Bourne Supremacy

 

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Saturday 3 May 2025 at the JJMac Stadium, Abbey Lawn
Result	Bourne Town 1 Boston Town 1 (90 mins, no ET) Bourne Town win 8-7 on penalties
Competition	United Counties Premier League North Playoff Final (Step 5)
Hopstats	Ground 800 on the lifetime list! Here because it’s an important match for both teams, and a new ground for me.
Context
Bourne Town had missed out on automatic promotion by one point, finishing behind Lincoln United. They disposed of AFC Mansfield with a 4-0 home win in the midweek semi-final. Boston Town had finished fourth but saw off third-place finishers Eastwood CFC with a 2-1 away win. Bourne won both league fixtures against Boston with a 1-0 scoreline but these matches were back in September and December 2024.
Match Report
With a big crowd expected, I made sure to get to the ground early, and arrived to hear “I Predict a Riot” playing over the PA. I thought maybe this was because the printed programmes hadn’t yet arrived, and an obvious gaggle of groundhoppers were gathered near the gate displaying various degrees of anxiety. With coffee, ice cream and programme sorted in due course, I chose my viewpoint on the far side from the main stand, and even put my woolly hat on as the temperature dropped. Bourne made a flying start. Two corners in quick succession led to a header hitting the bar, and a ball flying through the six-yard box with no-one able to get a touch. Breathless stuff. The rest of the first half settled into a more even pattern. The gusty breeze caused a bit of an issue for both teams, forcing a safety-first mindset for the defences on occasion. Boston had their first clear chance after 24 minutes, but this was followed by the need for a flying one-handed save by their keeper at the other end. However, the visitors took the lead just before the break, with a tap-in for Jordan Nuttell manufactured with a move down the right flank. History repeated itself at the start of the second half with another Bourne chance, the ball once again flying across the face of goal with no-one quite close enough. The occasion was now getting understandably tense, but the equaliser was deserved. Brad Marshall was the scorer, probably one of the scruffier goals scored after two successive corners and a pinging around in the box. Neither team was able to break the deadlock in the twenty remaining minutes and so we went to penalties after 90 minutes. Bourne had the advantage of shooting first. The first six spot-kicks were scored, a mix of fierce shots and cool placements. The seventh was saved to give Bourne the advantage, but so was the eighth. Bourne went into the lead at 4-3, in effect setting up a sudden-death scenario. After 4-4 we were into the sequence of players who might have hoped to avoid taking a penalty. So, 5-4. Then the next penalty so nearly saved, but into the roof off the keeper’s hand. 5-5. Advantage Bourne again at 6-5, but the next one from Boston almost broke the net. 6-6, 7-6 and 7-7 followed. Then 8-7 with a cool defender’s penalty, placed low. It had to happen sometime, but the eighteenth spotkick was saved. Agony for the Boston sub who had stepped up, and fair play to his senior colleague who immediately went to console him. All the arguments for and against shootouts flashed by there and then. Massive joy and a pitch invasion for the hosts. Irritating and pointless smoke canisters were deployed. I left them to celebrate and spent a few minutes watching the club cricket on the adjacent ground before heading home to the spreadsheet and blog. Congratulations to Bourne Town, and commiserations to Boston Town.
So What?
Back-to-back promotions for Bourne Town who will go up to Step 4 next season.
Ground Pix
Match Pix
Bourne Town in claret.
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats Update
The background to this, and the latest keeper top colour league table, is here on this dedicated page. Today a draw after 90 minutes between Green (the fluorescent variant) and Pink but an ultimate victory for Green. This has been the first sequence of five unsuccessful predictions since predictions started 183 games ago. The table is based on my last 328 games. Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Prediction: Home Win Was the prediction correct? No (after 90 minutes) % of correct predictions so far 49% (88 from 183)
What Next?
Last-minute decisions, as is my most common practice these days. Maybe a few trips to Wembley if tickets for playoffs become generally available. Already lined up for Women's FA Cup Final and England v Portugal in the Women's Nations League at the end of the month.

A Tale of Two Heaths for Easter Monday

  

Hopperational Details
Date & Venues	Monday 21 April 2025 (Easter Monday) a)    Hassocks Hotel Beacon Ground b)    BodyMould Mattresses Community Stadium
Results	Hassocks 3 Haywards Heath Town 0 Broadbridge Heath 4 Littlehampton Town 0
Competitions	a)    Southern Combination Premier (Step 5) b)    Isthmian Division One South-East (Step 4)
Hopstats	Numbers 797 & 798 respectively on my lifetime list and I’m here for a chance to tick off a Step 4 priority whilst kickoff times and proximity allow a Bank Holiday double hop.
Context
Penultimate league games of the season for all four teams today. Hassocks have already secured the divisional title and will grace Step 4 with their picturesque ground next season. Haywards Heath slipped to fourth earlier in the weekend but are still in the playoff positions. Both Broadbridge Heath and Littlehampton Town are safe in mid- and lower-mid table respectively so there is not much riding on the fixture except local bragging rights.
Match Reports
Haywards Heath lined up for the traditional guard of honour for the champions-elect. They held on for just over half an hour before going behind in a moment of controversy. I was at the other end so need to be somewhat vague, but it looked as if Dan Turner’s header from a ridiculous distance went in on the bounce, but with the visiting keeper Mitch Bromage flattened and in need of subsequent treatment. Turner himself had taken the long throw that caused the initial chaos. Long and looping far post corners, alongside the long-throw weapon, meant that the aerial routes were well-used in home attacks. It had been a very physical first half, with Hassocks generally on top before Heath’s first real chance on the break as we entered stoppage time. The visitors could and should have equalised just after the hour. It took an outstanding double block by keeper James Shaw then defender Joe Bull to keep the lead. Then an attempt to play out from the back went wrong and Hassocks doubled their lead. Josh Mundy was set up beautifully for a spectacular first-time strike. Substitute Rauri Farrell got the third in similar circumstances, and another sub Charlie Pitcher was denied twice in quick succession as the Haywards Heath challenge subsided. I had to skip the trophy presentation formalities to head north to Broadbridge Heath. I often lurk with visiting supporters when I am a neutral, but the tuneless megaphone-assisted “singing” from the Littlehampton end meant that my loyalties switched sharpishly. Both sides threatened. Littlehampton were more direct, but Broadbridge reached the byline more than once down the flanks without creating a finish. The floodgates opened on 27 minutes with a Mark Goldson penalty. Littlehampton responded with a good spell of pressure but then Goldson got a second with a clever turn and shot. An intelligent pass led to a third, for Mason Doughty, before the interval and that was pretty much all doubt removed about the result. The fourth goal was a peach. Matt Hay’s right-wing cross at the end of a run (maybe more stepovers than strictly necessary, but enough to bamboozle the defence) was converted with a textbook diving header by Louis Evans. The last half-hour was largely uneventful, but that was a very effective demolition job by the home side. A nice Bank Holiday double hop, despite the joylessness of the M25 western section on the way home.
So What?
Farewell to Step 5 for Hassocks. Haywards Heath will still need to get something from their final game in order to secure that playoff space. They could finish anywhere from 3rd to 7th. Littlehampton Town will finish 18th no matter what happens next weekend, and Broadbridge will finish between 11th and 14th.
Pix
Hassocks (in red) v Haywards Heath   Broadbridge Heath (blue) v Littlehampton Town
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats Update
The background to this, and the latest keeper top colour league table, is here on this dedicated page. Today, a bad day for predictions as Pink and Purple beat Orange and Green respectively, and with clean sheets too. Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Predictions: a)    Away Win b)    Away Win Was the prediction correct? a)    No b)    No % of correct predictions so far 49% (88 from 180)
What Next?
Who knows? School exam season approaching (always a busy time at work) so I have to take one day at a time. I’d like to get at least 799 and 800 done this season.

 

Going to Sussex, Back in Two Ticks

 Match 1 : No printed programme, this is a screenshot from the e-programme pdf.

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Saturday 17 August 2024 at Birchwood Ground, Shooting Field
Result	Steyning Town Community 3 Crawley Town Gatwick 1
Competition	FA Cup Preliminary Round
Hopstats	Ground 786 on the lifetime list, and here pragmatically in order to make a double with tomorrow’s fixture.
Other Things in Life Besides Football
For this match, nothing whatsoever except sitting on the M25 western section and the Leatherhead by pass in a long-line of slow-moving traffic.
Context
In the previous round, Steyning beat Hilltop 4-0 at home while Crawley Down Gatwick won 1-0 at Holmesdale.
Brief Match Report
The visitors embraced the play-out-from-the-back style that is possible on an artificial surface and took an early lead, which they held until the interval. Steyning had hit the post with a deflected shot, and the ref had been clattered in a player sandwich. Credit to him for getting up sharply as if nothing had happened. Presumably he didn’t touch the ball, as play continued. Steyning turned the game around with two goals in ten minutes after half-time. In both cases the attackers had a lot of time, but the hinge point of the game was after 65 minutes. Crawley Down claimed loudly for a penalty after an alleged foul challenge by the Steyning keeper. The ref said no and I’m not really in a position to comment definitively either way. Within a minute at the other end the third goal was hooked in by Mark Goldson (who’d also scored the second) and that was that. Steyning will have their third home tie on the trot when they host Merstham in the next round.
Pix : Steyning in Red

 

Match 2 : No printed programme, this is a screenshot from the e-programme pdf.

 

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Sunday 18 August 2024 at The Sportsfield
Result	Littlehampton Town 2 Faversham Town 3
Competition	FA Cup Preliminary Round
Hopstats	Ground 787 on the lifetime list. Littlehampton have a three-sided ground adjacent to the town’s cricket (and croquet) facility so this tie was switched to Sunday, making this Sussex weekend double a possibility.
Other Things in Life Besides Football
A morning walk around Littlehampton town centre, which seems to be suffering in the way that many English seaside towns are at the present, but is architecturally more interesting than most. The changes since my youth are sad to see, but I don’t honestly have a solution. I didn’t spend much mainly because I had no vaping, hair or nailcare needs at that time, and I think I counted four funeral directors within half a mile or so. Later, a walk along the promenade, alongside the pebble beach and being careful not to get in the way of the tractor-train that trundles along at  the speed of an arthritic sloth.
Context
Littlehampton beat Tooting & Mitcham 1-0 at home in the previous round, and Faversham won by the same scoreline at Bexhill United.
Brief Match Report
There’s an argument for two hinge points in this game, but Littlehampton coped so well after a first-half red card for Matthew Astle (for a high tackle) that I am choosing the second Faversham equaliser as my key moment. This was a curling left-footed freekick by Sam Hasler in the 86th minute, captured below. The teams had been level at 1-1 at the interval. Littlehampton’s lead came from a header as Alex Laing’s intelligent second-phase run to the far post was not picked up. The equaliser came not long after the red card, another good header, this time by Fran Collin. Faversham missed two other decent chances from close range, but Littlehampton responded well. They took the lead in the second half with Laing’s second goal after a good move down the right. I suppose the ten men of Littlehampton just ran out of the proverbial steam as Faversham committed more men forward. That hinge-point equaliser paved the way for Collin’s even later winner, his second close-range header of the day   in stoppage time. Knockout football, great for the passing neutrals but either joy or pain for everybody else. Thanks for reading this far, your interest is appreciated. Faversham will travel to Broadbridge Heath in the next round.
Other Pix : Littlehampton in Gold

 

Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats Update

The background to all this, and the latest keeper top colour league table, is here on this dedicated page. By coincidence, both matches featured Purple v Green. Pre-match Predictions based on Keeper Top Colour: Prediction: Away Wins x2 Was the prediction correct? No and Yes respectively % of correct predictions so far 49% (81 from 166)

What Next?

Hopping priorities for this year are new grounds for Truro City (Step 2) and Cray Wanderers (Step 3) alongside Plymouth Parkway. Those would restore my “everywhere down to Step 3” list. Then there are over thirty more current Step 4 grounds still to be visited. The list keeps changing with promotions and relegations, of course, and many would be long journeys needing me to be sure of the weather forecast before setting out. I doubt whether I can realistically complete this in one season.