11th 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!
Trials and Trails: life and times of a Walsall fan 