Visions of Greatness Park

e-Programme

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Saturday 24 October 2020 at The Bourne Stadium, Greatness Park
Result	Sevenoaks Town 0 Hastings United 1
Competition	Isthmian League Division One SE (Step 4)
Hopstats	Ground 717 on the lifetime list and here pragmatically as the weather has not been good and my other possibilities were both grass pitches and longer journeys. This visit completes the Isthmian League for me with the exception of Guernsey, which will have to wait until the end of the CV19 pandemic.
Context
Two sides unbeaten in the league, five games in. 5th hosts 2nd, so am expecting a competitive game. The quality will be helped by an artificial surface but could be hindered by the wind.
In One Sentence
A match indeed spoiled as a spectacle by the conditions but won by a magnificent goal.
So What?
Hastings go above VCD (who didn’t play today) to the top of the divisional table and Sevenoaks drop to eighth.
Match Report
My written notes were largely illegible by the end of the game so some of this is from memory. As I had feared, the game as a spectacle was largely ruined by the conditions. Bands of rain swept in laterally and almost horizontally with very short periods of respite. There were few chances created in the first half. Sevenoaks applied more of the early pressure. Hastings gradually got to grips with the tactics needed, apart from Ben Pope who got himself needlessly booked for a deliberate Maradona-type handball. They had one of the better chances when a through ball allowed Jake Elliot to get through one-on-one with keeper Ben Bridle-Card. He seemed to misjudge the bounce, though, and the moment was gone. Bridle-Card then had to be alert to tip over a Gary Elphick header from a corner. The Hastings fans had by this time amused us with a rendition of “It’s Grim Up North!” before one of them embarrassed himself with a foul-mouthed rant at the officials before that corner. I wouldn’t want to have to explain to my grandchildren what some of those words are supposed to mean. Half-time: Sevenoaks Town 0 Hastings United 0 Hastings scored what turned out to be the only goal of the game eleven minutes into the second half. Ryan Worrall picked the ball up in left midfield, went forward and right to create a shooting position and buried an absolute screamer just inside the left-hand post. Superb goal, and like so many for me this season, up the other end. With defences on top in these difficult conditions, it remained a game of few chances. Hastings keeper Louis Rogers made a fantastic stop from one of the Sevenoaks subs (Zachary Guerfi, I think) and there was another timely tackle just outside the box to protect the lead. The closing minutes were forgettable for this passing neutral as Hastings took the ball to the flanks and corners whenever they could. I don’t blame them in the slightest. This was a good win.
Match Pix
I managed to get a few snaps between the showers. Sevenoaks in blue and black.
Ground Pix
One of those grounds where you can sit on a bench on a nearby slope and watch some of the action for free. This is a newish community facility with other very good play areas adjacent. I had arrived at the time that lots of youngsters were being collected after a morning of football activity on the same pitch.
CV19 Opinion
This was by far and away the most rigorous of the arrangements that I have experienced on eleven hops this season, at least initially. Everything seemed organised. The ticket had been purchased online in advance, an electronic temperature check was carried out at the turnstile, and the hand sanitising on arrival was supervised and enforced. There was a clear one-way system. The club had also tweeted earlier that they were limiting the numbers below the allowed maximum. Hand sanitiser was available in various locations around the ground and there were plenty of relevant notices. As with all the games so far, I felt safe enough in my quiet corner. The price to pay for social distancing this time was a thorough soaking. The planned social distancing in the stands became a casualty of the circumstances as most people sought some form of shelter. Once again, it seemed clear that people were mostly operating in their own self-determined bubbles rather than adhering to the strict guidance.
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats Update
Usually accompanied by a pre-match prediction on Twitter just before kickoff. Working towards being able to compute a respectable statistical significance test by the end of the season. The full keeper top performance table from my last 218 matches is here, on this separate page. Today, Orange loses to Green. Orange drops back below Purple and the clean sheet widens Green’s gap to fifth but is not enough to overtake Blue. Notice how I write this stuff in the style of something important. Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Prediction: Away Was the prediction correct? Yes % of correct predictions so far 49% (36 from 73) 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 undeniable half-and-half tops or lower league 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 (and supported by anonymous scientists of some description) that orange is the best colour for a goalkeeper because it changes the behaviour of other players around the box. It is supposedly because of an innate primeval human reaction to the colour and the colour “spreads” more in the vision of a striker at the key moment of decision. Genius or garbage? The evidence is gathering here, and is leaning towards the latter.
What Next?
Follow @GrahamYapp on Twitter! I genuinely don't know what will happen next. Many of my target grounds for this season are in Covid19 Tier 3 high-risk northern counties and a lot will depend on the relevant law and guidance relating to travel. I am unsure whether I would use the "it's only guidance, not the law" defence even though I feel confident with my own grasp of the science and maths. Barnstaple, Basingstoke, Melksham and Moneyfields are the southern possibilities in the weeks ahead. I would not be at all surprised, however, by the announcement of a so-called circuit-breaker CV19 lockdown by next weekend.

Man Goes to See Mangos

e-Programme

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Saturday 17 October at Cossham Street
Result	Mangotsfield United 1 Cinderford Town 2
Competition	FA Trophy 2nd Qualifying Round
Hopstats	Ground 716 on the lifetime list. Not a random visit, this one. Chosen for pragmatic reasons, ticking off one of my longer remaining Step 4 journeys given a dry weather forecast, and choosing an area in the lowest risk category for CV19 case numbers.
Context
This is a knockout game, of course. Both clubs are at Step 4 in the Division One South of the Southern League. It’s fair to say that Mangotsfield have had a rotten start to the season with four league defeats and an FA Cup loss. Cinderford started well enough, and went one further round in the FA Cup, but arrive here on the back of three big defeats. The Goals Against columns for both teams suggest that this will not be 0-0.
In One Sentence
Cinderford secured the win with a workmanlike first half display and then coped well enough with the Mangotsfield second-half improvement.
So What?
The usual cliché about Mangotsfield concentrating on the league and Cinderford looking forward to being in the hat for the next round draw.
Match Report
Nothing of note from the sparring of the first fifteen minutes, as both defences held firm. I was distracted by the gentleman climbing the ladder on to the roof of the stand at the main road end as Cinderford went close twice in quick succession. It looks as if my search for quiet corners once again meant that today’s goal action was all at the other end. These first chances had come from a direct freekick and the resulting corner and the players’ reactions suggested that Cinderford had come very close to breaking the deadlock. They did get the opening goal in the 18th minute. Will Gibbons made space running the ball from centre to left and his low shot back across the keeper found the bottom corner. Nice finish. The lead was doubled before half-time. Mangotsfield had given the ball away in midfield and got caught on the break. It took a great save from Jakob Glover, tipping the ball over the bar at full stretch, to prevent the goal … but only for a moment. From the corner, Matt Macdonald got on the scoresheet to put the visitors firmly in control. At half-time I noted that throughout the first half Cinderford had defended well from a good number of freekicks and corners whilst themselves always looking a threat on the break. A classic away performance really. Half-time: Mangotsfield U 0 Cinderford T 2 Mangotsfield made a couple of changes and improved in the second half and they forced an early save from the Man in Black, Nick Jones. A goal then could have changed the course of events but as it happened, chances were few in number as the time ticked away. Jones was called upon to make another good save. It was not until the 78th minute that Matthew Binding (I think!) prodded the ball home from close range, again after a corner, to make the last few minutes more interesting. Home striker Olaoluwakitan Jaiyeoba had been a physical presence all afternoon, though Cinderford shackled him pretty well once his threat had become clear early on. He had a half-chance in the last minute to send us to a penalty shootout, but the shot went high and wide to the right. Cinderford’s day, and on balance over the whole game they deserved the win.
Match (and Ball Retrieval) Pix
Mangotsfield in sky blue and claret, Cinderford in green.
Ground Pix
Next to a road where passengers on the top deck of passing ‘buses get a quick peek at the game. A ground with a bit of character and slope, and a refreshment hut called the Mango Munch.
CV19
No problems. Signage in place, details handed over, reminders given over the PA. I was able to find my usual quiet corner and it all felt safe enough, certainly safer than going to work! I don’t wander around during the games now though, so all ground pix are from before kickoff and all match pix are from the same viewpoint.
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats Update
Usually accompanied by a pre-match prediction on Twitter just before kickoff. Working towards being able to compute a respectable statistical significance test by the end of the season. The full keeper top performance table from my last 217 matches is here, on this separate page. Today, Orange lost to Black, with no clean sheet for either. The black top was a direct clash with the referee kit. I remember that being one of the questions in my FA Class 3 referees’ examination back in 1978-9. Before anyone asks, I refereed some inter-college games at Cambridge University but couldn’t keep the commitment going once the teaching career had started, though I did referee plenty of inter-school games back in the day. Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Prediction: Home Win Was the prediction correct? No % of correct predictions so far 49% (35 from 72) 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 undeniable half-and-half tops or lower league 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 (and supported by anonymous scientists of some description) that orange is the best colour for a goalkeeper because it changes the behaviour of other players around the box. It is supposedly because of an innate primeval human reaction to the colour and the colour “spreads” more in the vision of a striker at the key moment of decision. Genius or garbage? The evidence is gathering here, and is leaning towards the latter.
What Next?
Follow @GrahamYapp on Twitter! Half-term break coming up, but likewise the strong suggestion of a circuit-breaker lockdown coming up so any decisions will be made next Friday. Many of my priority grounds for this season are in the northern counties of England and I’m expecting travel restrictions to be applied fairly soon.

My First Willand Testament

e-Programme

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Saturday 10 October 2020 at Stan Robinson Stadium, Silver Street
Result	Willand Rovers 2 Frome Town 1
Competition	Southern League Division One South (Step 4)
Hopstats	Ground 715 on the lifetime list. I am here because, at a rating of 9 per 100,000, this is the lowest local CV19 case prevalence of seven unvisited Step 4 grounds hosting a match today. The other possibilities had been Melksham (13), Moneyfields (30), Pickering (34) Glossop North End (67), Brighouse Town (175) and Runcorn Linnets (247). The numbers were taken on Friday afternoon from https://www.schoolcovidmap.org.uk/ and are probably already out of date.
Context
Too early in the season to say very much, but both clubs are in the top half of the table on the same number of points from two wins and a draw, although Willand also have two defeats too. Both had away wins in midweek, so all signs point to a competitive encounter.
In One Sentence
Willand edged a close contest played at a good tempo.
So What?
Still very early in the season. Willand lie just outside the notional playoff places, and Frome are mid-table but with games in hand.
Match Report
The teams cancelled each other out in midfield until Willand took the lead with the first real chance of the game after 18 minutes. The ball was worked from the left to a central position, and from where I was standing at the other end it looked like a great shot from distance into the roof of the net. The scorer was Archie Reay. Jon Davies equalised just after the half-hour mark, and again it was arguably with his side’s first clear chance. A through ball down the centre held up nicely in the breeze, and he reached the ball first to round the keeper and keep his composure to finish. The goal seemed to give Frome fresh impetus and the rest of the first half was end-to-end and even. Up to that point Willand would have considered themselves slightly on top, certainly territorially if nothing else. Jon Davies gets round the 'keeper and equalises for Frome Half-time: Willand Rovers 1 Frome Town 1 The game continued to be played at a good pace, and the good surface also helped. As in the first half, much of the action took place in midfield, with both teams struggling to find the final killer pass. As the hour mark passed, I made a note that I could not predict the winner. The decisive goal came after 73 minutes, Alfie Moulden taking the chance from a position just right of centre, just outside the box. Willand held on to secure the points, even when the Frome goalkeeper joined the attack for the final corner. For the passing neutral, this was a decent contest with the result in doubt until the final whistle. As a bonus, the rain held off until I was well on the way back along the M4.
Match Pix
Willand in white shirts, Frome in red.
Ground Pix
The cottage in the corner beats the one at Fulham. Street parking, but easy enough to find for hoppers, who tend to arrive early.
Opinion
This felt as safe as it could reasonably be, and the club were complying with the guidance. Very clear signage, a one-way system, lots of notices and details handed over for test and trace. I observed much less overt ignoring of the social distancing rules compared with some of my recent northern hops. Maybe that’s why the numbers are as they are, ladies and gentlemen.
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats Update
Usually accompanied by a pre-match prediction on Twitter just before kickoff. Working towards being able to compute a respectable statistical significance test by the end of the season. The full keeper top performance table from my last 216 matches is here, on this separate page. Green beats Yellow as predicted today, but no clean sheet, and no change in the colours league table. Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Prediction: Home Win Was the prediction correct? Yes % of correct predictions so far 49% (35 from 71) 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 undeniable half-and-half tops or lower league 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 (and supported by anonymous scientists of some description) that orange is the best colour for a goalkeeper because it changes the behaviour of other players around the box. It is supposedly because of an innate primeval human reaction to the colour and the colour “spreads” more in the vision of a striker at the key moment of decision. Genius or garbage? The evidence is gathering here, and is leaning towards the latter.
What Next?
Follow @GrahamYapp on Twitter! I can’t get to an FA Cup tie on Tuesday and I’m inclined to use the same method to pick another Step 4 ground for an FA Trophy game next Saturday, if non-essential travelling is still permitted. In which case I am quite likely to be down south or west again, it would seem.