And after the debacle on Monday, along comes a nice consistant like performance to warm thy cockles on a late, er, August afternoon. Yup, Celine Dion 3 Wintney Houston 1 was pretty comprehensible. Could have been about 6-1, really should have been 4-1. Most professional performance of the season, I reckon it’s down to improved fitness. First half, it was the same sort of stuff we have come to expect : lots of running, getting in there etc etc. After having a goal disallowed (why?) we then received a penalty after what appeared to be a HW player picking the ball up in the area. Shocking. So shocking in fact that Coops decided to pass the ball back to their goalkeeper as recompense.
We kept going and indeed we scored. Who scored I still don’t know, so you’ll have to fill the blanks in yourself. 1-0 at HT, we came out again and performed much of the same sort of stuff. Due to years of excessive mental abuse due to heavy metal, hard core pornography and alcohol, I cannot remember what the second goal was like. The third goal I can remember though, it was a peach by Sim Johnston (hey, I remembered a player’s name), took on two defenders and smacked it right into the goalies’ top corner in Van Basten-like style (though on telly it probably looks more like Van Der Valke). And then really that was that, though of course we let in our obligatory goal in at the end. Overall, much happiness descended over the area.
Shall we?
Plus points: We won. Again (fortress Kingsmeadow anyone?). Good defensive performance. New goalie looks good. Winning the ball a lot. Fitness looks far better.
Minus points: Can we EVER keep a fucking clean sheet?
The referee’s a …….. : Well, actually I didn’t think he was that bad. Certainly compared to the ladyboy sucking twopenny whore on Monday anyway (and no, I still haven’t forgotten. Or forgiven)
Slow: Joe Sheerin. Seen hobbling on Monday, reportedly though. I just think he’s tortoise-like full stop.
Spotted: (1) A sign outside the Duke of Wellington pub on the way from Kingsmeadow to New Malden which proudly states “The Welly Welcomes New Dons”. Don’t remember quite the amount of affection at our last rented accomodation somehow. (2) David Barnard – quelle surprise – and Peter Miller. Who is still on the board at Franchise…….
Quote: “I’d like us to keep a clean sheet” – your humble and esteemed (if not particularly ESP friendly) editor just before the HW goal. I’d also like to wish Charles Koppel a healthy and prosperous life.
Them: Fair play to the HW mob, they turned up in numbers. Well, two coaches. Most vocal support seemed to be a foursome of teenage girls (calm down) who thought they were at a Steps* concert
* – the editor would like to point out that he does not know what sort of music teenage girls listen to and therefore the reference to Steps may offend people with some sort of taste in music
Song sung blue: Strangely quiet today for some reason. Maybe like West Ham we’re better vocalising in the evening? Anyway, HW came out to “who are ya?”, nice welcome. Champagne DID get an airing, I deffo heard it this time (twice as well). “We’re Wimbledon FC” decided to update itself by the new lyric “we’ll never be mastered by you Surrey bastards”. Some young scamp who decided to act a bit lairy got treated to “Have you got a BMX?”. Obviously not, judging by his silence afterwards. Finally, a good hearty rendition of “Sit down shut up” to the HW manager who got a bit too animated……
Point to ponder : Why DID Phillo play Hawaii 5-0 at the end?
Truth is stranger than fiction: (1) New shirts actually look nice. (2) Did TE use not one, not two, but THREE subs? Amazing. (3) Losing 4 balls from the ground by 3.30pm, I gave up counting after that. It’ll be the case soon that ball sponsorship will cost more than match sponsorship.
Blast from the past: As some of you may know, some of the old PL speakers are still being used. And it bought a nostalgic tear to the eye, especially the rather frayed earth-like feedback and the sound of the crowd clapping whenever a substitution took place
Franchise FC watch: Attendance at AFCW – 3476. Attendance at Franchise – 3223. This despite no real attempt at a boycott from Wolves. Nick Collins off Sky reckons no more than 250 gimps still there (5 in total in the main stand), though no doubt this will be fiddled so that 14000 people from Milton Keynes came down. Every single time now, Koppout gets humiliated. And best of all, there’s fuck all he can do about it. I always say this, but it makes me feel better each time – Koppout thought we were going to crawl back to him with the lure of first division football. We haven’t. He thought he would be able to waltz into Milton Keynes and get a heroic reception. He hasn’t. I’m not too sure if they CAN go to the Hockey stadium up there despite planning permission being granted. An organisation that is now sending out the SAME season ticket offer to the SAME people who have constantly told him to politely go away is on its last throw of the dice. Don’t let this slip, this will be OUR ultimate payback…
Anything else? Yeah, does anyone ever win anything on Golden Goal? Just wondering. Honest.
So, was it worth it? Suppose so
In a nutshell: Watch out, we’re on the march