Forgive me father for I have sinned.
It is 44 years and 4 months since my last confession. Actually not being Catholic it is technically my first confession and you lot need to be at your mostly priestly as you respect that well know phenomenon that exists between blog reader and traumatised football supporter – the Lost Confidentiality Fox Clause or LCFC (see what I did there).
I was ensconced in my favourite middle class North London coffee emporium, partaking of my weekend bagel (sesame seeds, warmed up, butter in a dish on the side and no jam, thank you). I was perusing the football fixtures for all leagues. And I came upon TATTPIB’s fixture. And I had a ‘pang’.
[Pang] Noun. A sudden feeling of mental or emotional distress or longing. Origin – uncertain. 1495-1500
I was due at Clarence Park for the game against Corby Town. I had a plan for the morning’s domestic tediums and I knew my train times, arriving in good time for the now traditional pre-match snack. And then I saw it TATTPIB. Playing at Charlton – a small jaunt across London, to a ground with a bit of character (let us conveniently forget the fact I have never experienced anything other than DEFEAT there) and I was tempted to go……..My first potential wagon-falling off moment. I wrestled with it.
“These are my rules I can change them any time I like.
But what would I write abut for the blog?
I could lie…pretend I went to St Albans.
But the people who read this blog are colleagues, friends, family how could I look them in the eye? What kind of a Judas are you Lost Fox? Are you pretending to enjoy the SACFC roller coaster? Just fooling the reader?
No. I just realised today that I do miss the noise of 20,000+ people singing.
Well book a ticket for a rugby international and in the meantime get your easily distracted backside down to Clarence Park.”
It looked like I had gone through that moral dilemma for little reward as we headed to a frustrating 0-0, with an inability to convert possession into goals. Although the bacon fries were of course excellent (and there was some gentle badinage with the raffle ticket seller on the subject of the colour yellow. Mmmm…you probably had to be there for that one).
Until that 88th minute winner. And then the impulsive fist-clenching, jack-in-a-box-bouncing, accompanied by a not very ladylike, attracts-slightly-odd-looks full throated roar of YEESSSSSSSS, told me that I might just have made the right decision and that this easily distracted backside will be in attendance at Clarence Park for the foreseeable.
Match stats
St Albans 1 (Henry, 88) Corby Town 0.
Attendance 373.
Raffle Tickets purchased 5. Prizes won 0.
Bacon Fries consumed. 1 packet.
Lager consumed. A modest half.
Acts of commitment from dithering Fox. 1 (replica shirt ordered)
And finally this weeks TILT. It might not be a ground on a par with the stadia that ‘grace’ the Premiership but we do have space for the cameras. Look!
Is he from Match of the Day?
A close up of our camera man
Is that a football pitch or a bowling green? My kids are Charlton season ticket holders so I keep an eye on those results. Your former team must have thought you were still there, and to maintain the record they lost… again.