It's Saturday April 29th. I'm boarding the 9.48 am train to Manchester Piccadilly. A trip to Manny usually involves high jinks, craft ale and Busby Babe grave visits with Tony Mac. Little of that will be happening today. I'm on my best behaviour for the next five days. There will be zero football, only a few real ales and no celebrity grave-hunting. Ms Moon joins me on the choo choo. Tomorrow we fly out to Seville for three nights.
It's been a fun-filled, action-packed, tiring week. On Monday I saw another French subtitled film at Broadway Cinema, in Hockley, Nottingham. On Tuesday I debuted at the music venue Rescue Rooms on Goldsmith Street. Manchester post-punk funk band, A Certain Ratio, were in town. I quite liked them back in the day, when they were stablemates with Joy Division on the Factory record label, but never got to see them the first time around. We hooked up with a couple of Mac's mates called Daz and Feggs, who like Mac, are music aficionados. It was a cracking gig and a very enjoyable evening, spent with great company.
I was back down the The City Ground on Wednesday for the latest installment in the Tricky Trees battle to avoid relegation. It was pleasing to see that pre-match posh venue, Binks Yard, had got their act together on the real ale front. Three cask ales were available. I joshed with the barman that I would remove my zero out of five google review from my previous visit.
The match versus in-form Brighton and Hove Albion was the best game I've seen this season. NFFC were played off the park in the final 30 minutes of the first half, but somehow fortuitously equalised on the stroke of half-time. The Seagulls were blown away in the second half with goals from the Brazilian Danilo and Morgan Gibbs-White from the penalty spot. The atmosphere was special and will live long in the memory.
I put in another 'long shift' on Thursday (obvs not at work). I met 'Our Kid' under the clock at St Pancras station, in London town. The mission set was to tick off ten CAMRA Heritage Pubs in a day. Now, before you accuse me of being drunk and disorderly, I must point out that only a half pint was to be taken in each pub.
It was an eventful day that saw us come across a dead body, see a pickpocket arrested and revert to Plan B which meant we jumped on a few tube trains due to a tropical rainstorm. We began the tour in Hatton Garden where a famous safe box robbery took place in 2015 and finished at the Red Lion, in Mayfair. Ten pubs were bagged.
Ms Moon and I alight the train at Piccadilly before checking-in at Motel One, just across the road. I've been raving to the good lady, for weeks, about a place called Mackie Mayor, a brick-walled two storey food hall located at the old Smithfield Market. It has a variety of food vendors. You can order on the app, as you can the ale from the Jack in the Box Brewery.
We walk off a heavy lunch around the Northern Quarter. I show Ms Moon all the stunning street art that is on offer. She's particularly impressed with The Molly House masterpiece, in the Gay Quarter, which has murals of Quentin Crisp, Emmeline Pankhurst and Alan Turing, amongst others.
We're out and about in Seville city centre by 9 pm the following evening. It's still boiling hot as they are experiencing a freak heatwave at present. It's to reach 41 degrees later in the week. The air conditioning in the hotel room is a godsend.
We thoroughly enjoy a two hour walking tour of Seville that I paid a bargain price of 6 Euros for on Booking.com. We visit the cathedral, Royal Alcazar and the Plaza Espana and enjoy a river cruise before lunching by the water in the Triana neighbourhood. I stick to Cruzcampo and Rioja for most of the trip - "when in Spain, Rodney." Another night is spent in Manchester on our return to England. We finish the holiday off in Piccadilly Tap, where some strong craft ales are on offer.
I miss the Thursday morning session of Notts v Lancs in the cricket County Championship at Trent Bridge. Lancs are already five down as I wander through the wrought iron gates and take my seat in the Lower Radcliffe Road Stand. The usual characters are in attendance: 'Crazy Steve', 'Faggsy', 'Little Al', 'Noz', Neil, Ken and 'Kimberley Al,' I ask for a haslet update from Mrs Bunns. The grim news is delivered by 'Crazy' that the factory has burnt down, and that West Bridgford could be haslet-free for the rest of the season. I wipe away a tear and pretend to all and sundry that my gammy eye is playing up again.
Fifteen wickets fall in a day on a green-tinged wicket. It's entertaining nonetheless and over the next few days it might be the last time the Trent Bridge crowd get to watch Lancashire and England Test legend Jimmy Anderson - 'The Burnley Express.' The evening is seen out in The Embankment and VAT and Fiddle with 'Crazy' and 'Fags.'
I walk to the ground with 'Faggsy' on Friday morning. It's warming up nicely, but at least I'm not sweating up like I was in Seville. We grab a coffee before watching another great morning's play. Haseeb Hameed falls three short of a century. Notts are finally bowled out for 249 after some lusty blows by Stuart Broad and Olly Stone. I'm annoyed and miffed that we've missed out on a bonus point by one run.
I chance upon Carlton Town legendary supporter Jon Hartstone in the PKF Stand (Parr Stand). We while an hour away chatting with his friends. Jon very kindly lent me a book that his wife Hazel wrote about her father, Colin, who was a prisoner of war on the run in Poland during the Second World War. It is, without doubt, one of the best books I've ever read. Put in front of the right people surely this will be made into a Hollywood blockbuster. Finding Stefan, check it out folks. You won't be disappointed.
Black clouds circle Trent Bridge after tea, and the rain sets in. Friday Club begins in The Embankment and ends in Bunkers Hill. The craft ale scene in Nottingham is second to none. Double Indian Pale Ales are a particular favourite of mine. "It's not a game for children", says Mac. I'm made to pay for it the following day.
I have a hissy fit on Saturday morning in Tesco. I'm pumped up to make creamy smoked salmon spaghetti. One lemon is required for the dish. Those incompetent, useless buffoons at Carlton Tesco haven't any in the building. I pull a face as if I'm sucking on an imaginary lemon when I'm told the news. I should have hunted down a lemon tree in Seville.
Ms Moon has travelled down to Brighton, by train, to support her brother Andrew, following the tragic loss of his partner Suzie. It's a terribly sad story. Suzie was a lovely, gentle person, who has battled so hard in recent years, following a lung transplant. She was only 46 years old. Life can be so cruel at times.
I knock up a bacon butty first thing on Sunday morning before watching the first hour's play on Day 4 of Notts v Lancashire. There's a mass exodus out of the ground, at midday, as folk cross the water to watch the play-off semi-final.
'Soup' has organised the outing. I catch him in the queue for the Family Stand. We're sat behind the goal at the opposite end to the Kop. The view with my bad eye is surprisingly good. Boreham Wood have brought 1000 followers who are housed adjacent to our stand.
Notts start the game like a house on fire. I kid you not when I say that Ruben Rodrigues, the Pies Portuguese attacking playmaker, could easily have bagged a hat trick in the first 45 minutes. County pay the price for those missed opportunities. The visitors finishing is ruthless. The crowd are silenced and stunned after strikes from Ilesanmi and Ndlovu put 'The Wood up two to the good. The second is a disaster for Pies' defender Aden Baldwin, who is caught dilly-dallying on the ball.
He makes amends early in the second half with a rasping daisy-cutter from distance, only to get caught out again, unaware of danger. Ndlovu rounds the 'keeper Slocombe, but sees his effort smack against the base of the post.
It's all Notts County now as they throw the kitchen sink against a resolute and courageous rearguard. The clock is ticking into the 97th minute of 7 minutes added time when Baldwin once again is the unlikely hero, heading the ball home in the dying embers of the game. Earlier in the half Rodrigues had the chance to restore parity from the penalty spot. His connection is poor and looks scuffed. It's comfortably saved.
Both teams are out on their feet in extra-time. Boreham Wood put 11 players behind the ball as they set up for a penalty shootout. With seconds remaining the ball falls to livewire substitute Jodi Jones, who is lurking on the edge of the area, he hammers a shot towards goal, it can only be helped into the net by McDonnell.
There are tears of joy as fans hug one another, as they race onto the pitch to congratulate the players at the final whistle. The game has been scintillating, with little time to draw breath. Matty Palmer has been outstanding in the Notts County engine room. Special mention to referee Scott Tallis, the best official I've seen this season.
Man of the Match: Matty Palmer
Attendance: 15,672
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