It's Saturday tea time and I'm sat in the back room of the Bread and Bitter pub on Mapperley Top. It's an area of Nottingham where legendary Notts County striker Tony Hateley once lived. He scored 77 goals in 131 appearances for the Pies in the early 1970s. His son, Mark, scored 17 goals in 66 appearances for Italian giants AC Milan. Freddie Mercury's parents and sister also lived on Mapperley Plains.
Faggsy gets in a round of Castle Rock's Harvest Pale ale. My phone is going off ten to the dozen. Blog legend, Jon Gilbert, has messaged me to say I've won the Carlton Town '200 Club.' I scroll down the list of winners genuinely believing I've won £25. Blimey Charlie, I've won the £200 jackpot. Big Joe grasses me up to the supporters in the clubhouse that I'm watching Gedling MW v Radford, when my number is drawn out, instead of being down Stoke Lane. Ha ha .. I like to keep it fresh. The money will come in handy as I need a couple of new parts for my boiler.
I enjoy a couple of pints of Lenton Lane and Ossett real ale at the King Billy, in Sneinton, on Sunday lunchtime. I write up the blog in the afternoon whilst listening to back to back Radcliffe and Maconie shows on 6 Music. These two brilliant broadcasters introduced me to the talented Tame Impala, a psychedelic band from Australia. They are playing in Manchester next May. I'd love to go and see them. But I baulk at the price of a £100 ticket.
I actually saw Stuart Maconie give a talk in the summer about one of his recent publications, 'With a Little Help From Our Friends.' It's a book of background stories of people who helped The Beatles prior to fame and during their journey as world chart toppers. The talk was part of the final ever Lowdham Book Festival, and was held at Southwell Library. I enjoyed a pint with Nige Harlow and Reuben in the Final Whistle after the main event. Maconie popped in for a pint. I congratulated him on a fantastic evening. £11 for a ticket was a steal.
I've been tuning in to the 'This is Eastwood' documentary on my half an hour bus journey to Arnold on workdays. Episode one was a horrible watch. It was full of swearing and anger. The edit made their then manager, Willis Francis, look like an ill-tempered person, when away from the dressing room, I'm sure he's not.
The documentary has grown on me and I look forward to its weekly release on a Thursday. With this in mind I clock that the Red Badgers are away to Sheffield FC, the oldest club in the world, who are based in the Derbyshire town of Dronfield. I mention this to Nottingham groundhopper and good friend. Danny Bhoy. He says it's on his list of games to go to.
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I wander up to Dan's house after locking up the shop. We travel up past Papplewick, Hucknall and through the village of Linby where I worked at the colliery for three years. We breeze up the M1 and turn off at the junction for Chesterfield.
Dan is one of the UK's biggest reviewers of fish and chip shops on Instagram. He has had his beady eye on a beef dripping chippy in the village of Calow, only a few miles down the road from Dronfield. Despite it being midweek, Calow Fryer is doing a roaring trade. You know it's going to be a good 'un when you see an average score of 4.6 on Google review.
The staff are rushed off their feet and the phone is ringing off the hook. It's £23 for two portions of haddock, chips and Chinese curry sauce, plus a couple of cans of pop. The batter is crispy and the meat is mouth-watering. My favourite bit is ten minutes prior to eating, when the smell of beef dripping drifts out of the shop, towards the bench we are sitting at.
The Coach and Horses Ground is only a few miles down the road and what a beauty it is too. The last time I was here Carlton Town were on a miserable run of form, and they somehow failed to score against a team who played for 80 minutes with ten men, with their centre half in the nets.
The chairman of Sheffield FC is Jon McClure, who is also the lead singer of indie band Reverend and the Makers. His brother is Chris McClure, better known as social media star Steve Bracknell. Jon McClure is chatting to the club's historian who is standing adjacent to us. He says two of their best players have left the club this morning.
Somehow Eastwood manage to go into the break one goal to the good. There will be a bomb going off in there once joint managers Billy Bennett and Kieran Fenton arrive from the dugouts. Billy will be blowing a gasket at what he's seen, as it's only the brilliance of Scott Loach in the nets that keeps them in the game.
We bump into Arnold legend Daz Marshall at the break. He sings in an Oasis tribute band and also represents England at footgolf. He asks me if I fancy watching Gurriers, up the road at Crookes Social Club in a couple of Mondays time.
Eastwood turn it up a notch or two in the second half, bagging a second goal. Curtis Thompson is the best player on the park. It's ridiculous that he is playing at this level. Thanks for driving Dan.
The plan was to go into town on Friday evening for a few scoops, but Ms Moon says it's such a lovely evening, so why don't we sit out in the garden. Celebrity Traitors has begun its latest run. Ms Moon loves this ratings winner, whilst I've zero interest in it. They all seem a bit posh and pally in there. I didn't really care much for one of the contestants, the actor Ross Kemp. He played Rugger and was married to Rebekah Brooks, the former editor of the News of the World, who was caught up in the phone-hacking scandal. I changed my mind on Kemp when I read he was a big supporter of the Labour Party.
I'm up and out of bed at 3 am on Saturday as I'm running the MSR Arnold shop, as my mate, Dayne, is off to Gillingham groundhopping with his son. It's a bloody nightmare as the papers arrive late. Thanks for all your help Sean. Those bloody supplement inserts are a chuffing nightmare on Saturdays
I have a kip when I arrive home and feel fresh when Ms Moon drops me off at the bottom of Burton Road. It's a beautiful sunny day and plenty of folk are walking down Stoke Lane towards the ground. I get a bit of stick for winning the 200 Club. I have a quick chat with Julian Wilson, Dean Linford and Danny Bhoy before wandering over to the Sir Malcolm Brown Stand with Faggsy.
It's another cracking DJ set from Alan Murphy, it includes: Jilted John (fond memories of that one), Sister Sledge, The Fall and Inspiral Carpets. We bump into a subdued Joey Barton the club mascot. He's got a poorly eye and is sporting a recovery cone to stop him scratching his ulcer, bless him.
Stability has been restored at Carlton after a shaky start following the hangover from the fag end of last season. It's a strong starting eleven, and it will need to be as the visitors have a 100% record intact. I clock Daily Mail reader Edward in the stand, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Why can't he be a good lad and read the iPaper like his lovely Dad, Jon does?
There's plenty of huff and puff in the first half, but it's devoid of any quality. The visitors look more athletic and are easier on the eye. Jon Gilbert is in the clubhouse at the break. He's a relieved man as the nuisance and irritant 'Biscuit' is missing in action in Benidorm. Unfortunately he will have to babysit the buffoon for four days in Estepona, in southern Spain, in a few weeks time.
The game is much better in the second half. Felix Annan keeps honours even with a brilliant save after a Wellingborough striker runs through alone on goal. The Millers defence as a unit are magnificent, particularly Dean Freeman who is dominant in the air. Special mention for the referee too who was superb.
Attendance: 443 at Sheffield and 446 at Carlton
Player of the Match: Curtis Thompson (Eastwood) Felix the Cat (Carlton). Deano a close second.
Best Song Heard on the Radio: Johnny Marr, It's the Time
Best Beer Supped This Week: Dispersion, Atom Brewery, Hull. Bread and Bitter, Mapperley
Thanks Danny Bhoy for the photos
