Mussels Bound to Progress as Casuals not Smart Enough

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Saturday 31 August 2013 at Middle Road
Result	Shoreham 2 Walton Casuals 1
Competition	FA Cup Preliminary Round
Hopping	Number 523 on the lifetime list. I am here because it was the 67th tie in an alphabetical list of 82 ties taking place today at “new” grounds.  Charlotte Bobcats scored their highest number of points in the 2012-13 regular NBA season in their 67th game of 82.  I didn’t know that, and I bet you didn’t either, so it was in effect a randomising factor which decided today’s destination for me.  More details in the previous post, http://modushopperrandom.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/choosing-from-82-fa-cup-ties.html
Pre-match preparation
Shoreham are from the Step 5 Sussex County League Division One and won 4-1 away at Dorking of the Step 6 Combined Counties Division One in the previous round.  In the league, they have won one and lost one.  Walton Casuals play in the Step 4 Isthmian League Division One South and enter the FA Cup at this stage.  In their league, they have a record of 4 wins and 2 losses, their last match being a win over local rivals Walton and Hersham.  The higher-ranked visitors will start the match as favourites.
This match in one sentence
Casuals let Shoreham grow in confidence as the game went on, and, by not scoring from a plethora of set pieces, they slipped to defeat.
So what?
Shoreham visit Dulwich Hamlet in the next round in mid-September.
The drama unfolds
In glorious sunshine, under a cloudless sky and an Avro Lancaster bomber from WW2 (see below), the match kicked off.  I took an early clip – Shoreham are in blue. Walton Casuals took control and it was no great surprise that they took an early lead.  A diagonal ball found Malachi Hudson in space on the left edge of the penalty area, and although the hideously-attired Josh Heyburn came out to narrow the angle, the ball went across into the right corner of the goal.  0-1 after 10 minutes It looked for all the world as if Casuals would stroll to a win, and most of the first half was a pretty tame affair.  The Shoreham equaliser was something of a surprise, but overlapping fullback Mike Demario had plenty of time to place a ball across the six-yard box where Rob O’Toole arrived to score easily at the far post.  1-1 after 38 minutes and at half-time Malik Ouani was always in the thick of the action for Casuals, and he had the first decent chance of the second half.  The Lancaster was in more danger from him than from the Luftwaffe on this occasion. Malik Ouani contemplates the laws of physics I took another clip midway through the half – the game was more even and Shoreham’s belief was growing. Elliot Quant then gave the home side the lead when the ball reached him from the right.  2-1 after 77 minutes Here is Ouani keeping the ball down this time, and unlucky not to score.  You have to love that sound of the ball hitting the woodwork. Just after this, Shoreham’s Carl Dunk tried an outrageous direct shot from a free-kick near the half-way line as he spotted Louis Bragg off his line, but it went over.  My final clip has a neat but ultimately unsuccessful freekick routine from Casuals as they pressed for the equaliser. Casuals sent defender Martyn Dynan up front and peppered the box with long balls and crosses, but Shoreham held on for a win that had seemed very, very unlikely only an hour earlier.  Final score 2-1
Ground Pix
Match Pix
Something Random
The first day of the Shoreham Air Show was in progress and several classic aircraft passed overhead during the first half.  I am 99% sure that this is the Avro Lancaster bomber.
Huddle Stats
Shoreham huddled, Casuals didn’t!  This result balances things up again. 2013-14 Summary so far: P W D L GF GA Pts Pts per Game Non-Huddlers 12 5 2 5 14 13 17 1.42 Huddlers 10 3 4 3 6 8 13 1.30
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats
I am classifying Shoreham’s goalkeeper colour as the same radioactive bile that I saw once before until Dulux tell me otherwise.  Walton’s stopper was in grey. 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 Grey 6 2 2 2 2 5 5 1.20 Green 5 2 0 3 1 7 -2 -0.40 Orange 1 0 0 0 0 1 -1 -1.00 Blue 2 0 1 1 0 2 -2 -1.00 Radioactive Bile 2 1 0 1 0 3 -3 -1.50 Pink 3 0 2 1 0 6 -6 -2.00
Hopping for Moorfields Update
Here, as promised, is a copy of the acknowledgement from Moorfields Eye Hospital that, thanks to your generous sponsorship, their research fund is over £1000 better off.  Thanks again.
What Next?
Follow @GrahamYapp on Twitter for announcements!  The new school term is starting, but I might do some convoluted UEFA-type draw to decide where I go for Non League Day next weekend.

Smarting Casuals

Buckle (Walton Casuals) waits for the 79th minute whistle before scoring from the spot 

Hopperational details

Tuesday 21 September 2010 at Wey Court, Godalming Town 4  Walton Casuals 3 in the Step 4 Isthmian League Division One (South).  A roll of 3 on one d6 brought me here instead of Stocksbridge, Folkestone, Stourport, Tilbury or Sun Postal Sports on this occasion.

This match in one sentence

1-0, 1-1, 2-1, half-time, 3-1, 3-2, 4-2, 4-3.

So what?

Last season’s beaten play-off finalists Godalming Town climb from 5th to 3rd and Walton Casuals drop to 8th.

Who caught the eye on the pitch?

No stand-out individuals this time, but Dan Morris (Godalming) took the opening goal well, Kristan Webb (Walton C) and his mum (standing next to me at the time) were delighted that he scored against his old team, Danny Buckle (Walton C) scored a calm penalty and one other goal, Richard Taylor (Godalming) scored direct from a freekick, and Roberto Gagliardi (Godalming) is probably the calmest and quietest ‘keeper I have seen for a while.

This match had the same effect on my pulse rate as …

… being prodded in the ribs with stale baguettes by Thierry Henry (from the left) and David Ginola (from the right) while trying to discuss the use of physical theatre in Tango advertisements with Eric Cantona.

A snippet from the programme

There is a page devoted to a groundhopping tale from an unnamed correspondent but credited to www.footballgroundsinfocus.com, concerning a July visit to Ireland.  “Dublin is becoming one of my favourite cities for a football trip but be warned it is very expensive.”

What I learned today

The deadline for applications to be Godalming Town’s new manager (after the surprising departure of Chuck Martini) is 30 September.  The website announcement was not there earlier in the day when I checked the fixture, and this illustrates one of the disadvantages for the neutral hopper – one does not always know all the significant names and faces, and therefore to be brutally honest I have learned that I have no idea whether he left before or after this victory.  Chuck has been Town’s manager since 2007 and has overseen the highest level of performance in the club’s history.  I am therefore wondering whether he will end up filling one of several higher-level vacancies that exist at the moment. Postscript - reports the next morning announce that he is going to league rivals Walton and Hersham, explaining that he feels that he has taken Godalming as far as he can.  Apparently he tearfully announced the news to his players after the victory over Casuals.