It’s a long time since I have received this many sympathy texts. The last time is indelibly marked in the memory…it is funny that isn’t it? Can’t remember my pin for our newly opened joint account (and it is soooo easy apparently) but an end of season heart breaking bit of misery at Vicarage Road? Like it only happened five minutes ago. Anyway I digress…..no change there then. So, the texts. Most of them were on Sunday as my mates haven’t quite got the hang of chasing down the scorelines from Clarence Park.
But my texty and lovely friends, do not judge a book by its cover or indeed my state of mind after an 8-1 home defeat, as there was more to Satday than meets the eye. Yes our FA Cup dream is over for another year but the devil is in the detail. We were 1-0 up until the 41st minute and until the 70th you still thought a favourable result of some sort was possible; we were playing good football, it wasn’t all Mansfield Town. But then our refusal to not stop going for it (the right thing in my eyes), the experience of a team that are full time pros and several leagues above the mighty Saints and Lady Luck buggering off early all combined to bring this year’s FA Cup adventure to a brutal end.
Worth it though? Oh yes. I feel privileged to have rocked up and been embraced by St Albans in a season when for the first time in 33 years they played league opposition at home in the FA Cup. Rather than being one in amongst 300-odd at the weekend I was one in amongst 3251-exact. And while that does mean the queue for the bar is heart-breakingly long, it can only be good for the club and the sight of people queuing back over the railway bridge to get in was something I won’t forget in awhile – definitely not before I forget that bloody PIN again anyway. I even saw the away turnstile in action. I understand it hasn’t been used in about 10 years. A lost opportunity for sponsorship by WD40 maybe?
The away turnstile gets a rare outing
I do worry though that this defeat might have been less Stag induced and more smugFox affected. I had lunch with a good mate of mine during the week before the game – a TATTPIB fan – who told me that they were looking verrrry good. Well I thought, both teams at home, with amazing home form, playing teams from Nott******shire, got to be worth a cheeky double with Mr W.Hill. When will I learn?? Bet on your own team, or as we now know, bet on the team you are going cold turkey on as well and it tends to go t*ts up.
Sorry folks. Lesson learned. The only shame in Hertfordshire this week is my refusal to learn from my betting failures over the years and there is certainly no shame whatsoever at Clarence Park. Onwards and upwards for the mighty Saints. Walking PAST the betting shop for yours truly.
Match Stats
St Albans 1 Mansfield Town 8
Attendance 3251
Bacon fries consumed 1 packet
Lager consumed 1 bottle Stella (see reference to bar queue)
Raffle tickets purchased 10 Prizes won 0
Losing golden goal tickets purchased 1
Thing I Learnt This week
See betting confession.
The Stepping-away-from-the-bookies Lost Fox
Queue for the ground. Not the bar