A VIEW FROM THE TERRACE
Welwyn Garden City v Wonderful Aylesbury
It was Saturday again and I had to work in the morning. I decided that today I would come clean with the misses and tell her I was going to football this afternoon. It was how best to do it.
Should I just say it as I was going out the door and then make a run for it before she could reply, or should I front up to her like a man and just tell her straight and demand that she had the dinner on the table when I got home.
She was standing in the kitchen and I was ready for the off, so I just went for it.
“I’m off darling, they have made me work all day today, I’m really pissed off, I had so much to do at home today. Oh well see you later”
That told her.
All morning I was wondering how we were going to play today, after the last result we were top of the league, it was a good feeling and I hoped I still had the feeling at 5 oc tonight.
I got off work and went down my local pub for a quick one before making my way to Welwyn Garden City.
Arthur the old boy well into his nineties and as deaf as a post was sitting at the bar as usual nursing I thought the same glass he had last time.
“Want a drink Arthur,” I said
“No son, I can only have a half a shandy as it plays havoc with me water works.
“Oh ok”
“All right I’ll have a scotch,” he said
I was hungry so I thought I would have a packet of crisps.
“Want a bag of crisps Arthur,” I shouted
“No son they get under my plate”
“Oh ok”
“All right then cheese and onion” he said.
“I’m off to see Aylesbury FC again today” I said shouting a little bit to loud.” There playing Welwyn Garden City”
“Playing City are they, they’re a good side” I wasn’t sure if he was talking about Manchester City or Welwyn.
He surprised me then with, “ For donkeys years the England football team used Homestead court hotel in Welwyn and trained on the King George playing field next door. The 1966 winning world cup team trained there.” He said spraying cheese and onion crisps all over me.
“Did they?” I said trying to get the crisps out of my hair.
“Yeah and they got bombed.” Oh well, back to normal.
“Panshanger aerodrome was a decoy aerodrome with a factory made by film set experts, complete with dummy aircraft, cars, smoking chimneys and deliberate black out leaks. Those measures were aimed at diverting German bombers away from Hatfield.”
Bloody hell where did he get all this from.
“Ok Arthur I’m off see you later” I said and headed for the door,
I turned at the door to give him a wave but he was to busy cleaning his teeth in his beer to get the crisps to get the crisps out of his plate.
I arrived at WGC in time to have a couple of pints before the game. The clubhouse was nice but there were not a lot of people around. Arthur was right Panshanger aerodrome was near, planes were taking off every few minutes over the ground, but they were only light aircraft so not a lot of noise.
I went into the ground with five minutes to go, the turnstile was an old guy standing on a big gate and when I took my money out he seemed amazed that I was going to pay, I was amazed he didn’t ask me if I wanted a golden goal ticket.
The teams were just coming out; all the Aylesbury big knobs were there just inside the gate, they couldn’t fix the golden goal this week, there wasn’t one, ha ha.
Our lads came out in their red and black kit and WGC were in maroon and blue. The sun was blazing down and I thought, much too hot for football.
The ground was nice but you could tell it needed work doing on it. They had moved the pitch over from last year, I could tell by the worn lines from where the linesman had run the previous season. I did notice rabbit droppings on the bald spots; I bet they had more fun up and down that line than the linesman.
I walked to the far end of the ground, because if the lads performed, as they should do all the action was going to be at that end.
Aylesbury lost the toss again, I bet every team they had played so far this season had a two headed coin, why didn’t our captain call heads.
The first few minutes saw that Aylesbury were once again the far better team.
The WGC keeper was tested in the first few seconds and Aylesbury continued the pressure without response.
In the first fifteen minutes Aylesbury should have put the game to bed, with at least three sitters going begging. It was going to be one of those games when we couldn’t score.
We had to wait until half way through the half for the first well deserved goal. A cross from the left found Brennan on the right side of the six-yard box. He took the ball at an acute angle to the goal and with the outside of his foot powered the ball into the net. Thank Christ no one got in the way of it, we would still be picking up the pieces.
The half continued in the same way with Aylesbury doing all the attacking and WGC having the odd break but not getting anywhere. Our keeper could have only touched the ball a few times in the whole half.
I was engrossed in the game when someone tapped me on the shoulder; I nearly jumped onto the pitch. A lady was standing there selling a football card. So the old buggers were still on the take. I had my pounds worth and thought of ways they could fix this one, it was just a scratch card they couldn’t do it.
The half time whistle came and I made my way to the clubhouse for a pint.
A lot of people were in there and most of them on soft drinks as it was so hot outside.
The second half got under way and this time I moved to the other end of the pitch. The Chairman and the bloke with all my money in his pockets were a little way along the line and the rest of the committee in the stand. There was a lot of banter going on and most of it about Danny’s ability to coach. Apparently he had never won any cups in his career, he had always bought them in a shop.
Once again we were doing everything but score and then a good ball was played to Price who pushed it a little to far in front of himself. There were two defenders in front of him and no way should he have got to it, but he did. He bamboozled the two defenders and when the keeper came out to join the fray, rounded him and slotted the ball into the net.
I thought it was only time now and we would run up a rugby score, but it was not to be. At least a couple of easy chances were missed and a lot more should have been scored.
A good ball down the right hand side was struck into the penalty area and a WGC player handled it with his arm straight up in the air. He was right in front of the linesman and how he could not give the penalty was beyond me.
WGC came back at us in the last ten minutes with a couple of chances but Aylesbury were never really troubled.
The final whistle blew and the crowd seemed to be a bit disappointed with the result, although they did clap the team. They felt it was three good points but it should have been a lot bigger score line.
I heard Ian the secretary say, “We won but it was shit.” Oh well I thought I can use that quote.
I decided not to stay after the match and made my way to the car park. It wasn’t until I was just out of the gate I realised they had done it again.
The football card, they had found a way to fix it.
At all football grounds they announce the winner over the tannoy, WGC didn’t have a tannoy, they had not announced it. They had done me again.
Oh well, off home to the wife and tell her what a hard days work I’ve had and she better have that dinner on the table or she was going to get it.
Welwyn Garden City v Wonderful Aylesbury
It was Saturday again and I had to work in the morning. I decided that today I would come clean with the misses and tell her I was going to football this afternoon. It was how best to do it.
Should I just say it as I was going out the door and then make a run for it before she could reply, or should I front up to her like a man and just tell her straight and demand that she had the dinner on the table when I got home.
She was standing in the kitchen and I was ready for the off, so I just went for it.
“I’m off darling, they have made me work all day today, I’m really pissed off, I had so much to do at home today. Oh well see you later”
That told her.
All morning I was wondering how we were going to play today, after the last result we were top of the league, it was a good feeling and I hoped I still had the feeling at 5 oc tonight.
I got off work and went down my local pub for a quick one before making my way to Welwyn Garden City.
Arthur the old boy well into his nineties and as deaf as a post was sitting at the bar as usual nursing I thought the same glass he had last time.
“Want a drink Arthur,” I said
“No son, I can only have a half a shandy as it plays havoc with me water works.
“Oh ok”
“All right I’ll have a scotch,” he said
I was hungry so I thought I would have a packet of crisps.
“Want a bag of crisps Arthur,” I shouted
“No son they get under my plate”
“Oh ok”
“All right then cheese and onion” he said.
“I’m off to see Aylesbury FC again today” I said shouting a little bit to loud.” There playing Welwyn Garden City”
“Playing City are they, they’re a good side” I wasn’t sure if he was talking about Manchester City or Welwyn.
He surprised me then with, “ For donkeys years the England football team used Homestead court hotel in Welwyn and trained on the King George playing field next door. The 1966 winning world cup team trained there.” He said spraying cheese and onion crisps all over me.
“Did they?” I said trying to get the crisps out of my hair.
“Yeah and they got bombed.” Oh well, back to normal.
“Panshanger aerodrome was a decoy aerodrome with a factory made by film set experts, complete with dummy aircraft, cars, smoking chimneys and deliberate black out leaks. Those measures were aimed at diverting German bombers away from Hatfield.”
Bloody hell where did he get all this from.
“Ok Arthur I’m off see you later” I said and headed for the door,
I turned at the door to give him a wave but he was to busy cleaning his teeth in his beer to get the crisps to get the crisps out of his plate.
I arrived at WGC in time to have a couple of pints before the game. The clubhouse was nice but there were not a lot of people around. Arthur was right Panshanger aerodrome was near, planes were taking off every few minutes over the ground, but they were only light aircraft so not a lot of noise.
I went into the ground with five minutes to go, the turnstile was an old guy standing on a big gate and when I took my money out he seemed amazed that I was going to pay, I was amazed he didn’t ask me if I wanted a golden goal ticket.
The teams were just coming out; all the Aylesbury big knobs were there just inside the gate, they couldn’t fix the golden goal this week, there wasn’t one, ha ha.
Our lads came out in their red and black kit and WGC were in maroon and blue. The sun was blazing down and I thought, much too hot for football.
The ground was nice but you could tell it needed work doing on it. They had moved the pitch over from last year, I could tell by the worn lines from where the linesman had run the previous season. I did notice rabbit droppings on the bald spots; I bet they had more fun up and down that line than the linesman.
I walked to the far end of the ground, because if the lads performed, as they should do all the action was going to be at that end.
Aylesbury lost the toss again, I bet every team they had played so far this season had a two headed coin, why didn’t our captain call heads.
The first few minutes saw that Aylesbury were once again the far better team.
The WGC keeper was tested in the first few seconds and Aylesbury continued the pressure without response.
In the first fifteen minutes Aylesbury should have put the game to bed, with at least three sitters going begging. It was going to be one of those games when we couldn’t score.
We had to wait until half way through the half for the first well deserved goal. A cross from the left found Brennan on the right side of the six-yard box. He took the ball at an acute angle to the goal and with the outside of his foot powered the ball into the net. Thank Christ no one got in the way of it, we would still be picking up the pieces.
The half continued in the same way with Aylesbury doing all the attacking and WGC having the odd break but not getting anywhere. Our keeper could have only touched the ball a few times in the whole half.
I was engrossed in the game when someone tapped me on the shoulder; I nearly jumped onto the pitch. A lady was standing there selling a football card. So the old buggers were still on the take. I had my pounds worth and thought of ways they could fix this one, it was just a scratch card they couldn’t do it.
The half time whistle came and I made my way to the clubhouse for a pint.
A lot of people were in there and most of them on soft drinks as it was so hot outside.
The second half got under way and this time I moved to the other end of the pitch. The Chairman and the bloke with all my money in his pockets were a little way along the line and the rest of the committee in the stand. There was a lot of banter going on and most of it about Danny’s ability to coach. Apparently he had never won any cups in his career, he had always bought them in a shop.
Once again we were doing everything but score and then a good ball was played to Price who pushed it a little to far in front of himself. There were two defenders in front of him and no way should he have got to it, but he did. He bamboozled the two defenders and when the keeper came out to join the fray, rounded him and slotted the ball into the net.
I thought it was only time now and we would run up a rugby score, but it was not to be. At least a couple of easy chances were missed and a lot more should have been scored.
A good ball down the right hand side was struck into the penalty area and a WGC player handled it with his arm straight up in the air. He was right in front of the linesman and how he could not give the penalty was beyond me.
WGC came back at us in the last ten minutes with a couple of chances but Aylesbury were never really troubled.
The final whistle blew and the crowd seemed to be a bit disappointed with the result, although they did clap the team. They felt it was three good points but it should have been a lot bigger score line.
I heard Ian the secretary say, “We won but it was shit.” Oh well I thought I can use that quote.
I decided not to stay after the match and made my way to the car park. It wasn’t until I was just out of the gate I realised they had done it again.
The football card, they had found a way to fix it.
At all football grounds they announce the winner over the tannoy, WGC didn’t have a tannoy, they had not announced it. They had done me again.
Oh well, off home to the wife and tell her what a hard days work I’ve had and she better have that dinner on the table or she was going to get it.
