The Hop With The Miner Diversion

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Saturday 28 October at Brewery Field
Result	Spennymoor Town 1 Chorley 0
Competition	National League North (Step 2)
Hopstats	Ground 623 on the lifetime list and I am here (a nine-hour round trip for me) to restore “The 160”, that’s all current English grounds down to and including Step 2, for the fourth time.  You could argue that there are only 159 at the moment because Gloucester City are still tenants at Evesham United.
Context
Both teams doing well in the league, and only one point between them.  Spennymoor, however, lost their last home league game and Chorley have also been on an FA Cup run which will put them on the telly next Monday night.  The home side will be missing Bradley Fewster, and recent reports have highlighted the goalscoring form of Chorley’s Nick Haughton.  He is on loan from their FA Cup opponents Fleetwood Town.
In one sentence
A forgettable first half but a much better second, and Spennymoor’s defensive organisation got them through for an ugly win in difficult windy conditions.
So what?
Spennymoor and Chorley stay 5th and 6th respectively. The gap is four points but Chorley have played one game fewer.
Match Report
The first half was largely fought in midfield.  The gusty wind had less of an impact than I’d feared, but both sides were forced into some safety-first defending at times. Spennymoor were most dangerous from set-pieces, but Chorley had most possession and arguably the best chance of the first half.  Nick Haughton kept the ball in on the right flank as a home attack faltered, and clipped a good pass using the wind to advantage, putting Marcus Carver through one-on-one.  Home keeper Jordan Porter made a good save and the first half ended with the score at nil-nil.  Chances had been hard to create in the conditions and I wrote myself an interval note that this could end up as the final score. Porter was also very busy in the opening moments of the second half with a number of saves as Chorley threatened to run rampant.  The third one, from Jason Walker, was excellent and that was the game’s “What If?” moment right there.  Spennymoor responded up front and forced Matt Urwin to make his first tricky save. It was suddenly much, much better as a spectacle. The only goal came from a move down the right.  Shane Henry’s pass created a chance that was well saved by Urwin but left a rebound for Andrew Johnson.  Chorley were not finished yet but almost got caught on a left-wing break and David Foley hit the bar.  Haughton was still looking dangerous with the ball at his feet, and another mazy dribble led to a free-kick just outside the box.  When Chorley sent that wide, you sensed that Spennymoor’s defence was going to cope with the other stuff coming their way, and indeed they hung on well enough for three points and a clean sheet. Spennymoor Town (0) 1 (Johnson 62) Chorley (0) 0
Ground Pix
This ground has all the “character” that the newer places have sometimes sacrificed, including a noticeable slope.
Match Pix
Spennymoor are in black-and-white.
Pre-Match Entertainment
This was an unexpected bonus, and everyone under the age of 30 should do this.  The Durham Mining Museum (free entry) is tucked away in the Town Hall, and it is a wonderful collection of artefacts and documents.  Having worked on my own family tree over recent years, I have become passionate that everyone today should have a really good understanding of the challenges and enforced lifestyles of previous generations, certainly since the Industrial Revolution as an absolute minimum.  This collection, staffed by knowledgeable volunteers who have been-there-done-that underground, covers both technicalities of mining and the politics of energy.  If you come for a Spennymoor hop, park the car in the Leisure Centre and spend an hour here first.  The ground is no more than a 15-minute walk away.  Gents, if you read this, thanks for taking the trouble to return my lost lens cap.
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats
The colour-naming committee (i.e. me) noted but dismissed Spennymoor’s teamsheet claim for a new shade of green.  It’s green enough, and it beats yellow today with the bonus of a clean sheet.  Here’s the table after 122 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 9.0 4.0 1.0 4.0 9.0 3.0 19.0 2.111 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 41.5 20.0 9.0 12.5 68.5 11.0 55.5 1.337 Green 64.0 31.0 8.0 25.0 110.0 17.0 76.0 1.188 Orange 24.5 9.0 4.0 11.5 38.5 5.0 17.5 0.714 Purple 11.0 5.0 2.0 4.0 25.0 2.0 2.0 0.182 Yellow 26.0 7.0 6.0 13.0 49.0 5.0 3.0 0.115 Pink 14.0 4.0 4.0 6.0 29.0 1.0 -8.0 -0.571 Radioactive Bile 12.0 5.0 0.0 7.0 26.0 1.0 -6.0 -0.500 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?
I am now seven grounds short of everywhere-down-to-step-3, (Nominally “The 232” although there are a few groundshares in there) and they are my priorities for the rest of this season.  I am well aware that some of you think that I am something short of something else, to whit sandwiches and a picnic, but I am used to that.  Follow @GrahamYapp on Twitter for developments, alongside other randomish stuff about education, politics, puns, science and genealogy.

Two-Nil is a Dangerous Scoreline Again

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Saturday 9 May 2015 at Victory Park
Result	Chorley 2 Guiseley 3
Competition	Conference North Playoff Final (Step 2)
Hopping	Ground #569 restores my current “Top 160” (everywhere down to Step 2) which at the end of 2014-15 is 157 venues because of groundsharing by Worcester (at Kidderminster), Gloucester (at Cheltenham) and Hayes & Yeading (at Maidenhead).  The list becomes instantly incomplete again at the start of 2015-16, for example with a new ground for FC United of Manchester.
Pre-match preparation
The teams finished 4th and 5th respectively behind champions Barrow in the regular season.  The playoff semi-finals in this league are two-leggers and Chorley overcame Boston United on penalties after a very dramatic 95th-minute equaliser (an overhead kick too) which took the game to extra-time.  Chorley had been two goals down.  Meanwhile, Guiseley were impressively beating AFC Fylde home-and-away.  The league fixtures were both fairly recent and resulted in narrow home wins.  At the same stage of last season, Chorley were coming up from Step 3 as Northern Premier League champions and Guiseley were losing to Altrincham in the Conference North playoff final. In the language of the week, this one is too close to call
This match in one sentence
The archetypal game of two halves, and Chorley will point to the three enforced defensive substitutions as a big factor in the turning of the tide.
So what?
Step 1 Conference National for Guiseley
The drama unfolds
The ground filled up early.  I hadn’t realised that the match would be segregated and I entered a Guiseley gate.  As it happened I got lucky with my positioning for this dramatic game.  Fantastic for the passing neutral.  My scene-setter clip starts with the opening goal from the first corner of the game, and by the way, this is a splendid ground of character and characters.  Dale Whitham’s corner is headed in by Andy Teague and the lino confirms that the ball was over the line as keeper Steven Drench can only push it into the top of the net.  Chorley (the Magpies) are in black-and-white.  1-0 after 5 mins Guiseley were looking shaky in defence and there were more shaky clearances before suddenly Chorley’s keeper Sam Ashton was called into action for the first time.  Chorley looked dangerous from every set-piece and another header from Teague was correctly disallowed for offside.  The second goal, as they say, was coming – it arrived when Paul Jarvis received the ball on the left flank, cut inside to beat a defender and then score with the aid of a deflection.  2-0 after 24 mins Chorley were dominant and it took at least one more decent save from Drench to prevent further damage before the interval.  I wrote a note to myself wondering if the real Guiseley would turn up for the second half – by now they had already needed to take striker Oli Johnson off.  2-0 at half-time I had the camera ready for Guiseley’s first corner in the second half and was very surprised to see it taken as an outswinger by a right-footer. However, they did get back in the game with a route one goal, after Chorley had lost both goalscorers Teague and Jarvis to injury. Adam Boyes produced a great first touch to control a dropping ball and score.  2-1 after 56 mins When keeper Ashton was also forced off, to be replaced by Aaron Grundy, you feared for Chorley.  I filmed the next Guiseley set-piece, this time an inswinger and almost the equaliser, but the clip is most notable for what happens to one Guiseley spectator just behind the goal… The equaliser duly arrived with a header from Liam Dickinson.  2-2 after 73 mins The winner was scored by another Guiseley sub, Nicky Boshell, sparking scenes of jubilation at the away end and probably a feeling of growing inevitability at the other.  2-3 after 78 mins Guiseley survived most of the remaining time easily enough and had chances for a fourth, but Chorley made one final push as the game entered six minutes of injury time.  They came so, so close as sub Matt Flynn’s header hit the woodwork.  Jack Dorney’s shot was saved easily by Drench, and here is the moment of the final whistle.  Final score 2-3 The excellent Chorley website says that Harry Winter was red-carded after the final whistle but I have no insight into that.  The hosts waited on the pitch patiently and respectfully until a shambles of a presentation was finally completed.  As is traditional in these matters, a man in a suit could not get out of the way in time of the first burst of bubbly.  Well done to Guiseley, commiserations to Chorley.  I hope that plenty more hoppers turn up to visit your ground.
Ground Pix
Match Pix
1st half: Teague's effort disallowed Jarvis mobbed after scoring the second Chorley goal 1st half: Drench keeps the deficit down to two 2nd half: Dickinson celebrates the equaliser
Something You Might Not Get in the Premier League Next Season*
Magpies... *satire
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats
Sky Blue 2-3 Purple and there will be an end-of-season final table.  Chorley had two blue ones today.   Ashton is helped to the dugout and Grundy takes over.
Soapbox Section
I really ought to make a political statement here in this week of all weeks.  Looks like we are in for another period where competition between human beings and their organisations is more important than collaboration.  This, of course, works for some.  Like today, there will be winners and losers.  In my professional life, all I can now say to the “kids of today” is that in the next decade it will be more important than ever to get control of your adult life through being flexible, educated and qualified.  No-one is going to cover the costs of your lifestyle or even your basic needs by paying taxes for you.  You will need to sort yourself out.  If you have interpersonal skills, good communication, abilities in maths and sciences, you will be fine because you can join the winners.  Speaking more than one language will help.  Then your generation, in turn, can decide how best to ignore the rest like this one has now done.  Democracy got selfish in my lifetime, I reckon.
What Next?
Follow @GrahamYapp on Twitter for details!  I will be going to the Scottish Cup Final between Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Falkirk at the end of the month, and I usually find some late drama in the Essex Olympian League in mid-May!