Shaftesbury Have a New Drawing-Frome Drama

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Saturday 13th September 2025 at Coppice Street
Result	Shaftesbury 1 Frome Town 1
Competition	FA Cup 2nd Round Qualifying
Hopstats	Ground 807 on the lifetime list.
Context
A clash between two Step 4 teams from the Southern League Division One South. This is Shaftesbury’s 10th game of the season, six of which have been in the knockout competitions. They have scored a fair few goals in the early games. A 5-0 replay win over Baffins Milton Rovers in the Extra Preliminary Round of the FA Cup followed a 1-1 draw. They then disposed of Thatcham Town (4-0 at home) and Exmouth (2-0 away) in the next two rounds to set up this tie, pausing only to win at Bristol Manor Farm in the FA Trophy. With three wins out of four league games, it’s fair to say they are enjoying a good start to the season among the leading scorers. Frome have three wins from three games in the league. In the FA Cup, they get here with a home win over Newquay in the Preliminary Round followed by a 4-0 win at Plymouth Parkway. The only blip in their season is a Trophy loss at Winchester last weekend, otherwise it’s an impressive defensive record.
Match Report
As a passing neutral, the best games are those in which the result is in doubt right to the end, and this ticked all those boxes. Tense at times, punctuated by sunshine and sharp showers, it was compelling. It could have been 1-1 after one minute. Shaftesbury hit the post with their first attack, and then the Frome keeper was in action at the other end to deal with a looping deflection. After that manic start, the game settled into mutual cancellation in midfield until Frome flashed a ball straight through the home six-yard box in the 29th minute. As we approached half-time, Shaftesbury forced some corners but they were well-defended. Then, one of those things that the young people of today call worldies. A home attack on the left flank broke down, the ball was recycled into midfield, and Alefe Santos, in plenty of space and time, fired a long-distance shot into the far right to break the match deadlock. At first, the second half followed the same pattern. The teams traded chances. Shaftesbury’s Brandon Mundy volleyed just wide and then a Frome cross was just a fraction too high for a heading opportunity. I noted that, “S will need a second (goal) here” as Frome gradually came to dominate the possession and territory. I was soon to add, “How have F not scored?”. Frome’s David Duru had an interesting few minutes. It was his persistence that created that chance, needing an amazing goalline block and clearance from a home defender to deny Charlie Holliday. This was followed by an attempted overhead kick – spectacular but wide – before he was floored with a head injury. He left the field after lengthy patching-up work and the added time was to become a big part of today’s story. Frome should have levelled sooner but substitute Sam Meakes hit the post when through one-on-one. We had goalmouth pinball, we had another pullback from Meakes go astray just behind the attacker when it should have been easier to score. It looked as if Frome were out of luck. Maybe Shaftesbury could have been better at so-called “game management”. However. At 5.03pm Meakes planted an unstoppable header from a right-wing cross to earn a deserved replay. As we left, someone loudly berated the referee about the added time to which he quipped back about giving value for money. I suspect he’s used that line before. There had been 14 or 15 minutes of added time, on top of the 4 or 5 from the first half. I won’t be able to get to the replay, but I’ll certainly look for the result. #sorrynotsorry about the blogpost title, but I have to have a pun (or two) in here somewhere, it’s the rule. It only works if you pronounce Frome like the locals!
So What?
Replay at Frome Town on Wednesday 17 September at 7.45pm.
Pre-match Entertainment
Nothing whatsoever, no time. Diversion from Hertfordshire via M4 due to closure of the M3, so yet another morning spent bumper-to-bumper on the dreaded M25 western section before joining the queue to crawl past Stonehenge on the A303. Witnessed some terrible and discourteous driving too. The other undoubted attractions of Shaftesbury will have to wait, sorry.
Pix
Shaftesbury in red-and-white.
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats Update
The background to this, and the latest keeper top colour league table, is here on this dedicated page. Today Yellow v Green, same as last night (West Ham Women 1-5 Arsenal Women). My last 339 games have contributed to the table. Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Prediction: Away Win Was the prediction correct? No % of correct predictions so far 48% (93 from 194)
What Next?
Not sure. Schoolwork demands really kicking in now so a lot will depend on the weather and whether my GCSE physics students have dogs with an appetite for homework.

 

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.

Frome With View - Football Can Be Cruel

I downloaded this programme (free) from the club website before travelling, but I made sure I was early enough to get this hard copy at the ground.  Call me old-fashioned.  Oh, you do already.

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Saturday 18th August at The Memorial Ground
Result	Hartley Wintney 2 Frome Town 1
Competition	Southern League Premier Division South (Step 3)
Hopstats	Ground 651 on my lifetime list and I am here randomishly because of this result from the Liga Nacional in Guatemala. Pedro Samayoa’s last minute winner for Municipal over Deportivo Petapa brings me here.  A home win meant that I would have been at Dorking Wanderers and a draw would have sent me to South Shields.  The evidence is on Twitter, but I will be headed to those grounds soon enough as I close in on “The 248” (everywhere from Premier League to Step 3) with six to go.
Context
Third league game of the season for both sides.  Hartley Wintney have started with two wins, whereas Frome have one point from an opening-day draw.  The hosts have shot up from Step 5 in recent years, winning their Step 3 place through last season’s play-offs.  Frome are established in this league and had mid-table respectability last season.
In one sentence
Harsh on Frome, whose sub keeper-manager had saved a last minute penalty, but this Hartley Wintney side do not know when they are beaten.
So what?
Still very early in the season but the clubs find themselves near opposite ends of the table.  Hartley Wintney’s 100% record is good enough for second place on goal difference.  Frome Town are just outside the bottom three.
Match Report
Frome took an early lead, Matt Morris bundling the ball past home keeper Adam Desbois.  Adam is a 17-year old on Reading’s books, and he apparently missed the last game because of an England call-up.  The rest of the first half had few highlights.  There was plenty of effort and hard work from both sides, but Frome’s defence coped easily with Hartley Wintney’s attempts to draw level.  Desbois varied his distribution methods and could often be found as a sweeper-keeper nearer the halfway line than the goal-line.  He has a kick like a cannon and his was a remarkable performance for his age.  The home side tried to exploit the pace of Romari Hart and always got the ball forward quickly, but Frome’s defence was excellent and well-organised.  The home supporters called for a penalty just before the break, claiming a raised defensive hand had touched the ball.  I was not in a good position to give the neutral’s judgement. In the second half, Frome missed a good chance (though it seemed to me that two players were offside) and then Hartley Wintney missed their best one so far as a right-wing cross from Claudio Herbert went past everyone in the area. The hinge point of the game came with the departure due to injury of Frome keeper Darren Bechet.  The manager Dan Greaves replaced him, and thankfully for my spreadsheet, was wearing the same colours.  He couldn’t do anything about the equalising goal that came from Nicholas Ciardini as he burst through the middle of the defensive line. Frome tried but failed to catch Desbois out of position from the restart.  The last few minutes were end-to-end entertainment as both sides went for the win, but as we entered the 90th minute an inexplicable push in the box resulted in a penalty kick for the home side.  Taken by Ciardini, it was an easy save for Greaves low to his right. However, there was time for a cruel winning goal, again with no chance for Greaves.  Nathan Smart goes down as the home hero, gleefully scoring the winning goal in the 5th minute of stoppage time.  Joy and despair, victory and defeat.  Frome looked devastated, and who can blame them – they had led from the 12th to the 85th minute.  Even as a neutral, never leave early.
Pix
Hartley Wintney in orange.  The ground still has a Step 4 feel because the club’s promotions are as yet still ahead of their infrastructure.  Everything about the club made a good first impression, and it is to be hoped that they can find a sustainable model that will also increase their core support.  Well worth a hop in daylight hours so you can appreciate the semi-rural setting.
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 is now based on 152 observations. Today: Purple beats Radioactive Bile, but no clean sheet.  Bile drops one place in the table. Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Prediction: Home Win Was the prediction correct? Yes % of correct predictions so far 86% (6 from 7) 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.  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.  It may not be statistically significant as yet, but football coverage ignores this point as a matter of routine. P W D L GC CS Pts PPG Red 10.0 5.0 1.0 4.0 11.0 3.0 20.0 2.000 Blue 38.1 16.0 7.0 15.1 54.0 14.0 71.0 1.864 Grey 46.5 22.0 10.0 14.5 73.5 13.0 67.5 1.452 Green 80.0 40.0 10.0 30.0 135.0 20.0 95.0 1.188 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 Purple 16.0 7.0 3.0 6.0 36.0 4.0 8.0 0.500 Orange 34.5 11.0 7.0 16.5 59.5 6.0 10.5 0.304 Yellow 31.0 8.0 7.0 16.0 65.0 5.0 -9.0 -0.290 Radioactive Bile 17.0 7.0 0.0 10.0 36.0 2.0 -5.0 -0.294 Pink 16.0 5.0 5.0 6.0 31.0 1.0 -6.0 -0.375 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
What Next?
Follow @GrahamYapp on Twitter!  I may try to get to either Bamber Bridge or Scarborough Athletic on Tuesday.  I will almost certainly go to Rushden & Higham v Cogenhoe for a United Counties League Cup game on Wednesday – the hosts are landlords for Step 3 AFC Rushden & Diamonds and that’s my preferred way of getting the tick.  Then I am out of circulation for a few days until a provisional planned trip to South Shields on Saturday 1 September.  If all falls into place and there is a helpful draw for the FA Cup 1st and 2nd Qualifying Rounds (8th and 22nd September) then I should be able to complete The 248 by the end of the month.