What is it with us and them Teessiders? Spend their lives in all that smog, come up to sunny Ryhope for a bit fresh air, get given the opportunity to have a good shout and bawl to clear their lungs, take full advantage of Defty's hospitality (which somebody tells me has got a lot more interesting of late, much good it does us lads), and then the ungrateful buggers knock us out of the Vase and for good measure pinch the points in an outrageous fashion the next week. Must be a penance for something somebody said once upon a time down there, no doubt an unkind reference to smoggies, children, social workers and rottweilers. Well played Chelsea, come on you pensioners, that's what I say. But good wins either side of the Teesside upset, so overall not bad.
Then a little light relief with the Sunday mob. They make the Saturday team look like Olympic athletes, only not quite so keen on the drugs of course. I jest, I jest, obviously a good deal keener really. And when I heard we were playing some young gentlemen from Merseyside I feared the worst, does no one sell underpants in Liverpool? But, despite them having two sent off it all went off very well, a comfortable win, with the boy who used to play for us and couldn't hit the proverbial with a banjo having a good day and getting two, Defty selling a few comestibles and Fergy counting the money, and counting the money, and counting the money. The lad in charge of the scousers looked quite hopeful he was going to get some cash to pay for the beers on the long ride home; I don't think so. "The cheque will be in the post" the cunning one was heard to say, with a wry smile. Little and Large on the gate made a change from Ronnie as well.
Having said that, speaking personally I am really looking forward to getting a better look at the young boys in action over the next few weeks. I don't think that sounds quite like what I meant to say. I better stick to the big boys. No, that's not quite right either...
Still back to the main attraction, and two wins out of three is not a bad return for a week of league action, means we only have seven games in hand of the league leaders for fifteen points now...
But at least it looks like we are starting to get the side into some kind of order, don't say I didn't tell you. I knew all these fancy dan super star signings wouldn't work out, too mouthy and too ginger for my liking. No, we are much better off with the usual collection of workhorses, clatter merchants, malingerers and smokers of the kind that have graced the playing fields of Ryhope since time immemorial. No offence mind, lads...