Don’t ask, but suffice it to say I had fairly harassing day at New Cross hospital, Wolverhampton today. Quite unexpected on a warm day that began with a walk around Walsall Arboretum –interrupted by a phone call and then efficient and friendly paramedics, ambulance staff, A and E people (nurses, doctors and orderlies).

It ended well but one of the things helping me through the day – other than a text about a cheese sandwich – was the offer of a ride to Rochdale for my first game of the season. Cutting it fine – and finally on the outside of a simple (and simply delicious) cheese sandwich – made the rendezvous.

Some getting-together-again banter before setting out on what turned out to be a fairly tortuous journey. Accidents, traffic jams, diversions and red lights for road works. I am, foolishly left in charge of programming a – from what I can tell – state of the art sat nav (as if I would know!) … and eventually get it set – or we are heading for the Rochdale Rugby Stadium. Only time will tell.

There is a request to hold the birthday cake for the return journey and we see some floodlights shining across from the opposite said of a valley as we see Rochdale on signposts. Could it be?

Ends up it is. We jam the car in a tight, just-about-legal space in a one-way street and pile out, going back for the one who is left in the car, stymied by a child lock. We laugh, not sure if he sees the funny side.

We sample the pies inside: steak gets the thumbs up and my meat and potato is most welcome: just hot enough and peppery to perfection.

The Walsall faithful are in good numbers and better voice: in the side stand and we nab seats up at the top with a good view of a well-tended surface in a compact ground.

There is little that can be said for League positions this early in the season. But … we have made a much better start to this season, because it is possible to get left behind from the beginning … and this is what happened last year (we tell ourselves; adding that was then, this is now and nodding wisely). But we start both brightly and – yes, I am going to say it: cockily. Passing easily between players, short passes, long ones, finding a Walsall player. Looking good – and Rochdale seem bemused, ill prepared or just not warmed up. It doesn’t last of course. They soon start to close us down and the passes start to go astray; they are at home after all. But while we seem to pose little or no, neither do they: they seem content to break our play up, rather than following up and doing any harm. Bit of a stale stalemate really. A few chances. Kieron Morris is impressive, intelligently easing the ball away when the Rochdale keeper can’t hold it – Bradshaw cannot put the short pass into the net _ he’s good but not that good! Milan Lalkovic quieter and more easily subdued than I would have liked: he was stunning while here on loan with erratic and brilliant random spins, runs and passes. Everybody has an off day of course: maybe this is his?

Throughout it all there is the rolling thunder of chants and support from our left: not all making geographical sense, but all in a good cause and showing spirit and humour if not musical ability.

And the Rochdale challenges are (diplomatically speaking) strong, prompting no card-reaction from the referee. So, inevitably while we are able to ride these crisp, no-nonsense tackles our stronger players start to front up as well. Fair is fair and the contest equalises out.

 

Second half well under way and a couple of changes: Sawyers and Forde on for Flanagan and Lalkovic.

Rochdale have the ball in the net, but it is bravely –and properly – disallowed: off side prompted derision and mockery from my left. The Rochdale fans go quiet again (“Your support is worse than ours” is the next chant and “Worse than a library, it’s even worse than a library!”)

Adam Chambers has been so busy, covering a lot of the field: the man furthest forward, winning last ditch tackles and shepherding the ball. O’Connor, playing at centre half is strong; his one mistake heading back to an agile goalkeeper who had come out for the ball (and had to sprint back and punch it out). He is an acrobat this Neil Etheridge, busy, stretching and leaping, getting bowled over a couple of times. But also, so far, resilient.

We go ahead marvellously after Taylor starts a move and gets into the box to hammer the goal in.

Some fans around me want us to calm the game down, keep the ball, but we continue to press forwards. Not at all like last season when we sat, mistakenly, on one goal leads and had the game snatched away. Not this season. Sam Mantom gets his second goal in two games (he dedicated the goal last game to his great grandfather) with a powerful, deflected shot.

It is only really then that Rochdale look like a threat going forwards, throwing four men up and taking no prisoners in physical tussles. It is noticeable though that it takes their players longer to get up after the ball has gone. Lack of fitness, ability, commitment or pride?

They do get a consolation goal, but we turn away, with the floodlights lighting up the foliage of sycamore trees and head back to the car for some of that cake!

In international sports news former Olympic athlete and present Tory politician Seb (now Lord) Coe has been elected as President of the International Amateur Athletics Federation). The sport is currently beset – as cycling was a couple of years ago – with allegations, rumours and attention on drug taking to enhance performance. He faces an interesting (Chinese curse: may you live in interesting times) few years.

More locally Worcester will be hosting the international Women’s Wheelchair Basketball finals and, in a bid to understand, the press releases say, the problems faced by wheelchair users the Mayor of Worcester took to the streets today in a wheelchair. If it is a gimmick it is a good one – and just maybe some good will come of it. Good luck to all taking part.

Meanwhile for all that these are the earliest of early days Saddlers are third in the table and a have a home game against top-of-the-table Coventry City coming up. Saturday!

New Year? Happiness ?

2015!

This year, instead of watching –as is usual – Jools Holland and his Hootenany show we opt for Queen + Adam Lambert – a concert which bridges the London fireworks spectacular and has Queen’s latest singing recruit with splendid stage show, great voice and a respectful attitude to the legacy of Freddie Mercury.

 

Traditionally however I always step outside – and remember the days when it was to hear the church bells. In 2015 t is definitely about fireworks. Oh and those candle lifted parachutes which I am bound to call, most probably wrongly “Chinese lanterns”. Five of them are scooting by, in U.F.O formation driven by some powerful wins. Nobody else steps out of their houses.

Happy New year everyone.

It brings the New year’s Honours List as an established tradition. For 2015 it is pleasing to note that 50% of the honours have been awarded to women (how fair can you get) and that 5% of the awards are for “sports”. Notable is the Commanders of the O.B.E (Order of the British Empire) to Mrs Margaret Mary Aspinall. Chair, Hillsborough Family Support Group, Liverpool. For services to Bereaved Hillsborough Families. (Liverpool, Merseyside) who insists that this is “on behalf of all of those involved

All round good guy Steve Cram gets the MBE. He was the youthful “everyman” who emerged from the personality-clash between “toff” Seb Coe and the painfully shy-but-eccentric Steve Ovett when athletics was becoming a popular TV sport. He has continued with enthusiasm and humour to work with the media and sports coaching in his home town: incredible. Seb Coe went into politics and was a mainstay of our Olympic Games machinations. Steve Ovett? No idea!

Also worth mentioning, although apart from wonderfully-cutting poem “The Shirt” nothing to do with sports, Carol Ann Duffy is also honoured. She’s originally from Stafford, just down the A34 from here.

The news is about a volunteer aid worker, returning from Sierra Leone who has contacted Ebola – the first case in the U.K.  I cannot help wonder how the system allowed her to get through checks at airports on her return. But, more to the point, why these brave volunteers – no high fees or status in the marvellous humanitarian work that they do – are not quarantined as  routine before leaving, in this case Sierra Leone. In that time any symptoms could be properly diagnosed surely and the correct regimes followed. Now I understand that there is no known cure for Ebola, treatment is at best advanced research; making the roles of volunteer more creditworthy. Other people have recovered, however and I hope this lady does too.

Coventry at home. I have a friend, just got the all-clear from cancer treatment who is a Coventry Fan. Would he like to go? No, he has the decorators coming in, he tells me. I smile; secretly thinking hat it is just an excuse: really he doesn’t want to see what a mauling the Mighty Saddlers will give his team. For this is one of the games I would have attended even if I did not have the luxury of a season ticket. Big crowd. A noisy lot from Coventry: good supporters!

Kick off and they are fast. Playing up forwards furiously. After just a couple of minutes a penalty Is awarded, Romaine Sawyers needlessly –and possibly accidentally – felling a forward runner in the box.

Richard O’Donnell is tremendous: guesses correctly and stops the ball going in. There is that moment of, what vindicated innocence or is it adrenaline, that sense of now you’re asking for it. What? Can’t even score from a penalty? And The Walsall supporters are cheering and willing the team on, suddenly knowing that the football gods are on our side.

Not for long. A loose clearance goes to a Coventry player who absolutely nails a shot into the back of the net! A stunning long range goal. Now the Coventry fans get behind their team again. Coventry continue to play in our half of the field for most of the first half. We seem to have surrendered the mid-field. O’Connor at right back is not as forward going as Purkiss and we have no way to get the ball away. And when we  do – a few occasions – Tom Bradshaw is, for once unable to keep the ball for long enough to make a difference.

But second half; a different story. Dean Smith must have said something fierce – or something that worked any way because the balance swings in our favour. Statisticians point out that we had sixteen shots in that second half, three hitting the posts! But we fail to get the ball into the “sprout bag” … and to rub salt in the wound Coventry score a second late on in the game.

Attracting the otherwise biased Walsall fan was the poorest-so-far-this-season display of refereeing. Inept is too mild a word for a man who whistled to hurry up a throw in (when the player was wasting time) then came over and wasted a further what, forty five seconds, explaining why he should take the throw quickly …whose signals were easily misinterpreted and who failed to give off side when a Coventry player who had just failed in an attack was left perplexed and with no alternative but to have a shot; playing to the whistle like a good professional should.

We talked about going to Preston on Wednesday. I was all for it. I was planning to go to the Football Museum there and make a day of it … only to find out, when Googling the opening times that it is no longer there – moved to Manchester it seems.

So, I also find out I am working on Wednesday.

It’s the first leg of the Northern Area final of the Johnstone’s paint Trophy and on Sky TV. I am invited to watch it at Cully’s house.

Sounds like a plan?