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.

A Clash of Colours in the FA Cup

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Friday 17 August 2013 at the Windsor Foodservice Stadium, Sandy Lane
Result	Worksop Parramore 2 AFC Blackpool 0
Competition	FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round.  These two step 5 sides play in the premier divisions of Northern Counties East and the North West Counties leagues respectively.
Hopping	Number 516 on the lifetime list, and one of my “priority” grounds for this season because it is also a step 3 venue.  Parramore are landlords in effect to Worksop Town of the Northern Premier League, who have their season-opener against FC United of Manchester on Saturday, hence the decision to move this tie to the Friday evening.
Pre-match preparation
Parramore have played two league games, losing at home and winning away.  Blackpool have played four and got their first point of the season in the last game, after three defeats.  This match will allow me to understand the difference between Amber and Tangerine.  Final research was undertaken at “The Mallard” at Worksop Station in the company of @BeatTheFirstMan.
This match in one sentence
AFC Blackpool made more of a game of it in the second half but by then the damage had been done and the result was never really in doubt.
So what?
Parramore travel to Mossley in the next round – this match (as they say) will be played on the weekend of Friday 30 August to Sunday 1 September, but will probably be at the usual time of 3pm on the Saturday.
The drama unfolds
A photographer was taking pics of everything, and I mean everything, as we arrived.  My hand has been captured for posterity at the key hopper moment of programme purchase.  It turned out later that he was working for Budweiser, who are again sponsoring the FA Cup this season.  I must get the hand insured now, and maybe an image rights deal. As @BeatTheFirstMan and I completed our pie-eating, he pointed out Parramore’s Jordan Eagers as a player to watch.  He and Parramore were well on top in the early stages.  Blackpool could not keep the ball long enough to pose any attacking threat.  We had wave after wave of Parramore attack which had everything except an effective final ball, but it was no real surprise when the home side took the lead. A free-kick was won just outside the right corner of the penalty area, and it was rolled quickly and intelligently to the aforementioned Eagers.  Blackpool were caught napping, and although the keeper was perhaps a bit unlucky that the last touch was a ricochet from his block, this goal had been coming.  1-0 after 20 minutes Here is my scene-setter clip.  Both teams are in something orangey (but see below for clarification...) Their second goal came at the killer moment, just before half-time.  Sam Smith was in the proverbial acres of space as he directed a neat header downwards from a left wing cross.  2-0 after 42 minutes and at half time Blackpool came out with more attacking verve after the break but the early goal that they needed never came.  In fact, Blackpool’s keeper made an excellent save to keep the margin at two.  It became fractious at times, and we were treated to a comedy argument between the two dugouts.  The visiting physio was told, rather unkindly, to “put his teeth in first”, and he responded that, “I’ll see you afterwards”.  As seen on a playground near you.  (They shook hands in the end once the hormones had dissipated.) Parramore’s keeper made a magnificent double save with a few minutes to go that removed any chance of an interesting finish.  Job done by the home side.  Final score 2-0 @BeatTheFirstMan and I retired to a quiet corner and recorded a brief match report - listen carefully and you'll detect the moment that the lights went out and I could no longer see my scribbled notes.  Like true professionals we kept going and completed the recording in one take with no giggles.  Hopefully coming soon to a radio programme or podcast near you as part of the BBC Non League Show if it is up to scratch.  For the record, he takes to the Token Northerner Expert Summariser role like a duck to water... watch out Kevin Kilbane.
Ground Pix
Another catapostrophe in the world of stadium labelling ...
Match Pix
Something random
Firstly, for stereotypical men everywhere, we can now establish forever the difference between Amber and Tangerine.  No longer will we need a Dulux colour chart. Tangerine (L) and Amber (R). Secondly, here is the second recorded example of the International Space Station passing over an FA Cup tie.  If they were watching from the cupola at 9.24pm they would have realised that Parramore were going through.  The ISS is that bright dot moving from W to ESE at an elevation of 76 degrees. (The first recorded example was here at Shifnal v Gornal Athletic on 25 August 2011, so the world has waited two years.  I bet it will be like buses now and another one will turn up next week...) http://modushopperrandom.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/joy-of-six.html
Huddle Stats
New this season on MHR – let’s find out whether the pre-match huddle makes a difference. Today, we had a huddle for AFC Blackpool… the sample is not yet statistically significant, but who cares? Huddling appears to be bad, bad, bad and you will never win the FA Cup with huddling. 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 2 0 0 2 0 3 0 0.00
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats
Also new for this season. I vaguely remember Petr Cech having a theory that orange was the best colour for goalkeeping tops.  Let’s find out whether there is any substance to it.  Today, we have green for Parramore and some kind of radioactive bile colour for Blackpool. What colour do you call THAT? 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 Radioactive Bile 1 0 0 2 0 2 -2 -2.00 Pink 1 0 1 0 0 3 -3 -3.00
Hopping for Moorfields Update
Just waiting for a few sponsors to return from their summer holiday but I will be sending a big cheque to Moorfields Eye Charity this week which, when some Gift Aid is applied, will be worth almost £900 to them.  It’s not too late to make a small contribution – remember the original idea of this is that LOTS of people would give small amounts – and this recent post tells you how to go about it.  Thanks in advance, and thanks too to all the sponsors who have already paid up. http://modushopperrandom.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/hopping-for-moorfields-call-for-payment.html
What Next?
Follow @GrahamYapp on Twitter for announcements!  Almost certainly a midweek FA Cup replay somewhere. UPDATE: Tempted by Ashton United v St Helens Town on Tuesday as this is a Landlord v Tenant fixture (if I can get there in time), Wednesday's hop will be decided by the time of the first goal in Monday's Man City v Newcastle game (see my Twitter feed for details) and Thursday will be Wivenhoe Town v Ipswich Wanderers.

I hope you’ll enjoy the 2013-14 format for the MHR blog.  I have tried to freshen it up without losing its essential tongue-in-cheekiness, and to reflect the fact that I am now out of semi-retirement and back in the classroom full-time.  In particular, the video clips were receiving very few hits so I have scaled back on these apart from an essential scene-setter.  You may also have to put up with a rant on educational issues from time to time.  Thanks as ever for your support and interest.  This season I will complete my coverage down to all of step 3 at least, as well as paying plenty of attention again to the early rounds of the FA Cup and the FA Vase.

So far this season:

Nostalgia: Who remembers the original "Soccerboss" board game?

http://modushopperrandom.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/soccerboss-living-dream.html

Can anyone help me improve this list of 2013-14 groundshares?

http://modushopperrandom.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/groundsharers-2013-14.html

Groundsharers 2013-14 Updated

I decided that I needed to be more systematic in how I am keeping track of groundsharing arrangements.  It takes a lot of time to check these so I am including them here in case they are of use to anyone else.  I have taken all reasonable basic steps to check that the information below is accurate for the start of the 2013-14 season.  However, I am 99% certain that there will be errors of omission at the very least.  I am very happy to receive information or corrections through blog comments or through Twitter.

In my own hopping, I will give priority to seeing the landlord club (though I have not been 100% consistent over this it has to be said).

These are the ones that I know (or at least I think I do...):

Level	Tenant	Landlord
L3 FL1	Coventry City	see Northampton Town
S14 MidSomP	Frome Town Sports	see Frome Town
S2 ConfN	Gloucester City	see Cheltenham Town
S2 ConfN	Worcester City	see Kidderminster H
S3 IP	Cray Wanderers	see Bromley
S3 IP	Grays Athletic	see Aveley
S3 IP	Hendon	see Harrow Borough
S3 IP	Kingstonian	see AFC Wimbledon
S3 NP	FC United of M’c’r	see Bury
S3 NP	Worksop Town	see Worksop Parramore
S3 SP	Cambridge City	see Histon
S3 SP	Kettering	see Burton Park Wanderers
S3 SP	Slough Town	see B'nsfield SYCOB
S4 I1N	Barkingside	see Redbridge
S4 I1N	Erith & Belvedere	see Welling
S4 I1N	Romford	see Thurrock
S4 I1S	Horsham	see Horsham YMCA
S4 I1S	Sittingbourne	see Woodstock Sports
S4 N1N	Darlington	see Bishop Auckland
S4 N1N	Northwich Victoria	see Flixton
S4 N1S	Romulus	see Sutton Coldfield T
S4 S1C	Aylesbury United	see Leighton Town
S5 CCPr	Badshot Lea	see Ash United
S5 CCPr	Epsom & Ewell	see Chipstead
S5 CCPr	Mole Valley SCR	see Cobham
S5 ECPr	CRC	see Cambridge United
S5 ESL	Eton Manor	see Waltham Abbey
S5 ESL	London Bari	see Clapton
S5 ExSL	Greenhouse London	see Haringey Borough
S5 ExSL	Sporting Bengal	see Tower Hamlets
S5 HellPr	Oxford City Nomads	see Oxford City
S5 HellPr	Wootton Bassett Town	see Cirencester Town
S5 MidAll	Causeway United	see Halesowen Town
S5 MidAll	Continental Star	see Rushall Olympic
S5 NWCP	AFC Liverpool	see Prescot Cables
S5 NWCP	St Helens Town	see Ashton Athletic
S5 SCEL	Canterbury City	see Herne Bay
S5 SCEL	Fisher (were Fisher A)	see Dulwich Hamlet
S5 SCEL	Greenwich Borough	see Holmesdale
S5 SMP	AFC Dunstable	see Dunstable Town
S5 SMP	Hadley	see Potters Bar Town
S5 UCPr	AFC Rushden & Diam'ds	see Wellingborough Town
S6 ECD1	Haverhill Borough	see Haverhill Rovers
S6 ECD1	Team Bury	see Bury Town
S6 NLD2	South Shields	see Peterlee
S6 NWCD1	Formby Town	see Burscough
S6 NWCD1	Northwich 1874	see Winsford
S6 SMD1	Codicote	see Hatfield Town
S6 SMD1	Crawley Green	see Barton Rovers
S6 SMD1	Kentish Town	see Hillingdon Borough
S6 SMD1	Wodson Park	see Ware
S6 WMRP	Black Country Rangers	see Tividale
S6 WMRP	Bustleholme	see Tipton Town
S7 CMLS	Bulwell	see Basford United
S7 EOLP	Harold Hill	see Brentwood Town
S7 HeCPr	Bush Hill Rangers	see Enfield (1893)
S7 Middx CP	Southall	see Hanwell Town
S7 PePr	Stilton United	see Yaxley
S8 EOLD1	Canning Town	see London APSA
S8 MCD2	Paget Rangers	see Boldmere St Michaels

Many thanks for the additions and amendments received via Twitter or Facebook - keep them coming!