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.