Nuts and Bolts Can't Hold It Together at Croydon Athletic

 

Must be one of the better programmes at this level

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Saturday 19 September 2026 at The Mayfield Stadium
Result	AFC Croydon Athletic 3 Ashford United 1
Competition	Isthmian League Division One South-East (Step 4)
Hopstats	Ground #821 on the lifetime list and I’m here for non-random pragmatic reasons today. This is my closest unvisited ground in Steps 2-4 and I let the train (and tram) take the strain.
Context
8th entertains 12th though the three-point difference comes from one game more, so the two sides have a similar league record so far. In nicknames, this is The Rams v The Nuts and Bolts.
Match Report
It was a tetchy start. An Ashford player stayed down for a full minute after a tackle but the referee allowed play to continue. His decision was vindicated when the player needed no treatment and was soon running around again, but a confrontational tone had been set. The atmosphere soured even more for the away team when a straight red card was shown to Sam Hasler for a mistimed lunge with only five minutes gone. However, United took the lead from the penalty spot after 15 minutes. Louis Collins was body-checked in a one-on-one situation by the onrushing home keeper Amadou Tangara, who escaped with a yellow card, moving the ref another few places down the Ashford Christmas card list. Collins did the honours himself from the kick.   Tangara goes left, Collins goes down the middle. 0-1. Croydon continued with their patient buildup play and were level five minutes later. Greg Cundle was able to take a touch and send a low shot into the bottom right-hand corner. Good finish. In the remainder of the first half, Croydon struggled to make the extra player count. They kept possession well but players just seemed more comfortable with the easy recycling option. Ashford had a good chance of their own on the break, Collins shooting just wide. Then, just before the break, Croydon’s Cian McCarthy led with his elbow in an aerial challenge. It was a yellow card, and he’d already picked one up a few minutes earlier so out came the red to follow. It would be 10 v 10 in the second half. I don’t have too many notes from the next 30 minutes. For my money, Ashford were slightly more likely to score. They hit the post once and had several other half-chances, including a backheel attempt that didn’t fool Tangara. The result was sealed with two home goals in quick succession that took the wind out of any Ashford sails. Josh Williams showed perseverance on the left flank and put a good cross on to the head of David Boateng who couldn’t miss. It was Croydon’s first real chance of the second half, on 76 minutes. Then almost immediately Williams used his strength to win the ball from a defender and he kept his composure to score and secure the points. So, an odd game, not as comfortable as a 3-1 scoreline might suggest, and a fair afternoon’s entertainment for this passing neutral.
So What?
Croydon Athletic are up to 5th, Ashford United down to 14th but it’s still that part of the season when some clubs have played fewer matches than others due to the impact of the FA Cup and FA Trophy precedence.
Pre-match Entertainment
Getting lost in Croydon Cemetery! Any future hoppers are advised to research the route carefully, especially for an evening kickoff. I made the mistake of trusting Google Maps (normally reliable to be fair). Whatever you do, don’t take the tram from East Croydon to Therapia Avenue and walk through Croydon Cemetery like I did. There is no proper entry to the ground by that route, just a teasing view of the turnstiles through a 2m metal fence. I ended up with a 40-minute detour. A walk of about 20-25 minutes is better done by taking the 60 or 109 bus from Streatham station, and that’s how I got home after the game. There may well be other reasonable routes, but plan yours in advance. It’s a longish walk down a single-track gravel road for the last part of the route. The photo below is where I'd pitched up before doubling back - and from the state of the fence maybe I'm not the first, but the image does not really show how steep that bank is!   Entrance to the ground as per Google Maps!
Pix
Ashford United in unambiguous (see below) Green.
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats Update
The background to this, and the latest keeper top colour league table, is here on this dedicated page. Today, I had to think very hard about classifying the home keeper (Amadou Tangara). In the end I decided that Sage has to go with Green but this is a definite outlier in the keeper top colour world. The away keeper (Jordan Gilmon) lined up in pale Blue. I've put this (Sage?) in the Green group. No appeals allowed. Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Prediction: Home Win Was the prediction correct? Yes % of correct predictions so far 48% (109 from 228)
What Next?
@ModusHRandom on Twitter will reveal my next game as I do not yet have a definite plan. I might try to sneak another game in today before I take in two Women’s Champions League group stage games (Arsenal and Chelsea) in midweek.

 

Roy of the Rovers on the Board

My copy of this Roy of the Rovers board game is dated 1990. It's produced by Triotoys and Paradigm Games of Basingstoke, under licence from Fleetway publications who produced the comics and annuals of the same name. I wasn't a regular reader of the comic during my own childhood, but I gather that the dedicated comic started up in 1976 and continued until 1995. The character of Roy Race and the Melchester Rovers team go back to the 1950s when they first appeared in the Tiger comic. The dramatic storylines of the comic strip have not transferred to the board game. Every so often there have been relaunches or re-workings of the material and characters, including one where Roy is a manager and his son Rocky is on the pitch. It looks as if a video games company, Rebellion, have at least some of the rights now and there is a website and, of course, merchandise.

Meanwhile, back to my board game. It's a bit battered, but it looks unused and after this post is published it will be on the way to a charity shop. I suspect I picked it up either from eBay or a car boot sale. Indeed there are still some around on eBay, pitched as collectors' items and some with very optimistic asking prices. "For 2-6 Players Aged 5-105", it says.

Like some of the other games in my series of nostalgia boardgame posts - see below for links to the others - it dates from a time before games consoles and personal computers. Having scanned the rules, I would say this one has a lowish ratio of skill to luck in determining the outcome. I would also guess that with two players it would be rather dreary with all the temptations of dubious practices, within the rules, as we may be allegedly seeing in the real world in this era of multi-club ownership.

The board is a jigsaw type. The Bank of Melchester only deals in multiples of £250,000. The stand-up playing pieces are the best feature of the box contents. The game mechanics are familiar. Collect the right combination of players, but some of them are worth more than others. Collect gate receipts. There is one square on the board, "Sacked", which could have led to some interesting confrontations with family and friends. Land on that, and any one of the other players can swop their players with yours. I wonder how many friendships were ended over that.

I should also mention the six teams - you will manage one of the following: Touring Real, Sporting Perez, Dynamo Celtic, San Sebastian, Bayern Dortmund or, of course, Melchester Rovers. If you have Melchester, then you are the only one allowed to have Roy of the Rovers in your team. Everyone else has to return him to the bottom of the pile. This is in accordance with mainstream Race canon - Roy was a one-club man except for a short stint with Walford Rovers as I am sure you will remember.

Thanks for your interest in this series, there will be a few more to come during the season.

Links to previous football game posts on this blog:

Wembley

Soccerama

Soccerboss

Emlyn Hughes’ Team Tactix

Penalty!

Kevin Keegan’s Matchday

The Manager (Terry Venables)

 

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!