A VIEW FROM THE TERRACE
Aylesbury v Leighton Town
It was the replay, another FA cup day.
I had told the wife I was working late, as it was a four-day week due to the holiday. As I walked out the door she calmly said, Aylesbury drew on Saturday didn’t they?
I stopped dead in my tracks, had I been found out?
I turned and she was standing there with a stupid grin on her face. “It’s up to you” she said, “you can go tonight or Saturday, it’s your choice”
What did she mean it was my choice, tonight was FA Cup and Saturday was the FA Vase, what sort of choice was that? It was a choice of do you want your right bollock or your left cut off.
“I might go tonight if I get off work early enough, I will have to see. I’ll ring you darling”
I had four days to think of a way to get there on Saturday.
I worked all day and found myself dreaming about winning the cup I knew we had to play well tonight to progress.
After work I went to my local pub for a quick one before making my way to Haywood Way.
Arthur me old mucker well into his nineties and as deaf as a post was sitting at the bar with his beer As I looked at him I noticed with shock that he had a plaster over his right eye, well not over his eye over his glasses.
I remembered the last time I saw him he was having a bit of a to do with a young lad sitting on his stool. Surely the young lad hadn’t hit an old man.
“Want a drink Arthur,” I said
“No son, I can only have a half a shandy, my girlfriend don’t like me having to much.”
“Oh ok”
“All right I’ll have a scotch,” he said
I got him his scotch and I just had to ask.
“What happened to your glasses”?
“ I told you, my girlfriend don’t like me having to much”.
So that answered that.
“We are playing Leighton again today at our place, we drew on Saturday in the FA Cup.”
The moment it came out of my mouth I knew I had made a mistake, we had already been down this road.
“Oh that Leighton lot, they rob trains”
He had got me now, I had seen the Leighton football team and they did not look like robbers, only if they had scored in the last minute of the game.
“They robbed a train just outside Leighton Buzzard.”
Then it dawned on me, The Great Train Robbers.
“It wasn’t the football team Arthur, they haven’t got Ronnie Biggs playing centre forward”
I laughed at my own joke, Arthur didn’t think it funny.
“Yeah maybe, but there all the same”
I had to get out of here quick or I was in for a lecture.
“They also got that little gauge railway that used to carry bombs”
“Got to go, I’m late Arthur” and I ran out the door.
The rain was dropping down and I did not have a big coat, if this kept up I was going to get soaked. I wondered if it would affect the gate, if it kept up I would have second thoughts it was so heavy.
I arrived at Haywood Way with time for a couple of pints before the game.
The rain had eased off but there were not a lot of people around.
I went into the ground with a few minutes to go, Danny was on the gate again so I decided not to ask for a concession, and risk the look.
Our lads came out in their red and black kit and Leighton were in yellow and red. The evening had turned out nice and the ground looked fantastic.
The number of people coming through the gate surprised me; the rain had not put many people off, it was a good crowd.
I walked to the far side of the pitch; I wanted to get near the dugouts, as I had not heard any good swear words for a while.
Aylesbury won the toss and our captain chose to play against the slight wind. It was a good decision as the wind might get up later.
He must have been reading my reports and taking notes.
The game started and Leighton seemed to be slightly on top for the first five minutes, it was taking Aylesbury a while to settle.
Leighton once again were using the long ball tactics that they had used on Saturday and relying on the pace of their frontrunners, but Aylesbury were a match for them.
Aylesbury themselves were using the long ball and I hoped they would soon start to play their passing game.
Leighton could not break down the Aylesbury defence who were dominating the play at the back and showing why they had not let a goal in for seven games.
Aylesbury started to play the passing game a lot better but Leighton were closing Aylesbury down fast. The home teams’ better football started to tell and they had two or three good chances in the first half that really should have been taken.
Just before half time Leighton had a free kick just outside the area and the resulting shot skimmed across the penalty area and struck the post. Steve Smith in goal didn’t move, he must have had it covered.
I was glad I was by the dugouts as the language was ripe, but surprisingly most of it from our manager Mark.
The half time whistle came and I made my way to the clubhouse for a pint. Aylesbury should have been going in with a lead.
I hadn’t seen many of our committee as I had been over the other side from them and in the bar the only one was Ian with a pint. I liked him, he could drink, he was a proper bloke.
The second half got under way and this time I moved to the other side of the pitch. The Chairman was there standing with the monster of football Franklin, but I didn’t see what’s his name the bloke with all my money in his pockets.
Aylesbury started where they left off and for the first ten minutes were doing all the attacking, but they were breaking down on the final ball.
Leighton apart from the odd attack did not look dangerous.
Leighton were tiring and not closing Aylesbury down as fast, thus allowing some better moves from Aylesbury.
Aylesbury were creating more chances now and again they could not finish.
A ball across the area to an unmarked man was just too short, a through ball was just too long, a near miss, when we did have a chance we could not finish and it was not running for us.
With twenty minutes to go a glancing header from Brennan hit the inside of the post and I hoped we were not going to rue the misses.
This game had extra time and penalties all over it, although Aylesbury should have had it won.
With about twelve minutes to go Gareth Price picked the ball up jiggled it forward a few yards and smacked it from 24 yards into the net.
A brilliant goal and one deserved as he had played well.
The rain started coming down and the next twelve minutes were nail biting. Not that Leighton looked any more threatening but it was the FA cup and anything could happen.
The twelve minutes turned into twenty as the referee played injury time, where he got it from I don’t know.
The final whistle blew and the crowd gave a big cheer, it was relief more than anything.
The game was not a classic, with Leighton playing the long direct ball for their fast-forwards to run on to and closing Aylesbury down fast, with a physical presence.
Aylesbury were able to play better football in the second half when Leighton laid off them a bit and should have had more goals and were deserved winners.
I was going straight home but I had to have a beer to celebrate.
A guy was selling a football card in the club. So the old codgers were still on the take. I had my pounds worth and waited for them to fix this one. A bloke in the club won and I didn’t see what’s his name the bloke with all my money in his pockets there, so maybe he had got rumbled.
Oh well, off home to the wife and tell her what a hard days work I’ve had.
I hadn’t rang her and now I had to start planning my escape for Saturday.
Aylesbury v Leighton Town
It was the replay, another FA cup day.
I had told the wife I was working late, as it was a four-day week due to the holiday. As I walked out the door she calmly said, Aylesbury drew on Saturday didn’t they?
I stopped dead in my tracks, had I been found out?
I turned and she was standing there with a stupid grin on her face. “It’s up to you” she said, “you can go tonight or Saturday, it’s your choice”
What did she mean it was my choice, tonight was FA Cup and Saturday was the FA Vase, what sort of choice was that? It was a choice of do you want your right bollock or your left cut off.
“I might go tonight if I get off work early enough, I will have to see. I’ll ring you darling”
I had four days to think of a way to get there on Saturday.
I worked all day and found myself dreaming about winning the cup I knew we had to play well tonight to progress.
After work I went to my local pub for a quick one before making my way to Haywood Way.
Arthur me old mucker well into his nineties and as deaf as a post was sitting at the bar with his beer As I looked at him I noticed with shock that he had a plaster over his right eye, well not over his eye over his glasses.
I remembered the last time I saw him he was having a bit of a to do with a young lad sitting on his stool. Surely the young lad hadn’t hit an old man.
“Want a drink Arthur,” I said
“No son, I can only have a half a shandy, my girlfriend don’t like me having to much.”
“Oh ok”
“All right I’ll have a scotch,” he said
I got him his scotch and I just had to ask.
“What happened to your glasses”?
“ I told you, my girlfriend don’t like me having to much”.
So that answered that.
“We are playing Leighton again today at our place, we drew on Saturday in the FA Cup.”
The moment it came out of my mouth I knew I had made a mistake, we had already been down this road.
“Oh that Leighton lot, they rob trains”
He had got me now, I had seen the Leighton football team and they did not look like robbers, only if they had scored in the last minute of the game.
“They robbed a train just outside Leighton Buzzard.”
Then it dawned on me, The Great Train Robbers.
“It wasn’t the football team Arthur, they haven’t got Ronnie Biggs playing centre forward”
I laughed at my own joke, Arthur didn’t think it funny.
“Yeah maybe, but there all the same”
I had to get out of here quick or I was in for a lecture.
“They also got that little gauge railway that used to carry bombs”
“Got to go, I’m late Arthur” and I ran out the door.
The rain was dropping down and I did not have a big coat, if this kept up I was going to get soaked. I wondered if it would affect the gate, if it kept up I would have second thoughts it was so heavy.
I arrived at Haywood Way with time for a couple of pints before the game.
The rain had eased off but there were not a lot of people around.
I went into the ground with a few minutes to go, Danny was on the gate again so I decided not to ask for a concession, and risk the look.
Our lads came out in their red and black kit and Leighton were in yellow and red. The evening had turned out nice and the ground looked fantastic.
The number of people coming through the gate surprised me; the rain had not put many people off, it was a good crowd.
I walked to the far side of the pitch; I wanted to get near the dugouts, as I had not heard any good swear words for a while.
Aylesbury won the toss and our captain chose to play against the slight wind. It was a good decision as the wind might get up later.
He must have been reading my reports and taking notes.
The game started and Leighton seemed to be slightly on top for the first five minutes, it was taking Aylesbury a while to settle.
Leighton once again were using the long ball tactics that they had used on Saturday and relying on the pace of their frontrunners, but Aylesbury were a match for them.
Aylesbury themselves were using the long ball and I hoped they would soon start to play their passing game.
Leighton could not break down the Aylesbury defence who were dominating the play at the back and showing why they had not let a goal in for seven games.
Aylesbury started to play the passing game a lot better but Leighton were closing Aylesbury down fast. The home teams’ better football started to tell and they had two or three good chances in the first half that really should have been taken.
Just before half time Leighton had a free kick just outside the area and the resulting shot skimmed across the penalty area and struck the post. Steve Smith in goal didn’t move, he must have had it covered.
I was glad I was by the dugouts as the language was ripe, but surprisingly most of it from our manager Mark.
The half time whistle came and I made my way to the clubhouse for a pint. Aylesbury should have been going in with a lead.
I hadn’t seen many of our committee as I had been over the other side from them and in the bar the only one was Ian with a pint. I liked him, he could drink, he was a proper bloke.
The second half got under way and this time I moved to the other side of the pitch. The Chairman was there standing with the monster of football Franklin, but I didn’t see what’s his name the bloke with all my money in his pockets.
Aylesbury started where they left off and for the first ten minutes were doing all the attacking, but they were breaking down on the final ball.
Leighton apart from the odd attack did not look dangerous.
Leighton were tiring and not closing Aylesbury down as fast, thus allowing some better moves from Aylesbury.
Aylesbury were creating more chances now and again they could not finish.
A ball across the area to an unmarked man was just too short, a through ball was just too long, a near miss, when we did have a chance we could not finish and it was not running for us.
With twenty minutes to go a glancing header from Brennan hit the inside of the post and I hoped we were not going to rue the misses.
This game had extra time and penalties all over it, although Aylesbury should have had it won.
With about twelve minutes to go Gareth Price picked the ball up jiggled it forward a few yards and smacked it from 24 yards into the net.
A brilliant goal and one deserved as he had played well.
The rain started coming down and the next twelve minutes were nail biting. Not that Leighton looked any more threatening but it was the FA cup and anything could happen.
The twelve minutes turned into twenty as the referee played injury time, where he got it from I don’t know.
The final whistle blew and the crowd gave a big cheer, it was relief more than anything.
The game was not a classic, with Leighton playing the long direct ball for their fast-forwards to run on to and closing Aylesbury down fast, with a physical presence.
Aylesbury were able to play better football in the second half when Leighton laid off them a bit and should have had more goals and were deserved winners.
I was going straight home but I had to have a beer to celebrate.
A guy was selling a football card in the club. So the old codgers were still on the take. I had my pounds worth and waited for them to fix this one. A bloke in the club won and I didn’t see what’s his name the bloke with all my money in his pockets there, so maybe he had got rumbled.
Oh well, off home to the wife and tell her what a hard days work I’ve had.
I hadn’t rang her and now I had to start planning my escape for Saturday.
