On Friday, giddy with excitement at the announcement that work is now going to provide us with free tea and coffee (PG Tips and instant before anyone makes any accusations about extravagance), I said to a colleague, “It’s all going too well.” With the exception of Monday’s footy result the week had been a successful one; we had come through feared meetings unscathed, there had been a minor lottery win (See. I do win things, just not raffles), the club had asked to use last weeks blog in the programme and to cap it all work is now going to pay for us to be caffeinated up. The glass-half-empty part of me knew that this run just couldn’t continue.
And indeed I did prove to be in touch with my Mystic Meg side as on Saturday the mighty Saints fell to a spirit-dampening 2-1 home defeat. I did my bit. Pre-match bacon fries back on the menu. And don’t blame the porky snack. Did they pointlessly kick out at an opposing player thus conceding a penalty? Noooo, I don’t think they did. To be fair our goalie, Paul Bastock (for it was he doing the kicking) has kept us in so many games this season that I guess you have to forgive him.
While there was no change to the pre-match routine I did introduce a bit of variety into my viewing position. Like a manager who doesn’t yet know his best eleven, I am still not sure where I want to stand to watch the match….I’m not very good with choice. To date I’ve generally viewed the game from the Clarence Road side, at the front of the terracing, midway between the half way line and the goal. Not a bad view, the opportunity to gently mock the linesman and to hear very distinctively the abuse that the players hand out to their team mates – much funnier than anything they ever say to the ref. BUT it is a bit quiet. And I’m not always brilliant at quiet. And I had observed that behind the goal, is a bit more, well, lively….noisy….Bouncy maybe.
And so it proved. Noisier, probably because there are more people, possibly because there is a smidgen of drink being consumed and definitely because in the second half there was some co-ordinated and pretty tuneful chanting. I joined in; quietly. Don’t want to push my luck on my ‘kop end’ debut…plus there is a bit of a risk that as the Stella works its magic I might find myself getting the words wrong and going abit “Blue Army” (oops). Fortunately no red card incidents in that department and I think I might have found my new terrace spot.
Match stats
St Albans 1 Stourbridge 2
Attendance 338
Raffle Tickets purchased 10. Prizes won 0
Losing Golden Goal ticket purchased 1
Match day programmes purchased 10 (if putting my last blog in the programme was a ruse to get me to buy more copies it has clearly worked. Still am chuffed as mint balls to see it in print and I think Knocky was too.)
Bacon Fries consumed 1 packet
Lager consumed 2 pints Stella (1/2 pre match, rest during the match, which was, under the circs understandable)
TILT
I did the walk. You know, the one where you walk round the ground so you are always behind the goal you are attacking. With my still Championship brain-washed little mind I didn’t realise that the hoi polloi is not prevented from walking past the ‘posh’ seats (only seats actually) and so walked a nice big L shape round the ground rather than just round the side nearest to the clubhouse…..Not just a lost fox….a bit of a learner fox too.
TLF