January Blues that is. As someone whose teams both have a bit of blueness going on that’s not a headline I would usually employ.
Not that it is January’s fault though is it? I’ve always felt a bit sorry for it really. “The bleakest month”, “I hate January.” Well it’s not really January’s fault that it follows a period of torpor and excess indulgence where the body and mind have happily adapted to the new regime of chocolate Xmas decorations being a fine accompaniment to breakfasts that wine o’clock generally commencing around about 2pm after you have read at least two newspapers cover to cover and caught up with last night’s Eastenders Xmas misery on Iplayer.
Nor is January holding a gun to our heads and making us go ‘dry’. It probably won’t come as breaking news (or for the Fleetwood Mac fans amongst you, second hand news) to regular readers to hear that TLF does do not do ‘dry’. I do show some vague maturity and cut down a bit as the match stats below will testify but that is as far as it goes.
It is not the month I can’t stand. It is the going back to work bit. I do genuinely enjoy my work and I have great colleagues but I enjoy being idle and eating too much just that little bit more. All this meant that as the return to work date of 5 January loomed ever closer, like the inevitable relegation for those bottom of the Prem at Christmas (or maybe not this year she hoped desperately), my mood darkened. Fortunately the fixture list had a readymade distraction. Back to back home games for the mighty Lesta and the mighty Saints. Frankly the chances of getting that sort of thing past Mr TLF were previously in the zero to not very much at all range. But I now have in my little TLF back pocket, the BDC. Yes the credit gained when the aforementioned Mr TLF bails out of attendance at the Boxing Day home game. Sorry did I say ‘credit’? Obviously I meant creditS.
Day one of my football extravaganza saw me off to Lesta for some FA Cup action, and courtesy of my friend David, short term membership of the PrawnSandwich brigade as I gladly accepted a space in his corporate box at Filbert Way. In actual fact the sarnies were chicken and his mate Jay had bought them from M&S. I will be honest, I hate, in many ways, what money has done to football but it is hard to have any qualms about the corporate malarkey when someone is taking drinks orders and delivering your pint of Stella to you on a tray……And more importantly Lesta were winning. Admittedly against a very, very poor Newcastle side, who after they had their opening goal harshly ruled offside treated the crowd to a master class in the art of passing the ball to anyone but a teammate. It wasn’t pretty and fair play to the three very lovely Geordies who were also David’s guests for their gallows humour and being outstanding company amongst adversity and smug Lesta fans. Not that Lesta were outstanding, it was just that our equally altered team seemed to have a bit more about it, with a couple of players taking the chance to try and prove they should be starting a few more games. You knew it was all over when the away fans distracted themselves with some very rude chants about the charming owner of their club.
Sunday was a strictly non-corporate trip to Clarence Park. Proper football indeed but sadly without the beer on tap or a nice cosy and toasty private room to stand in until the last minute before kick off and at half time. Hopes were not high as our opponents have a promotion chasing glint in their eye. That combined with some serious winter gloom and plummeting temperatures didn’t augur well for one last hooray before it was back to skool. But how wrong I was. An outstanding performance from the team with a classy free kick from Lee Chappell (my Lord), a jaw droppingly great contribution from a very young looking 17 year old Danny Green, a scrambled winning Omar Beckles goal (which I suspect we scored because the defence was as stunned as us at how bad the preceding corner was) and two sendings off – one for an X-rated tackle took my mind off impending Black Monday.
Although it couldn’t quite distract me from the fact that I couldn’t feel my feet. Less a prawn sandwich and more a frozen prawn.
Back at work and loving it Fox (honest!)
Match Stats
Match One
Lesta 1 Newcastle Utd 0
Attendance : 23,212
Lager consumed: 2 pints Stella
Snacks consumed: own body weight in Walkers Sensations and a chicken wrap
No raffle tickets available – are they mad!?
Match Two
St Albans 2 Gosport Borough 1
Attendance: 332
Lager consumed: None. Skool night/afternoon. I am a grown up
Snacks consumed: None. I am also on a diet
Raffle tickets purchased: 10 consistent losers