fireworks, but not on the pitch !

Its the weekend and you're looking forward to football. It's the 1st Round of the FA Cup for non league teams that means either the chance to pit your wits against a league team. Oh well we got drawn at home to Ebbsfleet United, from the Conference South. Nevermind there's the hope that with an easy tie you can progress towards the third round and the possibility of finding the holy grail , an away tie against one of the premier league big guns., with all the additional finance that that might bring.

In all honesty Dons v Ebbsfleet never caught fire , it stayed 0-0, and apart from a couple of sending offs there wasn't much left to report. While I was thinking that the replay would at least give me a midweek game, conveniently not far from home, the draw was made for the next round. This was the first time that AFC Wimbledon have been in the hat for the second round even if pending a replay.

It turned out to be the worst possible draw potentially pairing us with franchise. Of course we'd have to play them one day, the chance that we would pass each other like ships in opposite channels was too good to be true. However that doesn't make it feel any better. That said there are many obstacles to clear before that fixture becomes a reality, for the time being iut's just a nightmare onb the horizon.

Sunday was a Father & Son trip to the Arsenal who also failed to set the world alight against Newcastle. Arsene said the team never got out of second gear and that'd fair. Many players unperformed, some seemed less than fit, Van Persie just back after a lengthy lay off for instance. Yes Arsenal hit the post twice, yes their keeper made two fine saves, but the record books will show we lost 1-0 and once again the hapless Fabianski was at fault.

Finally then the fireworks, in of all places , Billericay. The Annual Firework display, a family outing and a genuine spectacle. Apparently £19,000 worth of fireworks and a large crowd hopefully raised a sizeable sum for local charities.