The Waiting Game

Saturday 27th November - Parkhouse (Cup, home) - Match Postponed
December - Month Postponed!

I'm dreaming of a...

Don't get me wrong, I'm as big a sucker for a White Christmas as the next man. 
Ever since we used to sit as a family in front of the coal fire listening to  Bing, Frank, Perry and co. on Dad's old cassette player, the image of snow accompanying Santa has been one I've clung to.  Of course, back in the days of my youth, such hopes normally disappeared at least three weeks in advance; a "Wet" Christmas would be the more likely scenario.
Even once the belief in Father Christmas had waned, simply watching It's A Wonderful Life or Alastair Sim as the classic Scrooge was enough to have me yearning for a white-clad Yuletime...only to once again see it all end in disappointment.

"So what are the chances Dave...?"

Recent years, however, have brought with them a wintry blast although it's usually been towards New Year's Eve so as just to feck everybody's plans up for a hassle-free night out.
But this year, it was nailed on.  We would be having a White Christmas in Easington.  Indeed over the whole of East Yorkshire and most, if not all, England.  I should have been delighted and in some ways of course I was; especially when the big man himself came bounding down our street to deliver the Slushettes "those presents he'd forgotten the night before" (nudge nudge).  But, that lovely Festive image aside, I've got to be honest and say...I'm fecking sick of it!

The Parkhouse game almost made it in November...

...But not a chance a week later

Oh it was alright for a start.  I could just about take postponement of the Parkhouse game at the end of November...as a one-off.  The chance to get the sledges out and watch the Slushettes enjoy a bit of fun in the snow is something (I used to think) we rarely have.  I didn't expect the same scenario to repeat itself for each of the next three Saturdays as well.  The "novelty" has worn off now!
Three times we've tried to stage the Parkhouse game, only to be defeated by the elements.  Meanwhile, the one Saturday on which we appeared certain to play (11th December courtesy of an away trip to Nottingham United's 3G pitch) we missed out again due to our opponents fulfilling an outstanding cup-tie of their own.
Not that 3G's have proved immune to the early onset of winter.  The lads have been unable to train at South Holderness for the past three weeks due to the venue being closed "for safety reasons".
And so when the "Cold Snap" eventually confirmed there would be no fixtures for the whole of December, the Club had endured its worst run of pre-Christmas postponements in living memory.

How very feckin Festive!

To put the (ice) cap on things, we then learnt first of a problem with the generator (leak - now fixed...hopefully) followed by a burst water pipe, leading to flooding in the Tea Hut and visitors shower area.  As I type this, this problem is still to be rectified.  Merry bloody Christmas!

Meanwhile, on notifying CML Fixture Secretary Tony Baugh of yet another no-go for the Parkhouse tie, he informed me that the season is now "likely to continue to the end of May".  Given a repeat of last year's wintry blast in January and February even that date might have to be revised again.

Anyone for summer football...

Allams be praised!

Saturday 18th December - Hull City 2 Bristol City 0

Thank God for the undersoil heating at the KC Stadium (and lack of snow in Hull) last weekend.  While another programme of local football - and indeed a large chunk of the professional game  - fell foul of the seemingly never-ending 'cold snap', The Tigers managed to provide me with my first taste of live match action for over a month.

What's more, they not only also came up with a win but one that was achieved by a performance offering plenty of hope for the future.  And I don't just mean the two goals that finally kick-started Jay Simpson's Hull City career.

The days leading up to the game had finally seen completion of the Allams' takeover.  It was a deal that has reportedly cost the Hull-based Egyptian father & son duo an initial £40M - some £21M more than was originally envisaged.  Such was the state of the club's finances unearthed by the "Period of Due Diligence" that the vast majority of this sum will be used simply to clear the club of debt.  How the hell did it get so bad?  Perhaps we'll never know.

But while the murkier details of what went on under the previous regime will no doubt be a subject of much debate by people far better qualified than me, the vast majority of those at The Circle appeared more concerned with the present and future rather than the apparent misdemeanours of the past.  And for most, me included, the future would appear bright.  Sonic gold in fact!

Given that the last Saturday before Christmas is usually notorious for poor attendances and with few Bristolians having braved what must have been a daunting trip north from the snow-bound West Country, another crowd in excess of twenty thousand was very creditable.

Not that such a figure appeared likely when my chauffeur for the day - Tiger Chat maestro, one-time fanzine editor and current Eastenders programme design guru Andy Medcalf - parked up his 4x4 with some ease; the lack of cars allowing a thorough investigation of the potholed-ridden surface that is Walton Street car park.

"Apparently it's gonna cost four million to tarmac this", said fellow passenger Kev.

"Funny how you never notice it's this bad at (Hull) Fair", came my somewhat weak response (I always prefer to park at t'Boulevard).

Also accompaying me was The Elder Slushette, about to enjoy her third ever City match (and second of the season).  I was hoping she would complete a winning hat-trick given her "success" in the previous two - Stoke last season and the 2-0 win over Swansea on the opening day.

It was the final instalment in a busy day of activities for daughter and me, which had begun with an early trip to the hairdressers.  "Dad, Mum's going to hate that", the Elder Slushette had commented as the final touches were made to my return to a crew-cut look of old.  She was right.

The last time I had had such a "close shave", it was a decade ago before heading off to see England's cricketers endure hard times in warmer climes.  And the latest incarnation had just about completed a second successive day of woe in the Third Ashes Test as we moved to the opticians, where I couldn't help but admire my eldest's crafty attempts to cheat her eye test.  After this it was off to drop her at the weekly Dance Class at the local leisure centre, which finally allowed me time to grab a welcome coffee and sausage sarnie in the excellent Castle Cafe.  
Those who know me will be aware that my praise for anything connected with the town of Withernsea is not given lightly, so when I describe this place as a little diamond you'll guess how much I like it!  And when the aforementioned Mr Medcalf contacted me to say he was now running an hour late due to Kev's "plumbing issues", I was allowed to sample it's delights again, this time in tandem with Elder Slushette on conclusion of her latest attempt to become the next Darcey Bussell.

Suitably fortified and wrapped up against the sub-zero temperatures, we arrived at the KC about an hour before kick-off.  The original plan, to make a bid for Pave Bar, had been thwarted by the aforementioned reasons beyond our control, although given the damage that some wonderful pints of Hambleton Stud and Brooklyn Beer had inflicted on me in the same venue only two nights before (works' bash), I can't say I was too disappointed to miss out!
Tickets collected and a nice new hat purchased for one's daughter from the club shop, we were up among the gods (well the media hacks!) at the back of West Stand Upper just in time for the first chords of "Tigers, Tigers Burning Bright..." and the eventual emergence of the teams.

The weather could hardly have been in starker contrast to the warm spring sunshine  which had accompanied that never-to-be-forgotten May afternoon at Wembley in 2008, the last time these two teams met.  Still, just in case the vising Wurzels had forgotten it, the E1 choir were only too kenn to remind them of that particular occasion.  I actually found these taunts a touch uncomfortable.  One of the things that had struck me at the Play-Off Final was the fantastic manner in which most Bristol fans had taken defeat; in many ways it appeared to forge a new bond between supporters of both clubs.  It would have been nice to have reflected that rather than continue to gloat - if only to have shown some appreciation for the sterling efforts our visitors had made in making what must have been a hellish trip up here.  Perhaps I'm going soft!   
The ensuing ninety minutes has already been extensively reported and blogged about.  Suffice to say a goal in each half from Jay Simpson proved the difference, although Man Utd loanee Cameron Stewart and homegrown youngster Jamie Devitt both passed up the chance to add to the tally.  Meanwhile, defensively a superb last-ditch clearance by Anthony Gerrard typified another no-nonsense display and a tenth clean sheet.  Overall, it was the best I've seen the Tigers play without a certain Mr Bullard in the side and it probably ranked alongside the Derby game in terms of enjoyment.
Aside from the obvious bonus of Jay getting rid of his unnecessary "Homer" tag with two instinctive finishes, the main plus-points for me were the performances of  Gerrard and central defensive partner Zayatte, the leadership of Ashbee (again!) and the flair of young Stewart, whose pace and willingness to run at defenders caused the visitors problems all afternoon.  It is something that was sadly lacking from the City side on the occasion of my last visit.  Meanwhile, if you're looking for omens for a brighter second half to the season, it's perhaps worth recalling that a loan player from the same parent club as Stewart played a significant part the last time these two teams met...and look where he helped get us!
Given that my aforementioned last game at the KC was the Sheffield United defeat, the atmosphere inside the ground couldn't fail to have been better, although in truth it wasn't quite the "cauldron of noise" urged for beforehand as a way of showing the Allams the depth of people's appreciation.
Still, at least the crowd came to life at half-time, when welcoming Stuart Elliott back on to the pitch for the first time since the Ulsterman's scoring feats helped City to back-to-back promotions.  Currently in Hull training to be a pastor, his reception almost matched that given the Tigers' other "saviours" prior to kick-off.

All-in-all, the welcomes afforded the Allams, Elliott and the first of hopefully many goals in amber & black for the boy Simpson helped augment a new feel-good factor sweeping around the Circle.  Not to mention helping me overcome the disappointment of yet another barren weekend on the grassroots front.  
Long may it continue, especially as next Tuesday, Elder Slushette and I will be looking to clinch her a third 2-0 win!

Glad Tidings of Great Joy?

Better late than never as the FA gives its approval to the CML North/South idea...

Amid all the understandable frustration of the current lack of activity on the field, there was some good news - at least that's how I view it - for Central Midlands League member clubs this week with the FA's decision to back plans for a North and South set-up for 2011/12.

A statement issued by the League, via its Football Mitoo site and by email from General Secretary Peter Whitehead, reads:

The Football Association have granted us permission to form 2 divisions form our current Supreme and Premier Divisions. These 2 divisions will be step 7 status, one being formed from our Northern Clubs and the other from the Southern. The 2 most obvious benefits are the recruitment of new clubs and the large reduction in travel from our existing formation.
Annually 2 teams will be promoted one from the Northern Division and one from the Southern.
There are still some problems to be agreed, one being the subject of relegation down to us as it is not feasible for us to continually promote without relegation. Promotion will be subject to the applicable club fully meeting the grading requirements of step 6 (H grading). The other main problem will be promotion to CMFL which would require the formation of step 8 by the FA.

The timing couldn't be better as far as I'm concerned.  Regular followers of the Eastenders and this blog will know that we've had problems already this season within the ranks, the cause of which can at least be indirectly related to the amount of travelling currently experienced in the CML.

I realising that even pointing out this fact leaves me open to accusations of naivety, given that everyone in the club was aware of the sort of distances we'd be completing when we first enquired about membership in 2008.  

However, from the very start there was talk of a proposed regional split (hopefully to have come into play this season) which would cut down the length of our "away days" and it was this, along with the belated tilt at promotion to the Supreme Division towards the end of last season, which helped maintain enthusiasm within the ranks.

In fairness, we still have a core of players who are loving every minute of life in the CML - to such an extent that when talk about a possible return to "local football" surfaced in  "Black October", Mack, Ian and I were left in no doubt that we would be looking for  virtually a new team next term should that be the course decided upon; and this in a season in which we are struggling to find the form that took us so close last term.

Thus the above statement has provided a real shot in the arm.  Of course it has to be ratified at the League's mid-season meeting on 18th January.  However, given that a similar proposal had already gone through last season one would imagine the idea still commands the support of the vast majority of clubs, especially given that both the new divisions will boast Step 7 status, with chance of promotion to either the Northern Counties East League or the East Midlands Counties League.

Now, let's have a look at those Step 6 (H) ground grading requirements...

It don't mean a thing...

...If it ain't got that (Electro) Swing!

 

Is there an age at which you should stop discovering new musical genres? If not, I think I've got myself another one...
I've always liked some jazz music.  Obviously not that which offered the Fast Show's "Jazz Club", fronted by John Thompson's "nice" Louis Balfour, such an abundance of material back in the Nineties; there's no "Jackson Jeffery Jackson" in my collection!
But an early liking for rock 'n' roll (& Hollywood Noir crime thrillers) led me into the genre via the jump-jive sounds of Louis Jordan, Louis Prima, Cab Calloway et al.
From this I moved on to the the "hip" Jazz Dance movement of the Eighties, as epitomised by Manchester's legendary Jazz Defektors and London's seminal Wag Club (which I actually got to visit just the once, on a Monday night following a Ska Revival gig in another part of town - oh how retro!).

 

Snowboy's definitive history of the UK Jazz Dance Scene culminates in the Acid Jazz "explosion" of the Nineties.  And it was this style that also coincided with my biggest purchasing of jazz sounds; be they part of the Gilles Peterson- and Eddie Piller-inspired "revival", or those original tracks from the Blue Note back catalogue.  Throw in a fair amount of hip-hop and Mod Jazz reissues and I imagined my tastes to be pretty much as cool as could be.  I believed I was "Talking Loud & Saying Something" - I probably wasn't.
My personal highlight came in the mid-Nineties with an excellent "warm-up" gig by Acid Jazz label faves Corduroy at The Blue Lamp on Hull's Norfolk Street followed by an Eddie Piller all-nighter at the legendary Room.  Gawd did I think I was part of something special that night.  But in reality the scene was on the wane and so were my days as a frequent clubber.
As such, for the past decade or more, music along with many other former interests has taken a back seat to those other "hobbies" that marriage and parenthood entail.  
Indeed I became - and still am - so out of touch with what's "happening" that I've been forced to rely on the likes of Neil McCormick and his fellow writers in The Daily Telegraph (of all publications) to alert me to some of the best contemporary sounds around.  It helps me to occasionally top-up my previously impressive collection of sounds, be they vinyl, CD or even cassette.  And thanks to the Telegraph, I "discovered" the Drums, Mayer Hawthorne and Plan B to name but three.

 

Then a piece by Thomas H Green in Thursday's paper entitled The new Jazz Age is upon us... caught my eye.  It highlighted the Electro Swing thing, currently  causing a stir in some of the more fashionable clubs across the south of England, where Green says it is "set to be the sound of this season's parties".  
The piece focused in particular on the White Mink: Black Cotton club night and its Freshly Squeezed record label offshoot; already responsible for two fine introductory compilations sub-titled "Electro Swing versus Speakeasy Jazz", the first of which appeared last year followed recently by Volume 2.    
A couple of YouTube clips later and I was hooked.  At times I felt as if I was back  in Spiders circa 1989, dancing along to Jordan & His Tympany Five's "Saturday Night Fish Fry"; at others I was lounging in the aforementioned Room on George Street during one of Lee Armstrong's mid-90's "Uncle Toby's Loveboat" Sunday lunch sessions, listening to quality sounds while mixing with some of Hull's smarter club-set.
As it is, the realisation soon hits me that it's 2010 and I'm actually ensuring the volume is turned down on the aforementioned clips so as not to wake Mrs Slush and/or the Slushettes.  Such is the rock & roll lifestyle I now lead!
Still, this music is current and "freshly squeezed", whilst also casting a deserved nod in the direction of the past masters.  And I can enjoy it without feeling as if I'm trying too hard to be "Hip".  Which is always a bonus.
As I type this I'm enjoying an impressive array of sounds in the knowledge that I can do so long into the wee hours - it's not as if we're playing any bloody football at the moment!
  

 

A bit of a non-event

Saturday 20th November - Bulwell Town (away) 
Drew 2-2

Not so much a blog as a brief photo-album; mainly because again I wasn't there, due to the Easington United AFC 'Wedding of the Year'!  

One Nil, AM

I suppose the main thing to report is that after last year's events in the same fixture, thankfully, this season's trip to Bestwood village took us to a new ground, against virtually new opponents (six changes from last time?) and everything passed off swimmingly...well, apart from Blounty's red card of course.

That came early in the second half and was totally warranted according to the management.  Aside from this incident the match was played in decent spirit.

Bestwood MinersWelfare - a step up from Goosedale Sports?

As to the facts, Andy M gave us an early lead and could possibly have made it two, Town skipper Duffy and ex-FC Brimington striker Christie then turned things around before half-time.  Blounty saw red, Chaz saved a pen and we then dominated with ten men; AG seeing one cleared off the line, Man Mountain having a 'goal' chalked off and Moz rattling the bar before Andy M salvaged a deserved point late on with his second. 

Looking blue beforehand

Andy M nearly adds a second

So, what's with the tower then? Anyone know?

And that's about it.  Oh, except to say there was no real ale, or at least if there was nobody's taken the piss out of the fact that I again missed out on it.

There was real ale at the King's Croft Hotel in Pontefract (courtesy of bottled Black Sheep & Timothy Taylor Landlord) where DC's wedding was well worth missing any game for.  

In fact, perhaps I should blog about that instead?

Thanks to Burt for the snaps.

Look what you could've had!

Saturday 13th November - Parkhouse (League Cup, away) Drew 2-2
Easington Utd Reserves 5 AFC Woodlands 9
Easington Utd Casuals 0 Long Riston 3rds 7

There's particular cruelty in the fact that the first two CML away matches I have missed this season have both been accompanied by post-match venues selling some of the finest cask ales.  It leads me to think I'm paying for past misdemeanours.

For the Whatton game it was a friend's 40th birthday bash that prevented my attendance.  So what did I do on this latest occasion as an alternative to enjoying the delights of traditional beers in the convivial atmosphere typical of an Easington post-match session?  Well, I witnessed an amazing game at Low Farm that yielded 14 goals.  Not a bad substitute you might think...except that nine of them were in the wrong net!  And when I retired to the Marquis of Granby to soothe my disappointment at the result...there was no cask on.

I'd known for some time that the trip to Parkhouse was a no-go.  It happened to fall on the weekend chosen by  Mrs Slush and a friend for their annual "Abandon The Kids" weekend, otherwise known as a pre-Christmas shopping trip to Sheffield Meadowhall with overnight stay thrown in.
Of course, I didn't know this at the time she chose this particular date, which being back in late-September offered no clues as to our designated opponents.  When asked, "13th or 27th November?", I replied, "Any. The fixtures aren't out yet so I'll just have to sort things out for whichever you choose".  
I wish she'd opted for the 27th! 
It was somewhat cruelly predictable then that the Parkhouse cup-tie, eagerly awaited ever since it was drawn (mainly by me because of what I knew would be on offer afterwards) would be scheduled for the one Saturday in the month I couldn't go.  Bugger! To make matters worse, it turned out to be the only away game originally scheduled for the whole month.  Double Bugger!

Of course it wasn't just the potential beverages on offer that had had me looking forward to the trip to Clay Cross.  The manner of our win over Brimington the previous week had seen us produce - albeit in patches - some of our best football for a long time.  Therefore, I'd been on something of a high afterwards and couldn't wait for the next game to come along. 
It's peculiar how one sporting result can suddenly transform a weekend.  Nothing seems too much of a chore, nobody can rub you up the wrong way and even the blandest television programme can suddenly appear to become hugely entertaining.
Which brings me nicely to the X-Factor.  Having purposely avoided it the previous night (see Brimington blog) I actually made a point of watching the Sunday re-run.  I'd heard from Mrs Slush that highly-rated contestant Matt had done a pretty good version of one of my favourite songs of all time, Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face".  Had I watched and listened to it following the recent home defeats by Malet or Thoresby, I'd have undoubtedly been in a mood to argue this point.  As it was, I found it very, very good.  Is my judgement of what counts as quality music waning? Possibly, but we had just won 4-0 at home!  

I'd gone to bed on Sunday a very contented man but over the course of the next few days, the sudden realisation that I was missing a return trip to the CML's Hospitality Award winners of 2009/10 prompted something of a comedown.

And as the week progressed this sombre mood was only accentuated by the annual Remembrance commemorations, rumours of the impending collapse of both the England 2018 World Cup bid and the proposed Hull City takeover deal, the lack of any Orange phone signal in Easington and, of course, the passing of a television legend...

There's a bit of Jack the lad in all of us...isn't there?

For anyone like me who has watched events on "the Nation's favourite street" since the Seventies, Jack Duckworth was the type of character many of us would aspire to.   As  described by Russ Litten in this excellent piece in The Sabotage Times, Jack was "a saucy layabout who got by with minimum effort and maximum style". Who wouldn't want to emulate that?
In typical Coronation Street fashion, his departure was dragged out over a few weeks, with his final moments and subsequent funeral both being enough to bring  tears to the eyes of certain members of the Slush family household (though I'm hoping Mrs Slush didn't notice!).

And the soundtrack to his passing was particularly apt for the one-time would-be club crooner.

Of course Jack's fictional demise was followed by several commemorations of those lives lost in very real circumstances.  It's one of the Royal British Legion's major successes that the actual eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month (i.e. Armistice Day) is now marked as significantly as the more traditional Remembrance Sunday.  Long may this be so.
Amid such melancholy, I was thankful for the Black & Amber charger that is Hull City arriving to the rescue when least expected; courtesy of a morale-reviving draw at "big club" Leeds (a result that included this John Bostock screamer) and a job well done at fellow strugglers Preston.

Sorry, did I say "fellow strugglers"?  The Tigers were only 6pts off the play-offs following goals from Garcia and Barmby at Deepdale and with news of the apparent completion of the Allams' takeover ending the week on a high, the future for the newly-dubbed "Tomb Ar-my" looked a whole lot brighter.

Away from football, the week at work passed by with little of note although the radio still provided several reasons to rant (particularly that Clare Solomon woman who by my reckoning was given far too much air time to spout shite) and rejoice - mainly thanks to Radio Humberside's Armistice Day's Golden Year  part 2, which came from 1986...

Along with the above classic, the November chart of twenty-four years ago also included Madonna's True Blue, The Final Countdown by Europe  and the Top Gun-soundtrack Number One from Berlin.  And thus for half-an-hour I was back to a time when Friday nights began with The Tube and ended with a late night extravaganza called, if my memory serves me correctly, Music Box's Power Hour, on Yorkshire TV.  It was fronted by a very attractive young thing called Amanda Redington and some guy with long, permed hair, Dante perhaps?  If I had the time I'd Google it...

In-between these televisual delights, Friday evenings meant a tour of the rural Holderness pubs, all which served as the Hors d'oeuvre to the following day's main event., which began at  lunchtime in  The Trog Bar on Hull's George Street.  From there it was to The Hull Cheese where a Richardson's cab would arrive just in time to get us to Boothferry Park for ninety minutes of largely uninspiring (old) Second Division football.  At the game's conclusion it was back into town for a half-five start in Star of the West and a subsequent crawl that would usually include Masters Bar, White Horse, Cheese (again), Dram Shop, Trog (again) and Queens (now Pozition Nightclub) for last orders, before completion of the night came at the legendary Spiders Nightclub down Cleveland Street.  Ah, the memories!  Not that Radio Humberside's David Reeves probably had any of this in mind when he chose that afternoon's particular track-listing.  But thanks all the same.

A friendly affair at Mill Lane...

But back to the football where, despite my absence(!?) the lads backed-up their Brimington result with a hard-earned but deserved draw at their Supreme Division hosts in the league cup.

...but a feisty one at The Farm

While Burt and his not-so-steady camera lens were at Clay Cross, capturing as best he could the drama unfolding for the senior squad, I was at Low Farm - armed only with my  equally unsteady Nikon Coolpix...oh, and the Younger Slushette.

The Reserves own league cup tie, at home to Goole side AFC Woodlands, proved to be a  remarkable - and at times feisty - affair.  It started well enough.  Despite fielding a team ravaged by injury, illness and absence, Kev's second-string  racied into a two-goal lead inside twenty minutes, leaving their opponents to turn the air as blue as the sky.

Buoyed by the scoreline but wary of just what my 4-year-old may be picking up in terms of new words to greet her mother with on her return, I crossed over to the Pitch Across The Ditch where, unfortunately, the Casuals - fresh from a shock first league defeat of the season at bottom club Brandesburton - were already two down at home to leaders Long Riston.

One for the purists across the Ditch!

I stayed for the best part of quarter of an hour before deciding that the better contest lay back over the bridge.  I wasn't wrong - the Casuals eventually lost seven-nil.

Unfortunately I got back just after Woodlands had reduced arrears from the penalty spot.  It was a contentious decision according to spectator Brian, that's Brian Appleyard, father of Kev Appleyard, the player-manager...so perhaps not the most impartial opinion on the matter?!

Still, a defensive mix-up early in the second half allowed the Stumo to restore the Stiffs' two-goal cushion.  3-1, looking good and when news came through of Andy Martin's opener at Parkhouse, a double celebration was on the cards.  I should have known better...

'Handy Andy' Mark One at Parkhouse

Within quarter of an hour the Goolesters had turned the game completely on its head to lead 4-3.  Meanwhile Burt's unique texting method informed me, first "1.1" and then "2.1", that things had also changed in Derbyshire.  Almost pre-empting fate I replied "to them?" "Yes" came the answer.  The day had suddenly taken a turn for the worse.

But following Easington United is rarely boring.  With the seconds ticking away at the Farm, the Stiffs won a penalty.  Up stepped Karl Hodgson to coolly slam the ball into the corner.  Extra-time.

Better followed as a fine move inside the opening five culminated in Fozzy's thunderous strike from 25 yards for 5-4.  And no sooner had I finished celebrating that goal than the phone rang: "Two-all, Andy with a header from a free-kick".  Get in there!

 

'Handy Andy' Mark Two...captured in Burt's inimitable style!

While confirmation of a hard-fought draw for the First Team - and subsequent replay at the Farm - duly followed, the Reserves' hopes of progress floundered thanks to tired limbs, lack of resources and a visiting side that knew how to take its chances.  5-9 is a scoreline I feel I'm safe in predicting won't be repeated at Low Farm for some time.  Then again...

Of course, while missing out on the actual game at Parkhouse was bad enough, not being able to enjoy the post-match hospitality in The Woodthorpe Inn was a crushing blow!  And didn't Burt and the lads make sure I knew it...

...Bastards!

Thanks to Burt for the Parkhouse snaps

If there's just one tune you play today...

It must be this one. 
Sunday 14th November. Lest we forget.

I took both my daughters to the village war memorial this morning to mark Remembrance Sunday with a healthy turnout of fellow Ezzies.  

Easington's memorial is a fairly basic but still aesthetic affair.  According to the War Memorials Trust it's one of "an estimated one hundred thousand" in the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland.  Sadly, for whatever reason, it is not listed on the Royal British Legion's Roll of Honour list of Yorkshire War Memorials.
It's quite awe-inspiring to think that the scene in front of my eyes this morning was being replicated up and down the length and breadth of our fair isles, as indeed it was when the eleventh hour struck on Thursday (Armistice Day).  Proof that we will never forget.
It was the Younger Slushette's first such occasion (she slept through last year's anniversary at the Cenotaph in Hull) and she behaved impeccably.

Next year I shall regale her with tales of what her great-grandads did in "the War".  I bet she can't wait...

One in a hundred-thousand

Now that's more like it!

Saturday 6th November - FC Brimington (home) Won 4-0

A Flying Thommohawk!

Oh that's been so long coming. Yes I know Brimington have got problems at the moment - manager gone, lengthy injury list, reluctance to travel - and I know it wasn't a complete performance by any means - we still allowed our concentration to slip at what could have been crucial times - but by 'eck it wasn't half good to see us pass the ball as we can (at times), play with a smile on our faces (at times) and score some cracking goals in the process.  And it provided a fine end to another interesting week.

 

To add further complications to my normal ethic of trying not to let work interfere with my social life, not only did I have the obligatory match programme to produce ahead of FCB's visit but "Design Guru" Andy's work commitments in Holland meant that it would be a Friday night turnaround (i.e. we would have about four hours max to layout, proof read, touch-up and finalise...and Friday was "Bonfeer Neet"!)
In addition, I also had the delayed management meeting, taking place on the Wednesday, while at work there was the long-awaited office move.  It was shaping up to be a hectic week.

One of the biggest concerns for over our office move was the loss of internet radio facility (such luxuries/distractions are frowned upon by certain bodies within the terminal).  Although, given the topics dominating Five Live's news over the early part of the week, to deprive us of it might have been a godsend; it was enough to prompt one of the station's listeners to text: "We're joining forces with the French, prisoners are getting the vote and two women want to marry each other. I'm off back to bed!"  Quite.

 

Thankfully, the nature of our new abode has allowed us to continue to keep up with world events, enjoy quality (and not such quality) music and of course cricket matches from around the world.  Along with Twitter it also gives me plenty of scope to rant on topics as diverse as FIFA's approach to corruption within their own body, David Reeves' choice of tracks on his local radio "Golden Years" and  Polly Toynbee's views on...well, just about anything really!
Such things really help the working day go by just that little bit quicker.

I trust this won't be the only First Team pic we ever see with Pagey on it!

Wednesday night brought me to our much-anticipated management meeting  (held at The Haven Arms) at which we discussed a whole manner of things felt to be currently  undermining the running of the club.  Such small, informal gatherings usually bring about honest talk and this proved the case with some salient points being raised.  I returned home feeling the three hours had proved very productive...and the beer of choice (Vale Brewery Co. Best Bitter) wasn't half bad either.

He can't...

He can...

He has!

In almost a role reversal of recent trends, Dave had assembled a decent looking squad for Saturday's home game while Reserves boss Kev was looking at a glut of absentees for his team's East Riding Senior Country Cup trip to holders Riccall United.

Thankfully, matters were eased somewhat by Howden AFC 4ths' resignation from the County League on Thursday.  This meant that the Casuals' scheduled game in Division 5 was now off and therefore more players would be freed up should Kev require them.  It also meant that the Casuals had gone back up to third, with all their main rivals having points taken off them as Howden's six defeats to date were all expunged.  "Nowt to this management lark" posted Casuals boss Maccer, which given his side's defeat to bottom club Brandesburton and the lengthy debate he'd prompted at the previous night's meeting made me smile...a lot!

Thursday also brought the local "tradition" of Mischief Night.  We escaped unscathed (perhaps the weather put them off coming up this far) and the following night saw a Slush family outing to the fireworks display at Skeffling (already blogged).

Our Romanian goalkeeper

And so to match day.  I must admit I never fail to be in a good mood on a Saturday morning in the football season (well, almost never!).  There's just something about it, the anticipation of what's to follow that afternoon.  Even when it's "daft o'clock", pitch black and I've got to sort the Slushettes out before heading off to work to run off 60 match programmes.
Although I've read and re-read the publication umpteen times before it goes to print, I still enjoy browsing through the first completed issue to come off the copier that morning.  I allowed myself a smile when glancing at FC Brimington's squad list on the back - it's one of the few that compares with ours in terms of numbers (most teams opting just to send the names of the 14-16 players likely to be involved).
I've touched on the origins of the visitors in a previous post.  However, after a first season of what can perhaps be termed under-achievement (final placing 6th) they happen to look a better bet for promotion this term.
Or rather they did until a recent hiccup in form, which has seen three defeats, numerous injuries and the loss of chairman/manager Cliff Thomas from his matchday role due to other commitments has upset the applecart slightly.  Still, we aren't exactly pulling up any trees this term.  We would be treating our opponents with the utmost respect...

 

This particular Saturday I also had the added responsibility of the Elder Slushette's Dance Class to contend with for the first time since the "new term" commenced.  I shouldn't complain...but usually do.  Mrs Slush takes the Elder Slushette to swimming & Brownies on Monday, football training (oh yes!) on Tuesday and now a junior Youth Club on a Wednesday.  Suppose I ought to show a bit of willing by helping out at the weekends!

 



Two Nil on two cameras



The knock-on effect of this added activity on the Slush Soccer Saturday timetable was a trip down to the ground straight from my "early shift" in the office to put out the afternoon's strip, balls, bottles etc.  I was finishing up just as Groundsman Brim - and this weekend's appointed assistant, wife Carol - rolled up, ready to sort out the necessary ropes and stakes.  I'm pretty certain Brim would have liked to know the day's team news.  But I didn't really have time and Carol ensured he didn't either - "Don't stop talking, let's be on, I've got Coffee Morning at ten."  Ooh, it's  a hive of activity is Esinton on a Setherday morning!

Synchronised camerawork on the third goal

I enjoyed that!

And so did Man Mountain!

Matchday at the Farm, you can't beat it...especially when you win. Of course not everybody enjoyed the day.  Poor old Pagey's first team debut lasted all of 2 minutes (well, five then if you include the time it actually take for him to leave the field).  A broken finger sustained in Brimington's first attack curtailed the chance for him to shine and thus ensure Chaz's wait to come back lasts longer than just one game!
With Frosty (aka "the Romanian refugee" as one observer somewhat acidly described him) donning the gloves I'll admit to having a slight sense of apprehension.  Not only was I not sure of the sub's goalkeeping pedigree but I was worried we would miss the pace and goal threat he could bring outfield.  I needn't have worried.  It was his opposite number, Adam Valente, who would be by far the busier...and come up with the vital error.
There looked to be little threat when Mozzer let fly from 25 yards but sonehow Valente got his angles all wrong and the ball ended up in the net.  17 minutes gone and one up, just what we needed.  By the break it would be three.
Andy M headed the second from a Chav free-kick before Man Mountain made it 3-0, applying the finishing touch after Valente had beaten out Chav's initial shot.

Thommo lets fly...

But this time Valente's equal to it

Before the break the FCB keeper would go some way to restoring his reputation with a full-length stop to deny Thommo from 30 yards.
Our number nine should have done better with another chance presented moments afterwards but he was then in the right place at the right time to convert Andy M's cross-come-shot 6 minutes into the second half.  Four up, game won.

The coup de grace!

If Saturday mornings are enjoyable, Saturday evenings on the back of a win are even more so.  And this being Bonfire weekend it meant only one thing - a family gathering at  the In-Laws.  And an excellent one at that.  We had fireworks (which really pleased the Younger Slushette!), we had fodder (courtesy of the finest meat pies from Jones The Butcher and even finer homemade fruit pies) and we had fun (thanks in part to a previously unseen episode of Dad's Army featuring another Jones The Butcher?!).  Throw in a little alocohol and some convivial chat and there was enough light-heartedness around to ensure that even news of another barren afternoon for The Tigers couldn't spoil things.

All-in-all the day had acted as the perfect send-off ahead of my impending two weeks away from the First Team scene... 
Oh, and as you might gather, I'm on a bit of an electro trip at the moment.  Enjoy!

Thanks to Colin & Burt for the photographs; 

check out: http://www.cbphotos.co.uk/6_nov_eufc_1st_111.html