Two Ghoul Defeat for the Ghosts

 

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Saturday 12 September 2026 at The Daly Group Stadium, Clipbush Lane
Result	Fakenham Town 0 Waltham Abbey 2
Competition	FA Trophy 2nd Round Qualifying
Hopstats	Ground 820 on the lifetime list, and I am here randomishly because Aune Heggebø scored the only goal of the game as WBA won at Derby a few days ago. I wanted to choose from 11 unvisited grounds – the home teams were linked alphabetically to the 11 WBA players on the pitch at any given time. The rules and details are on the image below. Why West Bromwich? Well, I was born there, and although I’m not an active supporter these days, it’s always their result I’m looking for first.
Context
This is a knockout game between two Step 4 sides. Fakenham (The Ghosts) came up from the Eastern Counties league playoffs last season and are in the Isthmian League Division One North. Waltham Abbey were in that division last season but have been transferred to the Southern League Division One Central.
Match Report
The game started at a lively pace, both teams able to try some slick moves on a good playing surface. They traded half-chances before the game settled a bit, but largely these two sides cancelled each other out before the danger areas. The odd freekick was due to mistiming or overenthusiasm rather than cynicism. Some of the visiting support began to show impatience at repeated recycling of the ball by their team. Almost immediately a good move down the right created the best chance of the half so far but Jayden Wright was in a good place to clear the ball. Fakenham were somewhat more direct in style and a good run by their fullback Oser Okpiahbele led to a shot going just wide. So the first half ended scoreless, with plenty of effort on both sides but clear chances at a premium. Waltham Abbey started the second half well, with two chances for Jake Watts. They continued to be better at keeping possession and on the hour mark I noted that they probably should have been ahead by now. Indeed, the realistic and seasoned home supporters around me were beginning to comment that it was just a matter of time, and so it proved. The first goal came on 73 minutes, hooked in by sub Steve Cawley after a corner which itself had followed a period of sustained pressure. Abbey nearly got an immediate second with a header after another slick move. Fakenham were not finished yet and they created two half-chances of their own, but a second Abbey goal from the penalty spot put the result beyond doubt. Prince Domafriye scored from the spot after a handball. A fair result on balance of play, says this passing neutral.
So What?
Time for Fakenham to concentrate on the league, as they say. Waltham Abbey go into the proverbial hat, and they have a big FA Cup game against Dagenham & Redbridge coming up too next weekend.
Pre-match Entertainment
Nothing apart from a sausage sandwich. I got caught up in the traffic around Duxford Air Show en route and my GPS alternative suggestion made things worse with gridlock in narrow lanes, so I ended up with a three-hour drive and no spare time.
Pix
Fakenham in yellow-and-black (and with a mysterious club crest).
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats Update
The background to this, and the latest keeper top colour league table, is here on this dedicated page. Today, the rarity of Blue (Luke Pearson) v Blue (Bradley Robinson), albeit different shades thereof. #keepertopcolourstats predictions are on a terrible run at the moment although the percentage success has never varied that much from 50%. The whole sample (>370) including those games before the predictions started is still probably not statistically significant enough for the mathematical testing required. Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Prediction: Draw Was the prediction correct? No % of correct predictions so far 48% (108 from 227)
What Next?
Hopefully another ground from my priority list next Saturday, but whether it is a random selection or a pragmatic one will depend on the weather forecast.

 

Clapton Will Feel Wonderful Tonight After Cup Win

  

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Sunday 6 September at The Hertfordshire Sports Village (Grass Pitch 2)
Result	AFC Welwyn Women 3 Clapton Community Women 6
Competition	Women’s FA Cup First Round Qualifying
Hopstats	This counts as a new venue for me and takes its place at 819 on the lifetime list. I’m here pragmatically rather than randomly as it’s only a short drive from Chateau Yapp. Any hoppers attending a women’s game at this level would be advised to check and double-check venues. There were at least three listed possibilities for this game depending on which website page you looked at.
Context
Both teams play in the sixth tier of the women’s pyramid, at the regional division one level. Welwyn are newly-promoted to the Eastern Region whereas Clapton Community are in the London & SE Region. However, league form counts for nothing in the cup as decided by traditional punditry.
Match Report
Thanks to the Clapton CFC bluesky feed for help in identifying scorers. I haven’t yet found a way of doing the same for Welwyn but will be happy to edit at a later date. 0-1         (3m) : the first attack had been Welwyn’s but the first goal set Emily Link on the way to a hat-trick. The visiting supporters were in good voice and supported by a bin drummer. This was an easy score after Welwyn had lost the ball in a dangerous area. 0-2         (10m) : a second for Link as she broke free down the right and rolled it past the home keeper. Welwyn had a half-chance to get one back but their striker was forced wide so the shot from a narrow angle drifted wide. Something similar happened after a lengthy break due to an injury to Clapton’s Flo Hobbs. At this point Clapton were looking very comfortable. 0-3         (42m) : Marta Boiro added a third for Clapton with a dipping and maybe swerving shot from distance. 1-3      (44m) : A tap-in after visiting keeper Ella Bowles could only parry a Welwyn effort. 2-3      (50m) : Suddenly, it is game on again as Welwyn score with a very good goal taking the direct route and a neat finish. 2-4      (55m) : Maria Mendonca needed two attempts to restore the two-goal cushion, but she kept her composure when her first shot had been blocked. Welwyn had not given up by any means and they had possession in the attacking half for a good percentage of the time, but there was no real cutting edge and the visitors’ defence held firm. As we entered the final quarter the quality of passing had dropped somewhat and both teams were more direct as players tired. It was a very warm afternoon. 2-5      (84m) : Surely the result decided now as Mendonca was released with a delicious pass down the left flank. The home keeper got a hand to the shot but now Clapton had a three-goal cushion with very little time left. They had two more decent chances, one of which bounced fortunately off the bar from a save. 3-5      (90+2m) : Welwyn score from a penalty after a clear handball. They would need two in two minutes. 3-6      (90+4) : Instead, Link completes her hat-trick, tucking the ball nicely just inside the post.
So What?
Not much to say except the usual cliché that Clapton Community will be in the hat for the draw for the next round.
Pix
The car park for the external pitches is a few hundred metres away. If visiting, follow signs for the university de Havilland campus and go to the far end, next to the sports village building. The path to the external pitches is down the left hand side as you look, and across the bus access road. Allow time to download and process a QR code for the parking management company, and be prepared to sign away your mortal soul and your children’s kidneys in the small print. Today’s game is on Grass Pitch 2, so I may have to come again at some point! A very nice surface it is too, though. Two very snazzy kits, Welwyn’s mostly purple and Clapton’s mostly red.   There must be a Grass Pitch 1, but I forgot to check whether there are even more!
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats Update
The background to this, and the latest keeper top colour league table, is here on this dedicated page. Today Grey met Green (Ella Bowles). Even this goalfest doesn’t change the current positions in the colour league table! Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Prediction: Home Win Was the prediction correct? No % of correct predictions so far 48% (108 from 226)
What Next?
Currently unknown. Follow @ModusHRandom on X/Twitter for first news!

 

 

Horley Battle to a Win Over Hastings

 

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Saturday 5 September 2026 at The Awaking Giants New Defence
Result	Horley Town 3 Hastings United 2
Competition	Isthmian League Division One South-East (Step 4)
Hopstats	Ground #817 on the lifetime list and I am here randomly because of a particular sequence of coin-tossing events involving two monarchs and a coat of arms. Sherlock Holmes played no part in this. The video clip explains all, with three coins and no fountains.
The Randomness
Context
Horley are another side new to this level after their promotion last season through the Combined Counties Premier Division South playoffs. They got their first league win of the season last week and so sit quite low in the early tables, unlike Hastings who are the only side with four league wins out of four.
Match Report
I needed a shady spot to stand and it turns out I was well-placed to see the big moment of controversy that helped Horley to hang on to the points. Only the ref could confirm. But first, the match was largely played at the far end from me as Hastings started strongly, creating lots of early shooting chances which in turn needed bruising Horley blocks and the help of the woodwork on one occasion. The opening Horley goal after 13 minutes was against the run-of-play but very well worked after their first corner had been initially cleared. It was a really calm and neat pass for the assist which gave Deondre Date a tap-in. Celebration time, come on Horley could soon have had a second in similar fashion but the Hastings keeper Harry Haines’ legs were in the way this time, and the visitors also kept up their attacking intentions. They got their deserved equaliser just before the half-hour mark. A flick-on from a long throw gave Freddie Legg the chance to score with a low shot. The home side then impudently took the lead with another well-crafted goal. From a free-kick, their centre-back’s looping header came back off the post. Horley reacted calmly and efficiently and a neat pass gave Date the chance to roll the ball into the net for his second. I wrote in my notes that “there will be more goals in this” but I hadn’t expected another before half-time. A mix-up outside the area allowed Abdulahi Abdulazeez to pass the ball into an unguarded net and it is fair to say that Haines was not a happy man. In fact, neither of the keepers were to have a comfortable afternoon. As a passing neutral, 3-1 at half-time didn’t feel like a scoreline that reflected the run of play, but Horley’s composure and efficiency in front of goal had been very impressive. Hastings took hold of the second half and scored within five minutes. A cross from the right wasn’t cleared and Max Walsh got on the scoresheet with a header. Soon, it looked as if Horley’s day was going to fall apart as Joe Carrington was shown a straight red card for denying a goalscoring opportunity. The free-kick was defended but it led to the opportunity for a long throw. The home keeper Theo Bromley caught the ball as it curved in the breeze, but ended up in the back of the net with it. The goal was controversially disallowed. Initially I wondered whether the ball had crossed the line before being caught, and you can’t score directly from a throw-in. However my pics show that this clearly wasn’t the case, and the only other reason could be that the contact shown in the first pic was judged as a foul. My instant feeling at the time was that the goal should have stood. This was the only contact ... was that enough to be the foul? The keeper clearly touched the ball before it went over the line Hastings pressed forward with their keeper often nearly halfway up the pitch and they almost gave Horley a fourth. Fortunately the surface was hard enough to send a long shot-cum-clearance over their crossbar on first bounce. They then came agonisingly close to an equaliser with the ball squirting centimetres wide after yet another melée in the penalty area. I took several more pics that I’ve not included because frankly they all look the same. Horley were further disadvantaged when Ashley Sheppard got a second yellow card, followed by a red of course, with several minutes of stoppage time still to come. Even then the nine men forced the Hastings keeper to make a save with an attack on the break – they chose not to go into the corner. The Hastings onslaught continued, with Haines now joining the crowds in the box, but Horley held on. With hindsight, Hastings just never made the most of their numerical advantage. There are two goalkeepers in this shot So, plenty of entertainment for this passing neutral and the need for a longer-than-usual match report. It’s the unpredictability of this sport that keeps us interested, even when the planes on final approach to Gatwick are also visible in the background. Sorry about the blogpost title, by the way, but it has to be done.
So What?
Hastings hold on to top spot for now as many of the other sides in the division were involved in cup games today, or weren’t playing at all. Horley go flying up into the comfort of mid-table.
Pre-match Entertainment
Buying books and CDs from the charity shops of Horley Town centre on my leisurely walk from the station to the ground. I'd chosen Thameslink over the M25 today which at least gave me some insight into how Antigone and Achilles must have felt when faced with brutal choices.
Other Pix
I had lots of others, very similar records of the second half bombardment.
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats Update
The background to this, and the latest keeper top colour league table, is here on this dedicated page. Today Yellow (Theo Bromley) v Green (Harry Haines). Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Prediction: Away Win Was the prediction correct? No % of correct predictions so far 48% (108 from 225)
What Next?
Not sure, to be honest. @ModusHRandom on X/Twitter is probably the best way to find out. It’s the First Round Qualifying of the Women’s FA Cup today with at least a couple of tempting games not too far away from me, one of which would be a new ground for me.

 

Turquoise Hayes Lane

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Friday 4 September 2026 at The Copperjax Stadium (Bromley FC)
Result	London City Lionesses 2 Manchester United Women 1
Competition	Women’s Super League
Hopstats	My second visit, nominally, to this ground in Hayes Lane which is completely transformed from my first (3 Jan 2009), when Bromley were in the Conference South. The blog hadn't started back then, so there are no photos to compare.
Context
Opening game of the WSL season, a 5400 sell-out. Lionesses are challenging the recent top order of teams with their ambitious billionaire owners, and they have recruited an impressive multinational squad for this season. Manchester United have a new manager and ambitions of their own. They were 4th, just outside the Champions’ League places, last season and London were 6th in their first season at this level. London City are the only WSL side that are not linked to a men’s side with the same name.
Match Report
This match will have been covered in detail elsewhere so I will be brief. The scoreline looks close but United’s goal was a very late consolation. London City scored early on and probably should have been further ahead at the break. Their energetic high pressing unsettled the visitors, and some of their United players were looking very disgruntled as the game wore on. The London marquee signings (Alexia Putellas, Maria Leon among others) have clearly adapted quickly to the requirements of this expanding and developing league. Even Mary Earps had to start the season on the bench against her former team. The opening goal, eventually recorded as an o.g. due to deflection The only downside for the hosts was the sight of Lucia Corrales being stretchered off in the second half. Manchester United had improved after the break but the second London goal came at the right time. It was a delightful backheel from Danielle van der Donk which I could not fully appreciate until I saw the TV replays later. On balance I think it will be good for the women’s game if this league becomes one where “anyone can beat anyone”, more like the men’s Championship than the Premier League. There has been some press coverage of the London shirt deal, which is said by the owner to be worth more than those of some men’s premier league clubs. The official name of the colour is … wait for it … hyperturq. The human race is doomed.
So What?
Too early to say really, but a definite ripple through the existing pecking order is on its way.
Pre-match Entertainment
To be honest, I avoided the fanzone and chose a good spot to stand whereupon I piled on some Duolingo points during the warm-ups. Increasingly, I'm pleased to say that I now know a French subjunctive when I see one.
Pix
I'm a chemistry teacher but pyro is pointless imo Nice second-half sky with shades of megapink and gigaviolet
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats Update
The background to this, and the latest keeper top colour league table, is here on this dedicated page. Today Yellow (Elene Lete) v Pink (Phallon Tullis-Joyce). Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Prediction: Away Win Was the prediction correct? No % of correct predictions so far 48% (108 from 224)
What Next?
Games taking place tomorrow at eight unvisited grounds, so a random selection will be made with the aid of three coins, one each from Barbados, Norway and the UK. Eight is two to the power three, you see, so with three two-sided coins there will be eight unique sequences when they are flipped. All will be documented in the next post.