Shirebrook 5 Eccleshill 1
No game for Retford today, and as it turned out, we didn't need to play to strengthen our position at the top of the table. But with the onset of spring, and with Mrs Oops insisting on doing some decorating, I sought solace down at Langwith Road.
It was never going to be a classic.
Shirebrook were second bottom of the NCEL. Eccleshill were third bottom. And truth be told the omens weren't good. The pre match "entertainment" consisted of piping
Mansfield 103.2 FM thru the PA. Only, no one had bothered to tune in the radio, so reception was patchy at best. As the teams came out, someone appeared to thrust a microphone into the hands of an unsuspecting passer-by, with the resultant announcements of forthcoming fixtures and team line ups having all the gravitas you would expect.
I'm no fan of this new-fangled "line-up" thng that teams have to do these days. Seems like so much puff and nonsesne to me. But I learnt two things from this farce today. One, there's an awful lot of ginger genes in Eccleshill. Two, the Eccleshill number seven had no desire to be on the pitch. No idea what his problem was, but it was as clear as the nose on Davina's face that he didn't want to be there.
As it happeed, this wasn't as bad a game as it could have been. Sure, the quality was poor in the majority, but there were flashes. Shirebrooks centre halves, close friends of a fish supper tho they might be, rarely put a foot wrong. But equally, our friend in the number seven shirt couldn't have beaten a four year old with his wing wizadry. You win some, you lose some.
