View from the Cemetery

So the nominations for BBC Sports Personality of the Year are out, and not a racing driver, horse riding or resembling member of the royal family, or indeed horse known as the latest new Red Rum, in sight. Even the regulation tennis player managed to win something. It must have been a disastrous year for British sport. Has nobody managed an unlucky second in a Grand Prix? Where are the usual tennis failures? Has that bloke with the pipe packed in playing bowls? Surely we have one horizontal heavyweight to our name? Must have been damn near impossible for the committee to come up with an appropriate list with nothing but a load of gold medal winning, Ryder Cup retaining, mountain climbing on a bike riding, top class, world dominating winners to pick from. Its damn unEnglish if you ask me.

Mighty fine effort by the boys the other night, rode our luck a bit but never mind, a very creditable point against the reigning champions. Showed some real fighting spirit. Our old boys were out in force, Rash, Sparky and Joe all obviously keen to do well, running about, not something Rash usually does, and shooting on sight. Was it just the lights or is Rash's hair coming back? No, you are right, it was the lights. I digress.

A bit of a kerffulle I hear over West's plans to up their prices, in fact to double them, when the hordes from Darlo come to town. Much wringing of hands and threats of boycotts in the air. Which got me thinking, how will we cope on that frosty night in January? Has anyone bothered to tell the neighbours yet? I thought not. Better get your courage up methinks and get a few notes through doors, or is that inviting trouble? God knows what Tracey will think when she finds a double decker parked on her drive. Well, that's not right, we do know what Tracey will think, and it isn't "how quaint". Of course it won't come to that I'm sure, but is access quite as bad anywhere else in the League? Probably not I guess, so some good thinking required over the next few weeks, though sod's law probably means the game will be postponed three times and happen some time in April. Should be a very interesting night though, whenever it is played, and might it challenge the attendance record? 

Sorry if I offended anybody with my remarks the other day. For the avoidance of doubt let me confirm my outright admiration for all Northern League clubs and especially the ones in Ryhope, and my fervent desire to see, or at least listen to, a Ryhope derby sometime soon, and very hopefully next season. Blimey, you have to be careful....