The Daniels Done Good

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Saturday 1 April 2013 at Wothorpe Road, Stamford
Result	Stamford 4 Kings Lynn Town 1
Competition	Northern Premier League Division One South (Step 4)
Hopping	I was last here on 7/11/09 for a 4-0 win over Grantham.  My second visit is because of the chance for @CynInHerts and I to cross paths again with a group of friends from the continent.  We therefore watched the game in the company of @doingthe116, @DutchAddick, @HansRedMagic and @1904.  These guys have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the game and have been frequent visitors to these shores.
Pre-match preparation
2nd plays 4th.  Kings Lynn tailed away at the end of last season to finish second in the United Counties Premier, but still managed to grasp a promotion place with the way things turned out across the country.  They are chasing a second successive promotion and won 7-0 last time out.  Stamford have also announced their ambition by signing six players recently, and they are buoyed by the news that a new stadium is now definitely on the way.  Good choice of fixture by our European visitors.
This match in one sentence
After an excellent first half, Stamford were two up though Kings Lynn had looked equally strong, but the visitors’ second-half comeback plans were thwarted by a quick third goal and so they endured a long lingering defeat.
So what?
Coalville Town were held to a home draw by Gresley so this is a chance missed by Kings Lynn.  Coalville have a game in hand and lead by two points.  However, both Stamford and Kings Lynn look good for a playoff place and may yet have to meet again this season.
The drama unfolds
This was a good game straight from the kickoff, with two good sides trying to establish dominance.  There was both skill and strength on display.  If anything, Kings Lynn looked slightly more dangerous, though their keeper Daniel Gay had needed to scramble to push away a curling cross-cum-shot from Tom Byrne, one of Stamford’s new faces. It still felt slightly against the run of play when Liam Richardson poked a shot into the roof of the net to give Stamford the lead.  1-0 after 20 minutes This provoked Kings Lynn.  A loose crossfield ball from the Stamford defence allowed Daniel Jacob to link with Shane Tolley, but the latter’s shot curled just wide.  On the half-hour, Tolley played a neat flick to Steve Spriggs who also shot wide.  The approach play looked promising. My scene-setter clip comes from the 35-minute mark.  Stamford are in red. The second clip followed almost immediately and captures Andy Hall getting a second goal for the home side on the break.  2-0 after 42 minutes and at half-time The 2-0 scoreline seemed harsh on Kings Lynn but their fans remained optimistic in their half-time chat, especially as they would be playing down the slope.  They started the second half on the front foot and forced Matt Finlay to make a diving catch, but Stamford’s third goal, arriving shortly afterwards, was not in their script.  Jordan Hempenstall was the scorer.  3-0 after 50 minutes Kings Lynn left themselves short on numbers at the back as they tried to get back in the game, and Stamford soon had two more excellent chances.  One shot went just wide though it would have been called for offside if a teammate at the far post had made contact, and Ricky Miller rather scuffed a shot having created his shooting chance.  However, Miller’s goal came soon afterwards – the ball fell to him in lots of space after a freekick and he shot on the turn.  4-0 after 82 minutes Stamford’s Tom Batchelor picked up a needless second yellow (and thus a red) for a late tackle, and then in the final moments Kings Lynn got a consolation goal when they worked an indirect freekick routine after a passback infringement.  Russell Dunkley lashed the shot home.  Final score 4-1
The programme
Something random
@CynInHerts received a message alerting her to the beauties of Stamford Station, so we had to check this out.  The message was correct – it is a very pleasant old-school station which has pretty much everything except a bunch of Railway Children and Ted Ray.
Hopping for Moorfields Update
Five goals, two Dutchmen and two Belgians to add to the various tallies.  End-of-season total should be over £500.
Mars Bar Watch 2013
A standard 58g bar for a standard 60p.  Uncontroversial.
What Next?
No idea whatsoever!  I may look for some local evening hops as a reward if I have some good work days this week.  Regular readers will know that I am between jobs and have a lot to do before the new school term starts on 15 April.

You Have to Be a Linnet to Win It

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Monday 26 December 2011 at The Walks Stadium
Result	King’s Lynn Town 1 Holbeach United 0
Competition	United Counties Premier League (Step 5)
Hopping	Venue #441 on the lifetime list, and the second part of a Boxing Day double following the morning ko at Norwich United.
This match in one sentence
King’s Lynn Town just about came out on top in this hard-fought clash of 1st v 2nd in the league in front of an amazing crowd of 1040.
So what?
The title for this division may now be decided – the harsh reality is that this was a must-win match for Holbeach.  They are now 7 points behind and have played three games more.  Only King’s Lynn’s own complacency or some sort of self-destruct process (see below) could mess this season up, it appears, unless Long Buckby can sustain a challenge by winning all or most of their games in hand from their present third place.
The drama unfolds
The home side tried to impose themselves on the game from the start, and my scene-setter clip is from about 15 minutes into the game.  Holbeach were by no means overawed by their opponents or the occasion and posed threats of their own. Really clear chances were relatively few as both defences did their jobs, and there were no goals in the first 45 minutes.  Holbeach had a penalty appeal turned down, and I was too far away to give my own opinion.  The second clip is also from the first half.  0-0 at half-time The second half opened with Town pressing for a goal, but Holbeach confirming their continued presence with a disallowed goal (for offside) and a good shot (blocked by the keeper) in quick succession.  Here’s a clip from early in the half, followed by one from the 65-minute mark. The decisive goal is captured at the end of this final clip.  It came after 70 minutes and the scorer is Stuart Wall.  1-0 Holbeach continued to press but this left spaces at the back and the next really good chances fell to the home side.  Town seemed comfortable enough in holding on for the win, and perhaps the chairman will be happier this evening.  Final score 1-0
Man-of-the-Match
For an important goal, possibly season-defining, and a big part in a clean sheet: King’s Lynn Town’s Stuart Wall.
A snippet from the programme
It’s a double programme for this fixture and the forthcoming game against Newport Pagnell Town.  Neither chairman nor manager mince their words following a 3-2 WIN over Yaxley.  Note, that’s WIN, i.e. NOT LOSE, when you score more goals than the other team.  Here’s the former, in scary mode: “It is frustrating that in such an enjoyable time of the year I have to start with criticism, but unfortunately that is what the team deserves after their embarrassing performance against Yaxley.  While Yaxley raised their game and showed 100% commitment we seemed to do the exact opposite.  Thankfully luck saved us from a last-minute equaliser and somehow we clung on to all three points.  After the game I spoke to (the manager) and made it clear I was not going to tolerate players in the team who were not showing 100% commitment but feel it is their given right to be here … Gary now has three games to sort out the attitudes of these players and if I see no change then the club will have to take some action.” I saw the corresponding fixture last season, a 6-0 win for the Linnets.  Click on either team’s name in the tag cloud on the right to jump to the report.
What I learned today
The Walks is a good place for Scooby-Doo style scary trees, but apart from that all similarities to other step 5 venues end.  Having arrived at the ground, I bought my ticket at the separate four-lane ticket office and entered along with 1039 others.  1040!!  What kind of crowd is that for a step 5 game, albeit between the top two teams in the division? I watched the first two minutes of the match on the CCTV widescreen in what other clubs would call the “Refreshment Hut” but here it is Café Verde, complete with sofas under the main stand.  I contemplated a temporary change to my hopper observation rules, but quickly dismissed the idea and went in search of some old-school terracing. King’s Lynn Town in this incarnation have only been in existence briefly, as a phoenix club at the same ground as their predecessor.  The previous club had been playing at step 2, but for the same geographical reasons that hit Bishop’s Stortford this season, had ended up in Conference North having been promoted from a southern step 3 league.  Financial issues led to them folding, and the new club was placed in step 5.  They lost out to St Neots Town last year but are now well-placed to make a step up at the end of this season.  Teams in this league have faced St Neots Town and King’s Lynn Town in successive seasons and they may be quietly looking forward to a more level playing field next time round.  Farsley, coming out of the wreckage of Farsley Celtic, and Chester from Chester City, have all been forced by the FA leagues committee to spend time at step 5 in recent years.  There may well be other examples that I am overlooking.  The step 5 to step 4 promotion/relegation is one that does not work quite as well as the other levels, with six step 4 leagues somehow having to interact with fourteen at step 5.  There isn't an easy solution - England is a funny shape and not built on a grid of roundabouts like Milton Keynes - and communities that have seen a football club fold through no fault of their own deserve to have another chance somewhere and somehow.
What Next?
An urgent scan of the fixture lists to see if I can sneak in a Tuesday night hop alongside other commitments.

Linnets Win It

Yaxley are in all blue, KL in white and black.

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Tuesday 22 February 2011 at Leading Grove
Result	Yaxley 0  King’s Lynn Town 6
Competition	United Counties Premier League (step 5)
Hopping	Just over an hour’s journey (in theory) for a midweek hop and the first time I have tried out my new Flip video camera (so apologies for shakiness on some of the clips!)
This match in one sentence
Never in doubt, to the point of tedium really, but the impressive number of KL supporters went home happy enough.
This match summed up in the approximate style of “Waiting for Godot”
Vladimir: How many is it now? Estragon: I forget.  Five, maybe six.  Only the visitors are counting. Vladimir: There's a man all over for you, blaming on his boots the fault of his feet. Estragon: Yes. Time for a substitute, I think.  Maybe three. Vladimir: Was I sleeping, while the others suffered? Am I ... sleeping now? Tomorrow, when I wake, or think I do, what shall I say of today? Estragon: I don't know.  Ask Garth Crooks.  He might understand you.
So what?
King’s Lynn keep up the pressure on the division leaders St Neots Town.  They are now four points behind in third, but with a game in hand, and even more in hand over Newport Pagnell who are currently splitting them.  They are undefeated in all competitions since early October, and their website has already noted the dates of the FA Vase semi finals and final.  They play Rye United in the last eight. Yaxley are in the lower reaches of the division but should have enough points to be clear of relegation.
The drama unfolds
The first goal was scored from the penalty spot by Jamie Thurlbourne within seconds of my arrival through the turnstiles, so I can’t say too much about it.  "It's going to be a long old eighty-nine minutes," said someone wise nearby.  0-1.  The second goal was a screamer and may have been the most spectacular goal I have ever seen at a “live” game.  The ball was played back by Thurlbourne J into midfield from a corner, and his brother Luke, in acres of space, had time to take a touch before sending a beauty in off the post from a trillion yards.  Well, thirty at least.  0-2.  Another penalty (harsh, I thought) from Jamie followed before half-time to complete a kind of Thurlbourne co-operative hat-trick.  Two clips (now in HD from my new gadget) give a feel for the attacking style of King's Lynn, building from the back and working their way patiently to crossing positions.  0-3 at the break. The second penalty kick nestles in the back of the net for 0-3 Yaxley held firm for a while at the start of the second half and even managed to get the ball in the King’s Lynn half occasionally.  However, the impressive King’s Lynn debutant #9 Dubi Ogbonna  burst through and finished very well.  0-4.  A follow-up shot from Robbie Harris trickled in soon after, for 0-5, and then substitute striker Jack Defty was on hand to finish from six yards after home keeper Aaron Bellairs could not quite hold on to the ball after yet another save. Home goalkeeper Alex Street was needed to make one excellent save in the last few minutes for his clean sheet but in all honesty this was a very straightforward win with very little for the neutral to get excited about.  The other clips capture more second-half near misses for the visitors.  Final score 0-6.  Thanks to Yaxley's website for helping me confirm the identity of the scorers.
Alternative activity of equal excitement for tourists in Peterborough
Queueing for 90 minutes at the Passport Office.  Or having your photograph taken with a cardboard cut-out of Barry Fry.  Or explaining the difference between fens and fans to a passing South African.
A snippet from the programme
Sadly, I arrived only just before kick-off and stocks had sold out.  That is a shocker for a groundhopper and I’d better keep quiet about it else I will be fined by the Royal and Ancient Order of Protective Polypocketers and Cardboard Stiffeners.
What I learned today
Yaxley’s ground is a work in progress, and has been for some time after an access dispute held up the development for the best part of a year.  Their website says that the new clubhouse should be ready for the start of next season.
Something random
Here’s a situation I found myself in today (honestly).  I need to decide whether to pursue an insurance claim for a stolen pair of spectacles.  (Don’t ask.)  They cost around £150 and there is a £60 excess on the policy.  The insurance company claims department tell me that my premium may go up next year if I claim.  Fair enough, I suppose, but I need to know by how much in order to make the decision.  So they put me through to the renewals department, who say they cannot tell me what the difference will be or what factors are taken into account.  The only course of action open to me, it seems, is a formal complaint route.  All of this exposed me to more than the Recommended Daily Amount of muzak as I surfed around the semi-automatic telephone systems of the world like a cheap version of that bloke in The Matrix. I pointed out the bizarre inconsistency in the position of their two departments and I really hope my telephone calls (which may have been recorded for training purposes of course) pass into Aviva staff development folklore in due course, especially the bits about, “How is this consistent with the industry's stated promises of transparency and fairness?”  I may have been channelling Victor Meldrew at one point.  I certainly hope so.  I feel better for telling you about it.  Thank you for listening.
What Next?
A lie down in a darkened room.