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March 2005: Easter is upon us, and that means a trip home for me to take in the 2 games over the weekend, which is always a thrill, particularly as my timing seems impeccable, considering recent results. Unbeaten in 7 as I write - what a difference a few weeks makes. By Christ it was gloomy a few weeks ago, and I say that despite not ever getting dirtied by the soot of the coalface in that time. God alone knows what it must have felt like to those at Lewes, faced with a team at the foot of the table apparently looking, by all accounts, not that bothered. Again this is the lot of the exile, you feel empty when you don’t experience the highs, guilty when you are not there for the lows. I will be quite happy to accept highs at the 4 games I’m planning to get to prior to the end of the season though, don’t get me wrong. Fingers crossed. I’ll admit the rose-tinted specs did get binned after the Lewes debacle, as seeing us rooted at the foot of Conference South, I’m a little ashamed to admit that I started looking at the Ryman Premier mid-table teams to see which games I might get to next season. It’s not often the confidence drops out of me to that degree when it comes to the Hawks, but thankfully a corner appears to have been turned. We certainly aren’t safe yet though so here’s to a continuation of the form we’ve shown of late. I have had a belated chance to observe the new found Hawk form, thanks to the Welling folks offering a DVD of our recent game there. I’ve watched the first half thus far and while it is an oddly detached experience, it is great to hear ‘C’mon Havant…’Looville’ breaking the relative silence on stage right. I usually have a pretty decent memory for results but for the life of me, despite it being only 3 weeks ago, I can’t remember the exact result at Welling. I think I know, but am not sure, which helps the viewing experience, as I’ve never been keen on watching full games when I know the result – the drama understandably seeps out of it when you know exactly whodunnit and when. A nice souvenir it certainly is and now takes pride of place alongside the VHS tape which contains the minute of Match Of The Day footage from Dagenham & Redbridge, as well as the bit Channel 5 did on Trevor Brock, sorry I mean Dean Holdsworth, last autumn. The Hawk video library isn’t exactly burgeoning though, so lets hope for a couple of decent Cup runs in the upcoming seasons so we might accurately call it a collection of great moments in Hawkdom, rather than just a smattering. The one game I really wish I had seen though is the recent supporters friendly away at Bognor. Thankfully Dave Haines’ photos (available to view on the web via www.pbase.com/davehaines) really do provide a real insight into what went on. The half-time cigarettes clearly on show surely only fuel to the already burning fire of such fine figures of men. Sadly the game was lost 7-0, but at least our programme editor Simon ‘the Leon Trotsky fan club’ Lynch won the gurning competition. Pride was therefore restored. Cheers Reg. In preparation for my upcoming glut of Hawk behaviour, I have been continuing my trip around the North’s finest sporting facilities, even sneaking off in the middle of a 2-day work conference in Lancaster to go and watch Morecambe put the Aldershite to the sword. The Shrimps battered them for most of the game, sadly without scoring, only for Aldershot to pop up with the last kick of the game and knock it in the back of the net. Would have been the very height of the offensively Turpin-esque if it weren’t for a friendly linesman making sure that all that is good and pure was restored. He may have been offside, but I think the flagman just had a moral duty to make sure the Shots took only a goalless point away from Christie Park. Gawd bless ‘im, for even that was more than they deserved. This past weekend saw me past the 150 mark in my tally of football grounds visited and I thought I’d celebrate in style, well some sort of style anyhow. Not for me a fanfare reception at a pro ground, waving to four disinterested stands from the centre-circle as I accept a signed ball from the local radio breakfast DJ who doubles as matchday announcer. While I doubt any club would consider 150 worthy of such a celebration, I nonetheless decided to avoid any potential razzmatazz at NEWI Cefn Druids. I have, and perhaps I should be ashamed of it, a quiet fascination with the League of Wales. It has been well documented in these missives that I do love the country and people of Wales (who aren’t all anti-English numbskulls, whatever the H&W trips to Cymru- specifically Newport - might have led you to conclude), but the general haphazard ramshackleness of the Welsh football system intrigues me greatly. That a place like Cefn can have a top-flight teams seems pretty ludicrous, but then again their opponents on my visit, Haverfordwest County, found themselves dazed and confused in the UEFA Cup earlier this season. Heady stuff indeed. Cefn Mawr, a tiny village south of Wrexham, was eerily deserted on a Saturday afternoon, a situation substantially mirrored on the terraces of their football club. Perhaps this was partly due to the bursts of hail that came shooting in sideways from the North, the almost perfectly spherical bullets causing a rush during the game for the little cover that the Plaskynaston Lane ground provided. However there was an odd feeling about the place, like a piper’s been through, y’know. However support needn’t be just about quantity, as of the 70 punters dotted around the ground, around 10 have travelled up from Exeter to watch their team. Well their second team, perhaps third team, but don’t doubt their commitment. The students from Mardon Hall at Exeter University are on their 4th annual pilgrimage to Plaskynaston Lane and to a man are kitted out in the black and white stripes of the Ancients. They chant, they banter with the opposition keeper and generally have a grand old time. It appears that a ‘Druids Til I Die’ competition has also been started by the 8 ever-presents thus far, with any trip missed resulting in them no longer being ‘alive’ in the contest. I’m liking the basic concept here. Get together with a group of mates, who all follow different clubs, and pick an easily accessible ‘foreign’ team you can all get behind, as a unit. Perhaps we could apply this globally and end all racism and xenophobia as we all, as a species, pull together behind NEWI Cefn Druids. However I’m guessing that while 70 bods rattle around a bit inside Plaskynaston Lane, it’s not quite yet in sufficient condition to be granted a safety certificate to allow the housing of the entire human race. I’m led to believe that Manchester United considered applying for something along those lines a few years back though. Skif back to index |