Picture This...A Round-Up of Sorts

The new shelter at Andover New Street.

It's all over for another season. I've brought you more words and pictures, and you keep coming back to see whassup. I don't post about every match I go to, for my own sanity more than anything. I don't even take photos at every game - sometimes excitement has to come before art. But I do have a few pictures to spare from games that I didn't cover on here, so I thought maybe you'd like to see some? All of these photos were previously published on the HAH Facebook page. If you follow the blog on there, you'll be familiar with most of these, but not everyone is on Facebook.

So, would you like to see the new shelter at Andover New Street? Yes? Well, here it is, pictured in December last year. Plenty of places to stand under cover at the Wessex Premier's new boys. You'll never get wet at New Street.

Lymington Town at night.

How about a pretty picture of a church tower at night, taken at Lymington Town's ground in January? It rained that night. It rained every single day for three months...

Danny Phillips puts Infinity in to the cup final.

There was a league cup semi-final at Locks Heath in early February between Paulsgrove and Infinity. I'd seen top photographer Paul Paxford a few days before at Windsor. I asked him where the best place was to take penalty photos. He suggested behind the goal. He was right. The match went to a shootout, which Infinity won to send them in to the Hampshire League Cup Final.

Bush Hill go close against Sway at Hythe & Dibden.

The second semi-final was held at Hythe & Dibden a couple of weeks later. Bush Hill were cruising at 2-0 up with 15 minutes to go, but Sway came back to draw the game and win on penalties. They then beat Infinity in the final in May in what was a minor shock. I took this photo whilst stood on a raised platform behind the goal at the entrance end. Sway's number 7 heads off the line here. If that had gone in, it would have been 3-0 and game over.

The Mighty Havant & Waterlooville in action at Oxford City.

I follow the mighty Havant & Waterlooville when I'm not doing HAH. Here they are (in orange) at Oxford City's Marston Road in March. A hard-fought 1-0 victory for the Hawks.

Step art at Whitehawk at the Battle of the Hawks.

On Easter Monday, Havant & Waterlooville travelled to Whitehawk in East Brighton. They were possibly fortunate to come away with a 0-0 that day, but every point counted after 42 matches, as they finished level with Dartford, winning the league on goal difference.

The sun sets on Romsey Town's promotion hopes.

As clubs battled to finish their fixtures in April, one week it was possible to go to six matches in six days (a rare opportunity as there are very few Thursday night fixtures under normal circumstances). The week started at Romsey Town, who beat Laverstock & Ford 3-1 at the Bypass Ground. Unfortunately, a home defeat by Tadley-Calleva a few days earlier had put paid to their promotion hopes for this season. There's always next year...

Andover New Street's promotion party starting at Totton & Eling.

One team that never faltered - and surprised everyone - was Andover New Street. They were promoted after a 5-0 win at Totton & Eling. After being at (or near) the bottom of the Wessex since forever ago, no-one could begrudge them their success this season. Incredibly, they'll be playing in the division above neighbours Andover Town after the Portway side were relegated by the FA for refusing promotion to the Southern League.

Beneath the high rise at Team Solent.

My third game of this busy week was a Thursday night encounter between Team Solent and Alresford Town. Neither side had anything to play for, but it was an entertaining affair nevertheless. Alresford came back from two down to draw. They probably should have won.

Shock victory for Follands in their final home match.

The Friday night entertainment was at Follands (in yellow above). Rock-bottom, with one home victory all season, you would never have known they'd struggled as opponents New Milton Town were hammered 5-1. Most unexpected.

The home dugout at Fareham Town.

Blackfield & Langley won the Wessex this season. One of their final games was a visit to Fortress Cams, home of Fareham Town. It wasn't much of a fortress that evening as a visibly tired home team were easily beaten after they'd played approximately a zillion games in the previous fortnight. You can see the subs' shirts hung up in the home side's dugout at half-time here.

Paulsgrove rent the Front Lawn facility in Havant for their league match with Sway.

I don't think it counts in my season's match total if I only see half a game, does it? After watching the Hawks beat St Alban's City at Westleigh Park, I caught the last 40 minutes of a 4 o'clock kick-off at Hampshire FA's Front Lawn facility in Havant. It's a 4G pitch which was rented for the day by Paulsgrove for their Hampshire League game against Sway. The "home" club won that game fairly easily.

Ed Harris cadges a lift on Rory Williams' shoulders. This was an exciting moment, but not as incredible as what happened in the last minute.

Did I mention that I follow Havant & Waterlooville? And that they won the National League South to take their place in non-league's top division next season? Here they are celebrating their second goal against Concord Rangers on the final day of the season. 2-0 up against a team with nothing to play for? It's all over with an hour still to play, surely? Well, it wasn't, as the club from Essex somehow scored twice in the second half. Heading for the play-offs with a minute to go, Jason Prior scored with the coolest side-foot volley you'll ever see for the most exciting moment of 2017/18. There was a lot of leaping around right there and then, I can tell you.

One more post this season, and that will be the ever-unpopular roller round-up.

There or Thereabouts

Sholing celebrate in front of their Ultras after beating Wisbech Town in the Vase in 2014.

It's time for Part Three of HAH's Summer Stats Spectacular! The last two posts have featured the Hampshire clubs that could have done a little bit better when HAH has been present. This latest post spotlights twelve clubs that have either won more often than they've lost when on HAH, or have mid-table records with positive goal differences in my special league table. They're there or thereabouts, but not quite in the top ten.

Okay, okay, it's just an excuse to publish more pictures whilst waiting for the new season to start, but what the hey!

Hartley Wintney attempt to waste a few precious seconds towards the end of their FA Cup draw with Clevedon Town.

Here's the latest table, running from number 22 (of 46) through to number 11. As previously, two points awarded for a win:

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts	Pts/Game
22.	AFC Portchester	2	1	0	1	6	5	+1	2	1.00
21.	Havant & Ville	5	2	1	2	11	10	+1	5	1.00
20.	Alton Town	4	2	0	2	8	6	+2	4	1.00
19.	Basingstoke Town	2	1	0	1	5	2	+3	2	1.00
18.	Tadley-Calleva	3	1	1	1	8	5	+3	3	1.00
17.	Alresford Town	2	1	0	1	6	2	+4	2	1.00
16.	Hartley Wintney	4	2	1	1	4	6	-2	5	1.25
15.	Andover New Street	3	2	0	1	7	6	+1	4	1.33
14.	Fareham Town	2	1	1	0	4	3	+1	3	1.50
13.	Ringwood Town	2	1	1	0	4	0	+4	3	1.50
12.	Petersfield Town	4	2	2	0	8	3	+5	6	1.50
11.	Sholing	6	4	1	1	12	7	+5	9	1.50

Havant & Waterlooville's seated stand, as reflected in a Foster's lager advert.

And here are the clubs' individual records:

22. AFC PORTCHESTER
Aug 2011 v Cove (a) 2-0
Nov 2011 v Team Solent (h) 4-5

21. HAVANT & WATERLOOVILLE
Jan 2011 v Eastleigh (a) 2-4
Oct 2011 v Farnborough (h) 5-0
Apr 2012 v Staines Town (h) 3-2
Feb 2013 v Farnborough (a) 1-1
Nov 2014 v Preston North End (h) 0-3

20. ALTON TOWN
Jan 2012 v Blackfield & Langley (a) 2-0
Aug 2012 v Winchester City (a) 0-3
Mar 2013 v Hayling United (h) 4-0
Aug 2014 v Horsham YMCA (a) 2-3

Portchy featured in the highest scoring game I've covered on HAH, yet I haven't written about them since. Maybe next season after a four year gap? I regularly watch the Hawks when I'm not writing HAH. I've featured them in every calendar year so far, except 2015 (see also, Hythe & Dibden, but nobody else).

Tadley-Calleva's stand.

19. BASINGSTOKE TOWN
Oct 2011 v Hartley Wintney (h) 4-0
Apr 2014 v Eastleigh (a) 1-2

18. TADLEY-CALLEVA
Feb 2011 v Andover New Street (a) 3-4
Mar 2012 v Ringwood Town 0-0
Apr 2013 v United Services Portsmouth (a) 5-1

17. ALRESFORD TOWN
Feb 2013 v Fawley (h) 5-0
Dec 2014 v Phoenix Sports (h) 1-2

I declared at the end of 2010/11 that Tadley-Calleva's match at Andover New Street was the most exciting I'd seen all season. I don't recall seeing a more thrilling contest since. Conversely, their 0-0 draw at home to Ringwood was mind-numbingly tedious. You never know what you're going to get with Tadders!

Fareham Town on the attack at Downton in February 2014.

16. HARTLEY WINTNEY
Sep 2011 v Bashley (h) 1-0
Oct 2011 v Basingstoke Town (a) 0-4
Sep 2013 v Bracknell Town (a) 2-1
Oct 2013 v Clevedon Town (h) 1-1

15. ANDOVER NEW STREET
Feb 2011 v Tadley-Calleva (h) 4-3
Nov 2013 v Fleet Spurs (h) 2-1
Jan 2015 v Laverstock & Ford (a) 1-2

14. FAREHAM TOWN
Jan 2011 v Romsey Town (h) 1-1
Feb 2014 v Downton (a) 3-2

Considering how low down the league Andover New Street usually finish, it's remarkable that I'd never seen them lose until their trip to Lavvy in January. Oh, and I must return to Fareham Town this coming season - Cams Alders is a fine ground and I really didn't do it justice the first time around.

Petersfield Town's subs warming up during their promotion-winning game against Lymington Town in April.

13. RINGWOOD TOWN
Mar 2012 v Tadley-Calleva (a) 0-0
Nov 2012 v Hythe & Dibden (h) 4-0

12. PETERSFIELD TOWN
Mar 2011 v Stockbridge (a) 1-1
Apr 2013 v Stockbridge (h) 4-0
Mar 2015 v Hamworthy United (a) 2-2
Apr 2015 v Lymington Town (h) 1-0

11. SHOLING
Jan 2011 v AFC Totton (a) 1-2
Dec 2012 v Tiverton Town (h) 2-2
Jan 2014 v Hullbridge Sports (h) 3-1
Mar 2014 v Wisbech Town (h) 1-0
Apr 2014 v Eastbourne United Association (a) 4-2
May 2014 v West Auckland Town (Wembley) 1-0

Ringwood Town are the only side I've covered more than once that have yet to concede a goal. Petersfield Town are one of eight clubs that I've featured four times or more, and I'll be very tempted to cover them again this coming season in the Southern League. There is nobody that I've featured more often than Sholing, primarily because of their run to the Vase final in 2014 when I was concentrating on that competition. Hang on a minute...did I say Andover New Street v Tadley-Calleva was the best match I'd written about thus far? Scratch that! Sholing's semi-final victory at Eastbourne was a belter!

The sun sets over Ringwood Town.

Top Ten next! To be fair to some of the teams featured this time out, the top ten includes six clubs that I've only featured once, so the likes of Petersfield and Sholing can feel they're morally up there with the best.

As an aside, I created a Pinterest board with some of my non-league pictures on it, if anybody's interested. You can find the link on the right-hand side of the screen if you're reading this on a PC or tablet. Not sure why I did it, as my e-mail inbox has been mega-spammed by Mr Pinterest pretty much every day since I created the board. Oh, well...