Ravens flee the Tower of London! Weekend matchgoing thread

[Big Boobs and FIRE!]

Haymarket.

At first I thought the next wave of snow had arrived, which might put a few games in jeopardy. But of course, with a couple of hundred groundhoppers in the vicinity, a stiff wind means that there is always going to be the hazard of dandruff showers blowing across the Forth.

[Big Boobs and FIRE!]

Just in case you were wondering what 150 virgins, dressed in the bargain bin offerings from Mountain Warehouse, and huddled into a distant Atcost stand, looks like, well let me put you out of your misery.

Burntisland Shipyard v Prestonpans. Absolutely fucking freezing, so off to clear the guide pub at Kinghorn.

[Big Boobs and FIRE!]

I've only just noticed the person behind the goal.

The absolute fucking state of society today.

I'm in a grands worth of Moncler and box fresh micro pacers, and people are wandering around like that.

[Gangster Octopus]

It's bloody cold here in Northampton. And the football's no better...

[Gangster Octopus]

Beautifully taken goal from a free kick puts us one up.

[Gangster Octopus]

A bit of serious goal-battering ends in nowt...

[Big Boobs and FIRE!]

Dundonald Bluebells v Bonnyrigg Rose.

It is sooooo fucking cold I can see why the locals choose to mainline skag through their eyeballs.

Or wear gloves. Both are good options.

[Gangster Octopus]

Snow's coming down heavily now. It's Spring on Thursday...

[Gangster Octopus]

The snow stops and we get our second. Coincide? Yes...

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

It was Spring 15 days ago

[Gangster Octopus]

That's three. Warms the cockles...

[Gangster Octopus]

The Northampton fans trudging up the hill look like war-torn refugees fleeing from an invading army...

[Gangster Octopus]

Finished 0-3. Then did the trudge of death up the hill myself...

[Third rate Leszno]

Carlisle 2-2 Crawley

Fucking cold.



Carlisle much the better side in the first 45, going in a goal up thanks to a wonderfully lazy, curling shot from Richie Bennett.

Second half saw us go 2-0 up after a Fred Karno moment where we missed about 4 attempts to score before Hallam Hope finally took the hint and stabbed it home.

Crawley seemed to take their lead from manager Kewell, not in being fragile and limping off like a shithouse without putting a shift in, but in being whiny and constantly moaning about every challenge. After we'd stood back and let a bloke who seemed to be called Caroline Ahearne (Grant) pick his spot to make it 2-1, Keith Curle decided to make some substitutions, gaining a chorus of boos and shouts of "You fucking idiot" from the Paddock as they saw three of our four best outfielders subbed off, and the hapless Reggie Lambe (who was having a particular stinker) left on.

This came back to haunt us as the otherwise excellent Jack Bonham had a sloppy brain fart with about 8 minutes to go and suddenly it was 2-2, and all our goal threat was now sitting on the bench. The game shivered to a close at 2-2 and I set off back down the M6, getting increasingly snowy over Shap and some daft cunt had contrived to roll a Mercedes Sprinter van on the run down to Tebay.

Not so much snow at Killington lake, so I stopped to grab a box of 20 chicken nuggets - was in there a whole 11 minutes but by the time I came out, the scene had changed dramatically. Made for an interesting single lane slither down the next few miles until I'd dropped altitude enough for it to clear by J.36.

[Big Boobs and FIRE!]

Back in happy valley and a good six inches has fallen since four o'clock.

I am fast becoming the Banksy of the northern, snow based, station cock art scene.

I am campaigning to have it as a genre in next years turner prize. As a minimum I want it as a demonstration event in the Winter Olympics. Well, if anorexics on tea trays can make it, why not spunking phalices?

That last sentence, probably not the phrasing of a question that has ever been asked before. I am utterly cunted and am going to bed.

[Ray de Galles]

I've only just noticed the person behind the goal.

The absolute fucking state of society today.

I'm in a grands worth of Moncler and box fresh micro pacers, and people are wandering around like that.

The above post is gold dust for anyone who has wondered what it might be like if EIM did BB&F!’s posts for a day.

I am too wankered from a day out at a terrible game of rugby to contribute further.

[Merlin the happy pig]

Would've quite liked to have gone on the Scottish hop, couldn't afford it though so went to see Oxford United actually win a Home game 2-1 verses Peterborough.

[Furtho]

Belting Spartan South Midlands League Division 2 game in light snow at Old Bradwell United, which is the ground you can see immediately next to the railway line if you go through MK on the train. OBU had won something like their previous six straight matches but were up against another form side in Mursley United, Mursley being a small village just to the west of the MK conurbation. A handball by the Old Bradwell captain gave Mursley an early penalty, easily converted, after which the visitors didn’t look back. I wish I had done, though, as it might have given me a chance of seeing their second goal just before half time, when my focus of attention was instead on getting back into the clubhouse for a hot drink. Ended up 5-1 to Mursley. After full time I went along the road from the ground to the, er, Chinese supermarket to pick up kimchi and natto before heading home to get warm. All in all, splendid.

[Uros Predic]

Welling United 1-3 Oxford City

Panic postponements galore in the Southern Counties East League, and an unwillingness to queue in the cold at Bromley meant I plucked for Welling, who'd even gone to the trouble of remarking their lines in blue... meaning you couldn't really see the lines. Welling were by far the better side for the first hour, but fell apart from then in with the visitors running in three goals. Lot of time for Oxford too, from their rag-tag bearded forward to their travelling fans singing 'Sweet like Oxford' to Shanks & Bigfoot, they made it an entertaining game.

The cold weather meant I made my first foray into the two clubhouses; the Erith & Belvedere one wins hands down in terms of miscellaneous football tat, albeit soundtracked by an errant 11-year-old playing the piano in the corner.

[Southport Zeb]

A few Julys ago I went to Lockerbie to watch Mid-Annandale's first game of the season. Despite playing on an artificial pitch it was abandoned after about 25 minutes due to flooding. With there not being much to the ground I wasn't worried about going back, but as they were holding the first game of this year's Scottish Groundhop I decided to go along on Friday evening and join people who were sharing the numbers of buses they had seen in Dumfries that afternoon. It was cold but dry and the match was decent, finishing 6-3 to the home side.

Saturday started with the Kirkcaldy Parkrun and then Burntisland Shipyard (see above). Cold and windy throughout, with flurries of snow. Reasonable game won by visiting Preston Athletic.

From Burntisland it was on to Kelty where the local side have just moved out of Junior football and have taken to their new status pretty well, having won 18/18 in the league before today. Visitors Tweedmouth had lost 16/16 so it wasn't a surprise that this one was a bit one sided, Kelty winning 11-1. A new stand gave some respite from the wind. Despite their 100% record Kelty aren't clear favourites for the title - Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale have also won all their games but played a few less.

Next was Heriot Watt v Leith Athletic. The home side usually play on one of the outside pitches at the campus but this was held indoors at the Oriam Sports Centre. A bit odd watching a game inside. The students took a 2-0 lead before Leith got going and came back to win 3-2.

There should have been a further game in the evening at the aforementioned Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale, but this was postponed due to the weather. Having got very cold watching a game there at the end of May a couple of years ago I wasn't too disappointed as I suspect it would have ended in hypothermia.

Today it was rugby league and the Challenge Cup tie between Workington Town and London Broncos. The visitors are top of the Championship but had a surprisingly narrow win over their League One hosts, with the final score 22-20. Admittedly the final score made it look slightly closer than it actually had been as Workington got a consolation try right on the final hooter. I believe Derwent Park had a refurbishment before it hosted some World Cup games in 2013, which makes me wonder what state it was in before hand. Really liked it though.

[Toby Gymshorts]

Derwent Park was, and is.......ramshackle.

I could be more scathing but I'll leave it there.

[Guy Profumo]

Well.

That was a narrow squeeze!