It had started well. There will still tickets for Royal Engineers v Wanderers at The Oval. For 2012 read 1872. You have to, don't you? A chance to see the the first ever FA Cup Final re-enacted. With any luck, Christian Dailly will get a game with the club where he made his debut.
It was the four of us booked up for that who were in the Mystery Machine today. Ed, Bri, Chipper and I. Eileen was there, though I suspect mainly to look after toddler Olly. Quite right too.
Today's mystery? Fu ...for crying out loud, how the hell did it take 3 hours to get from Southend to Staines. That's what's known as a rhetorical question. M25. Sat nav. Say no more. I'm going to say more though. Bloody bastard stupid shitting M25. And that poxy sat-nav, complete with nauseating automated speech. They make towie girls sound like Joan Bakewell. And the way it unerringly sent us into traffic jam after traffic jam, it's just as f*****g thick.
It did give us plenty of time, though, to hear a tedious 0-0 draw at Carrow Road on the road. Big Sam's Total Football fits in so well at the West Ham Academy. Although possibly a military academy now. We also had the chance to google on our phones for Kate Middleton's assets stripped bare. All I can say is that it reminded me that it's fried eggs for breakfast tomorrow.
I digress. Billericay had been decent at home, poor away. Staines Town, who they were visiting, were good at home, poor away. It pointed to a home win. I also pointed out that the last time I was here the away team won. Okay, technically both sides were away teams, as it was a cup final, but that's just nit-picking.
Wheatsheaf Park is a decent Conference South ground. One huge covered stand, a covered enclosure, and both ends open. Chipper got a burger. Small but nice, and a good bun, well worth the £2.50. But forgetting about Kate, the burger was alright as well. The programme had the most ridiculous photo of Greg Oates in it, partly because it was more blurry than Tony Adams eyesight whilst driving, and partly because it wasn't actually Greg Oates.
The sun was a scorcher today. Which was just as well, because the vast majority of the first half was a real pisser. I'd seen more life at a Euthanasia disco night. After three hours on the road to Hell, it looked as if it was going to be 90 minutes of Beelzebub's balls thrown in for good measure.
Thankfully, 'Ricay perk up. Unlike Kate but I digress. The normal threats from set pieces, then Alex Osborn puts the Essex visitors ahead with a low shot just inside the area. It's looking good. Billericay create chance after chance. It seems just a case of how many. Until David Wheeler is in space 22 yards out. Staines first meaningful shot, right on half time, and somehow they're level.
Stevo in Super League last night he was surprised but that nothing surprises him. Daft as it sounds, it summed it up perfectly. I could hear a couple of 'Ricay fans in front of me, murmuring "I might have bloody known it."
Staines came into more on the second half, but still Billericay controlled. About 13 million corners on the right, all finding the head of Rob Swaine or Chris Wild. All just wide, over, or cleared off the line. At the midway point in the second half you could see it happening. A home break and Billericay wondering how they got beat.
Everyone's perspectives change though. Nathan Green charges in for a ball in the six yard box and clatters into Staines keeper Jack Taylor and defender Sam Bates. Just one of those things, nobody's appealing, even though the ref has given Staines a free kick. Except Sam Bates hasn't got up.
We wait. And wait. And wait. 5 minutes pass. Then more. A stretcher is called for. Then a neck brace. Wheatsheaf Park falls silent. Football really doesn't matter too much. Everyone is looking over at the six yard box, hoping for some kind of conscious movement.
Sam is stretchered off to a waiting ambulance, with the obligatory huge round of applause from both sets of supporters. Suddenly my moans about getting there, and my radio equipment going tits up (unlike Ka ... no, I won't finish that thought) are pretty insignificant, when you see something like that. Fingers crossed the lad is okay.
Play resumes but it's pretty muted both on and off the pitch. 'Ricay are still pressing, and looking dangerous at set pieces, Staines still showing a bit of menace on the break, but it's meandering away to a draw. It seems like the decent thing for everyone bearing in mind that injury.
Don't you believe it, though. Players still want to win. 'Ricay win another corner. This time Rob Swaine doesn't bother using his head. It hits his shoulder instead. This time it does the trick. 2-1 to 'Ricay. Despite the 11 minutes of injury time, and Dale Brightly being called on to make a decent save, it's all very comfortable.
11 days ago, we were all wondering if the New Lodge lads were up to the Conference South, after letting slip a two goal lead in the last five minutes. Now after this win, they're up to 8th. I guess Craig Edwards was having a wry smile. Supporters? Press? What the f*** do they know?
All I know is that the trip home was a damn sight quicker with the sat nav turned off. We might have had to travel 18 junctions on the M25 instead of 12, but it was a damn sight quicker. As we went home, a trip to see emerging promotion challengers Southend United at League 2 leaders was being planned.
Then I saw the FA Trophy results. With all due respect to Brentwood - oh bollocks. Tuesday night replay in Harlow. You could've done the decent thing and let yourselves get beat than have to go there. Still, football is football, however grim the place is.
Happily, Sam Bates was released from hospital, allowed to go home. If that bloody sat-nav was on, he'd have got home quicker too. But still, an away win, 8th in the table. If crap traffic means away wins, whose gonna worry about that?
With that in mind, roll on Tuesday.
Staines Town 1, Billericay Town 2
It was the four of us booked up for that who were in the Mystery Machine today. Ed, Bri, Chipper and I. Eileen was there, though I suspect mainly to look after toddler Olly. Quite right too. Today's mystery? Fu ...for crying out loud, how the hell did it take 3 hours to get from Southend to Staines. That's what's known as a rhetorical question. M25. Sat nav. Say no more. I'm going to say more though. Bloody bastard stupid shitting M25. And that poxy sat-nav, complete with nauseating automated speech. They make towie girls sound like Joan Bakewell. And the way it unerringly sent us into traffic jam after traffic jam, it's just as f*****g thick.
It did give us plenty of time, though, to hear a tedious 0-0 draw at Carrow Road on the road. Big Sam's Total Football fits in so well at the West Ham Academy. Although possibly a military academy now. We also had the chance to google on our phones for Kate Middleton's assets stripped bare. All I can say is that it reminded me that it's fried eggs for breakfast tomorrow.
I digress. Billericay had been decent at home, poor away. Staines Town, who they were visiting, were good at home, poor away. It pointed to a home win. I also pointed out that the last time I was here the away team won. Okay, technically both sides were away teams, as it was a cup final, but that's just nit-picking.Wheatsheaf Park is a decent Conference South ground. One huge covered stand, a covered enclosure, and both ends open. Chipper got a burger. Small but nice, and a good bun, well worth the £2.50. But forgetting about Kate, the burger was alright as well. The programme had the most ridiculous photo of Greg Oates in it, partly because it was more blurry than Tony Adams eyesight whilst driving, and partly because it wasn't actually Greg Oates.
The sun was a scorcher today. Which was just as well, because the vast majority of the first half was a real pisser. I'd seen more life at a Euthanasia disco night. After three hours on the road to Hell, it looked as if it was going to be 90 minutes of Beelzebub's balls thrown in for good measure.
Thankfully, 'Ricay perk up. Unlike Kate but I digress. The normal threats from set pieces, then Alex Osborn puts the Essex visitors ahead with a low shot just inside the area. It's looking good. Billericay create chance after chance. It seems just a case of how many. Until David Wheeler is in space 22 yards out. Staines first meaningful shot, right on half time, and somehow they're level.Stevo in Super League last night he was surprised but that nothing surprises him. Daft as it sounds, it summed it up perfectly. I could hear a couple of 'Ricay fans in front of me, murmuring "I might have bloody known it."
Staines came into more on the second half, but still Billericay controlled. About 13 million corners on the right, all finding the head of Rob Swaine or Chris Wild. All just wide, over, or cleared off the line. At the midway point in the second half you could see it happening. A home break and Billericay wondering how they got beat.
Everyone's perspectives change though. Nathan Green charges in for a ball in the six yard box and clatters into Staines keeper Jack Taylor and defender Sam Bates. Just one of those things, nobody's appealing, even though the ref has given Staines a free kick. Except Sam Bates hasn't got up.We wait. And wait. And wait. 5 minutes pass. Then more. A stretcher is called for. Then a neck brace. Wheatsheaf Park falls silent. Football really doesn't matter too much. Everyone is looking over at the six yard box, hoping for some kind of conscious movement.
Sam is stretchered off to a waiting ambulance, with the obligatory huge round of applause from both sets of supporters. Suddenly my moans about getting there, and my radio equipment going tits up (unlike Ka ... no, I won't finish that thought) are pretty insignificant, when you see something like that. Fingers crossed the lad is okay.
Play resumes but it's pretty muted both on and off the pitch. 'Ricay are still pressing, and looking dangerous at set pieces, Staines still showing a bit of menace on the break, but it's meandering away to a draw. It seems like the decent thing for everyone bearing in mind that injury.Don't you believe it, though. Players still want to win. 'Ricay win another corner. This time Rob Swaine doesn't bother using his head. It hits his shoulder instead. This time it does the trick. 2-1 to 'Ricay. Despite the 11 minutes of injury time, and Dale Brightly being called on to make a decent save, it's all very comfortable.
11 days ago, we were all wondering if the New Lodge lads were up to the Conference South, after letting slip a two goal lead in the last five minutes. Now after this win, they're up to 8th. I guess Craig Edwards was having a wry smile. Supporters? Press? What the f*** do they know?
All I know is that the trip home was a damn sight quicker with the sat nav turned off. We might have had to travel 18 junctions on the M25 instead of 12, but it was a damn sight quicker. As we went home, a trip to see emerging promotion challengers Southend United at League 2 leaders was being planned. Then I saw the FA Trophy results. With all due respect to Brentwood - oh bollocks. Tuesday night replay in Harlow. You could've done the decent thing and let yourselves get beat than have to go there. Still, football is football, however grim the place is.
Happily, Sam Bates was released from hospital, allowed to go home. If that bloody sat-nav was on, he'd have got home quicker too. But still, an away win, 8th in the table. If crap traffic means away wins, whose gonna worry about that?
With that in mind, roll on Tuesday.
Staines Town 1, Billericay Town 2
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