Football – why do you go ?

A pretty basic question, but one that could probably conjur a myriad of different answers for oh so many different reasons.

Some I know, like to get more involved than watching. Helpers, writers, club secretaries, PA announcers, baall boys etc etc

For me, i’ve always followed or played football. I remember sometime in the late seventies, having a telly in my room (big black and white thing that needed tuning to change the channel) to watch Match of the Day and ITVs Big Match. I also went to watch my uncle play most weeks, as he was captain of his team which played at a level similar to Hutton Cranswick. Through school, I wasn’t good enough for the school team, but played two or three times a week. Throughout the majority of my childhood, I watched a  conference team every single week (I even managed a kick around with Tony Woodcock circa 1980 on their pitch).

Post school, not much until I played for my works team in the 90’s until I got knocked out during a game (in 1996 a collision with our goalie left me sparko on the pitch, and unlikely to play competitively ever again). Utopia was reached around this period, when the newly formed Premier League sold out to BSkyB to show a shed load of footy games. And then when I moved to Brid in 2000, I actively sought out the local team to go and watch and renewed my Sky subscription.

I love football, first and foremost, as I feel it is in my blood – something my dear wife struggled at times to understand, but now my son is showing the same footballing traits she puts up with it.  I also love the atmosphere at a stadium, be it 25,000 or 25, the banter, the passion, the smells, the exhileration, the downs, the characters, the ambience and so it goes on.

Some think that when they pay their money and come through the turnstile, they have a god given right to abuse other fans,  players or officials. Not at a club of this size or stature its not, in fact not at any club, but it happens.

I do recognise however, that teams at our level are heavily reliant on the support of fans in other ways, financial, fund raising, time etc. And Brid is no different. There are numerous people that help out to try and keep the club afloat from the chairman to the ball boys. Most of their work goes unrecognised and sometimes they get slated because some of those who choose not to get involved in the running of the club, don’t understand precisely what the voluntary helpers actually do.

Personnaly, I just enjoy going to the game, having some nosh and or a beer and the hope the team play well – if they don’t, well, it beats shopping. I can’t commit to doing anymore than that due to my job. But I hope that that silent band of warriors that do so much for the club, don’t give up

Brid 4 Brodsworth Welfare 1 (h)

It seemed an absolute age since i’d seen a game, it almost felt like season opener, without that opening game “tingle” you get. Thankfully it had warmed up because it had been bloody freezing of late.

I had no idea who were playing until I clicked on the website last night (after the game) to see we were playing Brodsworth. Whilst I could Google it, I have no idea where Brodsworth is, other than they were languishing near the bottom of the league.

I’d watched the Villa Chelsea game before motoring across to the game, there was talk of a fans meeting after the game, but I couldn’t make it due to taking the missus out for a meal.

The game ebbed and flowed a little to begin with, however, their keeper looked like he’d never donned the gloves before, in fact he looked like someone who was in the bar before the game and asked if he fancied a game. We looked a little weary, perhaps only having one game in the last 3 or 4 weeks meant we were lacking a little match fitness. The lad bought some Xbox games from “The Dom” and I was hiding them in the car when I heard a great cheer – bollox, we’ve scored, 16 minutes in and Ashley Dexter (courtesyof the NCEL website) who nets from a corner or something.

The rest of the half is more or less uneventful apart from 2 things; 1) They score a goal which is then disallowed for offside, allsorts of mayhem and hilarity ensue as their players and management moan about it, and then the bus shelter give their management the usual bus shelter welcome and abuse. 2) Our management team were very animated on the sidelines, this i’ve not seen before, well not as animated as they were. But perhaps, some of the lads weren’t performing too well.

16 minutes into the second half, and they score. Completely against the run of play, they get a dubious corner, which comes over, a scramble ensues and in complete slow motion, the ball goes in. Was a poxy goal to concede.

However, as has become customary, we go out and show some resolve and with the returning influences of Chib and Ash Allanson, we score 3 goals in the last 15 to give the scoreline a fair reflection of the game. If we were more on song, this could have been 8 or 9 nil, easily. A little credit ot their keeper who made one or two good blocks in the second half.

A very disappointing 125 turned out, where was everyone ?

No good on the raffle.

Overall, a good result, but felt a bit flat on the day, was really tainted when Portsmouth equalised against Stoke in the last seconds of their game at the Brit, which we could really have done with winning.

ITV Cock up, Superbowl cock up….

…..quite literally.

As many commentators have debated, the poor timing of an advert during last nights Merseyside FA cup replay left many viewers in the south of England very irate. See vid.

But this pales into nothing when you compare what some American viewers got towards the end of their Superbowl coverage.

BE WARNED – YOU DON’T SEE ANYTHING BUT SOME MAY NOT LIKE THE FACT THAT THERE WAS MORE THAN ONE PERSON SCORING AT THAT PRECISE MOMENT……

Wouldn’t this have been funny on ITV last night.