Don’t you love a list?
TLF does. Especially a list of things to do on holiday. Apart from drink a lot, lie in and visit people, you’ve got to have a few domestic tasks. Because when you cross them out you feel GREAT. And when you ignore them you feel GREAT, because you are on holiday so there are no rules. But when the only task left is ‘catch up with blog’ and you wrote the list two weeks ago you have to accept it might be time to stop the procrastination.
So rewind. To the 3rd qualifying round of the FA Cup…..And a rainy day in East Molesey London. Actually that’s an understatement, a monsoon of a day; watching the detectives. Well at any rate Metropolitan Police FC, whose endeavours (see what TLF did there?), meant a 0-0 draw. We squelched back to St Albans, damp feet but a few pints of Stella to the good and the happy glow of an afternoon spent in good company as ever.
Tuesday night replay at Clarence Park, and fortunately no rain, but perhaps there was a touch of frost in the air? No actually it was quite mild – weather wise maybe but the Saints were certainly full of (new) tricks and looked up for taking a step closer to the First Round PROPER.
It’s not only the police that are getting younger when you reach TLF’s ripe old vintage. It’s also a good percentage of the behind-the-goal-Clarence Park massive, and what they may lack in chanting originality (and occasionally a bit too near the knuckle ‘banter’) they make up for in youthful exuberance and volume. We do of course remain a broad church (BOOM!) at Clarence Park and good to catch up with some folk that TLF had not seen for a long while.
Back on the pitch the Saints were never in danger of being caught by the fuzz and a winnable looking tie in the 4th qualifying round was safely booked.
Evenin’ All
Dixon of Fox Green
A grey FA Cup Day
A Guide to the Brownie Point Bank
The brownie point bank (BPB) always needs the occasional top up. You never know when a TLF might need to dip into that vast credit to sneak in an unplanned FA Cup replay, a petit trip to France with football bestie or indeed an epic road trip in 2022 for the women’s Euros (sometimes the BPB also benefits from a little advance notice to lay the foundations for an epic withdrawal of credit).
One sure fire way to garner some BPs is to turn down an away trip with the prioritising instead a day with Mr TLF…..
And the neighbours
And some wine
And charcuterie
More brownie points would probably have been available if TLF hadn’t been quite so triumphant in front of the dart board.
All the major food groups
Governor Fox of the Bank of Brownie Points
Westward Ho!
TLF time off work is not complete without a trip to the friends in Dorset. That’s right the anti-football friends in Dorset. It was the usual opportunity to unwind, take in the countryside, & sea air, hang out with good people and also WATCH some football. Yep, finally after umpteen visits coinciding with postponed home games and away fixtures, TLF had a date with Bridport Town FC of the Western Premier League, accompanied (under some protest) by Mr TLF.
This really was non-league. You might almost want to call it non-non league. £6 to get in, no security or stewards and raffle tickets at the unheard of bargain price of 50p A STRIP (although that might explain why 3rd prize was a four pack of Skol lager…)
But they did have a tidy club house with bench seating pitch side, San Miguel on draft and the sun was shining.
There was also the chance of seeing a few goals as a bit of pre-match research revealed that the Bees, as Bridport are known were really not buzzing in the 21/22 season; bottom of the league with stats that read:
P:14
L:13
W:1
Goal difference: -54
…and they were facing Tiverton, second in the league, having lost 3 games all season. Known as the Lambs you got the sense that they were probably not about to be silenced (BOOM!).
While your average Bridport fan seems to have adopted gallows humour in response to their team’s current predicament, he team seemed to prefer SHOUTING at each other and generally ignoring what any other team mate SHOUTED at you. A personal favourite was the Bridport keeper, ahead of a Tiverton free kick;
“Four! Four! Four!” He yells as he tries to organise the wall. But the wall steadfastly remains made up of three team mates. The free kick sails harmlessly over the crossbar but the keeper cannot let it go;
“We discussed this beforehand! Who’s four?!” He yells. No one owns up.
Remarkably Bridport go in 0-0 at half time. Maybe they can hold on for a point? Perhaps the TLFs are lucky mascots?
Or not.
In the second half Bridport run out of steam and concede 7 (SEVEN), with no reply. But we can tick off another ground, a long time dream of TLF’s to see Bridport FC and as you can see Mr TLF was on the edge of his bench.
Engrossed in the game
Holiday Fox