Sheffield United 3-1 Ipswich Town

I've not had a chippy tea in ages. The stars align on Tuesday evening, as time isn't on my side. After a full shift in the media world (paper shop) - and let me tell you it's a grueller with all those bloody soap magazines being published - I dive into Oceans chippy at the bottom of Carlton Hill. The grumpy owner is perched on a stool watching the fag end of Deal or No Deal. His lad is pleasant enough though. He throws me a fresh haddock into a fryer that's bubbling and sizzling with piping hot oil. I wolf it down ten minutes later, accompanied with a small tray of chips and some Chinese curry sauce.

Runaway NPL Midlands League leaders, Carlton Town, are hosting Long Eaton United tonight. I peg it down to the game with Faggsy. I thought it best to get there 15 minutes early as they'll be a queue snaking from the turnstiles - and I wasn't wrong. DJ Dan is playing New Order's first ever single, Ceremony. It was originally going to be a Joy Division release, but was hastily re-recorded following the sudden death of lead singer Ian Curtis. I recommend watching the Anton Corbijn film, Control, that documents Curtis' struggles with depression and severe epilepsy. A lot of scenes are shot in Lenton and Sneinton. The film stars Nottingham born actress Samantha Morton, who plays the part of Deborah Curtis. The script is taken from the superb book Curtis wrote, called Touching From a Distance.

I have a brief chat with some Notts County Cricket Club members before wandering over to the far side of the ground. The Millers have had a couple of feisty games with 'The Blues' this season, with both results ending in a draw over 90 minutes. There's also been some beef with their 'keeper, Lewis King, who looks like a man who could fall out with someone in an empty room. King's name crops up on the 'Group Chat' a lot. Some of the comments are negative and churlish. I hope the Carlton fans rely on their quick wit and good humour when the visiting stopper defends his goal this evening. It would be a shame to tarnish the good reputation the Millers have as a friendly and welcoming club.

From the off Carlton are magnificent. They should be 3-0 up before they finally take the lead through a sublime finish from former York City striker Ash Chambers. The game has been on simmer but the referee has kept the lid on it. Long Eaton are trying their best to get midfield influencer Nat Watson sent off, but Mr Moreton sensibly calls over skipper Dan Brown to defuse the situation.

Our man King, in the nets, looks like he's about to blow a gasket when two goals are scored in quick succession in the second half. In fairness to him he has a safe pair of hands and a kick like a mule. His distribution is also excellent over the two games I have watched him play. Fags and I dissect the game and sink a couple of pints of Harvest Pale ale back at the Old Volunteer, in Carlton Square. It's recently been taken over by Star Pubs - so it's a wave goodbye to beers from Magpie and Bang the Elephant. 

My weekend starts on Wednesday evening. I enjoy a couple of drinks in the Partizan Tavern, on Manvers Street, in Sneinton. Tony, the landlord, keeps a lovely pint and is a massive Notts County fan too. I rustle up some supper on arrival back at HQ. I've quite a collection of easy cook books now from the likes of Nathan Antony, Jon Watts and Alex Hughes. As long as no skill is required, then I'm your man  .. lol.

Thursday is a special day. I catch the Keyworth Connection to go and meet my one week old granddaughter, Romy, for the first time. I can't describe the feeling when I hold her in my arms. My heart beats ten to the dozen and my spine tingles when she grips my fingers. She's soon fast asleep after I've bored her to death. A few bedtime blogs in the future will soon see her hit the sack and zonk out.

I recently purchased the 2026 issue of the Good Beer Guide, so there's a few new entries in the East Midlands I need to mop up. Three pubs in Leicester are on the agenda. It's drizzling with rain as I wander out of Leicester station and onto Granby Road. I pass the market where Gary Lineker used to help his dad sell fruit and veg. A Wetherspoons called Corn Exchange is the first tick off. It's also one of the few 'Spoons where you aren't required to book an UBER to the toilets.

The next pub is close to Leicester Castle and was formally two cottages knocked into one. A couple of Yuppies take advantage of the free wi-fi as they tap away on their laptops - they call this 'working from home.' They slowly nurse their cappuccinos as I down a Titanic Plum Porter, poured by a jolly licensee, before heading out into the wind and rain again.

The Clarendon is my final destination in this gem of a city. Google maps takes me through Nelson Mandela Park and a very impressive Victoria Park, where there are a number of memorials to soldiers lost in battle over the last 150 years. The park was previously a racecourse but now has 69 acres of open space.

A golden coloured Spaniel dog runs up to me for some fuss. Its owner shouts out my name. What a coincidence, it turns out it's Rachel a former colleague of mine at Ideagen PLC, who are headquartered in Ruddington, in Notts. 'The Clarry' is in the Clarendon Park area of the city. It has a hipster feel about the place. The beer choice isn't all that. 

I make the long slog back to the railway station after an enjoyable three hours spent in this multi-cultural city. Ms Moon is still at work so I have a quick pint of Headless from the Red Willow stable in the King Billy in Sneinton. Before I head home I swing by Neon Raptor taproom to grab a couple of rocket fuel craft ale cans for the second half of the weekend.

Supper is homemade doner kebab meat made by my own fair hands. It's accompanied, unfortunately, by the final episode of The Traitors. Almost 10 million viewers have tuned in. I'm not allowed to talk whilst the programme is on - I don't know why, we're hardly going to miss 'owt. I finish off my book which has stories about how the Anti Facist Action group kicked the living daylights out of the British National Party (Reform in new money) all over Lancashire and London in the 80s and 90s - it's far more entertaining. 

I've been given permission to speak on Saturday morning by Ms Moon. I haven't got long though, as there is another train to catch. I announce that it is going to be a football free weekend next Saturday. On Friday night we'll support DJ Dan down at the club for 'The Shed End Presents' where a live band will play and folk will spin some of their favourite vinyl. On Saturday we'll have lunch in town and go to Broadway Cinema to watch a film. There will still be a blog as I'm at Notts County v Swindon Town on Tuesday evening .. lol.

I'm sat in a bustling and hustling Sheffield Tap by 12,30 p.m. It's stacked out with groups and couples pre-drinking before catching a train for a day out in Leeds or Manchester. I'm sat in the St John's Street Family Stand an hour before kick off. Rihanna's 'Please Don't Stop the Music' (please do mate) is blasting out of the Bramall Lane p.a. system. 

The last time I was here Mark Kennedy's Lincoln City won a penalty shootout. I got so overexcited I left my rucksack under my seat in the Tony Currie Stand. It gave me an excuse to return and visit a few new pubs.

A pumped up Chris Wilder gave a spiky press conference yesterday after a dip in form and three losses in a row, one of which was an FA Cup defeat to Nigel Clough's Mansfield Town. They could easily be 2-0 down in the early moments of this game but the Tractor Boys fluff their lines. The Blades twice come close themselves, before taking the lead, ironically following an Ipswich corner. O'Hare pounces onto a ball, holds off a few opponents before lifting the ball over an advancing 'keeper, whose boot leaves a wound to the attacker's head. Minutes later it's 2-0 after a series of shots rain in on the visitor's goal.

It's been a breathtaking first half with more to come. Ipswich look shellshocked. Their passing is sloppy and they are caught in possession too often. They are thrown a lifeline when their best player Jack Clarke scores from a spot kick. Patrick Bamford lashes a left foot shot home to put the game to bed. He's later sent off for a dive, having rounded the 'keeper. I can't 'arf pick em.

Attendance: 28,638

Man of the Match: Callum O'Hare

Best Ale I've Supped This Week: Eclipse, Flying Gang Brewery, Newcastle

Best Record Heard on the Radio: Alabaster, by All Those Witches

Radford FC 1-1 Stapleford Town

After the Leyton Orient versus Cardiff City game, Dean and I hang around the sponsors' lounge for fifteen minutes or so, to let the ground empty. As we leave Brisbane Road a number of autograph hunters form an orderly queue outside the car park the players drive out from. The footfall at Leyton tube station has reduced by the time we arrive there.

Over the last two days I have ticked off 13x CAMRA Heritage Pub two star or three star pubs in the north London area. Dean wants to see what all the fuss is about. We alight the tube a few stops down the line at Mile End. After turning off the high street, Google maps takes us through a dimly lit park that was created from industrial land devastated by the bombing during World War II. 

In the distance, through the trees, is the Palm Tree, which sits in isolation adjacent to Regents Canal. It appears at first glance that it may be closed, as it's poorly lit. There's a hum about the place as we enter through the front door. The pub is a stunner with a historical nod to the past. It has a neo-Georgian design and is without a TV or a fruit machine. They have a couple of cask ales on. I politely ask the landlord to pour us a couple of pints of Porter. There's an awkward moment when I'm charged £12. It's cash payment only. I manage to rustle up an amount of cash close to this - "settle up the rest the next time you swing by" says our man behind the pumps. Whoops. The pub is in an area called Bow, where the rappers Dizzee Rascal and Tinchy Stryder are from.

I arrive back at HQ at 9.30 p.m. Ms Moon is watching Lee Mack's 1% Club. I shriek loudly when I see Mack chatting with a contestant. Her name is Sylvia and she often pops into the shop. By chance I see her on Tuesday, when she tells me all about her experience on the show. She got knocked out before there was a chance to win £1,000 by using her pass.

I dash home on Tuesday and rustle up some tea before jumping on a bus into town. The heavens opened this morning. I could hear the rain hammering down onto the front shutter of the shop. I felt it was highly unlikely that tonight's Notts Senior Cup quarter final between Radford and Stapleford would take place. Great work by volunteers gives the game a chance. Big Glenn confirms it's 100% ON.

I get off the tram at the Noel Street stop and wander through ASDA car park. I take a left turn onto Selhurst Street, passing the Chappati Junction curry house that was recently in the news, with a previous owner being banned from running a business after illegal workers were discovered at the premises.

I pay £6 on the turnstile. Big Glenn, for bants, checks with the guy on the gate that he hasn't allowed me in at the concessionary rate, which I'm actually entitled to, but would never pay in at, except at Basford. Faggsy joins me to watch the game. Overall it's a scrappy encounter, with Stapleford looking the more likely to score. Radford defend brilliantly and take the lead just before the break after a goalmouth scramble. 'Stabbo' equalise but neither team can force a winner.

It's getting a bit nippy now, so thankfully the tie goes straight to penalties. Radford win 5-4. 'ASBO' says I'm allowed to attend the semi-final game. Who knows, it might be against the Mighty Millers of Carlton.

I'm still recovering from my London trip, so don't do a deal on my day off on Thursday. Having cleaned the house from top to bottom, I park my backside in the armchair where I read a book whilst listening to Huw Stephens on 6Music. The book is a good 'un, I was given the heads up by Mark E Smith, the lead singer of The Fall. Well in fact it was mentioned in dispatches in Smith's autobiography. The book is called No Retreat, and is basically about all the scraps and rucks the Anti-Nazi League had with the BNP in the 80s and 90s.

I'm reminded in the book of the death of Blair Peach, a teacher from New Zealand, who was killed during an anti-race demo in 1979. The author also mentions about the racist bloke from Leamington Spa who put  his house up for sale. On the board it said 'To an English Family' (white people only). His name was Robert Relf and he was part of the British Movement at that time. He was jailed for contempt of court when he refused to take the sign down back in 1976.

Friday Club's monthly trip is to the West Midlands. Tony Mac and I have breakfast in the Lace Market at Hungry Pumpkin. We change trains at Birmingham New Street. A WMT takes us to Walsall. It's a town that lies close to the Staffordshire border, with a population of over 70,000. Notable folk from the area include: Sue Nicholls (Audrey Roberts off Corrie,) music artist, Goldie and ex MP, John Stonehouse, who tried to fake his own death.

We visit a Heritage Pub on the outskirts of town called Pretty Bricks. It opens at midday on the nose. A chatty barmaid lights an open fire. She has relatives who live in Carlton, where I reside. The town's football team is nicknamed the Saddlers. It's due to its long history in leather and horse saddle manufacturing.

Black Country Arms are doing a mighty fine job in the West Midlands and Staffs. It's whilst we are in their HQ pub that I receive the news from my eldest son, Jack, of the birth of my granddaughter Romy, who was born at 1pm. I breathe a huge sigh of relief, shed a tear and raise a glass. We finish up in the town of Cannock. It's an area of Staffs where Stanley Victor Collymore, the finest centre forward to have ever played for Nottingham Forest Football Club, grew up.

The first two pubs are nothing to write home about, but the third is a belter. On the bar at Arcade is a crusty, burnt top, cheese and onion cob, that Staffs pubs are famous for selling. Mac treats me to one. It's to die for.

I arrive home to hushed tones after a nightcap in the Barley Twist. Ms Moon is immersed in The Traitors. It's a typical BBC middle-class production. Twaddle, tosh and full of posh folk including Claudia Winklepicker. I'm surprised that one of their weather forecasters isn't on it after last week's faux pas.

I laze around on Saturday morning whilst Ms Moon nips to Sherwood to see the chiropractor. I get my Bored of Lunch slow cooker book from off the shelf and flick through the pages. I wander down to the worst supermarket in Western Europe, grab a few bits, and get out of the hellhole as quick as I can. I brown off some mince, throw all the ingredients together into the cooker, set it on low and then head off to Mapperley Top.

Gedling Miners Welfare is going through a transitional period. I rate their young manager Reuben Wiggins-Thomas. But right now the Club are experiencing tough times and are having to re-build by putting faith in youth. An experienced South Normanton Athletic team prove too strong for the youngsters as they coast to victory. Hopefully the Miners can come good soon. 

Attendance: 58

Player of the Match: Romy Palmer, age, 2 days

Best Ale Supped This Week: Pentrich Brewing, Melt Me Down, Fountain, Cannock

Best Record Heard on the Radio This Week: Radio Free Alice, Rule 31

Leyton Orient 1-1 Cardiff City

It's 5pm on Saturday 20th December and I'm slouched in a seat at a table in Carlton Town's clubhouse with 'Gilly' and 'Biscuit.' We've just witnessed a thrilling and breathtaking game of football with the Millers squeezing home 2-1, after a dominant second half display. Lamin Manneh continues his impressive scoring streak by bagging a brace. He's the quickest Non-League winger in the Midlands .. FACT.

The visiting fans from Rugby Town have been magnifique. They are easily the best to have graced Stoke Lane this season. They are still singing Christmas carols in the clubhouse when I depart in an UBER just shy of 7pm, as the raffle draw has dragged on a wee bit. More importantly vital funds are raised for the promotion push towards Step 3. If successful, every game will be a Cup final next season.  Although, in my opinion, many of these lads are ready for the test at that level.

The supporters' Christmas party continues at Lincoln Green's Brickyard pub, which is perched on top of Carlton Hill. It's good to see the fans choose to support local businesses. It's one of the group's core values, be it chip shops, pubs or indie stores. The Millers following has grown so much in recent years, as disillusioned supporters of professional clubs look elsewhere for their footy fix, having been priced out by the likes of Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur - who some of the lads follow. There's a proper sing song in the pub backroom which will no doubt have cheesed off some of the regulars but it will be kerching as the tills ring out for Christmas. My favourite chant is "Basford United .... we're coming for you", which they certainly will be on Boxing Day.

Christmas Day is a quiet affair. Poor Ms Moon has had a slipped disc for over a week now and has barely moved out of the armchair. I decide that gallows humour is the best form of medicine. Add to that the good lady can't move quick enough to give me a clip around the earhole after another gag at her expense.

I have a lazy day on Boxing Day monitoring the scores. Carlton blow a two goal lead at Greenwich Avenue, conceding two late goals. 'The Carlton Cattermole' is enjoying his best run of form since his return to the Millers from Stamford. He was the stand out performer against Rugby and I bet he enjoyed scoring against former club Basford United, a few days later. It certainly got me off the settee, punching the air.

Christmas Day was tinged with sadness when Nottingham Forest announced the passing of legendary left winger John Robertson, who contributed majorly towards their League title and two European Cup wins. I used to watch 'Robbo' a lot with my schoolmates back in the 70s. He was that good that opposing managers used to double-mark him; without much success too. There's a minute's applause, in his memory on the Saturday, prior to the Manchester City fixture at The City Ground.

I catch the bus down to Lenton with Faggsy to watch Dunkirk v Radford. I used to love following the club when Harby and Uppo were joint-managers. Their youth teams were revered and feared. It was only a few years ago that the Boatmen Under 18s knocked out Lincoln City and Coventry City out of the FA Youth Cup. It just seems dead down there now. I enjoy some craic with Big Glenn and 'ASBO' as Radford come away with a 3-3 draw. Fags and I enjoy a few beers in The Navigation, on Wilford Street, in town, after a brisk walk in freezing conditions.

The football schedule is kept to a three mile radius due to Ms Moon's glass back. There are signs of improvement following a few visits to the chiropractors. It puts the kibosh on a New Year's Eve outing to the Comedy Club, which was being hosted by the Secret Garden.

A day earlier I grabbed one of the last remaining tickets for the Forest v Everton game. The Tricky Trees had plenty of possession but big Igor Jesus up top was running scared of James Tarkowski from the off. James Garner ran the show for the Toffees and killed off any hope of a return to The City Ground with a man of the match performance.

New Year's Day afternoon is spent down at Meadow Lane. The Pies are going through a sticky patch with key leaders missing in midfield (Palmer and Robertson) through injury. Jatta has gone off the boil too. Accrington Stanley, built on a shoestring budget, are excellent value. I chat to a player's father during the game - it's surreal watching him witness the highs and lows of his lad playing football at a professional level.

I booked a cheap train ticket to London (for Thursday) a few months ago. The plan was to have a day out, tick off a few CAMRA Heritage pubs and travel back late evening. That nincompoop, Alex Beresford, on ITV weather (we don't watch BBC News anymore since the Huw Edwards thingy) has put the fear of God into me, with a weather forecast that is predicting Armageddon. I throw some spare socks and pants into my rucksack before heading off for breakfast at my favourite Italian haunt in town. 

I do get anxious about affected travel during bad weather and have spotted a deal at a Premier Inn in Canning Town. I'm back down London again on Saturday with Deano for the Leyton Orient v Cardiff City game. I phone Ms Moon to talk about whether she's happy for me to stay a few days. I get the green light unless there's a worsening of her back condition. Her daughter Becky only lives around the corner.

I head up to Highgate for a stroll around and tick off a few classic pubs before wandering up to Crouch End and Hornsey. The weather takes a turn for the worse as Storm David Guetta sweeps in from the west. I finish up soaking wet through after wandering the streets of Poplar, in Tower Hamlets. It's not a place to be on your 'Jack Jones' folks. The final pub is on its last legs. The 80 year old landlady says they only have John Smiths or Carlsberg on. It's like being given the choice of watching a game at Basford United or Derby County. I head back on the Docklands Light Railway for a bite to eat at the hotel and to change into some dry clothes too.

It's rinse and repeat on Friday, minus the rain. After a hearty breakfast I jump on the Piccadilly Line towards Harrow. A few more Grade II pubs are visited in Pinner and Ruislip before I return to the City. I do a recce up in Hampstead as I fancy setting up basecamp there when Ms Moon and I visit London Town in springtime. The Holly Bush is my favourite pub. I clock a hotel for the notebook, down the road, opposite Belsize Park tube station.

I'm loitering outside Leyton tube station at 11.30. the following day, after taking a steady walk from Stratford International. My mate Dean Gripton emerges from the escalator. We immediately engage in a conversation with a couple of Orient fans as we head towards the ground. We stop to admire a statue of local hero Laurie Cunningham - read  his biography, it's bloody brilliant. He joined Real Madrid in the 1970s at a time when the fascist Spanish leader/dictator, General Franco, had died only a few years earlier. It paved the way for future black players to make a living in La Liga. Cunningham died in a car crash in 1989 at the age of 33. 

There are three Good Beer Guide entries to visit today. The Leyton Orient Supporters' Club has ten cask ales to choose from. We move further up the road to the wonderful Leyton Engineer, a glorious building on Leyton high street. The final destination is Coach and Horses where the O's supporters revel in the glory of Macclesfield Town knocking out FA Cup holders Crystal Palace at Moss Rose, in Cheshire.

I'm a guest of Dean's today, so enjoy some hospitality in the sponsors' lounge. The food is first-class and the staff are friendly. Table-topping Bluebirds have sold out their allocation. They make a sloppy start when they get caught out with the Orient forwards putting pressure on the ball. An alert Dom Ballard whips the ball off the keeper's toes leaving himself with an easy tap in. 

Cardiff's star striker, Yousef Salech, misses a golden chance when he can't lift the ball over an advancing 'keeper. His second bite of the cherry results in a sublime finish, having turned a defender, running powerfully in a diagonal direction before blasting the ball into the roof of the onion bag. He is a man mountain of a player with a deft touch. A big move will come his way soon. He is of Palestine descent but made his mark in the Danish Superliga.

There's time for a cup of tea and a slice of cake before returning for the second half. It's scruffy and disjointed for a while. A flurry of substitutions disrupts the pattern of play. Orient manager Richie Wellens kicks every ball whilst his counterpart, Brian Barry-Murphy, remains measured, calm and collective. The game finishes all square. It's a fair reflection on the game. Cardiff haven't done enough to win it.

Attendance: 8,423

Player of the Match - Ms Moon, slept in the armchair for three weeks

Best Song Heard on the Radio: Suede, Antidepressants

Best Beer Supped This Week: Had a Porter at Palm Tree, in Bow. Forget the name