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Hopperational details
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Date & Venue
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Thursday 13
April 2017 at Brickfield Lane
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Result
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Hadley 1 Tring Athletic 2
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Competition
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Spartan South
Midlands Premier League (Step 5)
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Hopping
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Ground 604,
local enough for an evening hop. I
tried to come here once before, when I was still relatively new to
non-league. Hadley’s first team were groundsharing at Potters Bar in those days, and I’d not realised until the only
other cars in the car park contained members of the Women’s Institute heading
for a gardening talk at the adjacent hall. We’ve all done
it (I hope).
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Pre-match preparation
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I saw Hadley ease
their relegation fears two days ago with a win at Sun Sports. Tring are sitting much higher in the table
but arguably are playing for pride only.
The result matters to at least one team, which is as much as any
neutral can hope for at this stage of the season.
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This match in one sentence
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Tring took
the points with an effective defensive display whilst Hadley will count
themselves somewhat unlucky not to get a draw.
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So what?
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Hadley are
unlikely to catch Holmer Green above them so this result just uses up one of
their games in hand over London Tigers below.
They have four of their last five games at home so don’t need to panic
yet.
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The drama unfolds
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There was the
prospect of pre-match drama when the programmes ran out well before
kickoff. Fortunately I was one of the
smug early birds. On the pitch, two
officials warmed up but they turned down my offer of help, assuring me that
there would be a full set of three.
Hadley started the game just as bright and busy as earlier in the
week, but Tring are a big strong side and they largely cancelled each other
out in the early stages. Tring broke the
deadlock with an attack down the right.
I was at the other end but it seems that a shot across the keeper went
in off the post. The scorer was Tommy
Twelves. 0-1 after 19 min
Hadley heads
stayed up and a lively enjoyable game ensued.
They nearly gifted an own goal with a sliced spinning clearance across
the six-yard box after a moment of defensive indecision. They defended the corner and it immediately
needed a timely tackle at the other end to prevent a leveller. Hadley went close once more before the
interval. 0-1 at half-time
The second
half was pacy end-to-end stuff, great for the passing neutral. Hadley are quick, comfortable on the ball,
and play with width. Tring are solid,
organised, good in the air and direct on the break. Hadley had a huge amount of possession but
could not find the final ball, as they say.
Tring’s keeper questioned a decision with an appeal to the ref’s grasp
of the physical sciences. “What’s he
supposed to do? Evaporate?” I
reflected that quantum tunnelling would be more effective, but it only
happens with sub-atomic particles not big ugly Step 5 defenders.
Hadley came
close a few times. One superb tackle
by Tring’s Number 6 on Ivan Machado was a hinge point. Then came a 90th minute penalty
appeal which the ref turned down. I’m
not really in a position to comment but the atmosphere turned very sour. To add insult to injury, Chris Vardy then
absolutely buried a left-foot shot to seal the win. 0-2
after 90+2 mins
With one last
attack, Hadley did earn a spot-kick when Justin Thompson was felled near the
byeline. Laste Dombaxe rolled it in
after a stuttered run-up for his third goal of the week, but this was for
consolation only. 1-2 after 90+4 mins and at FT
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Ground Pix
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Match Pix
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Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats
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Green v Grey
but no clean sheet for either side.
Updated table to come after my northern weekend.
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What Next?
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Off to
Yorkshire early in the morning for Day 1 of the NCEL hop, no doubt alongside
another couple of hundred obsessives. Watch
@GrahamYapp on Twitter for details!
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