Trial of the Winslow Boys

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Saturday 7 October (Non League Day) 2017 at Winslow Sports Club
Result	Winslow United 2 Bedford 1
Competition	Spartan South Midlands League Division One (Step 6)
Hopstats	Ground 621. I have to be local(ish) today because of an evening reunion event from my early days of teaching at Fearnhill School in Letchworth.  (Hello to any former pupils stumbling across this, and yes I am still going …)
Context
5th against 13th in a 20-team division, but that hides the fact that the reverse fixture already happened in late September and Winslow delivered an 8-0 thumping to today’s visitors.  There have never been fewer than four goals in a game so far this season, so I am packing a pencil sharpener.  Will it be revenge or damage limitation?
In one sentence
An attritional battle became interesting for the last 20 minutes as Bedford threatened to snatch a draw.
So what?
Winslow United rise to 3rd and Bedford drop a place to 14th.
Match Report
I made very few notes for the first half-hour, somewhat distracted and delighted by adjacent croquet and overhead red kites.  Meanwhile, defences were on top as a midfield battle unfolded.  Neither keeper really had that much to do other than routine catches and clearances.  Both teams struggled to control the bouncing ball and there was a lot of safety-first.  Probably with expectations of another win after the reverse result, Winslow had a bit more of the play and the pressure, but didn’t create much until the relief of an opening goal after 35 minutes.  Sean Coles rounded the keeper Jack Mudge to break the deadlock. The second goal, however, was a peach.  A run down the left flank, a flick and a volley by Mitchell Collins.  Right on the whistle for the end of the first half too, a great time to score and cause the stereotypical ripping up of interval team talks. In the second half, Winslow missed a lobbed chance when one-on-one, and were to do so again later.  The game was interrupted by foul after foul and the level of dissent and gamesmanship steadily increased, as did the yellow card count.  Then with about 20 mins to go, a good turn and shot by substitute Aaron Jarvis pulled one back for Bedford.  Winslow responded by forcing a good save from Mudge, and then opposite number Aaron White did the same before Bedford hit the woodwork with the rebound.  So close, and if only… In the end, Winslow were able to hold on to the points, but they’d been made to work hard by the visitors.  In truth there was not a lot between the sides today.
Ground Pix
No longer rare in these parts. The distinctive V-shaped forked tail of the Red Kite, coming soon to a bird table near you.
Match Pix
Something You Don’t Get in the Premier League
Croquet, ladies and gentlemen.  Maybe this is the future, I haven’t played since reaching the quarter-finals of the Cambridge University Open Pairs Championship in 1979.  Honest.  The main rule then was that the matches had to finish by mutual agreement at 5.55pm in time for the bar to open at six.   Croquet to the left adjacent to the football match in progress. Risk assessments, anyone? Croquet is a brilliant game, trust me.  We need more of it.
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats
A full table was printed in the previous blogpost.  Today, in the 120th tracked game, Green beats Pink to stay 5th, with the latter dropping one place to 10th, below Radioactive Bile. For new readers, the odd .5 was caused by a shocking half-and-half shirt and the .1 was due to a substitute goalkeeper in a different colour.  The Fire Cracker colour was confirmed with the help of the social media team at Dulux UK, and it deserves to be last, trust me.  All of this arises from a comment attributed to Petr Cech that Orange is the best colour for a goalkeeper because it changes the behaviour of other players around the box. P W D L GC CS Pts PPG Red 9.0 4.0 1.0 4.0 9.0 3.0 19.0 2.111 Maroon 4.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 6.0 1.0 6.0 1.500 Blue 30.1 12.0 6.0 12.1 47.0 10.0 45.0 1.495 Grey 40.5 20.0 8.0 12.5 66.5 11.0 56.5 1.395 Green 62.0 30.0 7.0 25.0 108.0 16.0 69.0 1.113 Orange 24.5 9.0 4.0 11.5 38.5 5.0 17.5 0.714 Purple 11.0 5.0 2.0 4.0 25.0 2.0 2.0 0.182 Yellow 25.0 7.0 6.0 12.0 48.0 5.0 4.0 0.160 Pink 14.0 4.0 4.0 6.0 29.0 1.0 -8.0 -0.571 Radioactive Bile 12.0 5.0 0.0 7.0 26.0 1.0 -6.0 -0.500 Black 5.0 1.0 3.0 1.0 14.0 0.0 -8.0 -1.600 White 1.9 0.0 0.0 1.9 4.0 0.0 -4.0 -2.105 Fire Cracker 1.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 4.0 0.0 -4.0 -4.000
What Next?
Follow @GrahamYapp on Twitter for details!  A trip to Spennymoor Town to re-complete The 160 (Everywhere Down to Step 2) is high on my priority list, but there is still plenty of Cup, Vase and Trophy football to be played at unvisited grounds.

A Match of Particular Interest in Meyrin

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Saturday 30 September 2017 at Stade des Arbères
Result	Meyrin 2 Lancy 4
Competition	1.Liga Classic (Switzerland), Zone 1 – 4th tier, one of three regional leagues at this level.
Hopstats	Ground 620, chosen because of its proximity to the underground proton beams of the Large Hadron Collider.  If the maps (below) are accurate then the pitch is almost directly above the subterranean action.  Compare the screenshot from Google Maps with CERN’s own trail leaflet and check that you agree.  By the way, you wouldn’t feel a thing, not even a tingle in the toes.
Context
Meyrin are higher in the table but there are many teams separated by only a few points.  At kickoff time this was 3rd v 6th.
In one sentence
Lancy were more efficient finishers in an entertaining but error-strewn match.
So what?
Lancy (now 4th) overtake Meyrin (now 8th), but it is still very close.
Match Report
9 mins, Meyrin 0-1 Lancy Mergim Qarri scores at the near post and needs three attempts at his sliding celebration. 30 mins, Meyrin 1-1 Lancy Cédric Tsimba wins the ball in midfield, Drilon Paçarizi heads down for Matt Moussilou to finish.  Nice goal.  Shortly afterwards there is widespread sympathy (and some giggling) for a Meyrin attacker who takes the full force of a goalkeeper clearance in his fundamental particles. 37 mins, Meyrin 1-2 Lancy The Meyrin goalkeeper cannot hold a fierce shot and Frédéric Torres scores from the rebound. 56 mins, Meyrin 1-3 Lancy Oscar Correia scores with a left-footed direct freekick.  Well struck. 59 mins, Meyrin 2-3 Lancy Mousillou rolls a penalty kick down the centre following a foul in the box. 77 mins, Meyrin 2-4 Lancy Correia might have scored after the pass of the night from Torres, but the fourth goal came soon enough after a great run down the right-hand side. Ange N’Silu was on hand to score from a rebound. If every game is as entertaining as this, more people should …
Ground Pix
Match Pix
Pre-Match Entertainment
After a morning stalking a giant granny in Geneva (don’t ask), and getting close(ish) to the iconic Jet, it started to pour with rain as I deliberately arrived early.  I wanted to walk part of the above-ground trail, crossing the border into France and seeing the LHC-b site.  LHC-b is one of the four places where the outcomes of the proton collisions are studied in detail in the search for new particles.  It’s really interesting, honest.  I got a few odd looks from queuing drivers as I sauntered past them on foot into France.  I am pleased to report that right next to the LHCb facility there is … a McDonald’s.  (Yes, of course I subsequently drove back there after the game, why do you ask?) Jet Giant Granny Approaching the French Border on foot The track of the underground proton beams of the LHC underneath the French/Swiss farmland.  Meyrin is at the southern perimeter. Arrow showing estimated position of football pitch ... ... compared with Google Maps. Back at the ground, I paid the extra 5CHF for a seat in the covered stand.
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats
Today, green loses to blue, and here is an update of the results of the last 119 matches covered by this blog.  They know all about statistical significance tests here at CERN, and I don’t believe we are anywhere near the level of proof that was needed for the Higgs Boson.  For now, Red leads. Results so far: Based on conventional 3pts for a win, 1pt for a draw, but also -1pt for a goal conceded (GC) and +5pts for a clean sheet (CS).  Colours ranked on a points per game (PPG) basis. The Fire Cracker colour named and identified for me by Dulux UK social media team. P W D L GC CS Pts PPG Red 9.0 4.0 1.0 4.0 9.0 3.0 19.0 2.111 Maroon 4.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 6.0 1.0 6.0 1.500 Blue 30.1 12.0 6.0 12.1 47.0 10.0 45.0 1.495 Grey 40.5 20.0 8.0 12.5 66.5 11.0 56.5 1.395 Green 61.0 29.0 7.0 25.0 107.0 16.0 67.0 1.098 Orange 24.5 9.0 4.0 11.5 38.5 5.0 17.5 0.714 Purple 11.0 5.0 2.0 4.0 25.0 2.0 2.0 0.182 Yellow 25.0 7.0 6.0 12.0 48.0 5.0 4.0 0.160 Pink 13.0 4.0 4.0 5.0 27.0 1.0 -6.0 -0.462 Radioactive Bile 12.0 5.0 0.0 7.0 26.0 1.0 -6.0 -0.500 Black 5.0 1.0 3.0 1.0 14.0 0.0 -8.0 -1.600 White 1.9 0.0 0.0 1.9 4.0 0.0 -4.0 -2.105 Fire Cracker 1.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 4.0 0.0 -4.0 -4.000
What Next?
Watch @GrahamYapp on Twitter for details!  I have to remain local for Non-League Day because of an evening commitment so I am likely to be somewhere in the Spartan South Midlands League area.