A far post tap-in by the Heather St John's centre forward completes a five-goal rout for the visitors. My jinx on the Pheasants continues. They exit the third round of the FA Vase. Big Glenn and 'ASBO' won't be wining, dining and troughing at Club Wembley, when the final is played there in May. It will probably be Stabbo away instead.
I pull the peak of my baseball cap down to cover my eyes and lift the collar up on my coat. I don't want to catch any committee members' gaze. I exit onto Selhurst Street, where I wander past Curry King and onto Radford Road. I dodge the crawling traffic as I cross over the tramlines. I was going to have a couple of scoops at the Lion, in Basford. I decide at the last minute to jump on a tram that's heading in town.
It's complete chaos in Nottingham city centre. It's a mixture of late night shoppers and afternoon revellers. The crowds thin out slightly as I drop down into hipster Hockley. I enjoy a couple of alcoholic beverages at Partizan Tavern, a micropub just around the corner from Nottingham's Motorpoint Arena. I'm tucked up in bed by 9.30 p.m. as I'm on 'media duties' on Sunday from 5-2 and 12 hours the following day.
It's Tuesday morning and I'm on another 8 hour shift at Arnold's number one papershop - MSR Newsagents. It's a big day for customers who own TV sets, as the Christmas schedules are published today. Arnold's elderly residents will be coming into the shop, in their droves, to pick up a copy of the What's on TV magazine or TV Choice. I have to explain to each and every one of them that it's a double price issue as it covers off two weeks' of terrestrial and satellite TV listings. I'm worn out (mentally) when I close the door at 5 pm.
.jpeg)
One of my best mates, from back in the day, has flown in from Spain, where he resides now, to catch up with his family and friends prior to the Christmas festivities. Ian Driver ('Babs') is also a big Notts County fan. I ring up the Meadow Lane ticket office and secure a couple of seats in the Derek Pavis Stand for the visit of MK Dons.
Babs is lurking in a shop doorway on Lister Gate. I've just wandered down from the Cornerhouse area of town, having just devoured a salami pizza from Slice 'n Brew on King's Walk. We snake our way through Green Heart, a public green space that's been created as part of the gateway to the city centre which begins at the railway station and leads to the bus station. It's certainly a better visitor experience than say 15 years ago. The blot on the landscape, the remains of Broad Marsh Centre, is still stinking the place out. Nottingham's Labour City Council have made a pig's ear out of that demolition and have had to go cap in hand to both a Labour and Tory government.
We're sat in our seats before the keepers emerge from the tunnel for their warm-ups. The DJ plays a track from Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures 1979 album that takes me by surprise. The Pies midfield is paper thin this evening. Robertson, Palmer and Hall are all notable by their absence. Big spending Franchise FC name a star-studded line up. Their Grand Fromage is 33 year-old forward, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing. It's ridiculous that he's dropped down to this level. He has followed their likeable manager, Paul Warne, from across the cattle grid at Derby County. He fires the visitors into an early lead having been slipped in by Paterson.
Twenty six minutes in and it's 2-2. You can't take your eyes off the game. Dennis equalised with a thunderbolt from distance, only to see Mendez-Laing score a Panenka penalty. An alert Jatta pounced on a 50 pence back header to restore parity.
Former County wing back. Aaron Nemane, is a lucky lad not to receive a second yellow card after a late tackle. The Kop End vent their anger at a sub-standard official as the half-time whistle is blown. Nemane doesn't appear for the second half. The Kop hurl abuse at another former player, Dan Crowley, who turns a deaf 'un as he warms up from the bench near to the home end.
Milton Keynes dominate for large periods of play in the second half, but see chances go begging. The Magpies have their opportunities too. On 88 minutes a goalkeeping faux pas and a goalmouth scramble sees the ball fall to Huddersfield Town loanee, Tom Iorpenda. He shoots home through a gap the size of an eye of a needle to send the home fans into wild celebrations. Even I am on my feet, clenching my fist and punching the air. Babs is loving it. I give him a hug on London Road, wish him a merry Christmas and say we must do the same again next year.
The Notts County manager, Martin Paterson, gives honest, insightful interviews post-match. We call him Fagin in the shop, as he looks like the scary Dickens character from Oiver Twist. I wouldn't want to cross him, as I think you'd feel the wrath of his tongue, like the fourth official did the previous evening. I just hope he can bring a couple of players in during the next window.
I swing by town on Thursday afternoon to do some Christmas shopping. I need a few bits for myself too. Word on the street is that Santa isn't buying Sticky any books for Christmas. I bag the 2026 Good Beer Guide from Waterstones and a diary so I can plan all my beer trips, groundhopping and weekends away, now I'm not working so many Sundays. I retire to Junkyard, a craft ale bar on Bridlesmith Walk. They have some mouth-watering ales chalked up on the blackboard. I have a couple of strong ones from Rivington Brewery, located in the north-west of England, near Preston, and a brewery from Barcelona called Doskiwis.
Tesco Carlton is visited on my way home. The temporary staff hired for December are actually more approachable than the Herberts on full-time contracts. The resident DJ on Radio Tesco is taking the rise when he spins 'Feels Like Heaven' by Fiction Factory. I'd have popped a BP pill if I'd got one in my pocket.
I'm at Nottingham train station by 7.15 a.m. on Friday. It's Tony Mac's and Sticky's final trip of the year and of course it's oop north. We catch the train to Newark Castle, take a steady walk across the town to Newark Northgate station, before boarding an LNER high speed train. Within 75 minutes we are alighting at Darlington, in County Durham. We grab a 'bacon bun' from a local bakery and then head up, by train, to Bishop Auckland.
There's a statue of Stan Laurel in the town and a Wetherspoon pub called Stanley Jefferson (his real name). Stan, who was born in Ulverston, was educated in Bishop Auckland, where his father was born. I'm also impressed that the local football club has a museum and club shop situated in the town. We tick off a few pubs before returning to Darlington to continue our pub crawl. The locals make us feel so welcome and are keen to recommend hostelries that aren't in the beer guide. We catch the 7pm train back home with another 10x pubs ticked off.
I'm outside the shop, on the Christmas chocolate stall, early on Saturday morning. The footfall isn't quite as busy as I thought it would be. We'll try again next Friday in the lead up to Christmas. I jump on the 25 bus and alight on Mapperley Top. I presumed, having rested their pitch on Tuesday evening, that Gedling Miners' Welfare have given the green light for their game against Clifton All Whites to go ahead today.
I stand with Faggsy and Carlton's media guy, Ben, who is here with his lad Jonah. We witness a 2-2 thriller. It would have been harsh for either side to finish on the losing side. I can't 'arf pick 'em this week.
Attendance: 8,872
Man of the Match: Tom Iorpenda
Best Record Heard on the Radio This week: Hercules and Love Affair, Someone Else is Calling
Best Real Ale Supped This Week: Cirrus, Trig Brewery, York
No comments:
Post a Comment