0 19.1 77.0 14.0 66.0 1.372 Green 110.0 55.0 12.0 43.0 191.0 25.0 111.0 1.009 Fire Cracker 3.0 1.0 0.0 2.0 6.0 1.0 2.0 0.667 Maroon 5.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 9.0 1.0 3.0 0.600 Orange 58.5 21.0 12.0 25.5 101.5 11.0 28.5 0.487 Purple 21.0 8.0 4.0 9.0 45.0 5.0 8.0 0.381 Radioactive Bile 24.0 9.0 1.0 14.0 51.0 4.0 -3.0 -0.125 Black 6.5 2.5 3.0 1.0 15.0 0.5 -2.0 -0.308 Yellow 37.0 9.0 8.0 20.0 85.0 6.0 -20.0 -0.541 Pink 18.0 5.0 5.0 8.0 37.0 1.0 -12.0 -0.667 White 1.9 0.0 0.0 1.9 4.0 0.0 -4.0 -2.105
What Next?
Follow @GrahamYapp on Twitter!  If all goes to plan, a football-cricket sporting double next weekend, ticking off another Step 4 ground.