Making Progress Down Football's Left Wing

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Saturday 22 August 2015 at Broadhurst Park
Result	FC United of Manchester 3 Brackley Town 2
Competition	Conference North (Step 2)
Hopping	I am here at ground 576 to restore “The 160”, that is all of the current English grounds down to Step 2.  It actually comprises only 157 venues at the moment because of groundsharing arrangements for Gloucester City, Worcester City and Hayes & Yeading.  It’s a new stadium and plenty of hoppers will have it on this season’s hotlist.  Indeed, plenty have already been.
Pre-match preparation
FC United are looking for their first win at this level.  The club has risen pretty steadily up the pyramid since its formation, and this is their first full season at their own stadium.  Brackley Town are mid-table.
This match in one sentence
FC United showed resilience after going a goal down but also left themselves a nervy last few minutes on their way to a first step 2 victory.
So what? The not-won-yet burden is removed and Brackley stay in mid-table.
The drama unfolds
Despite an early departure from Hertfordshire, I only made it to the ground just in time for a quick batch of ground pix and a hasty pie and peas before kickoff.  Hello again, M6 northbound and your mysterious blockages.  This match will be well-covered elsewhere, so I will be brief.  I watched the first half from high-up in a corner of the end terrace housing the home fans.  Brackley Town’s 10th minute lead came rather against the run of play.  FC United failed to deal defensively with a ball down near the corner flag and the ball came back to Brackley full-back Stephan Morley in acres of space.  His cross was met firmly by the head of Steve Diggin who had lost his marker in a well-timed run to the near post.  0-1 after 10 mins The equaliser was created by another full-back, this time United’s Liam Brownhill.  He controlled the ball well on the flank and turned to create space for a left-footed cross which floated perfectly to give Matthew Wolfenden an unmissable close-range header.  1-1 after 14 mins It was Brownhill’s work again, this time with his right-foot, that led to a corner.  As the pressure built, Sam Madeley was in the right place to score and give United the lead which they held comfortably enough until the break.  2-1 after 26 mins and at half-time Madeley gives FCUM the lead and wheels away to celebrate ... I moved to the other end for the second half, and watched Brackley get back into the game.  More of their players were 6-foot plus and they started to use their physical advantages a bit more effectively.  Their substitute David Moyo looked a handful and cut inside to hit the woodwork after 57 minutes.  An equaliser looked on the cards, but somehow United weathered the storm and created a one-on-one chance for Tom Greaves.  He didn’t miss.  3-1 after 71 mins Cool finish from Greaves The tension eased and even the small core of Brackley fans seemed to accept the impending awayday defeat.  Then they received an unexpected gift in the form of a defensive lapse that let Moyo in to score with several nervy minutes still ahead.  3-2 after 81 mins It was indeed nervy.  Brackley had a set piece chance but the freekick went wide.  United’s clearances were hurried and they headed for the corner flag whenever they could.  However, the results pages will record that they hung on for a first Step 2 victory and another landmark.  Final Score 3-2 The thunderstorms that I encountered on the way back south gave me the worst driving conditions I have ever experienced.  They meant that I failed to get far enough down the M1 before the bollards meant that we queued for ages to get down to one lane.  Nine hours in total behind the wheel of the Yappmobile today.  It would be terrible to be a southerner and have to drive every week to watch football in Manchester.  Just saying.
Ground Pix
Match Pix
Something You Don’t Get in the Premier League
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats
Green beats blue, but no clean sheets.  Full points table next time.
Soapbox Section
Their formation and progress has been well-documented elsewhere, and FC United look to be in a pretty healthy state with a very professional setup.  The stadium is still a work-in-progress but is already functioning perfectly well for this level.  They are an inspiration to other clubs who have sat contentedly in the lower leagues.  Altrincham are the nearest rivals in Step 1 and FC United have now caught up or overtaken the many established Step 2-4 clubs on the patch.  I think they are realistic enough not to expect annual promotions, but it is hard to imagine them getting relegated.  It is quite easy to imagine them as a sustainable League One outfit but then they would hit those barriers between sport and business that led to their formation in the first place.  Their average attendance will be around the 3000 mark, 2996 today.  At some point, just like it did for AFC Wimbledon, a competition will throw them up against Manchester United.  That will be interesting for the neutrals.  The only extra comment that I have about sustainability is that they have found a home closer to the Etihad than to Old Trafford, and yet in their terrace chants they have brought with them an anti-City sentiment.  Maybe this will in time put a limit on their fanbase, because people round here seem to be born blue or red.  Or maybe it will take twenty years for the club to have a core of supporters who are indifferent to the original Reds.  Mind you, the current FC United take the pitch looking just like my 1970s Manchester United Subbuteo team with simple and vibrant red shirts, white shorts and a green goalkeeper.  It is a great no-nonsense kit, and it sells well too.  Overall, I must say that it was a very positive matchday experience for this passing neutral.  It’s a left-leaning political place – see all the slogans on their flags and be prepared for pie queue conversations about which food companies pay tax in the UK – but I liked it and didn’t feel that I was gatecrashing someone else’s party.
What Next?
This visit leaves me with eleven Step 3 grounds to complete the next layer of English football, and I will be trying to get to all of them this season.  Most of them are in the Northern Premier, so plenty more time to come on the M6 for me then.  Work is about to take control of my life again as the new school term approaches, but watch @GrahamYapp on Twitter for details, and maybe become my latest 100th follower.  I have been hovering around the 1000 mark all summer.

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!

Fylde Under Par But They Win Again

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Saturday 4 October 2014 at Kellamergh Park
Result	AFC Fylde 1 North Ferriby United 0
Competition	Conference North (Step 2)
Hopping	Ground 550, and one of the two grounds I need to visit of teams promoted to Step 2 last season.  Chorley is the other, and I will be there soonish to re-complete “The 160” grounds from Premiership to Step 2 inclusive, except that it is 158 at the moment because of groundsharing by Worcester City and Gloucester City.  I am here rather than Chorley today because of a randomish event at Bamber Bridge, which is roughly midway between Chorley and Fylde.  Preston Ladies were playing Blackburn Ladies.  If they had scored an odd number of goals I would have been going to Chorley.  As it is, they scored nil, which is not an odd number, even though you might argue whether it is a number at all.  On balance, mathematically speaking, it’s even, so Fylde it is. The ground has an unusual entrance – you drive through the car park of the Birley Arms to get there.
Pre-match preparation
Both teams have an eye on promotion.  AFC Fylde lead the division by two points although Barrow have a game in hand.  North Ferriby United are only three points outside the playoff spots, but it is still relatively early in the season.  Fylde have won six league games in a row and most recently have beaten Bradford PA in a replay to stay in the FA Cup.  North Ferriby are also still in the Cup, a win over Cleethorpes ending a winless league streak lasting the whole of September. They are eighth in the league table. Like near neighbours Fleetwood, now of League Two, Fylde have shaken up the local pecking order with their ambitions of full Football League status.  Blackpool, after a difficult managerial and administrative start to their season, played Cardiff on Friday night and Fylde are offering reduced price entry to their season ticket holders today.  Competition on and off the field round here, then.
This match in one sentence
Fylde nicked a goal in a tight but uninspiring game, while North Ferriby did nothing much wrong except for missing their chances.
So what?
AFC Fylde stay top of the division. North Ferriby remain mid-table.
The drama unfolds
Much of the first half was interesting and impressive rather than exciting and inspirational.  Some would say dull.  Two well-organised teams largely cancelled each other out in midfield and there were few clear chances.  Here’s the traditional scene-setter clip.  Fylde are in white. The only goal of the game came from a break from halfway by Richie Allen down the left wing.  North Ferriby keeper Adam Nicklin got a hand to the low cross-shot but could only push it out for a tap-in for Danny Rowe.  1-0 after 36 mins and at half-time North Ferriby’s striker Tom Denton featured heavily in the visitors’ second-half attempts to draw level.  He used his height to good advantage.  First, he saw Ben Hinchcliffe leap superbly to push away his header in the first minute after the restart.  With sunshine and showers and one of the best rainbows for several seasons, North Ferriby kept up the pressure.  Here’s a clip. Fylde nearly added a second through Hinchcliffe and Allen from the proverbial route one.  Tom Hannigan caught the eye in the home defence with a couple of timely interventions and blocks.  Denton headed just wide at the far post from a corner with ten minutes to go, and then another header hit the post with a minute of normal time left.  It so nearly went in off Hinchcliffe.  To be honest, a draw would have been a fair result – there was actually very little to choose between these two teams, and the second half had been more entertaining for the passing neutral.  Final score 1-0
Ground Pix
Trophy on display in the directors' box
Match Pix
Something You Don’t Get in the Premier League
Simultaneous sheep and double rainbows.  There were cows in the next field too, but they declined to have their picture taken.
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats
THIS orange-and-grey monstrosity from North Ferriby's Adam Nicklin has messed up my spreadsheet.  It’s not orange.  It’s not grey.  Plus, it lost.  Whereas the nice safe traditional green of Fylde won the points and gained a clean sheet.  Updated and adapted table to follow before the end of the month.
Soapbox Section
AFC Fylde would like to build a new ground but there is nothing definite as yet.  I may have to go back there one day!  Everything about this club makes an impact from the moment you arrive.  The banners, the signage, the tidiness, the quality of the programme production, the self-service “gourmet coffee machine”.  All are among the best I have seen in non-league.  Everything points to high standards both corporately and for individuals, and to attention to detail.  Having spent many years as the head of various teams or institutions myself, I applaud all of that.  They are big on hospitality and sponsorship-seeking, and even have a mascot.  I do not applaud mascots, ever, (except Junior Baggie Bird doing the pecking dance to Jump Up by House of Pain, but that is pure art). AFC Fylde's ambitions are explicit. Of course, all these things also exude the message that “Money is no Object”, and this has meant that Fylde receive a step 2 version of some of the negative feelings expressed towards Chelsea, Manchester City and maybe QPR.  Plus Fleetwood locally in more recent times.  As things stand, Blackpool exist in the Championship (but are “troubled” off the pitch at the time of writing), Fleetwood are in League Two, and Fylde are in Step Two with plans to be in the main Football League by 2022.  I can’t help thinking their biggest barrier would be to build their support base, and if they manage it then one or both of the others will have to take some damage.  The question, as ever, is whether it will all be sustainable, or whether someone’s dreams will have to crash-and-burn.  It will be interesting to watch – after today’s visit I would not bet against them.
What Next?
Watch @GrahamYapp on Twitter for details!