No Boxing Day Matchgoing Thread?

[Ray de Galles]

Nobody get to a game on such an important day in the season (both sporting and festive)?

I had hoped to and where we are on holiday has had December 26th fixtures on both times we’ve visited before but this was the response when I e-mailed the local FA about the lack of fixtures on their website ;

As to your email regarding Boxing Day Matches am sorry to inform you that there wont be any matches. One of our sponsor's is having an engagement, the football fraternity will be attending.

Thank you very much for your interest in our football.

I presume they mean social engagement rather than marital but whatever it is my plans were scuppered.

I’m reassured there are are games at the weekend though ;

I've been waiting for conformation on the upcoming games for the 29th -30th
December.

I can now say that these days that we will be having some exciting game of football. I do hope that you have a wonderful here and you enjoy our Premier Games of Football Football Football.

[EIM]

Just got back from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Old Trafford. Went with my Dad for the first time in years and years and we both enjoyed every second. It's like watching a new team.

[Bizarre Löw Triangle]

Wrexham 5 (five) Salford City 1

Watched Wrexham thrash Gary Neville's vanity vehicle Salford City.

I missed Shaun Pearson's third minute header as I'd underestimated the size of the crowd (nearly 8,000 home fans) and was queuing for tickets.

But the late arriving home fans were soon given something to cheer about - Wrexham were three nil up at half time; Salford barely had a sniff and the frustration of their players was starting to boil over. Nathan Pond was hooked before he could get himself sent off, and Piergianni was extremely lucky to escape with a booking when he threw Stuart Beavon to the ground. After soaking up plenty of second-half pressure, Wrexham began to dominate, and they got a fourth with five minutes to go. Salford did then go down to ten men; Tom Walker shown a second yellow for a reckless challenge deep into Wrexham's half - and then in stoppage time Chris Holroyd got a fifth for the home side.

The last kick of the game was a consolation for Salford; a shot that took a wicked deflection to fool Rob Lainton. It was totally undeserved.

Shout out to the 276 away fans for having a songbook consisting of Dirty Old Town, Feed the Scousers, and God Save the Queen - complete with "no surrender"; a repertoire that'd probably make Ewan McColl turn in his grave. Still, they shut right up as soon as their team demonstrated their enthusiasm for surrendering.

[cantagalo]

Decided to give Bristol City away a miss (no trains and £32 tickets) and plumped for Dover 3 Maidstone 1 as it’s close to my Mum’s place where I spent Xmas. Despite trailing 0-1 at half-time, Dover were far too strong for Maidstone and deserved the win.

An enjoyable afternoon, marred only slightly by all the goals and the sending off being down the other end. And surprisingly, Brentford got a point and apparently played quite well. Happy days.

[Bored Of Education]

Chippenham 2 Bath City 2

Much better display than Saturday (even though that was a win). Apart from the mad 5 minutes or so when we let in the 2 goals, we looked the better team, scored our second and could have even got a third to win it even after we had a man sent off. I don't normally criticise the refs as they have a hard job to do and get precious little for it at this level. However, today's ref was overly pernickety, blew up for too many soft decisions and didn't let the game flow. I was saying this, by the way, after the first 5 minutes when he gave everything our way. It wasn't, then, a surprise that someone got sent off even in what was hardly a bruising derby. Anyway, an important point which could even have been three after us going 2-0 down and 1 man down so a performance to be applauded. Really subdued atmosphere for a local derby with 1400+ supporters.

[Merlin the happy pig]

Went to see Oxford United's 0-1 defeat to Southend. It wasn't a classic.

[NickSTFU]

I went to see Shrewsbury at Accrington Stanley. Stanley scored within 25 seconds and it didn't get any better.

Today reminded me way I gave up going to watch Salop away on a regular basis.

[Southport Zeb]

Watched Southport's first home league win of the season against a very poor Chester side. Two goals just before half time and a third late on. The second half saw a load of fog roll on which made viewing difficult, although I don't think it was as bad on the pitch.

[Third rate Leszno]

Carlisle 6-0 Oldham

I don’t know where to begin with this. Oldham were the better team for an hour, in everything but putting the ball in the net. They passed the ball better, got in behind our defence a number of times, but didn’t seem to know what to do with it once they got there.

We had maybe 3 chances in the first half and showed a ruthlessness that’s been missing all season to score with two of them.

At 2-0, it still felt like we were hanging on, and if Oldham had scored one, they’d have gone on to draw or even win it. Instead, we scored a terrific third on the break and after that we were home and hosed. Danny Grainger thundered home a trademark free kick, Rotherham loanee Jerry Yates ran onto a lovely Devitt through ball for the 5th and Gary Liddle marked his 100th Carlisle appearance by bundling one in at the death. More than half the Oldham fans had fucked off by that stage, and I can’t say I blamed them. I’m still a bit stunned by the whole experience to be honest.

[Bizarre Löw Triangle]

Watched Southport's first home league win of the season against a very poor Chester side. Two goals just before half time and a third late on. The second half saw a load of fog roll on which made viewing difficult, although I don't think it was as bad on the pitch.

Apparently a Chester player's partner was assaulted at the final whistle for clapping Chester off.

[Paul S]

Couldn't be bothered this, first time ever.

[Jobi1]

Preston 1 Hull 2

Got an offer of a lift which I couldn’t resist as this represented a rare thing for me – a ground tick of a league ground in the north. Big fan of the floodlights; also that they’ve installed the old turnstiles in the reconstructed stand. Enjoyable game too, with Hull reasonable value for their win.

[Billy Casper]

Barnsley 2-0 Peterborough

We seem to be getting back to our best form again, after a comfortable win against nothing special opposition.

Does Steve Evans always blame the referee when his team loses?

[cantagalo]

Does Steve Evans always blame the referee when his team loses?

Yes.

[Simon G]

Cheltenham 3-1 Franchise

We battered them and it should have been more. I was dreading this game as we've been playing decent over the last couple of months, but we always lose to MK. Alas, we came out of the traps and got right in their faces from the start. Their players didn't seem up for the fight and even though we conceded an equaliser against the run of play the victory was never in doubt.

Mickey Duff has got us playing some superb stuff at the moment, and the fact we're still only 19th sums up how poor our start to the season was.

I won't get carried away, but I'm going into Saturday's "not really a" derby against the Vegan Franchise from Stroud-way with a bit of optimism rather than the dread that I had when the fixtures were announced.

[Patrick Thistle]

We had family visitors so I didn't go to any football. My brother, who was visiting, kept us all updated on the Shrewsbury score. But more excitingly, Barry won their local derby and went top of the league! A mate who went said it was a really good game.

[Janik]

Leicester 2-1 Man City
See most newspapers for a comprehensive report. But it was a good game of Football, for sure.

[ad hoc]

Just been talking to occasional OTFer Noj who apparently went to Caernarfon vs Llandudno with his kids on Boxing day, saw an enjoyably dirty but goalless first half (one red and six yellow cards) and then stood around for a while before they noticed that nobody was coming out for the second half. Apparently there had been an announcement (in Welsh) that the game has been abandoned due to a power cut.