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!

Carlisle (away)

 

18th April, 2014

Met this guy today; a Liverpool supporter. We were walking across Cannock Chase together, along Oldacre Valley up to the Glacial Boulder and back again. He’s excited that Leicester City are promoted to the premier League, because it means he can watch his team play there: he’s not from Liverpool, so how he got to be a Reds supporter we never got around to.

But he knew we had Michael Ngoo on loan and we talked about how he wasn’t quite fitting into the system, hadn’t scored yet (but has a good record elsewhere, for example when he was on loan at Hearts) and for England Under-21s.

While we were walking we heard the cuckoo for the first time this year. English folklore has it that whatever you are doing when you hear the cuckoo you’ll be doing for the rest of the year. Funny that because some years ago in pretty much this same spot I was taking a mobile phone call from a friend in Austria when I heard (and saw) the cuckoo. She told me the Austrian tradition is to jingle coins in your pocket (or purse) for a year’s good luck.

Then, this afternoon, I’m working on the computer, listening to BBC Radio WM, where they had commentary on what turned out to be an exciting and up-to-the-finish Wolves v Rotherham match with Rotherham fighting back from 3-1 down to 4-4 and losing 6 – 4. With pitch invasions and, no surprise to Walsall fans a couple of Wolves players getting a little uppity.

But in the breaks in the commentary we get reports from Carlisle.

Walsall losing 1 – 0. Carlisle with a lot to play for; their League One survival being a big incentive.

Then Ngoo comes on as sub and scores the equaliser.

One all is not a bad result the way things are panning out but it means every last scrap of mathematically-possible hope of getting into the play offs is now gone.

So, relax and let’s give Gillingham a good pasting on Monday to put a bit of polish on a warm Easter weekend.

I’ve got my ticket.