Digging Deep to Secure the Win

 

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Saturday 13 November at the Regional Electrical Services Ltd Stadium, Beechnut Lane
Result	Pontefract Collieries 2 Hebburn Town 1
Competition	Northern Premier League (Division One) East (Step 4)
Hopstats	Ground 735 on my lifetime list was selected by a convoluted method which is explained in full detail on this Twitter thread. I decided that I could draw the attention of more people to the Register of Members’ Final Interests given some of the news coverage earlier in the week from Westminster. It’s something that everyone should look at for their own MP. I had six unvisited Step 4 grounds on my shortlist. In alphabetical order of team name, I added up the figures on the register for extra earnings and donations for each local MP. The MP for Chippenham (including Melksham Town), Rt Hon Michelle Donelan, gets a right honourable zero against her name. Likewise Robert Largan, MP for High Peak (covering Glossop North End) scored a technical zero as no actual value is assigned to his part-interest in a London property. Craig Whittaker MP for Calder Valley (Brighouse Town) opened with £3457 worth of Euro hospitality in his total of £4232, but was soon overtaken by Nigel Evans MP (Ribble Valley, Clitheroe) also with some football-related interest (courtesy of Qatari sources) in a total of £8912.67. The runner-up was Tim Loughton MP (his constituency includes Lancing) with £65450 made up mostly of two additional salaries for 22hrs/month but the winner was Yvette Cooper MP for this patch. £73388 of donations for office and campaigning from a company based in Hertfordshire plus a bit of rugby league hospitality and book earnings gave a total of £79131, comfortably enough to bring me here. It’s randomish in the sense I had no idea what the outcome would be when I started the thread. It’s not random in the mathematical sense as not all outcomes were equally likely. Here’s the link to the Register of Members’ Financial Interests so you can have a look at your own representative, or just dip in at random and be amazed at the extent and variation.
Context
Not much time for detailed research this week but did spot that both teams had a proper tonking (technical term) last time out. Pontefract went down 4-0 at Shildon while Stocksbridge won 5-1 at Hebburn. I saw Hebburn just a few weeks ago. The teams start the day in 18th and 13th places in the division, and both have announced a new signing this week.
In One Sentence
Hebburn were wasteful with several set pieces and Pontefract’s debutant striker scored both goals to ensure a home win.
So What?
The teams are now 17th and 14th respectively. We are about a third of the way through the season.
Pre-match Entertainment
A brief walk around the town centre, which has a lot of blue plaques on some interesting old buildings. It’s great to see a town centre with character which isn’t an identi-build collection of the same old retail names, but on the other hand there were definite signs of economic stress. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) I witnessed an incident and had to spend some time giving a statement to the police, and therefore didn't have as much time as I would have liked. Maybe a re-visit in July for this ... ?
Match Report
For the first quarter of an hour the teams largely negated each other. Both defences were good in the air, and Hebburn’s two early set pieces came to nothing. Connor Bell came closest, just over-running a curling pass from the right so that it comically hit his back leg.  Then someone tried to catch Hebburn keeper Kieran Hunter off his line from distance, but the shot went wide. Hebburn’s next chance was even better. They worked the ball down the right again, drawing the keeper out and taking him out of the equation, but a defender had got back to be in just the right position to intercept and clear the final pass. Pontefract took the lead in the 34th minute with a debut goal from Rob Guilfoyle. For the rest of the first half I was somewhat distracted and disgusted by the loud political ranting and rambling of a nearby spectator on matters of Brexit, immigration and events at Yorkshire Cricket. After the earlier experience, this time I chose, rightly or wrongly, not to get involved. It’s midnight as I draft this and it’s still bothering me somewhat. The second half also started with a couple of fruitless set-pieces for Hebburn before Pontefract spurned a chance of their own, with a shot curled over the bar. Just after the hour they eventually doubled their lead. I’d moved to the other end, but it looked as if the ball broke kindly for Guilfoyle, or maybe it was a good through ball, but whichever it was he then had an uninterrupted run on goal for a neat, easy finish. Hebburn kept going and the home defence were kept busy. Finally they converted a free-kick for a consolation goal with a few minutes left. It was a really good shot by Michael Richardson into the top corner from a central position. For this passing neutral, this was a good contest between two physically strong sides, with the result in doubt for long periods. I’m not going to let one resident and one supporter spoil my day, or my impression of the club.
Match Pix
Pontefract in blue. Apologies for the poor quality this week. I was trying some manual settings on my camera as the natural light faded and I didn't get them right.
Ground Pix
Another ground close to a train line, though the trees mean that they are more audible than visible. Top old-school whiteboard work here (I'm jealous) See HERE for more fantastic examples of Non-League bins on this Facebook page (not mine, but I do occasionally contribute)
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 236 matches is here, on this separate page. Today, Orange beats Green, but no clean sheet for either. Pontefract keeper Ryan Musselwhite has inherited the right genes, as many readers will recognise. Here is a picture of him pacing around in each half. Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Prediction: Away Win Was the prediction correct? No % of correct predictions so far 49% (45 from 91) 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! Fourteen Step 4 grounds to go, almost all of them well over 200 miles per round trip. Whether it will be realistic to get to Guernsey as one of them remains to be seen. We are also entering the season of bad weather and pitch inspections, so it will be a month of late decisions and late substitutions.

Hebburn, I'm in Hebburn

 

This void represents the impact of a non-downloadable programme. Please, clubs, if you are going down the e-programme route, at least let us hoppers download it. The gaps in our physical collection are irritating but (with some exceptions) we understand it. It’s the souvenir that most of us want and need. Plus, your advertisers might realise soon just how little exposure they are getting for their money.

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Saturday 16 October 2021 at Green Energy Sports Ground
Result	Hebburn Town 2 Lincoln United 1
Competition	Northern Premier League Division One East (Step 4)
Hopstats	Ground 732 on my lifetime list is not a random choice. I’ve decided to pick off the longest remaining journey on my priority list, given that the weather forecast is not too bad. So it’s been another whizz up the East Coast main line from Stevenage courtesy of an LNER Azuma.
Context
14th v 13th. Hebburn are three points behind Lincoln but with a game in hand and a superior goal difference. Lincoln have been involved in some high scoring games. I don’t really have any further insight until I see what colour tops are worn by the goalkeepers …
In One (Long) Sentence
Given the number of good chances fluffed by Hebburn, probably the right result, but a first-minute yellow card proved to be a ticking time-bomb as it was followed by a second, and of course a red, just when United were improving.
So What?
The teams swop places and Hebburn are now ahead on goal difference.
Pre-match Entertainment
Trainspotting has been an accidental theme in recent weeks. This week, the Royal Train (but without royalty, I suspect) paused at Stevenage just before my train arrived. One dedicated spotter had turned up specially. No-one waved at us. Newcastle is a visually interesting city. Lots of fascinating architecture and street enhancements, and with an unusual physical arrangement of its bridges, which are also interesting in themselves. I spent a happy couple of hours just wandering around with a camera before a walk to the ground.
Match Report
I was pleased to find that the Belinda Carlisle song, “Heaven is a Place on Earth” features in the pre-match music just before the teams appear. I heartily approve of this punning opportunity, which meant that I was left with the Fred Astaire route for this post’s title. Once under way, Lincoln’s Josh Nichol got himself a very early yellow card for kicking the ball away to prevent a freekick being taken quickly. With less than two minutes on the clock, this would prove to be a bad decision later. Hebburn started well with good diagonal balls and intelligent runs. It only took eight minutes before they were in the lead. Olly Martin’s shot has been recorded for posterity as an own goal for Lincoln’s Owen Sheriff, but from my angle of view I missed the deflection. Hebburn kept pressing and Tom Potter tried to sneak a shot in at the near post when a cross looked the better option. Lincoln’s first shot was not until the 15th minute. Tobias Liversidge’s shot from distance drew a dive from home keeper Mark Foden, but it was always going wide. Hebburn’s next chance to extend the lead came in the 19th minute. Connor Bell, wearing number 9 but running into both left and right channels, played a delicious ball with the outside of his boot but Martin’s cushioned volley was too high. Another flick by Bell released Potter to set up Martin for another great chance. Not his day, as the one-on-one opportunity rolled just wide as Lincoln’s keeper Ellis Spencer came out to narrow the angle. Bell took matters into his own hands a few minutes before the interval. Receiving a ball over the top at the end of a curved run to avoid the offside, he drove in towards the goal, deceived the defender with a stepover and shot into the top corner.   This one went just wide ... Bell (centre) celebrates the second goal Lincoln improved after the break and I made a note that it would be “interesting” if they scored next. I was also happy that the referee’s assistant found the little plastic bit that had fallen off her flag during the first half. However, the visitors’ ambitions seemed to be undermined at first when Nichol made a poor last-man tackle and his second yellow card condemned him to a walk of shame back to the dressing rooms, waved off cheerily by a balcony full of home supporters. Hebburn, however, seemed determined to keep the game poised by missing chances. Dylan Archer became the next player to shoot over from close range, and then keeper Foden was needed to make a close-range reflex stop as Lincoln refused to lie down. When Rob Smith kept his composure for a cool finish to pull a goal back, the match was still alive with just over ten minutes to go. As was the theme of the day, Hebburn stayed charitable. Sub Amar Purewal headed wide and then the same player seemed to scuff another chance just after – that was at the far end from me so I can’t be totally certain what happened – but fortunately the home side kept enough possession in the closing minutes to see out the game and take the points. Lincoln can’t really complain on the total balance of play and chances. A good entertaining game for this passing neutral.
Match Pix
Hebburn in gold and black stripes.
Ground Pix
As is my recent habit, I walked to the ground from Newcastle central station, taking just over an hour and a quarter. The walk along the south bank of the Tyne is a mix of industrial area and woodland, and would not be one for a wet day or an evening game. I used the excellent Metro later for the journey back into Newcastle. This is a smart and well-equipped ground with some further upgrading in progress, overlooked by the balcony of a modern social club building. I lost count of the number of times the club crest appears around the site, certainly more badge branding than any other ground I’ve ever seen. I believe the archway visible at one end to be the entrance to Hebburn Cemetery,
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 233 matches is here, on this separate page. Today, true to shirt form, Green beats Radioactive Bile, but no clean sheets and no change to the colour positions.  Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Prediction: Home Win Was the prediction correct? Yes % of correct predictions so far 49% (43 from 88) 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! Family commitments next weekend but should be back on the Step 4 hopping trail somewhere at the end of the month.