Work Time Home Time

Ok, lots to talk about, notably my Wife's recent blog posting and her kind! addition of old pictures from the late eighties- now I know why I have kept the laptop away from her for this long.
To be honest it could have been a lot worse though. For the countless years of house moves, the location changes, the long phone calls to agents whilst on holiday every year, the uncertainty and the amount of stressful games I have subjected her to she could have really gone to town on me. I don't think my football career has affected her in a negative way, in fact the counselling is down to two sessions a week now and the handbag fetish is tapering off to one a month !!!.

Onto Football, we are all set for the Trophy game against Rushden tomorrow hoping for the same type of run that saw us reach Wembley last year. Training as usual has been competitive over the last few days, a head high Michael Brough tackle was a real highlight- we were winning a small sided game quite comfortably and, as is the norm, someone usually loses it on the opposing side.
That person was 'Broughy' and the recipient? yes moi !. It was only a tickle and although 'Broughy', as is the norm, was very apologetic it was already forgotten. These things happen!.
Saying that vengeance did come in the form of an epic head tennis game after training that same day.
The usual suspects of Hargreaves, Woods and Hodges took on the wannabees of Mansell, Nicholson and Brough. The first game, to 21, was dispatched in typical style by the old boys. Onto the next game, this one was much closer- a combination of our need for a hot bath or some decent opponents and their desire to chase the ball into the next field, suffering spinal damage (Broughy), to salvage a point.
The banter is usually white hot in these games but the sight of Kev Nicholson smashing the ball in to his own face whilst trying to retrieve a 'set' by 'Manse' will go down in head tennis folklore. Everyone on that court was on the floor in fits of laughter after that shot. It was that funny we had to take a short break to compose ourselves and wipe away the tears.
Add to that the effort involved in the salmon like leap made by 'Lamby' Mansell to head a ball into our court, only to see it delicately bounce off the wool on his head and provide us with a point. We were really finding it hard to play on.
Whether it was down to these incidents, the improvement of the opposition or the fact that our bodies were creaking the old boys found themselves game point down. Was it their time to celebrate and gloat and for us to face a walk of shame?
Of course not, come on I wouldn't be writing this if that had happened. The danger was averted and a couple of minutes later victory was ours- a devastating psychological blow for our opponents who were visibly shaken, there's always next time lads !.
It is great to be one of last ones at training, on the pitch or in the gym. Family and body permitting I would be out there all day, I just wish I had done it in the first few years of my career. This I tell to the younger lads all the time. Rushing home to go to the pub or to mess about was the norm for me back then but it was a big mistake- career wise I strongly recommend anyone who wants to succeed to get the most out of each day rather than rush home to complete the next level on Grand Theft Auto !.


CH