“That’s Quite a First Forty Five Minutes …”*

 

11^th August.

Upstairs room: home.

My brother is elsewhere, my usual partners in crime in the south west of England or beyond contact: so- a day on the allotment and listening to the radio (BBC WM commentary on Bristol Rovers v Birmingham City Capital One Cup game) with highlights from the Saddlers at Nottingham Forest and Wolves v Newport County games.

Highlights?

Three changes from the team that drew against Oldham in the season’s first game: Lalkovic in the team, Rico henry in the back three and Kieron Morris playing (Romaine sawyers, Andy Taylor and Jordan Cook stepping aside as it were).

Forest are one of the fancied-for-promotion sides in the Championship, but after eleven minutes Bradshaw has put us in front. Great news and before I can take it in he’s only gone and done it again. two nil up; fourteen minutes gone. Who would have thought it? By half time Forest are putting the pressure on; pulling a goal back. But it’s still sounding good!

Sunday’s tour of Buckingham palace was outstanding; side stepping massive queues and leisurely following and audio tour through geography, society and history. So many marvellous impressions of a brilliantly put together stroll through intense changes and modern royalty. I am impressed!

The journey back is through Chelsea (where is Chelsea Football Club?) past Lord’s cricket ground and a glimpse of Brentford’s football ground and the ridiculous pomp of that Wembley Arch – sorry, still can’t see the point of that.

Meanwhile, after the half time chattering with pundits and esteemed guests (mick Kearns always so refreshingly honest about Walsall, even denigrating players and performances at times. Not this time: he’s surprised, proud and, dammit downright impressed. Me too – even at this distance. The commentary game goes on, sounding frankly boring and I get the impression (perhaps a.k.a. bias) that the producers wished they’d plumped for the game at Notts Forest.

Chambers, usually solid and professional is injured, tries to carry on but has to be substituted. Romaine sawyers coming on in his place. This is definitely not a like-for-like substitution: we don’t have anybody like Chambers!

But – and I’ve seen the video Sawyers is starting the season on fire. An eye opener for me! He is ready to take a pop whenever the chance presents itself. Bradshaw fluffs a shot, the ball drops – a long way – for Sawyers and it’s in the net!

I’m sitting here, big smile on my face. And it gets bigger as time passes, passes, passes. Then, whoops Forest have made a substitution and the sub scores. Surely that’ll be it. The game is nearly finished. But – ouch with a capital Oh! That self-same sub scores an equaliser – and we’re bound to be heading for extra time. (it’s a very classy goal actually, spontaneously taken back heel: confident and cheeky … why is this guy only the substitute?)

But as I am beginning to think that BBC will switch to the Forest game for the inevitable extra time:

“there’s a moment of pure drama here. Walsall have been given a penalty … Tom Bradshaw to take it …”

His first ever professional hat trick. Scored the winner in the final seconds of time-added-on.

A stunning result!

I decide there and then to light up the fire-pit outside, sit and watch the sky for the Perseid meteor shower. Pleased and proud. That result shows spirit and attitude. It may not last for long, but I am pleased to be a Saddlers fan at this moment … and I haven’t been to a match yet!

• quote from BBC reporter at half time – and it wasn’t nearly over by then!

Bradshaw, Blades and Christmas Coming Up …

So … that convincing home win against Barnsley stretches an unbeaten run and puts us four points off the play off places. For those of you unsure about the system: top two teams in the league get automatic promotion to the Championship and those placed three to six enter a play-off with home and away games aggregated score deciding which two teams play in the final for the third promotion spot. To qualify we have to finish better than sixth. That is real progress after a very poor start to the season and, I will reluctantly admit goes some way to vindicating the outwardly calm, no-panic approach of the management team. 

Walsall Football Club always seems to be run on a shoestring budget: if we cannot afford it we ain’t gonna risk it kind of approach. I’m all in favour of that, especially since we have a fine system of scouting that turns up gems like Tom Bradshaw (below right) and get some superb loan players in – Michael Cain (below left)  from Leicester is a current example. It must also be about the relationship between players and staff of course – so I guess something is going well. It certainly felt like it watching the Barnsley game!

 

But our next three games pit us against quality teams who are above us in the league: Sheffield United away, Swindon at home on Boxing day  followed by MK Dons away.

Sheffield United, the Blades, fresh from knocking Premier League Southampton out of the Capital One Cup are managed by Nigel Clough. They play at Bramall Lane. Sheffield, once the knife and cutlery making capital of the world: once the home of the mighty British Steel and the sought-after “made in Sheffield” mark meant quality all across the world. Certainly my grandmother had some of it, set, she always said in whalebone handles.

 

Before the game we take a trip to Cannock Chase to buy a Christmas tree. Choosing a five footer that is now decorated and set up in the corner of the living room. Sentimental attachments to many of the decorations that are reminders of our daughters growing up and of places we have visited. And, so pleasing when the lights come on …

Dreadful news from Peshawar, Pakistan, where a hundred and forty one people, including a hundred and thirty two children have been killed during a so-called terrorist raid. It seems inconceivable that any religion can claim that educating children is wrong but this seems to be the twisted logic behind the raid. Outrageous! Cowardly! The future can only be poorer unless everyone gets and education – surely? Although many students in the developed world may not see it as such – learning – and learning how to learn – is a privilege. The fact that  there are regions of the world that do not have this yet makes us all poorer. That a culture would try to prevent it is feudal and ignorant. Thoughts with the families there – for the very, very little that it is worth.

As a result the Pakistani prime minister has reinstated the death penalty.

Back to sport, where there is some degree of sanity. Rugby Union team Wasps have played ther first game at their new home, the ricoh Arena in Coventry – a long-running saga this one. One-time F.A. Cup giant-killers Hereford United have been declared bankrupt – after ten  court winding up hearings.  While in this year’s F.A. Cup lowly local team Worcester City, having forced a gallant draw in their  first game at Scunthorpe went out in a dramatic replay with a new record number of shoot-out penalties before resolution: thirty in all. Hope it brings few new fans to the Aggborough club.

BBC has had its annual Sports Personality of the Year, reflecting the highs, lows and dramas of sport. Lewis Hamilton (Grand Prix driver) won the overall people’s vote: Cristiano Ronaldo the international player of the year and the first ever GB team from the Invictus Games getting a fine award, with a marvellous tribute from Prince Harry who when asked how he felt gave credit to the athletes but added “like a proud dad!” with a  big, genuine  smile. I am really proud of how far sport for the disabled has come and how that label “disabled” carries no stigma in my country.

We have had no really cold winter weather yet. It gets dark, it is wet, sometimes windy and grey, but cold? Not yet.

So Saturday dawns and I get to the afternoon radio. BBC WM as is traditional for me. Better than BBC Sports Live as it concentrates on local clubs. I am reading with an ear open for the “goal horn” but the  irregular “catch up reports” from Sheffield are not exciting for either side. The commentator makes it sound dull – perhaps it actually is, but that’s not what I want to hear.

Neither some minutes into the second half is that Sheffield have scored. Better news shortly afterwards that Tom Bradshaw has equalised: a splendid header I later see as I watch highlights. That’s eleven goals for him this season so far …

A draw at Sheffield? Tom Bradshaw getting another goal? A run of seven unbeaten games? and Michael Cain’s loan period extended? Keeps me happy.

Merry Christmas!