The Difference a Few Days Make:Gillingham Away/Southend at Home.

Part One: Before Kick-Off

It’s Saturday morning.

Unusually when my mobile ‘phone rings I am still asleep. It’s nearly 10 a.m. we were at our youngest daughters yesterday. Amongst other things (motorbike tyres, Lidl, getting the horses in and eating we watched The Warriors film ( a version of the return journey of ancient Greek general Xenophon/the Odyssey I think) and Captain America, The Winter Soldier. I’ve always been a sucker for the wonderful myths and legends from ancient Greece – and marvel Comic stories.

 

Coming into vague consciousness to answer the call – and recognising how to operate the damned thing – I hope I exhibit more of Captain America than the Hulk. Though Saddlers Widow smiles at both suggestions when I mention it (just in passing you understand?).

Last Friday (seems so long ago now) I was all fired up: ready to travel to Oldham (I did) and far away Gillingham for what became the epic fifth position-in-the-table (them) versus sixth (us) game.

But, things and a small dip in faith kept me away. Coward-like I bunkered down at home and found the live BBC Radio WM commentary.

So glad I did, but a little ashamed I didn’t actually make the journey. There are no wasted journeys so far this season: we sounded back in form and came out two-one winners. Playing without Tom Bradshaw goals went to Milan Lalkovic and Jordy Hiwula. Rocketing us back to a deserved third place. The top two teams get automatic promotion at the end of the season. Third, fourth, fifth and sixth go into the play offs, the eventual winner of a Wembley final going up to the Championship. OK. I am biased, but we deserve one of the automatic spots! And by Wednesday morning we are in better shape to get it!

So my brother is ringing about going to the game (did Captain America have a brother? I wonder once my brain is organising itself). And he will pick me up at around one-thirty.

The next big match – today’s game against Southend – is getting closer!

Part Two: After The Game.

We decide, on the way to the match that we will get tickets for the last match of the season: Port Vale away. Try to get them before kick-off to deny any last minute changes-of-heart. So he joins the queue for tickets and I head into the savoy Lounge. Only six games left: four at home, two away (Bradford in a week’s time and the final scheduled game at Vale).

On the big screens in the lounge Sunderland are soundly beating Norwich (3 – 0 final score) and I meet up with Andy and Cully. Former Walsall (Leeds and England) player Allan “Sniffer” Clarke had been somewhere nearby – part of a host of former players who paraded at half time. In support, among other things of the Team Margot Foundation, an organisation which campaigns to encourage people to register as bone marrow donors. Margot? A fourteen month old child who died needing just that, having a rare form of leukaemia. In the midst of the fury and intensity of a football match we need reminding, sometimes about real priorities. If you want more details try http://www.teammargot.com

We start to organise a trip to the Bradford game then troop out to our seats. A total crowd of five thousand three hundred and some supporters here. Expectant. But no Tom Bradshaw in the team, not even on the bench. We won without him on Tuesday – and a rest will probably do him a power of good.

From the start we are the superior team. Southend put up a good resistance, but we break through, break them down, put them under pressure. Chance after chance comes our way: we work the spaces, work the passes, alternate. Get shots in: from long range and close in. Their goalkeeper,  Bentley, wearing road-mender orange shirt and shorts did well to save from Sam Mantom, Sawyers, Forde and Demetriou in fast, early exchanges.  And, as usual we are looking good, but, frustratingly,  manage not to score. To their credit this is due to good defending from the visitors – and a little luck along the way.

I am, frankly happy not to be losing: over the seasons I have been to too many games where we over commit going forwards and give away a sloppy goal.

Second half and the frustration begins to show. Hiwula up front Is running well, Rico Henry, playing left back looks a little ragged, Sam Mantom not quite as decisive. But it is noticeable that we are playing further forwards. Sawyers tries his clever tricks and flicks (that have him nominated as one of the League One players of the Season apparently). To no avail. The crowd start to get restless. The minutes are ticking away. Sixty, seventy …

We are winning corners, free kicks, but Southend are stubborn. Southend make the breakaway and have the ball in our net, but the referee disallows it for off-side. Phew!

With two minutes left – and people around me thinking it would end up a goalless draw Forde takes a corner, the ball is clipped into the box and …

Walsall players raise their arms: the ball crossed the line! Didn’t it? There is a moment’s pause. The assistant referee had his flag up immediately. He must have seen it, mustn’t he? What did I see, a Southend defender bending and heading the ball out for the corner. The rush to take the corner. Kieron Morris strutting into the box, Hiwula looking busy centre goal. I was watching for Pennington who had made some useful dead ball runs. The ball coming over. A scramble – all goals don’t have to be tidy, remember – and the ball coming back off the underside of the crossbar. Players turning immediately away, celebrating … because …

After a nervous moment or two – and the assistant referee still signalling for a goal the ref blows his whistle, signals a Saddlers goal and the noise is both wonderful and a relief. Relief! Some fans scramble excitedly onto the field. Then vanish p.d.q. Was it Hiwula who got that final touch? Nobody seems absolutely sure. But we have to hold on for an extra five minutes additional time. A few seconds before we, in the crowd, were wishing for more time to score. Now it is exactly the opposite!

We do hang on; play smart, keep the ball. True, goalkeeper Etheridge has been in fine form all game keeps out a determined last few minutes of raids – and …

Second placed Burton have only managed a draw. We are in third place, but now – if we win our game in hand – will go above them: equal on points, better goal difference. And the future is in our own hands again.

The Swindon match on Tuesday is going to be another tense affair. But exciting tense!

Spirits High? You Betcha! Gillingham at Home

Hallowe’en evening: home.

Last week the clocks went back (Daylight Saving Time which was introduced in a time when it was necessary – not like now when electric light is so freely available it seems) and today is actually Hallowe’en.

I am sitting upstairs typing this having been preparing a bonfire tis morning (for next Saturday evening, though the actual bonfire night is 5^th November) …and fireworks are already lighting up the dark, clear skies outside.

Expectations of the game have been high all week: again it is a top versus second day. Gillingham being one of the league’s top scoring teams; Walsall having the best defence. Quite properly local papers have been full of this … how good it is to have lowly Walsall being accorded this praise and recognition. And so richly deserved!

And Gillingham, not surprisingly brought coachloads of noisy fans to cheer them on.

Queuing up, with my brother before the game to get a ticket for next week’s home F.A. Cup match against Fleetwood (at home next Saturday) we were told by one of the stewards that the office was now only selling tickets for this game :

“… to get every one into this game, next week’s match can wait …” he explained with a smile. Although it appears some grumpy fans were going to make some kind of a protest about this “treatment”: come on people, get a grip; if you were responsible for selling of tickets, what other sensible decision could there be? Really?

Of course, it might just be that it would mean less tickets being sold – say if the result – or the performance were poor.

A lot of fuss was also made before kick-off that the Royal British Legion would be using the game to “kick off” (pun intended) the local Poppy Appeal. Indeed there was an honour guard and a reading of the Kohima Declaration and a one minute silence (brilliantly observed by all fans  (but why were TV sets left on, with the commentary ruining the perfect, respectful silence (note to stewards!)) … but where, oh where were the poppies and collection boxes? Perfect opportunity blown: I had money and orders for two!

Walsall is properly recognised as a local community club and I feel proud when they take public part in such traditions. Clearly the fans around me felt the same.

Seems we were opting for the 4-4-2 system again; leaving Rico Henry (a tremendously energetic , intelligent and willing runner) a little further back and with greater defensive duties than usual, Jason Demetriou likewise in the right back slot opposite to him. Neil Etheridge back in goals and Paul Downing and James O’Connor in the middle of defence.

Gillingham were on the front foot straight away; pushing us back and opening up spaces and making chances. Good too. After eleven minutes a long ball put MacDonald in a one on one race with O’Connor and the ball was in the Walsall net. We were looking a little desperate at times, but, this season we have seen the team come back again and again, so the next action would be worth watching.

Except that Gillingham’s somewhat prima-donna-ish young “star” Dack was left unmarked in our box, slipped, regained his feet, slipped towards the gaol and fell over (maybe too easily) when Downing attempted to get the ball way. Penalty! No real arguments. Downing may have been suckered, but should have been sharper earlier.

Etheridge tried some professional time wasting kidology tricks but the ball was smashed professionally into the net.

So: not only one down, but now two – and maybe demoralised by events.

Absolutely not!

So proud of the team for getting heads-down and we’re in this together, rather than pointing accusing fingers at Downing.

And mounting pressure on the opposition. Passing got sharper, players running into spaces, making space and, with just a little necessary needle creeping into the play we set Gillingham back on their heels. Not easy, they were cool and professional at all times …

Until, almost out of nowhere (with our poorly hit shots (sound familiar?) whizzing over the bar time after time, Kieron Morris cut in from the right wing, dropped a shoulder and popped a vicious left footed shot into the side netting.

Gillingham were rocked at this point, struggling to contain our running and we took over the game.

Within seconds a busy Milan Lalkovic was there to bundle the ball over the line for the scrappy – but they all count! – equaliser. Breathless and stunning: the Gills supporters having been loudly proclaiming their status as “top of the league” fell silent – and no wonder.

Half time!

The second half saw us more in control, Gillingham stretched , though never in panic. Refereeing decisions upset both sets of fans as defenders – mostly visiting ones – became frustrated. One wonderful flare up between a typically emotional (bless him) Milan Lalkovic and the full back had Walsall players properly taking the Walsall winger away to calm down. He came back to the referee and took the yellow card; the defender also being cautioned for his over eagerness to make his point to the official. Fair enough!

Towards the end, we noticed Rico Henry seeming to struggle – I became worried – he turned his ankle and does not know how to slow down. Substitution please, I am thinking. But nobody is paying any attention to me – and in the dying minutes, after repelling Gillingham attack after attack the ball is played – a ball too many? A ball too far? – for Rico. Ever willing he makes it to the ball, takes on the defender, gets into the box and seems to push it too far ahead of himself …

…surely it’s going out for a goal kick ?

… but no; with a superhuman effort he reaches it, cuts it back, a shot goes in, is beaten out only for Demetriou, who has been in the papers talking about getting his first club goal, belting a stunning volley

… into the net.

The crowd went crazy! Real emotional outburst, partly from the justice-being-done feeling after the street-wise antics of the Gillingham players, partly just joy!

All around the home fans.

Justifiably – top of the league.

Then comes the substitution – Henry replaced by Taylor – and the game runs out.

Long way home for the Gillingham faithful, who deserve every credit: proper supporters every one of ‘em.

The crowd is still cheering as we exit the ground, walking briskly back to the car. Passing a guy who reckons he has two bets on the Saddlers: £100 to get promotion and £100 to win the league. His ‘phone rings and he thinks he is being called by radio WM to talk about the game. Good luck on all three counts my friend.

Thanks to my brother to and from the game. This is turning into a really fine season: delusions of mediocrity surely cannot be far away … and clearly the whole football club believes in itself.

I do not join the queue to get my Cup ticket – I’ll catch up with that in the week (hopefully a good crowd, but even so, don’t think it’ll be a sell-out!

Elsewhere the rugby union world cup final has New Zealand beating Australia: a southern hemisphere derby played in the “old country”. Hopefully lots of money was raised for the clubs and associations taking part – and for Blighty too (noble hosts – no choice actually). But, brilliantly, modestly and touchingly when a teenage fan is ungraciously tackled to the floor (trying to get an autograph perhaps?) by a security guard at the feet of the All Blacks doing their lap of honour, the players take over, look after the lad, escort him back to his folks and – Sonny Boy Williams actually gives the youngster his actual World Cup Winner’s medal. How brilliant is that! He has my respect (and is later given a second medal, so he has given away something and had it again – compassion and humility being rewarded!)

In MotoGp Valentino Rossi, topping the riders championship got out of line and out of sorts in the last race and, subject to an official enquiry has been docked important points and, far more grave will start the final race from the back of the grid. Rossi has always been a fierce competitor but seems to have been untypically rattled by Mark Marques in the race – and Lorenzo, second in the championship looks set to prevent “the Doctor” getting an amazing record setting title this year.

 

Reality Check: Gillingham at Home.

The question to ponder here is what exactly do referees say to players who have committed offences; especially the brutal and heinous ones? These are professional footballers remember? Football is their livelihood and their lives. They train, train, play and train: set pieces, tackling, heading, off-sides … the whole nine yards.

So … does the referee need to remind them that, barging somebody over, thuggishly from behind is against the rules? Does the referee need to remind said offender (for which read cheat or bully) that this behaviour is not allowed, will not be tolerated?

Or should the referee simply blow the whistle and dig out the red card?

We played Gillingham on Sunday evening (yes I know it’s weird, but we’ll get to that okay?) and Gillingham were out to intimidate, scare and rattle the Walsall team. At one point James Chambers was literally bounced over the goal line and onto the pitch side wall by a blatantly unfair push in the back when shielding the ball from a Gillingham player. The ref spent an inordinate amount of time “talking” to the man responsible and instead of, justifiably sending him off pulled the yellow card.

What?

A Chelsea player, stamping on the foot of an opponent got sent off this week because his actions were deliberate and could have seriously damaged a fellow player. This was exactly the same: Chambers could have been literally taken out of the game for a number of games after the crash into the wall: a sold object. Deliberate! Intentional!

Now I do blame the player to some extent. He did it after all. But a greater responsibility lies with the officials. Make an example of these thuggish tactics and they will not continue.

This ref made enemies of both sets of fans during the game with mind-boggling displays of ineptitude all over the pitch, favouring neither one side nor the other. I do not think I have ranted too mush about refereeing decisions in this blog, so trust me: this ref was a clown.

Gillingham sacked Peter Taylor their manager some weeks ago and are currently operating some kind of management by committee structure. We joked about each of the four choosing a different line a la Football Manager computer game (“You get to choose the goalkeeper this week, I’ll choose the defenders”). They were beaten in the other Area Final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy by Bristol City and were, understandably out to get some respect back. Gillingham is a fair journey on a fair day, but with a six p.m. kick off on a Sunday evening ? Their few travelling supporters have my deepest respect.

This was a rearranged fixture, arranged for Sunday by negotiation. We cannot play our Sunday games earlier, because the Bescot Sunday Market takes precedence: so I set out, picked up my brother and parked up, feeling rather surreal.

“It’s not cold,” my brother cheerfully remarked. It got cold during the game and was well towards freezing as we trudged back to the car.

Cully is still tremendously excited about getting to Wembley and we spent most of the first half going over getting-to-Wembley options. The tickets go on sale to season ticket holders on Friday. A lot of the game went by, all but un noticed. I wondered if our players might be a little awe-struck; concentrating on staying fit and uninjured so as to be available for the Wembley game. And, while I was wondering I was hoping not. We still have a chance of play off places and promotion and that won’t happen if players won’t go in where it’ll hurt.

The players might have been tired and emotionally drained but there was no chickening out of challenges and we were largely in control of the game, but – as has happened so many times this season we were in little danger of actually scoring: on top, a lot of shots, but nothing to show for it.

James Chambers, nursing that injury no doubt didn’t come out for the second half; replaced by O’Connor.

Tom Bradshaw had some very neat, edge of the penalty area footwork and a tidy shot, but immediately looked uncomfortable, quickly replaced by Ashley Grimes – who hasn’t scored for a couple of years. And, with the defence expecting an off-side flag Gillingham broke away and they are one nil up. Deep joy for the travelling supporters, probably imagining a happy journey home at that point.

But we went on the Bradshaw-less rampage. Cook playing well, Sawyers missing a shot, Forde showing good control (amazing how little space players like Cook need down the touchline to get by defenders) and, finally thanks to a scrappy challenge from O’Connor  who else but Ashley Grimes stuck the ball into the net! Easy to see how relieved he was. But Bradshaw’s injury looked serious , so – with Manset leaving us to go the Cheltenham Town – Grimes might be our main man for a few weeks.  Please note, however we did pounce (if that is the correct verb) to secure a month long loan of rising Manchester City teenage star, Jordy Hiwula apparently a striker too.

Final score one all, not a great deal of help in our crawl towards promotion, but being a Walsall supporter is never easy. If it was, surely we’d get more supporters at home games.

Gillingham: Home

Strange how days seem to merge and blur over the Easter break. With the game at Carlisle on Good Friday the day seemed like a Saturday with me typing on the computer, listening to the radio commentaries and actually expecting there to be a Match of the Day on TV (there wasn’t of course). Saturday seemed strange with Premiership matches going on (including Sunderland beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge handing Liverpool a good chance to establish a real challenge for the title in Sunday’s game (they took it, beating Norwich City fairly convincingly)).

And today’s bank Holiday home game against Gillingham adding to the confusion.

Or was it only confusing for me?

The people at the booking office have been great this season, courteous, efficient and helpful. I will not be needing this service next season as I now have a season ticket (apart from advance buying away tickets and – ooo-er – tickets for our –we can but hope – Cup run). My thanks to them all.

Bright, sunny journey. Birds singing, my car freshly cleaned inside and flowers springing up everywhere. Gossip on BBC WM is that David Moyes will be sacked by Man United (this is the way that rumours start, I’m thinking, start, build up credibility and become fact). I am deeply jealous of the resources that man Utd have (or apparently command) but aware that behind that is the spiral-drive for success and then success-plus. I had hoped that a club like United would stand against the trends. Moyes was reasonably successful at Everton after all and, in my opinion deserves a longer bedding-in period. Sir Alex Ferguson was always going to be a tricky act to follow; he managed the football and commercial aspects of the job well – the pressures too!

Meanwhile – it could all be rumour and supposition a la radio – in local place and time I am parked and marching to the ground, past loitering supporters on mobile phones and deep in desultory conversations I head for the seat that will have my name on it next season.

Westcarr’s back from suspension, Lalkovic recovered from his hamstring strain and Gillingham, on paper, poor opposition.

We start strongly, rattle the Gills defence then settle back a little tamely. Febian Brandy is, typically, keen to do well, so too is Lalkovic. They might both be playing to attract attention from Championship scouts, hoping to get deals for next season. I hope we can keep Brandy, but also sensibly think he may cost too much for our means. Lalkovic too.

Paul Downing appears to lead a charmed life today, the referee not penalising what looked like fouls and at least one penalty, eventually and predictably getting booked for a fairly innocuous one later in the game. No appeals from the Gillingham players either, who are starting to look direct and capable. Mal Benning meanwhile, playing at left back is raiding up the wings like a good ‘un, full of pace and ambition and tricky ball skills taking him into some good positions. He rains crosses into the penalty area. Too bad no Walsall player can get on to the end of them.

There is a good following from Gillingham, it’s a long way to travel (a hundred and sixty something miles, translates as three hours or so of travel) at this stage of the season, so fair play to their faithful (a.k.a. noisy) supporters.

Not so many Walsall supporters here. Busy gardening? Decorating? Lost interest? Out of money?

We talk about the November stag night. Venue fixed. Tallin. Flights and hotel to be organised. Leaving Stansted at seven a.m. doesn’t sound too bright but gives us more time in the city I guess. I am looking forward to it – fly out on Friday, back on Sunday … but hope there isn’t a home match that weekend.

Half time. Inside for a coffee. Talk about families, work. Almost forget we are at a football game and kick off has been taken and play is under way as we saunter back out to our seats. Nearby a man is scribbling notes on to a paper. I guess he is a scout for one of the teams we have yet to play. What an interesting task and I wonder how they actually do it? Some pre-arranged format?

Good open play from both teams, but Westcarr tried a couple from long range (unusual for Walsall this season) and from one of them the ball came back off the keeper’s outstretched hand to Brandy, running in to blast into the back of the net.

Some minutes before the end Gillingham are level. The umpteenth team we have helped avoid relegation in the last few weeks … and we have won only two of the last sixteen games. Good job we put a shift in early on in the season.

Elsewhere, tensions are still going on between Russia, the Ukraine and the rest of the world.

It’s Queen Elizabeth’s eighty eighth birthday. She celebrates with a rare “private day” at home with the family, while all over London there are military gun-salutes. We do pageantry so well.

It is also the fiftieth birthday of BBC 2.

Across the pond Boston is extremely security conscious about its annual marathon, following the harrowing scenes at the finish line last year, when terrorists exploded a bomb as runners were finishing. Dreadful!

We were in Boston in October of last year. Having been on an escorted “leaf Peeper” tour of New England and out in the rural parts for many days, Boston seemed intimidatingly cityish as we drove in, but soon took on human proportions as we walked out across the Common.

match images; saddlers.co.uk and Walsall Advertiser

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.

Open Training Session

                            

Nothing to do (well, nothing to do immediately anyway) and the lure of an open training session at the Banks’ stadium. Free.

Enough said eh?

Driving through the lanes I noticed the hedges greening up; large sections of blackthorn blossom (“sloe winter” I think my grandfather would have said, with a smile). Past the arboretum. Talk on the radio is about the approaching Commonwealth Games (Glasgow, Scotland, The World Cup in Brazil: first game is England v Italy!) and the start of the cricket season (which doesn’t and never has particularly interested me).

Bright sun, inflatable have a go goals outside the stand, car park full.

First day of the Easter holidays of course. Well done to whoever organised the day, picking up local school kids (and their parents). About three hundred there. Young children, grandparents, teenagers (trying to look cool – and why not?).

Playing surface is remarkably good. In the stand where a couple of days ago, Bristol City fans celebrating managing to avoid promotion (and doing the double over us!) a couple of people are tidying up rubbish with brooms, gloves and plastic bags.

I have mentioned Stadium Disasters in recent posts (Hillsborough was followed quite quickly by a fire at Bradford). This fire was caused when a match or cigarette ash fell through the boards of the stand into piles of rubbish tucked “out of sight/out of mind” and quickly spread. People rushed – sensibly enough – to get out of the ground, but the outside doors were locked and people died in the crush: those at the front of the rush. And, rather morbidly my mind is taken back to that time.But then Dean Smith is being interviewed on the pitch by our, hmmm, let’s say portly stadium announcer.

There is a deep modesty about Smith here. He speaks well, quietly, no dissembling. He talks about this being a “routine, no-tricks, usual Monday training session”. He mentions the play-offs (“now it seems we can no longer make the play offs” …) and confirms we will be doing “our duty to the other League One clubs” by going out for results in the remaining games and goes on to talk about ambitions for next season, looking for players coming in, young academy players stepping up (for me Bakayoko is a great example of this happening already) and the success o Jamie Paterson and Will Grigg.

But, and I paraphrase here, he also says that while we are looking for players to do a job, we will only take on players if they can add something to the squad and are better than what we already have.

I am reassured. Then announced as on match day with the phrase

“… the pride of the Midlands, the Saddlers: Walsall Football Club” on come the players. They stroll, walk and skip to the centre.

Down below me there are three guys who strike me a professional types. I wonder, lazily if they are scouts. There are players here that have had a good season, should be attracting the attention of higher league clubs. Others, out on loan, Ngoo, Lalkovic (nowhere to be seen), Brandy well worth a look. It might be worth finding out about their attitude to training. They have books, folders and I try to sneak a look but am too far away.

I quietly fill in a form that might win me two tickets to the game on Bank Holiday Monday. If I try hard enough I can visualise myself winning. Can’t I ?

There’s an announcement that the day will be Family Fun Day, cheaper entrance, activities. Again, great local promotion. I hope it brings a few extra faces, young ones to the game. We need fans, that loyalty. This is one way to do it.

The “cleaners” have moved around and are now in the upper tiers of the Tiles R Us stand.

Exercises are intended to stretch the players, a lot of core work, getting rid of the effects, tensions and toxins from the game on Saturday.

Andy Butler is obviously aware of his physical strength; a shame he isn’t this imposing in every game, but shows his strength. The way he did in riding a couple of strong challenges early on in the Bristol game. Confident, relaxed: a captain.

The second training session alongside is run by Richard O’Kelly and is a series of game situations.

I take some photos (A lot actually), enjoy the sunshine, the lack of pressure because this is not a match day and, failing to win the free match tickets, creep away, passing Milan Lalkovic sitting in the stand; presumably resting his hamstring injury.

Carlisle away on Good Friday. Won’t be able to make that long journey (although it was where our first fight back against relegation under Dean Smith started (was that last season or the one before) when we won 3-0 (goals from Will Grigg as I recall).

Then at home to Gillingham on Bank Holiday Monday – have to get my ticket.