I peg it to Derby train station from Pride Park after a 2-2 thriller. Cardiff City were going to win the game, but 'Magic Man Moylan' and skipper Rubin Colwill limped off injured. I'm fortuitous to catch the 5.18 from 'The Sheep Dip', over 'The Cattlegrid' and back to 'The Queen of the East Midlands.' In Brew Cavern I quaff a mango, banana, coconut crumble cake (it's a craft ale) from the Scottish brewery, Vault City.
It's Sunday morning and I enjoy a lie in, as I don't work weekends any more, unless the Mick McMurdoch media empire is short-staffed. Ms Moon and I dine at an independent restaurant in the minster and market town of Southwell. This is a place that was rumoured to be where former Spurs, Arsenal, and England international, Sol Campbell, was house-hunting during his ill-fated spell at Notts County during the Munto Finance scam in 2009.
Sage serve up a mouth-watering Sunday roast. The beef is pink and the roast spuds are dripping in fat. I give them a five star review on google. Some posh, entitled customer gives them a scathing review after a vegetarian meal goes belly up (obvs not pork). We were at the same sitting and I don't recall any commotion. Some folk, eh?
It's Tuesday evening and I'm locking up the shop on Front Street, in Arnold. I've time on my hands as the Gedling Miners Welfare v Clifton All Whites Cup game doesn't kick off until 7.45 pm. I decide to have a stroll up to Mapperley Top, a vibrant, elevated high street awash with multi-cultural restaurants.
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I've had easier walks in the Lake District or on Steep Hill in Lincoln. I'm proud not to be short of breath, but admit that my calves are aching as I gingerly open the front door of the Bread and Bitter Castle Rock pub, a former bakery that's nestled away on Woodthorpe Drive.
I enjoy half a pint of Laze, from Beak Brewery as I peruse the bar food menu. It's a bit too hot for sausage and mash, so I opt for another English classic: ham, egg and chips. It's a short walk away to Gedling's ground. I say hello to a few committee members. The team has a young feel to it, with a finger-in-the-air guess that 21 is the average age of the starting line up.
I'm very fond of the opposition (Clifton) as my son played Sunday and under 19 football there. I helped coach at All Whites. There were some great people at the club who gave up their time and volunteered like: Sean Cochrane-Smith, John McNicholas and James 'Tosh' Turner - they all helped develop my boy, Joe, from a child, to a boy and then a young man - I thank them all for that.
Clifton have an experienced spine that sees them home and dry, well before the final whistle is blown. There's plenty to be excited about with Gedling's display. They have some gifted youngsters who will benefit from game time this evening.
I'm not a big TV fan. To be honest I don't get much of a look-in with Ms Moon's soap operas: Below Deck, Four in a Bed and Place in the Sun. An advert on Facebook has caught my eye (the good one). The Murder Detectives documentary has been 7 years in the making. It's a complex, high-risk investigation into the murder of journalist Lyra McKee.
The opening part of episode one begins in the Creggan area of Londonderry, in Northern Ireland. Reggie Yates, an egotistical, supposed documentary maker, better remembered as a lightweight Radio 1 DJ, is on the streets of Derry during a riot. The aftermath of this is that shots are fired and a young journalist is gunned down. The family of the deceased are angry and point the finger at Yates and his entourage for inciting the riot. The following two episodes should be an interesting watch.
On Friday morning I'm in YOLK, a coffee shop and that allows you to build up your own egg breakfast. It's located on Goosegate, in Hockley, a fashionable part of Nottingham city centre. It's a short walk to Nottingham railway station where Mac and I board an EMR train to Derby. I've bought a bargain £26 open return ticket to Royal Leamington Spa. It's where the World champion boxer Randolph Turpin was born. There's a statue of him in Warwick.
Tony Mac and I meet up with 'Chopper Harris' at a 'Spoons called Benjamin Satchwell (why not Randolph Turpin?) We move onto the Boiler Room, adjacent to the old Baths. We jump on a train to Warwick where we wander down a footpath to the 'pub of the day' - Cape of Good Hope, a canal side watering hole. We enjoy a pint in the warm sunshine as boats pull in for refreshment.
There's no time for a visit to nearby Kenilworth as there is too much on offer in Warwick. The craft ale selection at Thirsty Bear and Craftsman is off the charts. There's a comedy moment on the train back. Mac wakes me from my slumber and gets me off onto the platform. The station is New Street and not Derby, where we are due to change. You stupid boy, Mac.
I have my usual £5 bet on three away wins on Saturday morning. I fancy 'The Lincoln' at Bolton as the Trotters were awful when I watched them last season. I've a doctor's appointment early doors - don't worry I'm not going anywhere yet. Blur are on the NHS dukey as my name is called out.
I finish up at Tesco for a few bits 'n bobs. I have to fetch my own basket from self service, which always gets my back up. For God's sake I've misplaced my debit card. I settle up the shopping bill on Apple Pay and turn the house upside down on my return. I can't find the chuffing thing. I report it as a lost card. Fancy losing your card on a Bank Holiday weekend.
Ms Moon drops me off at the bottom of Carlton Road. I walk up London Road in showery conditions. The Magpies fans, hanging outside Hooters chicken restaurant, are celebrating an Alexander Isak equaliser for Liverpool against Nottingham Forest at Anfield.
I'm sitting a few rows above the Burton Albion dugout. The Brewers have had an excellent start to the season as have The Pies. Notts are in the hunt for a striker to help support Moneyball Aussie signing, Luka Smyth, who has arrived from the Finnish League. Number one target was Michael Mellon, but he has signed for Stevenage. They have also been linked with young Charlton striker Daniel Kanu who bagged 17 goals for Walsall last season.
Notts are sluggish in the opening 45 minutes and play without an orthodox striker. In comparison Burton look slick, particularly down their left hand side. They score a beautifully crafted goal. The only bright spark for Notts is the debut of 18 year old Rory Finneran on loan from Newcastle. He's comfortable on the ball with a good range of passing.
There's a touching moment on ten minutes when both sets of supporters stand to applaud Quevin Castro who died two weeks ago whilst playing football in Portugal. He represented both clubs and was only 25 years old.
I love the County manager Martin Paterson. His after-match interviews are a joy to behold. He has taken some stick from the noisy, travelling support, as he had a short spell in charge at Burton. Smyth is introduced to the game at the break. County are all over Burton like a rash. The boy from Palace, Mustapha is having a field day now the shackles are off. Tsaroulla floats a peach of a cross in, Smyth leaps like a salmon and guides a header home.
Burton are on the ropes. They have tactically fouled for most of the game and have been given the benefit of the doubt too many times by referee, Kirsty Dowle. Curtis Tilt has been on borrowed time and has had more lives than a cat. He shoves Smyth to the ground and is shown a straight Red. Smyth buries his spot kick. The Kop End have a new idol.
It's too much for Burton manager Gary Bowyer; apparently a good man off the pitch. He enjoyed some good-natured banter with the crowd earlier in the game. But he's proper frothing at the mouth now and being a right mardy bum. He petulantly refuses a Paterson handshake at the final whistle. He ushers his players and coaching staff away from the referee before chasing the official down the tunnel.
Attendance: 11,701 (1,138 away fans)
Man of the Match: Luka Smyth
Best Song Heard on the Radio: Bjork, Hidden Place
Best Beer Supped: Azvez. Sleeping Beauty Problem. In Warwick.
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