The Aberystwyth Coasting

A signed shirt from Pele is one of the many items on display in the clubhouse

Hopperational details
Date & Venue
Friday 13 April 2012 at Park Avenue, Aberystwyth
Result
Aberystwyth Town 2 Airbus UK Broughton 0
Competition
Welsh Premier League
Hopping
The first half of a double-header in Wales for ground #461 on the lifetime list.  Glad to be here with enough daylight left to take some reasonable still pix.


This match in one sentence
A second-half penalty and a late second gave vital points to Aberystwyth Town in their bid to stay in the league while denting or at least delaying the Airbus place in the Europa League playoffs.


So what?
According to my unofficial calculations this result sends Newtown down.  Carmarthen will join them if they do not win both their remaining games, or if Aberystwyth win their last game against Newtown.  Airbus will still get the final playoff place if they beat Afan Lido in their last game next week, and may have a lesser task if Port Talbot have not won their game in hand in the meantime.


The drama unfolds
There was not a lot of great goalmouth action in the first half.  Both sides played positively but the midfields and defences largely cancelled each other out.  My scene-setter clip (and it’s a particularly nice view and a lived-in ground of charm) is from 18 minutes into the game.  The home side are in white-and-black.





The second very short clip was taken because of the momentary excitement caused by the potential of a set piece.  After this the game returned to the worthy-but-dullness of the first quarter.





Suddenly, with 41 minutes gone, there came the first gilt-edged chance of the night - in fact three of them in quick succession.  A double save from Airbus keeper Andy Mulliner and a block from a teammate kept the score goalless.  0-0 at half-time


Aberystwyth took the lead from the penalty spot after 54 minutes.  Danny Taylor got a yellow card for the trip on Andy Parkinson that the referee was well-placed to see.  Sean Thorton rolls in the penalty as shown here.  1-0





They should have gone two up soon after.  Josh MacAuley’s cross found Geoff Kellaway for an unmarked header, and his reaction confirmed that he should have scored.  Airbus defender Eddie Hope then showed great positional sense and composure to help snuff out a break.  Here’s a clip from this phase of the game.





I was expecting Airbus to have a real go as the game entered the latter stages, but they never really threatened until a last-minute goalmouth scramble.  Then this happened on the break.  The scorer is Kellaway.  Final score 2-0

A snippet from the programme
“It was great to see everyone smiling after the game (against Afan Lido) but alas Emyr James was unable to persuade the Ffostrasol Arms to stay open long enough to welcome the Boys in Black and Green on the way home - if  the bus stops there you know we have had a good day!”


What I learned today
Allow more time for this particular cross-country journey.  Thanks to mum & dad who were in effect coerced into groundhopping with me as we arrived in the town only a few minutes before kickoff!  They have now watched football with me in three countries (England, Wales and Iceland).


What Next?
Saturday - Colwyn Bay v Harrogate Town to get to one of my three remaining grounds-to-visit at Step 2.

Bala Palaver

Llanelli in the all-red strip

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Sunday 19 September 2011 at Maes Tegid
Result	Bala Town 2 (Loughlin 64, Darlington 88) Llanelli 4 (Griffiths 7,13, 71 Moses 63)
Competition	Welsh Premier League
Hopping	This was the only accessible game for me today.  #422 on the lifetime list.
This match in one sentence
Entertaining throughout, but never exciting, because Llanelli had a two-goal cushion for 75 minutes and a hat-trick hero up front.
So what?
Bala Town drop to second in the table on goal difference after this first league defeat of the season – they have been a surprise package after escaping relegation through a reprieve last season. Llanelli stay fourth, but are now only three points behind.
Something random
Learn Welsh through football (acknowledgement to the programme!) Manager – Rheolwr Programme – Rhaglen Football – Pêl-Droed Referee – Dyfarnwr A good game – Am gêm dda
The drama unfolds
The match was preceded, of course, by an impeccable minute of silence to show respect for the loss of life of four miners in South Wales this week. Llanelli took the game by the scruff of the neck and were two up after only fourteen minutes, pretty much killing it as a contest.  My first clip is from early on and contains a fine “nutmeg” about forty seconds in. Rhys Griffiths ran on to a through ball over the top for the first goal and finished neatly.  The first pic shows just how much time and space he had.  0-1 1-0, and Griffiths wheels away for a low-key celebration The same player headed in to the roof of the net via the outstretched hand of Bala keeper Terry McCormick for the second.  0-2 The second clip is taken from this part of the game. Bala worked hard to try to get back into the match, but Llanelli looked strong defensively.  As a shower began, I spent most of the rest of the half trying to get a nice rainbow-and-football photograph!  At one point, Bala broke through for a two-on-one moment but the flag was up for offside.  Llanelli nearly added a third from a lob that looked in for a moment from the far end.  0-2 at half-time Llanelli used their high-line defence to catch Bala offside several times in the second half.  Although the home side had a fair share of possession, it was another Llanelli goal after 63 minutes that underlined where the points were going.  It was a good low shot from the edge of the box by Craig Moses, who was in the right place when the ball broke to him.  0-3 Bala got one back almost immediately.  This was excellent target-man work by Lee Hunt, who held the ball up intelligently in the area and laid off a precision pass to Liam Loughlin.  1-3 However, any hopes of a comeback were snuffed out by another header from Griffiths, this time from a left-wing cross.  1-4 There was time for a very good consolation goal for Bala’s substitute Rhys Darlington, who cut in on the Bala left, made room and then finished well with a shot across the keeper to the far corner.  Final score 2-4
Man-of-the-Match
Rhys Griffiths of Llanelli.  He needs to work on his celebrations though – the first was greeted with the same level of animation as one would show on the arrival of a mug of Horlicks.
Snippets from the programme
Two things caught the eye.  Mark Pitman’s piece on the Welsh national team included a paragraph or two on former West Brom youngster Danny Gabbidon, now with QPR via Cardiff City and West Ham.  Danny had retired from international football with 44 caps but was persuaded to return by the new management under Gary Speed.  However, by all accounts he had a bad time against Australia in a friendly.  “Despite this, the easy decision for Speed would have been to play Gabbidon against Montenegro.  The strong, in-form and experienced opponents would surely find Gabbidon a far tougher physical challenge than young Darcy Blake, but more importantly for Speed, he would not have left himself open for criticism if an expected defeat had followed.  The manager stuck to his belief and principle however, Blake would have a much bigger part to play in future years with Wales than Gabbidon, and Gabbidon had no reason to merit a place in the side after an awful display against Australia.  Blake played, Wales won, Speed had taken a significant step forward in becoming a manager.” The programme also noted that 21 clubs have applied for the necessary licence to be a Welsh Premier League club next year.  At the moment there are only 14, the current 12, Haverfordwest (relegated last year) and Llandudno.  FAW’s Andrew Howard said, “The (feeder league) is getting more and more competitive … it is vital for the WPL to have active promotion and relegation annually.”  An issue seems to be that 7 of the 9 second-tier applicants are from the north of the principality.  Clubs are assessed on their infrastructure, stadium, youth development, legal, financial and coach qualifications, personnel and club charters.
What I learned today
A brief trainspotting moment … the 1325 from Bala to Llanuwchllyn. The B4396/B4391 route from Shrewsbury to Bala via Knockin (where the village store is really called The Knockin Shop) is a delightful drive in the autumn sunshine as the greens are turning to red, orange and brown and there is yellow gorse and violet heather too.  Who says men can’t do colours? I can count six there for starters. Maes Tegid really is a lovely location for a football match.  It should be on every hopper's must-do list.  If you look closely in this pic you can see the rainbow.  Blue and indigo in there too, so we're up to eight colours for the day.
What Next?
No idea – watch @GrahamYapp on Twitter for details.  Thinking about an FA Cup replay somewhere on Tuesday, but will depend on the in-tray at work!

Ecstatic in Prestatyn

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Sunday 15 May 2011 at Bastion Road
Result	Prestatyn Town 2 Port Talbot 1
Competition	Welsh Premier League Playoff Semi-Final
Hopping	#402 on the lifetime list and #5 for the Welsh Premier
This match in one sentence
A late, late wind-assisted winner in a game of two halves keeps open Prestatyn’s chance of European football for the first time.
So what?
For the final, Prestatyn Town will go to Neath, who beat Aberystwyth Town by the same scoreline today.  The winner will join TNS (league runners-up) and Llanelli (cupwinners) in the Europa League while champions Bangor City are not unreasonably in the Champions League qualifiers.
The drama unfolds
Port Talbot (in white) attacked with the wind in their favour during the first half, and they caused the more scary moments in their opponents’ penalty area.  Both teams had half-chances, but Port Talbot augmented the wind with a pressing game and kept Prestatyn largely on the back foot.  Ball control was relatively difficult in the prevailing conditions so the biggest threats came from set pieces.  The first clip is a scene-setter, and the second is also from the first half. Just before the half-hour mark, Port Talbot took the lead from a corner, as shown in the third clip. The scorer is Lee Surman.  0-1 0-1 at half-time  With hindsight, one goal was not enough. To quote a member of the Prestatyn backroom staff as he walked back to the dugout, “If I’d had a swear box I could retire now.”  Port Talbot held their own for fifteen minutes or so, and kept the ball on the floor for their own forays upfield.  However, Prestatyn were gradually mastering the conditions and pushing Port Talbot back in the same way that had happened in reverse in the first half.  On the hour, Lee Hunt came very close to an equaliser – his delicate roll of a shot went agonisingly past the post.  However, Port Talbot were also looking strong at the back and forcing Prestatyn to shoot from distance.  They were as comfortable as they were ever going to be - but the tide turned. Three clips show critical incidents in the last ten minutes of the game.  The next two are "You are the Ref" moments and you can see whether you agree with the decisions for a couple of penalty claims. The first one after 82 minutes, as you see, was turned down, but one was given two minutes later and Hunt stepped up.  1-1 As we contemplated extra-time with two minutes left of the ninety, a left-wing corner was viciously bent in and David Hayes got the final touch for a dramatic winner.  You can decide for yourself from the clip whether he meant it.  Straight out of the Faroese Premier League Book of Tactics, that one. Final score 2-1
Alternative activity of equal excitement for tourists in Prestatyn
First hour – applying to the town council for planning permission to build two-up two-down sandcastles at the beach. Last half-hour – playing human table football at the holiday camp next door in a gale against Robbie Savage, Gary Bellamy, Ryan Giggs and Neville Southall.
A snippet from the programme
From On the Ball with Robbo Goch: “Even should we qualify for a European jaunt, what do you reckon the chances are of us enjoying a jolly somewhere like Madeira or Cyprus or Malta even?  Zip in my book.  You all know as well as I do that in the event we’d be paired with some bunch of shepherds from the Faroe Islands or stuck in the middle of some godforsaken industrial Belgian town or worse still packed off to Finland where the ale’s £42 a pint these days.”
What Next?
I am hopeful of one more meaningful game this season in a step 7 league somewhere in the mystic east.

They Used to Play on Grass

I believe Neath are no longer officially Athletic, even though they play that way

Smile please - 'hopper with camera nearby

Hopperational details

Sunday 31 October at Park Hall, The New Saints 3 Neath 1 in the Welsh Premier League.  I am here because a digital clock and die combo sent me to Mossley 2 Nantwich Town 3 in the FA Trophy yesterday (report sent to the nice people at theballisround and posted at http://theballisround.co.uk/2010/11/02/trophy-life/) giving me the chance of an overnight stay at the ancestral home in West Bromwich and a foray into the Borders.

This match in one sentence

Not as straightforward as the scoreline suggests; Neath battled well for much of this game and at least they got a late consolation goal.

So what?

TNS tighten their grip on second place in the league but are still well behind the leaders Bangor City.  Neath stay third, and it begins to look like the top two if not three places in this league are already settled.

Who caught the eye on the pitch?

The teams cancelled each other out for much of the game so it was individual moments that caught the eye.  Neath keeper Craig Morris made a superb but controversial save at 0-1 to keep his team in the game.  Home sources are convinced the ball had crossed the line.  His opposite number Paul Harrison had a great moment of his own later on.  Alex Darlington’s cool finish to make it 2-0 was probably the game’s defining moment, and Richie Partridge’s for 3-0 was icing on the cake.  Partridge was the featured player the last time I saw TNS (at Airbus) – he had a good game again today but was given fewer opportunities by the Neath defence.  Lee Trundle’s absence for the visitors drew an audible home-and-away ripple of disappointment as the teams were announced. Previous posts featuring one of these teams: http://modushopperrandom.blogspot.com/2010/09/airbus-in-terminal-penalty-shocker.html http://modushopperrandom.blogspot.com/2010/09/keep-your-eye-on-round-ball.html Autumn has officially arrived

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

… trying to decide which is correct from falling off or falling into Offa’s Dyke in a sentence about the effect of a game of football on my pulse rate.  Work that one out, and note the use of recursion.

A snippet from the programme

I have also commented on the Welsh League Cup in my earlier Neath post.  TNS believe they will be in the final after their last game, a 9-0 semi-final first-leg win over Bangor City.  Their lead article comments, “The cup has traditionally been a chance to blood younger players and give match action to fringe squad members, but (Bangor manager) Powell’s selections in what was, after all, a semi-final, showed a complete contempt for the competition, the sponsors and, most of all, the spectators who played to watch the game.”  Powell has been quoted elsewhere as saying, "I do what's best for Bangor City and no-one else."  It's déjà-vu all over again.

What I learned today

Park Hall has an artificial surface, of the type that is not allowed above Step 4 in the English non-league tiers.  Also, I have completely failed despite several attempts to take a photo that I could caption "R Partridge and a pair of trees".

Modus Hopper Random Talking Point

I can't say that the surface had a negative effect on the game for the spectator, or gave an unfair advantage to TNS.  I suspect that players of both teams, though, stayed on their feet more, and so there must be some difference in tactics and style of play. Durham City’s relegation to step 5 last season was arguably a consequence of a sponsor’s withdrawal when it was made clear that the club would not be permitted to rise above step 4 because of their artificial surface.  They played most of the season with local youngsters, including one impersonator.  The six-point penalty for that misdemeanour cancelled out their two notable wins and they finished with “nul points”, as they say in Eurovision.  Woodley Sports also play on one of these surfaces in step 4.  Both clubs have to switch grounds for FA Cup ties, which must be played on grass. Anyone remember the novel, “They Used to Play on Grass”, co-authored by Terry Venables in the 1970s?  I vaguely remember that he predicted something approaching a European league on artificial surfaces for the nation’s big clubs, including Celtic and Rangers.  However, I have not checked this – I read it as a teenager and that was enough.

What Next?

A local step 5 hop to Oxhey Jets v Hertford Town this evening!

Keep Your Eye on the Round Ball

Hopperational details

Sunday 26 September, Neath 3  Bala Town 1 at The Gnoll in the Welsh Premier League, after a walk in gorgeous morning sunshine around the Gnoll Estate. Mosshouse Wood Reservoir on The Gnoll Estate

This match in one sentence

The result of this disappointing game was never in doubt, but Neath look better going forward than in defence.

So what?

The big spenders of Neath go third, ten points behind Bangor City but with a game in hand.  Bala Town are bottom of the table.

Who caught the eye on the pitch?

Some eyebrows were raised when former Swansea City fans’ favourite Lee Trundle joined Neath in the close season, but it is by no means his first experience outside the English Football League.  He did not enter League football until signing for Brian Flynn at Wrexham at the age of 24.  A move to Swansea under the same manager followed, and I remember when he was said to be the first footballer outside the Premiership with an “image rights” deal.  He is now 33, and his goals-to-games ratio was very impressive up to 2006-7.  Neath’s opening league game of the season had a record crowd of over 800, and his contributions today were warmly received by the home crowd.  I guess that this could be a win-win arrangement for player and club if the Neath management have done their sums correctly.  The Bentley with the personalised number plate was tucked away discreetly at the top of the car park, and he delivered a man-of-the-match performance. Lee Trundle scores from the spot to make it 2-0 to Neath The first goal (from another ex-Swan Kristian O’Leary) came as a result of a Trundle corner, and the third (a spectacular shot by Chris Jones) was served up on a plate by his clever flick, and much enjoyed by those spectators still awake.  Trundle himself was tripped for the penalty that he converted for the second.  He did most of his best work with his back to goal, receiving the ball to feet and holding it up before bringing a runner into play with a clever flick or layoff.  He occasionally showed frustration with his team-mates’ lack of vision or execution, and one display of petulance was taken as dissent by the referee who yellow-carded him.  He was indeed the star of a poor game. A swan from the Gnoll Estate An ex-Swan from The Gnoll

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

… sitting in front of a tank of freshwater tropical fish with a mug of cocoa.

A snippet from the programme

I was aware that the Welsh Premier League had restructured (see my earlier post from Airbus UK v TNS) but I noticed that three of Neath’s first five competitive games have been against Haverfordwest County.  A premier league victory was followed by an aggregate defeat over two legs in the Loosemores League Cup.  English clubs and fans have very mixed feelings about their Carling Cup, which has just had a resurgent week after giant-killing by Brentford and Northampton.  The competition format has had several tweaks over recent seasons, with sides in Europe being exempt until R3.  Lower league Scottish teams will play at least one match in the CIS Insurance Cup and the Alba Challenge Cup before their league programme starts.  It seems to me as a casual observer that three games out of five against the same opposition is not a structure that will spark the interest of fans in this rugby union stronghold.  The Welsh authorities have taken a brave step with the 6:6 split in January, and perhaps their league cup now needs a remodelling too.

What I learned today

Neath is undoubtedly a rugby town.  Six hundred spectators were herded into the shade of the main stand for today’s game.  However, several thousand will no doubt be here on all sides for reigning national champions Neath RFC’s upcoming game against Pontypridd.  Neath FC’s move to The Gnoll will hopefully have spin-off benefits for both clubs, and arguably they are showing ambition through the signings of Trundle and O’Leary.  The sharing arrangements at Vicarage Road (Watford/Saracens), Adams Park (Wycombe Wanderers/Wasps) and the Madejski Stadium (Reading/London Irish) have all lasted for several seasons and seem to prove that co-existence can be beneficial.  I am sure there are others that I have missed.  As a Hertfordshire resident, I know that there are occasional mutterings about the pitch at Watford, but many realistic fans are said to be anxious that Saracens have been looking elsewhere.

Modus Hopper Random Talking Point

Don’t get me started about the colours of the football boots worn by the youngsters who took part in the half-time entertainment.  I blame the parents, and in the meantime will send the incriminating evidence once again to @BeatTheFirstMan for his Fancy Dan blog at http://fancydanboots.tumblr.com/ ... and finally, a blurred nuthatch (I hope) from The Gnoll as a tribute to my equally but differently obsessed brother Martyn who, as @BlurredBirding on Twitter and through his blog http://yapp2607.blogspot.com/ keeps us up to date with feathered friends.  He taught me everything I know about gulls.