Maybe I'm The Odd One at Cray Wanderers

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Saturday 15 February 2025 at Flamingo Park
Result	Cray Wanderers 2 Cheshunt 1
Competition	Isthmian League Premier Division (Step 3)
Hopstats	My first new ground since September 2024, and #793 on the lifetime list. Since the last blogpost, my only game has been a Stamford Bridge re-visit for a key WSL game (Chelsea 1 Arsenal 0) that had plenty of coverage elsewhere.
Context
It’s the first day of February half-term for me. My disappearance since September has essentially been work-related. I’ve repeatedly deferred retirement and in this phase of my career I’ve been a part-time science teacher in Hertfordshire for several years now. Such is the difficulty in finding good candidates in my subject areas (chemistry and physics), especially in comprehensive schools, that I’ve been persuaded (easily enough to be fair) to contribute at three different schools this year. So I have nine different exam classes – and hence the reason that 2024-5 weekends have been more about lesson planning and recovery than travelling to football matches. I’ve been close to completing “everywhere down to Step 3 in England” for a couple of seasons – with promotions and new builds moving the target – and today gave me the chance to tick of one of the three that I most needed. After this, I will need to get to Truro City’s new ground (Step 2) and Plymouth Parkway (Step 3) but whether I will manage that before Everton’s new ground opens is very much in doubt! My research for this match was restricted to a check that it is essentially a mid-table game with the hosts a few places higher, and both have similar recent records with a win last weekend and a draw before that.
Match Report
The early stages of the game saw very few chances created, though Cray established territorial superiority – something they would never relinquish. Cheshunt’s goal after 16 minutes came from a goalkeeper error. Shaun Rowley clearly called for the ball as he came several metres out of his area, but the fluffed clearance fell nicely for an easy roll-in for Kenny Coker. The lead lasted six minutes and the equaliser was deserved. Nyren Clunis was on hand to score from a flick-on from the right, tucking the ball into the opposite corner. The first half ended at 1-1 but not before Cheshunt spurned a great chance on the break in the closing seconds. Tobias Braney could not quite get enough power on a close-range downward header after the home defence had been sliced open down their left. The second half started with higher levels of entertainment as there were half-chances at both ends. Rowley redeemed himself with two good saves. Cray had a goal disallowed for offside and then smacked the crossbar with a textbook header. Cray were very much on top as the time ticked on but it took till the 68th minute for the winner. It was scored on the break after a Cheshunt attack, made for Soul Kader by a timely pass by Josh Williams. Williams had been a constant threat to the visitors’ defence with his direct running. Cheshunt heads never dropped but in the end Cray held on comfortably enough. Cray might feel they should have won by a bigger margin, but equally Cheshunt could be wondering whether a 2-1 lead at half-time would have changed things. I was left wondering when the feeling would return to my fingers and toes – even with five layers, it was cold.
So What?
The teams end the day in 9th and 15th places respectively, and I now think of myself as being “The One” in the official attendance of 401.
Pix
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats Update
The background to this, and the latest keeper top colour league table, is here on this dedicated page. Today, Orange beats Purple as predicted. Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Prediction: Home Win Was the prediction correct? Yes % of correct predictions so far 49% (85 from 172)
What Next?
No idea! Watch this space.

 

Cheshunt Roasted by an Opening Fired-In

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Tuesday 20 December 2011 at Park Drive, Maldon
Result	Maldon & Tiptree 2 Cheshunt 1
Competition	Isthmian League Division One South (Step 4)
Hopping	Venue 437 on the lifetime list
This match in one sentence
The home side deserved their win but the visitors will rue a missed penalty that could have changed the outcome.
So what?
Maldon and Tiptree are 19th, now just 2pts immediately behind Cheshunt (and Soham Town Rangers) but with games in hand.
Something random
Thanks to the gentleman who noticed me taking a photograph of the teamsheet and promptly brought me one to take away. It made me feel like a proper hopper, and was much appreciated.
The drama unfolds
My scene-setter video clip was taken after about ten minutes, and has some excellent examples of step 4 shouting.  By then Maldon & Tiptree (in the red/blue strip) were already imposing themselves through the pace of winger Marcus Milner and the presence of strikers Sos Yao and Leon Antoine.  One very good chance went begging as a hard driven ball scuttled through the six-yard box just in front of Antoine. On the half-hour mark, Milner nutmegged the fullback and crossed well but Joe Pearman’s header was straight at Sam Tanner in the Cheshunt goal.  A minute later, Yao mistimed a header from a good position.  A Cheshunt clearance was sliced somewhat fortunately over the bar, but gradually the visitors got into the game and the last few minutes before the interval were even.  Scott Stevens in the home goal was to go on and keep a clean sheet, but just before half-time a horrible clearance presented the away side with the ball – but they failed to convert the chance. This neutral was left with the impression that Maldon & Tiptree had been the prettier side, but that it could all eventually count for nothing as Cheshunt had enough about them to earn an ugly away win.  0-0 at half-time The next really good chance fell to Pearman after 53 minutes, but Tanner fingertipped the ball away at full stretch.  My second clip comes from around the hour mark, and shows chances at both ends. The deadlock was broken after 65 minutes.  Pearman beat his man and got in a good cross.  Antoine made a nuisance of himself in challenging for the ball, which fell kindly for Yao on the six-yard line.  He swivelled and thumped it home.  1-0 Six minutes later, a wonderful through ball from substitute Liam Coleman was rolled into the path of Yao, who tucked it away in the left-hand corner from 18 yards or so.  2-0 Cheshunt were handed a potential lifeline almost immediately.  Full-back Dave Collins was perhaps fortunate to escape with only a yellow card for bringing down Kevin Ashwood in the area.  However, Josh Hutchinson’s penalty was saved by Stevens, diving low to his left.  The two-goal margin proved crucial.  Ashwood took a chance very neatly in stoppage time, and Maldon & Tiptree were reduced to running the ball into the corners to hold on for the win.  Certainly, Maldon & Tiptree will look back and say they made the most chances, but Cheshunt will wonder what might have been.  Despite my post headline, this wasn't really a roasting.  Final score 2-1
Man-of-the-Match
Maldon & Tiptree’s two-goal striker Sos Yao (left foreground), even though he wears Fancy Dan boots.  Click the Brentwood Town tag in the cloud to the right and you can see what he was doing in the playoffs in May this year.
A snippet from the programme
From an article about collectables: “The main memory of Shoot! (magazine) that readers will retain was the annual free gift of Shoot League Ladders, which the magazine neither invented or had exclusive claim to.  These comprised a thin card sheet on which were printed blank league tables for each division of the English and Scottish Leagues, with a slit in the card alongside each position.  Also given away were T-shaped tabs for each club in the league, printed in the appropriate team colours, which could be fitted into the slots to indicate where each team currently stood in the league table … some have survived to appear regularly on eBay.” Elsewhere in the issue, there is more from groundhopper Brian Buck, whom I have quoted before.  I am pleased to add my congratulations to him as he has reached his target of 10,000 games on 3,000 different grounds before his 60th birthday.
What I learned today
Maldon & Tiptree are managed by Mike Flanagan, the ex-Charlton Athletic forward.  Cheshunt have a new management team too, led by David Bricknell.
What Next?
I may be up in the Midlands tomorrow for family reasons and am not sure whether either an Elite League Ice Hockey fixture (at Coventry) or a step 6 East Midlands League game (at Bardon Hill) will be possible – follow @GrahamYapp on Twitter for details as they emerge!