Sun Go Down as the Moon Comes Up

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Tuesday 11 April 2017 at Bellmount Wood Avenue, Watford
Result	Sun Sports 0 Hadley 3
Competition	Spartan South Midlands Premier Division (Step 5)
Hopping	Number 602 on the lifetime list, and local enough for a midweek jaunt.  I think I have just Hadley to visit now to complete this division.
Pre-match preparation
Mid-table respectability is secure for the home side.  The Sun in the name was originally a printing company that spawned a works side.  The visitors are flirting dangerously with relegation (assuming two go down).  They have games in hand and a win tonight would take them out of the bottom two.  Micky Hazard of Spurs, Chelsea and Swindon fame is their manager.
This match in one sentence
Hadley turned up ready for business and secured the points with an effective first-half performance.
So what?
Nothing much of significance either way for Sun Sports, but Hadley are out of the bottom two and still have three games in hand over London Tigers below them.
The drama unfolds
I watch a lot of football as a neutral.  Firstly, I thought the playing surface looked very decent for this level.  Also, to my amateur eye, the Hadley warm-up seemed more intense and focused, and that difference carried on into the game.  Even so, Hadley could not turn their encouraging signs into a crystal clear chance, until they were gifted the lead.  If anyone was filming, the home keeper won’t want to see his mishandling of Laste Dombaxe’s admittedly dipping shot.  0-1 after 20 mins There could have been a fabulous equaliser almost immediately but a volley from a right-wing cross floated wide. Instead the superb second goal came at the other end. It was Dombaxe again, from even further out.  I think the keeper got a hand to it but it was a wonderful strike, and he ran gleefully to the bench to celebrate.  0-2 after 38 mins and at HT Man running gleefully to a bench (see above) The International Space Station scooted across the sky as the players went in for the interval, and Jupiter rose in the East, soon to be followed by the Moon.  The question was, would Sun come back?  (See what I did there?)  To be fair, they did.  Hadley were maybe less ambitious going forward and their game management plan seemed to be working as Sun worked hard but for little reward.  The visiting keeper, protected by the green top (see below) had relatively little to do.  The game actually became more fractious as tackles flew in and yellows were brandished, but not as often as they might have been.  It was occasionally embarrassing such as when one player, apparently down with career-threatening injuries one minute, was sprinting after a through ball like a spring chicken on amphetamines the next.  The officials struggled to keep it civilised and of course the abuse kept on coming in from the sidelines.  It was almost a quarter to ten by the time Hadley added a third on the break through Ibrahim Lukalay in stoppage time.  Job done.  Final Score 0-3 Surrounding the referee
Ground Pix
Match Pix
Sun Sports in yellow/blue...
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats
A win and a clean sheet for Green over Blue, taking it back into second place behind Red and above Blue after 99 games of counting.  Will publish the full table again soon!
What Next?
Watch @GrahamYapp on Twitter for details!

Things Looking Up for Tigers

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Tuesday 15 April 2014 at Avenue Park
Result	London Tigers 4 Tring Athletic 0
Competition	South Midlands League Premier Division (Step 5)
Hopping	First of 2014 after a work-enforced break, making #530 on the lifetime list and all current grounds now completed for this division.
Pre-match preparation
Both teams safe from relegation and with no chance of promotion.  Mid-table clash.  Interesting stuff in the programme (other than a full-page warning about the colour of sock tape) - the Tigers' former coach (Giorgi Minashvilli) is now coaching Dynamo Tbilisi in Georgia and there are several former players around the top leagues in Cyprus, Azerbaijan, Libya, Norway and Sweden (not forgetting the Conference South).
This match in one sentence
Tring never recovered from going two goals down in three minutes.
So what?
Tigers are 13th, three points and three places behind Tring.
The drama unfolds
Tigers pounced in the very first minute.  There were protests for offside as Pedro Cotelo and his day-glo yellow boots seemed to have forever to get the ball under control and shoot.  I wasn’t in line, but the lino seemed well-positioned and I see no reason to argue.  1-0 after 1 min Cotelo again had plenty of time to fire in a second at the near post within two minutes.  Shocking start for Tring.  2-0 after 3 mins I took my scene-setter clip with the score at 2-0. The visitors wasted a free header but gradually clawed themselves back into the game. Then a superb weighted pass inside the full-back allowed Cotelo to turn provider as he squared the ball across goal to be turned in by Jabir Laraba.  3-0 after 26 mins A Tring freekick was beaten away by Tigers’ keeper Jamie Adim, and it appeared that Tigers were not going to lose a lead in the style of West Bromwich Albion.  This incident saw the first booking for dissent.  Cotelo also picked one up later on to spoil an otherwise excellent evening.  3-0 at half-time Sadly, the only Mars on offer was the real red planet.  Any neutrals in the sparse crowd would want a strong start to the second half from Tring.  It wasn’t to be – a goalbound attempt was superbly cleared off the line after six minutes of effort, and soon afterwards Tigers added a fourth on the break through Omar El-Bakkali.  4-0 after 54 mins With the result no longer in doubt, I turned my attention skywards and the second clip features the International Space Station (the bright moving dot which passed over west to east on schedule at 9.03pm), the Moon (you’d recognise it anywhere), Mars (a bright dot up and a bit to the right of the Moon) and then, after a swivel, Jupiter (as another bright dot above the trees).  The match then rather petered out, and Tring would be glad to hear the final whistle on a forgettable evening for them.  Final score 4-0 Another win for Tigers in 2013 A better night for Tring back in 2010 Other Hops around the South Midlands Premier
Ground Pix
Match Pix
Huddle Stats
Tigers huddled briefly but effectively, Tring didn’t. Huddlers go top. 2013-14 Summary so far: P W D L GF GA Pts Pts per Game Huddlers 13 5 4 4 13 9 19 1.46 Non-Huddlers 22 9 3 10 31 35 30 1.36 Twin Huddlers 1 0 1 0 2 2 1 1.00
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats
Tigers had a grey-clad keeper who ended up with a clean sheet.  The blue-clad Tring keeper has let in four goals. 2013-14 Summary so far: 3pts for a win, 1pt for a draw, -1pt for a goal conceded and +5pts for a clean sheet P W D L GA (-1 each) CS (5 each) Pts Pts per Game Red 1 1 0 0 0 1 8 8.00 Grey 10 6 2 2 9 5 36 3.60 Green 7 3 0 4 8 2 11 1.57 Yellow 4 1 1 2 8 1 1 0.25 Orange 3 1 1 1 6 0 -2 -0.67 Pink 5 1 3 1 10 0 -4 -0.80 Radioactive Bile 3 1 0 2 6 0 -3 -1.00 Blue 3 0 1 2 6 0 -5 -1.67
What Next?
Watch @GrahamYapp on Twitter for details!

Arnold Will Be Back in the Next Round

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Tuesday 20 August 2013 at Eagle Valley
Result	Arnold Town 2 Stewarts & Lloyds Corby 1
Competition	FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round Replay.  Arnold play in the step 6 East Midlands Counties League and S&L are from the step 5 United Counties Premier.
Hopping	Number 517 on the lifetime list, not random this time but pragmatic as I have been visiting the ancestral home today and this was the nearest tie at a new ground.
Pre-match preparation
Carried out in The Fox & Crown, as recommended by @BeatTheFirstMan.  The price of this pint of Bowman's Bitter began with a 2.  Unbelievably good value.  The Nottingham Post revealed that Arnold's manager was not happy with the draw at Corby before going on to distract me with other vital news items (see Something Random, below).  S&L took the lead on a sloping pitch in windy conditions but Arnold equalised just before half-time.  Home accounts suggest that the Arnold keeper had very little to do during the second half but there were no more goals so we are back here for the replay.
This match in one sentence
Arnold left it late – they finally scored two goals in the last four minutes to break the hearts of the visitors who had been resolutely defending their first-half lead.
So what?
Arnold Town will play Brigg Town in the next round at the end of the month.
The drama unfolds
We kicked off a few minutes late – S&L had had a stressful journey.  I took my scene-setter clip midway through the first half.  The home side had been generally on top, but lacking an effective final ball.  Neither keeper had had to make a serious save so far.  The linos have the same surname.  Sadly I was unable to establish whether they are a father-and-son combo or whether this was a case of “When Cloning Goes Wrong”.  Arnold are in maroon. S&L took the lead with a towering header from Aaron Davies, who rose at the far post to meet a left-wing cross and placed the ball firmly back across the keeper.  0-1 after 24 minutes Arnold continued to dominate possession and attacking but the visiting defence held out comfortably enough.  0-1 at half-time The one-way traffic continued and S&L will look back now at their one chance to get the decisive second goal.  On the break, they reached the byline but the ball went wide from a narrow angle.  Midway through the half, Arnold equalised – or so they thought.  You Are The Ref – can you see what he spotted? At 9.22pm precisely, the International Space Station was passing overhead, and this coincides with You Are The Ref Again.  Would you have given this?  (The ISS is the bright dot moving from R to L in a straight line over the course of the clip…) Here’s what happened from the spotkick.  Well done to Dave Allen in the pink. The equaliser did arrive, however, and to be honest it had been coming.  Liam Corrigan smacked the ball in from about ten yards after more sustained pressure and I resigned myself to extra-time.  1-1 after 86 minutes Arnold had other ideas.  Here’s the winning goal, which only just creeps over the line (or does it?).  Danny Hayes is the scorer, meaning I could get home by midnight.  Fair enough on the balance of attacking play, but harsh, harsh, harsh after some great defending by the S&L back line.  2-1 after 88 minutes There was still time for S&L’s Adam Saunders to pick up a second yellow card and trudge off to the changing rooms, and Arnold held on comfortably for a dramatic win.  Final score 2-1
Ground Pix
This may be the first sighting of a Step 6 cappuccino
Match Pix
Something Random: Sentences That Have Never Ever Before Been Uttered in the History of Human Civilisation #1:
“A man who has broken world records for balancing things on his head claims he was mistreated by airport officials after returning from a beer festival in Israel.”  The Nottingham Post, 20/08/2013, page 7.
Huddle Stats
Both teams huddled, so we learn nothing new… 2013-14 Summary so far: P W D L GF GA Pts Pts per Game Non-Huddlers 6 3 2 1 9 6 11 1.83 Huddlers 4 1 0 3 3 6 3 0.75
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats
Petr Cech would be happy with this orange top for the S&L keeper.  His opposite number was in the pink, the colour that remains at the bottom of the table. 2013-14 Summary so far: P W D L CS(5pts) GA(-1 each) Pts Pts per Game Yellow 3 2 1 0 2 3 7 2.33 Green 2 1 0 1 1 3 2 1.00 Grey 1 0 0 1 0 1 -1 -1.00 Orange 1 0 0 0 0 1 -1 -1.00 Radioactive Bile 1 0 0 2 0 2 -2 -2.00 Pink 2 0 1 1 0 5 -5 -2.50
Hopping for Moorfields Update
Cheques totalling £819.30 will be winging their way to Moorfields.  When an element of Gift Aid is added to part of this, the final total for the charity will be £933.11.  This will go to help fund leading-edge research into a variety of eye conditions.  Well done, everyone, and thank you again.  I will publish the acknowledgement in due course.
What Next?
Follow @GrahamYapp on Twitter for announcements!  The plan is Southend Manor v Basildon United on Wednesday evening, and (if I can complete GCSE-related duties in time) Wivenhoe Town v Ipswich Wanderers on Thursday.  Meanwhile, you still have a few days left to hear @BeatTheFirstMan and I reporting from Worksop Parramore, near the end of the BBC Non-League Show on iPlayer.  See if you can detect the moment the lights went out on us.