Well that’s accurate on the numerical front.
It was 28 days since TLF had last set paw in a football ground. But there ended the similarity to the film. TLF didn’t wake up on an operating table, although illness was in the air, as TLF had caught Mr TLF’s bout of man flu, which he had ‘wittily’ renamed lady sniffles.
Nor were there any zombies, although in the second half of the game it did feel like some of the Saints players were trying to channel their inner Zombie.
In addition to the lady sniffles, there was a touch of cup fever. Third Qualifying round of the FA Cup fever to be precise, with the first round PROPER within sniffing distance (well I did have a cold). And as mentioned in previous weeks, Bridport, 2 whole leagues below the mighty Saints were in town.
Bridport and its surrounding areas (west Bexington, West Bay), apart from being where our Dorset friends live, is also home to the ITV drama Broadchurch. And while no one died in a mysterious fashion during the game, we did almost die of embarrassment as a steady first half Saints performance gave way to second half where the Saints seemed to be almost as generous as Mr TLF was with his man flu. If David Tenant had been stomping around the terraces in a moody fashion, then that would have been a welcome distraction, particularly when Bridport scored, but Saints held on.
Not the prettiest performance but the reality is that the Mighty Saints are in the fourth qualifying round. Not sure we were all together grateful to the draw which handed us a local derby against Boreham Wood, a league above us and the club where our current gaffer spent over seven years in charge.
The plot thickens.
Feverish Fox
Math stats
St Albans 2 Bridport 1
Attendance: 683
Gambling: 10 losing raffle tickets. I think it is a fix
Liquid refreshment: Pint Amstel. No sadly the club bar isn’t stocking TLF’s favourite tipple, this was courtesy of the Mermaid. One pint Stella.
Snackage: minority share in a tray of chips.