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.