On the Road Again!

The last chance I will get to see Latics this season happens to be away at Colchester United.  I have been before on the bike(s) but this time as the game is a 3pm kick-off on Good Friday, I had a look for a camping site or club certificated location/site. Claire and I went a few years ago and we visited Beth Chatto's gardens nearby and then attended le foot. Who says men can't wear pink? What jumped out was the Colchester Country Park site.  I checked on Google Maps and it shows a walking distance of over an hour and driving of a mere 11 minutes.   Before booking either the game or the site, I dropped them an email to see if they had a recommended taxi firm. Sites often have a taxi firm they are happy with. Never having ever used an Uber I like someone that is "known". Although Uber might be a consideration.... The lady at the site came back and suggested two they use, along with their phone numbers. So I booked the seat in the ground.  The last few times we ha...

Tickets went on sale today for Aldershot Town away on August 24th.  Decided to indulge myself and make the trek over there again. Last time went in the car and parked near the town centre. It was a bit of a dump.  This time I expect to go on the bike and now have to start looking for somewhere to park.

The least said about the game the better. Both sides poor in the first half. Both tried a bit harder in the second half  They had a shot that hit the post and pinged across the goal to safety. We had a header palmed off the line by the keeper and then in the death throes a shot from a corner was blocked on the line... I decided to ride up as the train and tube was a hassle. I dressed for the worst weather. Three pairs of gloves, two winter and one summery. Waterproof trousers and of course, the old Frank Thomas jacket was brought out of wardrobe. Like a lot of my gear it's getting old. At least the waterproofness is still good.  It was sunny when I set off and I decided to fill up the tank in Hythe. Then off into the wind on the M20. By Ashford it clouded over.  Operation Brock ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Brock ) is on and so we crawl along at 50 on the motorway. Brock isn't needed this weekend, but deploying it during last weekend is ready for Easter! It...

  Slightly modified ticket photo! Dummy.  That's me I guess. After the euphoria of the trip to Dorking Wanderers, with my brother Neill, I decided today to go to Aldershot.  Another ground I have never been to in the South and East of the country. Until we dropped into the fifth tier in the English pyramid there was never any need to go to these "small" club grounds.  Now it is the bread and butter for a club that has fallen from grace. I have pre-paid to park and so I hope when I drive all the way over there into deepest Hampshire and "The Home of the British Army" that my parking space will be reserved for me!   Onwards and upwards! I tried to obscure the ticket as best I could with "paint" on the laptop. Just in case someone wants to steal the ticket!

Whilst I usually go to football at Arsenal in the Premier League. I also go to matches that feature my first ever football love, Oldham Athletic. As Oldham is over 200 miles away it is difficult to get to home games, so I make do with away games in the south. This year I have been to Gillingham and last night to Leyton Orient. After plenty of chances fluffed Orient scored against pretty much the run of play.  The game ebbed and flowed and plenty of huffing and puffing and the game looked to be over until Korey Smith popped up with goal of the week. 1-1 on the night. Some of my pix below. Ticket for a night of wonders Zoomed in No zoom Home fans "Tommy Johnson" stand Celebrating the equaliser #wearelatics

On The Ashes Tour we stopped off at one of the places from my early years of living in Chadderton in Lancashire. The trip was to take our Mum's ashes to their final resting place and on the way we visited a few places from her life and also from ours. My Dad used to work for Latics as the "pools promoter". Back in the days before lotteries and scratch cards, people had to make do with more cerebral pleasures like trying to guess from 49 football (soccer to my US friends) games each weekend which would end up in a draw (okay for you a tie). On the coupon you marked 10 games with a cross and if you managed 8 or more you could win. Some people won fortunes. Okay by today's standard it wasn't much, but by 1960 standards it was more than you could ever imagine.  Instead of scratch cards, they had tickets with the time in them. If a goal was scored that matched your ticket you would win a small prize. My Dad managed those fund raising activities  in his ...

Going through a box at Mum's today as part of the clear out, I found this badge. I have searched high and low for it for a number of years, then forget, then search again! All the time it was in a box tucked away in her house with a load of other stuff. It was given to me when I was an adorable kid at the football (soccer my US chums!) who stood behind the goal at Boundary Park with my Aunt Linda and her friend Anne. My Dad however used to sit in the stand with his friends. It is a little battered but I was given it before my brother was born in 1960! The back is a "bat shape" as it was intended to fit in a lapel button hole,  that seem to have been consigned to sartorial history in the modern era.