Lincoln City 1-2 Morecambe

You see this lad in the above photo, well, he is a very rare breed in Notts grassroots football and I will tell you why. When he was five years old I took him to Keyworth United Soccer School, where he fell in love with the game. He was 28 years old this weekend, and still remains at the same club. At a rough estimate I would say he has easily made over 500 appearances. 23 years continued, dedicated and loyal service. How many local players can say that? 

Over the years he has been treated appallingly by certain managers. Unperturbed, he's just kept his head down and cracked on. He's a foot soldier; not a leader. Lee Harper got the best out of him. Looked after him, Lee did, when Jack was 17 years old. I'll never forget that.

I'd be the first to admit that 'The Keyworth Georgie Best' is an emotional character on the pitch, who takes a bit of managing. but he is a lovely lad off it. He never misses training, or kicks up much of a fuss. The club foolishly allowed a charlatan to bring players (mercenaries) into a village Community Club  from all over the county - and yet after a decade of this tiresome shit show of a policy the trophy cabinet is still laid bare, despite trying to 'buy' the NSL Prem Division last season. They won diddly squat. The first team didn't even train when I coached there. How embarrassing is that? They actually came and joined in with my sessions with the development squad.

28 players, mostly big time Charlies, left the club (in the shit) in the summer. A large majority of them pitched up at 'Bread 'n Lard Island FC'. Step 6 has proved too challenging for the journeymen snowflakes. Zero wins in the last nine games the last time I looked.  As for the Management, nobody wanted them. Still putting cones out the last I heard. 

The Gedling MW v Loughborough Students game was a cracker. Ms Moon and I exit the Plains Road ground and head up towards Mapperley Tops. I'm not a massive 'Spoons fan, but Ms Moon is partial to a pint of Strongbow. 'Spoons sacked them off for Stowford Press, post COVID, but it seems recently that 'Bow is back in favour. The Woodthorpe Top is the best Wetherspoons in Notts. There's no numpties in there like you get on Carlton Hill, where you have to wipe your feet on the way out. I do have to change a cloudy (probs past the sell by date ) Castle Rock pale ale. It's swapped out with no fuss by a friendly barman.

It's Tuesday evening and I'm holed up in Junkyard Bottle Shop and Pour House, on Bridlesmith Walk. The craft scorecard is a joy to behold. I sink a Neon Raptor and a Black Iris - two of Nottinghamshire finest breweries. 

As I sit down I feel uncomfortable. I rifle in my back pocket and fish out a pair of scissors that I must have used in the paper shop today. Bloody hell, I'm off to gig at The Bodega later. What if I get stopped and searched on the door? 59 year old man arrested in possession of a pair of scissors.

Indie band Deadletter, who are causing quite a stir in the music world, are in town tonight. They remind me of Yard Act, also from Leeds, as they play their way through a blistering one hour set. I stand at the back as I must be the oldest swinger in town.

Wednesday afternoon is spent in town. Ms Moon and I lunch at an authentic, classic Italian restaurant called Piccolino, on Weekday Cross. The welcome is warm, and the service is first-class. I wash a chicken Caesar salad down with a glass of white wine.

Broadway Cinema is around the corner in the hustle and bustle of hipster Hockley. With its trendy bars and cool recycled and second hand clothes shops. We watch a beautifully put together film called Typist Artist Pirate King. It's a warm, sympathetic story of a woman's mental health illness and a journey back to her birthplace. I finish the afternoon off, reflecting on the film, in the back bar of the King William IV, in Sneinton.

The heavens open for most of Thursday as torrential rain bounces off the windows. I jump on a bus at 6pm outside Victoria Centre. I alight on Hound Road in West Bridgford. I've been looking forward to this evening for many months now. I walk through the doors of the Derek Randall Suite, at Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, for the first time since Sept 11th 1993. 

I pay my £15 subscription to the secretary of the Notts Cricket Lovers' Society. I chat with three old friends who I used to play cricket with at Keyworth CCC. The star of the show this evening is the ever popular fast bowler Luke Fletcher, who was awarded a testimonial this season after 15 years of service to the club. 

Fletch is so engaging and open. He talks of his early life as a goalkeeper at Notts County academy and as a pot washer at Hooters, a sports bar and grill that's famous for its chicken wings. There is a turning point in Luke's life when he joins Papplewick and Linby Cricket Club. He's mentored there by former Leicestershire, Lancashire and England bowler Phil DeFreitas. If you get the chance go and watch Fletch at a speakers' event, he's well worth the time and money as he has an abundance of stories from his life at Trent Bridge, and his anecdotes are laugh out loud.

It's Friday morning and I'm sitting with Tony Mac at YOLK, an independent coffee shop and breakfast joint, where you can build your own egg breakfasts. We enjoy some banter with the manager, Jan, before heading down to the train station.

The city of Stoke-on-Trent, in Staffordshire, has been on our radar for some time now. It's just over an hour on the train. We dive straight into Bod, a micropub that's located in the station itself. Mac has mapped the day out. We'd usually pound the streets and rack up 12 miles or 30,000 steps. Uber is going to come in handy today.

We're dropped off outside Port Vale FC. Whilst researching I'd come across a blue plaque in the memory of former Motorhead frontman Lemmy, who is Burslem born and bred. We locate the plaque close to reception. There is also a fantastic statue of Roy Sproson, another one club man, who made 837 starts for the club.

Burslem, despite being a wee bit run down still, has some wonderful pubs and old buildings to admire. The landlords are dead engaging and interested that we've travelled all the way from Nottingham. There's a retro jukebox in one of the pubs. It's 2 plays for £1. I put on 'All Day And All of the Night' by The Kinks. Mac chooses 'Ghost in my House' by R.Dean Taylor.

It's another class day out as we tick off loads of CAMRA and Heritage pubs in Hanley, Stoke, Newcastle under-Lyme and Hartshill. It gets messy in BeerHeadZ back at Nottingham Station when we clock an 8% Pentrich DIPA is available on tap.

I'm fresh as a daisy on Saturday morning. Bad news comes over the social media airwaves that Carlton Town's home game versus Newton Aycliffe has been hosed off. I contact Julian, a Morecambe fan, to see if he fancies the Imps v Shrimpers FA Cup 1st Round tie at Sincil Bank. He answers in the affirmative and says fellow Carlton Town fan Dean Gripton will be travelling too. I bag three tickets on the Lincoln City website.

I catch the train a 15 minute walk away at Carlton train station. The lads jump aboard at the village of Lowdham. We have to change at Newark Castle, but it does give us the opportunity of a quick pint at the Castle Barge and a go at a quiz on the longest-serving players at each Premier League Club.

The train arrives in Lincoln Central at 12.30pm. I ask Julian if he's ever walked up Steep Hill before. He says he hasn't. I can tell that as he gasps for air halfway up before asking "are we there yet?" I'm in my second BeerHeadz pub in just over 12 hours. The lads love it. It's better than the High Street where the pubs will be packed out with football supporters.

We clocked a pie shop on our challenging walk up the hill. We dive in for a late lunch. I opt for a haslet sausage roll, a first for me, and it's bloomin' lovely too. We've spent that much time talking, drinking and eating that we arrive at the game as the teams kick off. Our seats in the stand give us a bird's eye view of proceedings.

Morecambe released their best players at the end of last season due to budget cuts. Lincoln have invested heavily in a young squad, but have been missing strikeforce pairing Ben House and Tyler Walker for most of the season. The Imps sensationally sacked Mark Kennedy a few weeks ago. It came out of the blue. I wasn't a big fan to be honest.

It's nip and tuck in the early stages. The Imps take the lead through the impressive Dane, Lasse Sorensen. The Shrimpers are always in the game. They deservedly equalise shortly before half time with a soft goal from a set piece.

Morecambe take the lead with a brilliantly taken goal following a flowing move. They waste further chances to increase their lead, but Lincoln ain't going to score in a month of Saturdays.

Man of the Match: Deadletter

Attendance: 200 (sellout at The Bodega)