We will survive

It's just before 5pm on Saturday 27th April and Gloria Gaynor is blasting out over the PA system at Kingsmeadow the home of AFC Wimbledon. In front of me hundreds of Dons fans are celebrating on the pitch. Players are mobbed and photographed. Jack Midson is chaired across the pitch. Such relief,such jubilation. The Dons are staying up !

I never want to experience another season like this, I never want to go through this last day drama. It might be great for TV neutrals but for devoted fans of a football club its hell. For the past weeks my mind has often flashed back to Southampton 2000 when Wimbledon FC were relegated from the Premiership which in many ways was when the walls of our former existance started to cave in.

Relegation to the Conference would have stalled our dream; yes we would have still have owned our Club but in spite of the Conference being a de facto 5th Division there remains amongst football fans a large gulf between League2 (as it is now known) and the non league world.

The game itself saw the Dons attack from the off nothing but a win would do. However posts, saves and goal line clearances prevented us from taking the lead. Then in happened, a freekick a Gary Alexander header and we were in the lead, joy was shortlived within minutes Fleetwood equalised. The football gods had twisted the knife cruelly and we stared once again at relegation.

Cometh the hour,cometh the unlikely hero. Curtis Oseno, right back, by no means an outstanding success during his first season at the club, finds himself in the penalty area. Time froze as a Fleetwood defender stuck out a leg and in the process tripping Oseno. The referee didn't hesitate in pointing to the spot, and Jack Midson did the rest.

There was still 25 minutes, 25 of the most torturous minutes I have sopent. The 4th official said 5 additional minutes. How did they arrive at that figure ? The ball was constantly repelled from the Dons area only for it to be launched forward yet again as Fleetwood tried to fashion an equaliser. Finally the Dons regained possession and took the ball into the corner of the pitch. The referee blew the whistle and salvation had been achieved.

Neal Ardley, walked round the ground daughter in one arm, beer bottle in the other to receive the applause of Dons supporters. He had taken over back in October when the writing was very much on the wall. That he fashioned a team capable of digging their way out of the bottom two , even if it was on the last day, will undoubtedly have taught him lessons to carry forward into his management career.

Now we can look forward to the fixtures coming out in June and the new season starting in August.

Counting Crows

I can still remember walking into what was Menzies in Brentwood during a lunch break in the early 1990s and hearing the first three tracks on Counting Crows debut album " August and Everything After" . By track three - Mr Jones, I was at the counter buying a copy.

In the twenty years since, this has been one of my most frequently played albums. During that time I have seen them play at a variety of London venues. So when news came of them playing two London concerts a ticket was booked and I made my way to Hammersmith.

Counting Crows have only released one album of new material in the last decade. In a sense they have bought time by releasing live albums and a cover albums ( not of great interest to me). As a result the audience tend to be fans who go back some time. Not surprisingly the songs that are best received come from the early albums.

Round Here, Anna Begins and Rain King all from the debut album feature prominently in the set. After two hours the encore is rounded off with "Holiday in Spain".  A thoroughly enjoyable evening, singing along to a band that I've grown with over the last two decades.

April 2013

In truth this is a month that I would not choose to revisit. Feeling unwell, just before you go on holiday is never great. Having to visit a doctor to whom English is a second language is an additional issue. As the month comes to an end the infection and inflamation I have experienced has necessitated three courses of anti-biotics, several visits to a nurse and the wound being cauterised by a doctor.

So what else has happened ... we visited Madeira. Here was somewhere that my wife had wanted to visit. Totally understandable it's climate makes it a place of interest for gardeners and botanists. Indeed the botanical gardens are of a high standard .

Madeira is a piece of rock, that statement tells you much. In a week I saw fewer than 5 bicycles. No one ever says "let's go for a gentle cycle ride". Yes it's hilly which normally wouldn't be an issue but I was in no fit state for uphill climbs.

We went on two coach outings which allowed us to see both sides of the island. The north coast was to me the most interesting and Porto Moniz was certainly worth visiting.

I learned about the decline of the banana industry, the result of the EU regulating the length and shape of bananas. I witnessed hill farming, and terraced being cut to produce surfaces for the growing of crops. Strangely the island has little in the way of indigenous wildlife.

A million tourists come on holiday to the island with a further half million arriving aboard ocean going cruise ships. It seems many people return are repeat holidays. The people were hospitable and friendly but a week was enough for me. On the plus side I read a couple of books,rested and saw more sunshine than I'd have experienced at home.

On the prowl with the Leopards

There are days when your schedule is empty and other days when you somehow wish you could either divide yourself in three or be able to move from location to location instantly using a "Beam me up Scotty" technique. Saturday 23rd February was such a day.

The Dons were away at Dagenham & Redbridge in a vital League 2 clash, the 40th Anniversary of the Grren Party celebrations were taking place at the Spring Conference in Nottingham and Essex Leopards Basketball team were in the National Trophy Trophy in the less than palatial surroundings of the Braunstone Leisure Centre, Leicester.

Our days away in Wells ruled out attending the Spring Conference, and I was down to be on match report duty at Dagenham, but fortunately a replacement was found and therefore at 1pm I was at the Brentwood Centre to board the coach to Leicester.

Leopards is like a family, there's now about a hard core of 10 supporters who have followed the Club from the old regime days at the London Arena through to the new reincarnation at Brentwood and other venues around Essex.

The game itself was tight. Leopards pulled away but they were reeled back in by some exceptional three point shooting from the Teeside Mohawks. As the final minute began to unwind, the Mohawks were left with the final possession with the scores even. Would Leopards foul early, in the hope that foul shots would be missed, and give them the final shot. No, instead they let Mohawks engineer the final play, fortunate the pressure of the moment meant that the move broke down and so the game went to overtime.

Cometh the hour, cometh the player with the greatest experience. Robert Youngblood, Leopards Player-Coach, a man who led Leopards to the team's greatest successes in the days at London Arena. He had seen it and done it, but now he had to replicate it. On the Leopards first two possessions they went inside to 'Blood, he backed up his defender and scored with turn around jump shots. The early lead in overtime is vital and was it proved as the Big Cats cane home 99-91.

Leopards lifted the Trophy, our fourth trophy in 13 months. In some ways this was the hardest trophy to win. Last season we were the best team in the league, our US players were to quote a phrase a "cut above". This season , new era, new players, new coach. It made the win all the more satisfying.

Wells next the Sea

There are few places in the UK that appeal to me as much as Wells next the Sea. The harbour, the narrow streets and lanes, the beach with its wide expanse of sands at low tide, the small independent shops, people who take time to talk to you - what is there not to enjoy.

For my birthday we were given a two day stay at the Crown Hotel, an old coacing inn judging from the disused stables behind the pub.  Our room overlooked Buttlands, a square with some of Wells finest houses.

We walked from Wells to Holkham and back taking our chance to walk along an often near deserted beach. The wind was cold but it didn't matter, somehow in Wells there was time to collect thoughts, walk, think and relax.

On Thursday I went by boat to see the seals at Blakeney Point. My last trip was cancelled owing to rough seas, but this time I was able to witness the colony on the sand bank as well as seeing various varieties of sea birds.

Friday morning gave us the opportunity to doing the bulk of our weeks shopping in the small independent shops. How many main streets still feature a baker,butcher,greengrocer, fishmonger, deli,chemist and sweet shop. No trollies in sight, no buy two get the third free offers, just local produce and people shopping mixing in their community.

Friday lunchtime saw us visit French's fish & chip shop before the drive home back to Essex. I'm still delighted that we found Wells a couple of years ago it offers such a wonderful contrast to many towns in England today.

Being 60

Soon after I started work as a teacher in 1975, I placed a piece of paper above my desk that read " You can retired on 5th February 2013". In fact I chose to retire a couple of years ahead of schedule. However this piece of paper , long since forgotten, was dredged from my memory tlast week when I celebrated my 6oth birthday.

It's a strange feeling being 60, on the one hand I don't feel sitgnificantly different to the way I felt a year ago, five years ago etc. On the other hand society appears to treat you differently once you've reached this landmark.  With government determined to make people work longer, some of the benefits that would have at one time come my way have now been postponned to a later date; however I've applied for a Senior Railcard that will cut 33% from off peak train fares.

In fact much of the last week I've spent February doing what I have done for years, namely marking examination papers, however I was determined to mark the occasion. Interspersed with attending the opening of the sports centre at the school where I used to work, preparing for a Parish Council meeting and a day spent earning some extra cash driving a minibus.

I am by nature not a party person, years ago I realised I preferred the company of a few people to the many, and actually I really wanted only to be with those closest to me. To find a location that would suit an age span of 8 months to 60 years.

Some months ago I saw an advertisement for Sunday afternoon tea at Lords. I didn't need any persuasion, this was it. The Long Room at Lords, a champagne tea with cake. OK there were a few obstacles, there was a dress code; now I have long waged against such norms. The MCC only allowed women members in the late 1990s, but Lords is the home of cricket, and the added bonus being able to walk the corridors of the pavilion seeing the trophies, artwork and the England dressing room swung it.

The day itself saw rain fall continuously as we made our way to St Johns Wood. Nevertheless we arrived in good time to have a couple of drinks in the Lords Tavern before making our way to the Pavilion.

 

 

A string quartet played as a variety of teas, champagne, sandwiches,scones and cakes were served. After tea we made our way on a tour of the pavilion. I stood looking out from the balcony where England players stand, I saw the honours boards that stand for all to see which players have scored a test century or a fifer at Lords.

An afternoon to remember, an occasion, accompanied by my family and my oldest friend. Splendid.

Knicks are in town

Basketball first hit me in the 1980s but it was until some years later that UK basketball fans were able to watch the game played at its highest level. In the 1990s the NBA was dominated by Michael Jordan and his team the Chicago Bulls. It was impossible not to appreciate Jordan's skill and his ability to win. However at that time I was drawn to a different player and his underdog team. Reggie Miller was not your typical player, his frame was bean pole thin, but he could shhot the ball. He was "Mr Clutch", if there was a player who'd you want to shoot the final shot it would be Reggie. The three pointer was his speciality. Now Reggie played for the unfashionable Indiana Pacers, the Pacers were perennial brides maids, often losing to the Bulls in the Eastern conference.

Reggie Miller and the Pacers did reach the finals one year but we pushed aside by the next player to dominate the league, Shaq O'Neill who by then was playing for the LA Lakers. However Reggie Miller is perhaps best remembered for his games against the Knicks and his altercations with film director Spike Lee. Now Lee is known as the New York Knicks #1 fan, sitting courtside at Madison Square Garden.

While Indiana is at best somewhere where most tourists simply drive through on a journey through the mid west, New York City is a magnet . Over the years I've returned to NYC a number of times, and on each occasion have ensured that I've been to the Garden to see the Knicks. The Knicks are the proverbial "sleeping giant" of the NBA, there have been many false dawns and false messiahs. In fact the Knicks last tasted success in the 1970s, although they came close in the 1990s losing in the final in 1994 to the Houston Rockets.

I was fortunate enough to see Carmelo Anthony's Knicks debut in 2011 and last year to mark my retirement we returned to New York and were there to witness Linsanity. This year the NBA, keen to market the game worldwide, announced that a regular season game between the Knicks and the Detroit Pistons would be held at the O2 arena in London.

The O2 arena, that had hosted the 2012 Olympic basketball finals, sold out in record time. What was billed as a Pistons home game in fact a chance for Knicks fans to turn the place orange and blue. Before the game Spike Lee who had flown into London for the game met fans at a bar. My wife described the scene as a bear pit, however I was able to get my copy of his basketball memoir "the best show in the house" autographed.

The game itself was a rather one sided affair. The Pistons led 2-0 but after that the Knicks dominated going on a 18-0 run with Melo delivering from behind the three point line. The knicks never looked back and although the pistons made an effort in the 3rd quarter reducing the deficit to just 4 points, the Knicks then simply put their foot on the accelerator and were comfortable winners 102-87

Postscript:
The NBA game brought out many well known London football players, none more so than Thierry Henry. Henry now playing for New York Red Bulls has been a basketball enthusiast for many years , and was pictured at the game with Spike Lee.