Auld Lang Syne - matchgoing thread

[Kevin S]

Yes, it's been a very long time since I went to a match, probably before the children came along, but on Saturday we're taking the boy to his first ever game - Ipswich v Derby. He's crazily excited, which is brilliant. So fingers crossed that his favourite players, Waggy and Bart, live up to expectations.

[longeared]

Hope he enjoys it, Kev.

Tomorrow - fuck knows, will see if anything local survives the snow and rain. Monday - rare visit to Hillsborough for Sheffield Wednesday v Burton Albion.

[Gangster Octopus]

Edgware Town v Wembley on the plastic at Kingsbury should survive tomorrow. Not sure about Wealdstone v Hampton and Richmond on Monday though.

[Southport Zeb]

Tomorrow I'm planning on watching Bolton Lads & Girls Club take on Atherton LR's Development team in the Manchester League. My plan for Monday is Skelmersdale United v Prescot Cables but fully expect that to be called off due to the weather. Then I'm thinking of going up to Scotland on Tuesday, aiming for Dunfermline but with East Fife's plastic as a backup.

[E10 Rifle]

Orient v Bromley, who battered us 6-1 in August. Might even take the whole family, such is the perkiness that four straight wins brings. But that'll probably jinx it.

[JVL]

No football on over here, so it's ice hockey for us tomorrow: Halifax Mooseheads v. Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (which also includes teams from all over the Maritime provinces). Wonderfully daft names, a sell-out crowd, and the teams will be competing for the Hurley Cup, which seems to add some spice to this (by Canadian standards) local rivalry, as the two cities are separated by just 200-odd miles...

[Ray de Galles]

Saturday is a double-header. I’m taking my wife and son to Twickenham for Harlequins v Northampton in the home club’s tenth “Big Game” where they decamp over the road to the Heart of Darkness for their post-Xmas fixture and attract crowds of 70,000+. Then I have a (hopefully) fast car waiting to rush me to Alexandra Palace for the semi-finals of the Darts World Championships (the wife and son not joining me for that one surprisingly).

I’m off to Wimbledon v Southend on New Year’s Day, the Dons hopefully turning a corner from a largely terrible 2017 in the league. On Tuesday evening I’m going to Fulham v Ipswich with a mate who emigrated to Florida a year ago and is back in London for one night en route home from Xmas in Denmark and fancied a match. We would have probably gone more obscure but the risk of cancellations was a concern.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Carlisle v Coventry tomorrow. It will survive the weather. We'll aim to concentrate long enough to be aware of the actual fucking score of the game we're watching this time.

[Snake Plissken]

Burnley vs Liverpool on Monday. It will either end 0-3 or 2-0 depending on which Liverpool shows up.

[Janik]

Cambridge vs Crewe
Both teams won on Boxing Day, so I'm expecting a feast of confident attacking Football.[/wild optimism]

[Third rate Leszno]

Carlisle v Coventry today, my 55th and final game of the calendar year.

Burnley v Liverpool on Monday, wouldn't strongly disagree with Snake's score predictions although I don't see any scenario where Liverpool keep a clean sheet.

[EIM]

Off to watch Manchester United v Southampton. Finish work at 5 so it'll be a mad dash to the ground.

[EIM]

For my now traditional first half nap.

[shackleford]

Off to Aberdeen v Hearts today. Hope it's a bit warmer, and the football is better, than the game on Wednesday v Thistle. Hearts are doing well now so it'll probably be a tight one.

[imp]

For my now traditional first half nap.

Do you actually fall asleep? My Mum used to doze off when we went to Lincoln together in the early 80s.

[Gangster Octopus]

Edgware Town v Wembley on the plastic at Kingsbury should survive tomorrow.

It probably has, but I couldn't face the (short) walk, so I'm in a pub watching Jeff Stelling with the sound turned off...

[Third rate Leszno]

Carlisle United 0-1 Coventry City

I'm really not sure what it is that Keith Curle tells his players at half time, but I can only imagine it's something along the lines of:

"Ok lads, you were beginning to get on top there, stringing some nice passing moves together and really causing them problems.

So what I want you to do after the break is go out there and pretend you've never met any of your team mates, or ever trained with them. Forget any tactical advice I gave you, treat the ball like it's a hand grenade with the pin out and welly it to fuck or just kick it straight to one of their players in the hope it blows them up. Oh, and make sure you give away an absolutely calamitous goal at the earliest possible moment."

Obviously I was delighted that the team listened carefully and implemented his plan to the letter. Ffs.

[Southport Zeb]

I had planned on going to Bolton Lads & Girls Club v Atherton LR Development, but that was called off in the morning. Instead I headed over to the Wirral for the West Cheshire League game between Neston Nomads and Newton. Neston were promoted to the top division last season and, because of ground grading issues, had to move from their own ground in Neston to one of the 3G pitches at Vauxhall Motors. The complex at Vauxhalls is undergoing a lot of reconstruction, with a new clubhouse and gym being built as well as some housing.

Newton were 3-1 ahead after half an hour but Neston were level by half time - defending from corners was Newton's big problem as all three goals for the home side came this way. Neston took the lead early on in the second half and looked like they were just about going to hang on. However Newton had lots of pressure and eventually got an equaliser, only to leave one of the Neston forwards unmarked on the edge of the area allowing him to get a late winner.

Newton almost certainly have amongst their ranks the most successful sportsman in the West Cheshire League, as one of their central defenders is Liam Smith, who had a spell as World Light-Middleweight boxing champion a couple of years ago.

[EIM]

Do you actually fall asleep? My Mum used to doze off when we went to Lincoln together in the early 80s.

If I've been working then yes. Almost certainly. Quick 5 minutes around the half an hour mark, refresh myself ready to fight, fight, fight for a United pie at half time.

[E10 Rifle]

Leyton Orient 0-1 Bromley

I've spent a lot of 2017 applauding players after defeats, but none after a better performance than yesterday's. Down to 10 men after four minutes when one of those borderline-but-probably-but-not-definitely straight reds, we ended up losing to a reasonably slick and well-drilled Bromley. Nonetheless, the pressure, shape and confidence shown was a world away from just four weeks ago, when we'd have lost a game like that 5-0. We're gonna be in non-league for a while yet but there is hope. Happy new year.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Carlisle United 0-1 Coventry City

I'm really not sure what it is that Keith Curle tells his players at half time, but I can only imagine it's something along the lines of:

"Ok lads, you were beginning to get on top there, stringing some nice passing moves together and really causing them problems.

So what I want you to do after the break is go out there and pretend you've never met any of your team mates, or ever trained with them. Forget any tactical advice I gave you, treat the ball like it's a hand grenade with the pin out and welly it to fuck or just kick it straight to one of their players in the hope it blows them up. Oh, and make sure you give away an absolutely calamitous goal at the earliest possible moment."

Obviously I was delighted that the team listened carefully and implemented his plan to the letter. Ffs.

For the second game running the real action was on the east stand concourse. During the Boxing Day game, when as previously reported we missed five minutes of the second half and an Accrington goal (which we didn't know about til after the game), the queues at the bars were chronic, with people's mood not helped by discovering at the front of the queue that they'd ran out of beer.

So for yesterday's game, the club CEO and commercial manager were both prowling round at half time checking on whether the catering company had made the agreed improvements. So we took the opportunity to raise a few issues about the management of the club, and a frank exchange of views was had, particularly on the personal performance of the two of them.

It was better than the football.

[Gangster Octopus]

They've got Timothy Taylor's Landlord on as guest ale at the Vale. Excellent!

[Third rate Leszno]

San Miguel and some festive cask at the Brewers Fayre in Burnley. Sunny when we went in, pissing down when we came out!

27 years ago this was my first away trip with Carlisle, in a bit of synchronicity we've brought 16 yr old nephew along today for his first proper away game with Liverpool.

[HORN]

In the dim and distant past I once saw Newport secure a 1-0 win at Exeter in New Years Day thanks to a last minute header from Karl Elsey, who is probably in his mid-sixties now.

Anyway. Newport v Exeter. Come on!!!

[Gangster Octopus]

The Landlord's run out. Time to go and watch the football...