The regular reader is used to my cries of “Come On You Spurs” – often uttered plaintively – and seeing the acronym COYS, baffling to those lucky beings with no interest whatsoever in football. They don’t understand the anguish and agony they’ve spared themselves. And the occasional moment of ecstasy they’ve missed.
A glutton for punishment, travelling ever in hope of course, I’m off to N17 this weekend, to watch us ‘ammer The ‘ammers, as West ‘am are known. Well, who knows what the result will be? It’s one of our many local derbies and one that has become very venomous over the years; gone are the days when Jimmy Greaves could go from us to West Ham and Martin Peters could come to us from them without too much hate mail. (Or have I got that wrong?) Not long ago, a Spurs supporter who found himself between a rock and a hard place, opted for a group of Arsenal fans, to save himself from an ‘ammering. Funny old world.
Tamworth are in the red and black, that’s our goalie in the white. No rain. Brill.
Anyway, last weekend friends persuaded me to go to a proper grassroots football match, FA Cup fourth round qualifying, Tamworth at home to mighty Macclesfield. Well, in reality, the Silkmen (Macclesfield was renowned for its silk industry and the club, founded in 1874, was the oldest professional club in Cheshire until it was wound up in 2020, then revived) aren’t so mighty. They have former Wales international Robbie Savage, he of the hair and current 5 Live pundit, as manager but they’re in the Northern Premier League, two tiers below National League Tamworth (promoted last season).
The Lambs (they used to change in the Lamb pub apparently, so that’s how they got lumbered with the nickname) play on an artificial pitch and won 4-2 in a cracking game. Most of the goals would have graced any goal-of-the-month competition. We stood – what bliss, to stand at a game – behind one of the goals and were almost on the pitch. It was fab. I loved it.
Over the moon under the rainbow: Chris, left, who’s responsible for my new crush on Tamworth and his wife Essie, my fellow Spurs fanatic.
Next up, in the first round proper, we are at home to Huddersfield, who won the FA Cup in 1922 and the League three times in a row in the 1920s. They now occupy the heights of League One but did spend two seasons in the Premier League before they were relegated in 2019. “Count me in, please,” I instructed my friends, thinking that the match was on Saturday afternoon, 2nd November, the day before Spurs v Villa. Perfect.
But I’ve just looked again and, lo and behold, the match has been moved to the evening of Friday the 1st because it’ll be on the telly, BBC no less. Great – the exposure and the money involved are a big help to small clubs – but this fan has a problem: it’s Quiz Night at WHGC and I’m not sure what my team will say when I tell them I’m thinking of abandoning them and going to the football…Surely they won’t miss me if I can find a sub who’s good at soaps, films, pop music, the picture round and any number of other subjects that leave me floundering? Any volunteers?
Just to let you know that it’s not a long way to Tamworth – 14.2 kilometres and 19 minutes by the most direct route with no traffic to speak of according to Waves (app that’s useful for those of us with no sense of direction). There are lots of decent pubs in Tamworth and a bar at the club, so I thought about going by train (times didn’t work) or by bus (free with my old person’s pass but getting the timing right there and back would be tricky). So, sorry Greta and fellow eco warriors, the car it was.
And, would you believe it, like most of my football forays the journey wasn’t straightforward. There were gridlocks (the notorious Ventura Park shopping centre on a Saturday, aaagh), U-turns, time-limited car parks that wouldn’t work before, at last, I gave up and parked at the club for £3. Bliss.
In the evening, two of us wrapped up well and went to a lovely concert by the Serenade Trio at Four Oaks Methodist Church, a notoriously chilly venue.
My mother had many qualities and taught us many things but these songs were not in her repertoire…
The trio comprised: Helen, soprano supreme, who is in charge of Everybody Sings!, the choir that tolerates me (no-note Madill – the Davieses are not responsible for my lack of musicality); Clare, pianist, flautist, singer, arranger, who is our accompanist; and Lisa, who sings in the choir, is principal clarinettist in the City of Lichfield Concert Band and a saxophonist of note. They are ridiculously talented and if they’re ever at a venue near you, go, go, go. Their next gig is at the Aldridge Church Centre on 25th January.
The stars of the show: from right to left Helen, Clare, Lisa and Sara, guest accompanist.
I don’t know if any of you have been watching the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup but there was a result of seismic proportions the other day when South Africa beat Australia, the defending champions, by eight wickets in the semi-final in Dubai. So Australia, who hardly ever lose, are out; England are out; India are out; the big guns gone. It’s New Zealand against the West Indies in the second semi, which can only be good for the game worldwide, surely.
Bish, bash, bosh: Australia were battered by the Rainbow Nation. Anneke Bosch made 74 not out and Nonkululeko Mlaba took 1 for 31. [Snapped from the telly, Sky Sports]
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