Late Tackle

By Sunday night I felt exhausted, I felt if I saw the M25 again I'd scream. Saturday saw a trip to Tooting then onto Burgh Heath and finally an afternoon sitting in the sun watching AFC Wimbledon's first pre season friendly against Charlton Athletic. These first games of the season in recent seasons have been the beginning of a getting to know you experience, as manager Terry Brown introduces a mixture of new signings and trialists. On Saturday the Dons certainly handled the intense heat better than their league opponents who looked disjointed. The Dons ran out victors 2-0. An encouraging start in front of just over 1400 spectators.

On Saturday the media was full of the end of the Raul Moat affair, was it always going to end in his death. Should the media have devoted so much attention to the manhunt. Should such operations be acceptable as Friday night TV. Its impossible not to find the whole end game remarkably unpleasant.

Sunday morning saw an early morning trip to Heathrow, once back home perhaps the highlight was the cropping of our dwarf french beans at the allotment. Its amazing how rewarding and fulfilling it is to grow your own crops.

Sunday night saw the World Cup Final which will be remembered for the number of bookings given out, in my opinion justifiably by English referee Howard Webb. Both sides spurned chances before the game went to extra time. Spain , the less guilty of the two sides in terms of bookings if not fouls, eventually brought on Cesc Fabregas who with 3 minutes remaining found Iniesta with a finely judged pass and the Barcelona midfield player fired diagonally home. To say the Dutch didn't take defeat well is an understatement.

I don't think this world cup will long be remembered for the football. The dodgy ball and below par performances will see for that. South Africa was put on the world stage , but what will be remembered is vuvuzelas and Paul, the predicting octopus who as it happens went for Spain in the final.