December 2014

East-ending the year on a high

With no game scheduled for the 13th December and the Yuletide game at Westella always looking susceptible to bad weather, December was something of a truncated month for the first team. Just two games were played, with 'Hutch' grabbing a hat-trick in both but only the result of the second going in our favour. Lack of fixture on the second Saturday at least enabled me to take in a second Reserves game this season. And although also ending in defeat, it again reinforced why the decision to reduce our number this term was the correct one.

Saturday, 6th December

CML North

Easington United 3 Askern 6 

Coming on the back of the first away win of the season, we were all pretty confident leading in to the Askern game and this despite being without both Sam (hamstring) and Frosty (away). With Hutch scoring early to cap a promising start, such confidence appeared well-placed. However, Askern had obviously not read the script and by the time Hutch capped his hat-trick with two excellent strikes in the space of three second half minutes, the Doncaster-based visitors were 5-1 up! Hutch's goals promised a grandstand finale but it was the visitors who added the final goal of the game in injury-time.

Prior to kick-off, photographer Colin Brammer captured the two teams' photo for the #FootballRemembers initiative.

My "official" report of the game can be read here and Colin's pictures can be found here. The pics can also be viewed on our Facebook page.

Saturday, 13th December

ERCFL Division 2

Easington United Reserves 1 Haltemprice 5

My only previous viewing of the Reserves had seen them fall to a 1-5 home defeat at the hands of title favourites West Hull Amateurs. Despite the result it was a game the Stiffs were in right up until the latter stages and one they could take a fair amount of encouragement from. This was not too dissimilar.

Trailing 0-1 at the break and then coming right back into things at 1-3, the locals eventually paid for missed chances at one end and costly mistakes at the other.

But, hey, this is virtually a "new" team and games like this are all part of the learning curve. Despite it being a fourth successive defeat in the league there are no panic buttons being pressed yet.  
Report here.

Saturday, 20th December

CML North

Easington United 6 Thorne Colliery 0

I hate the last Saturday game before Christmas and dread the fixture list coming out in case it gives us an away trip. Ever since the mauling at Sculcoates back in the HPL days, I've come to see 'Mad Friday' as one of the big curses on the calendar!

Thankfully, this year saw us handed a home game, meaning a journey of some distance to any team but Westella...and they'd already been. The counter-attraction of the Slushette's Christmas Dance Show at nearby Withernsea meant I was due to miss much of the first half but thankfully Thorne Colliery's travel problems ensured that this didn't become a problem. Their late arrival at the Farm meant the game was kicking off just as I ambled through the gate at about twenty past two.

And as it turned out, there perhaps couldn't have been a better way to sign off for Christmas than this, a biggest win of the season against a team who'd given us a bit of a doing for much of the recent meeting at their place.

The official match report can be found here and the Facebook pictures page here (shots kindly taken by Craig Stephenson - bloody hundreds of 'em!).

Sunday, 28th December

Premiership

Hull City 0 Leicester City 1

I "called" this game beforehand and yet still went, even though I knew I would end up being disappointed. All the signs were there beforehand - the win at Sunderland two days' earlier that had most City fans thinking of a nine-point gap between themselves and their Sunday opponents come the end of 2014; the fact that Panto Villain Pearson's Foxes hadn't won in ages; and even the fact that the Younger Slushette sacked this game off in favour of an afternoon at her Gran's.

And of course we lost. And we lost in the cruellest manner possible - from the visitors' only real shot of note all game. Meanwhile the home attack - which included for the second half £10m striker Abel Hernandez - proceeded to miss at least half-a-dozen glorious openings.

In short it was what is known as a #TypicalCity day.  

October 2014

A month of ups...and downs!

Given my sub-heading on the September review, some may feel I was being slightly previous in stating we'd "bottomed out" as far as the season goes. Well, I stand by it - despite two hefty looking defeats in the middle of October. Of the two Newark gave most cause for concern as - for the first time this season - we came close to throwing the towel in. As for the Hessle game, well once again it was a case of a Humber Premier League team getting "up" for a game against a team from a better competition and we failed to match such enthusiasm. Cue the responses... ;-)

Saturday, 4th October

CML North Division 

Easington United 2 Sherwood Colliery 0

Although perhaps a bit early for a "must win" game, this was, well, a must win game. Buoyed by the way we'd finished September, we needed to continue maximising our points yield at home. And especially so given the way we'd escaped from Bentley with a point our overall performance hadn't warranted. We now needed to capitalise on our good fortune of the previous week. And we did.

The official match report can be read here.

Further pictures of the game can also be viewed here.

Saturday, 11th October

East Riding CFA Senior Cup R1  

Easington United 0 Hessle Rangers 5

I know I joked in the introduction about how Humber Premier League sides always appear to "want it more" in games against us but, unfortunately, in recent times I can find no other explanation for the "Indian Sign" that clubs from that competition - and particularly the lower reaches of the HPL - appear to hold over us. I refuse to subscribe to the view that the HPL is better in standard than the CML and certainly the latter's record of moving clubs up to the next level of competition - in particular the Northern Counties East League - undoubtedly makes it a better option for progression.

Anyway, whatever the reasons for our performance, this result was a real body blow given what had gone before. Quite simply,we were awful.

That's to take nothing away from Hessle who thoroughly deserved the win and indeed a win of emphatic proportions. But once again I spent the next few days discussing with AG just what it is about this competition that since 2003 has tended to bring out the absolute worst in us. Still, there's always next year...

Our official match report is here, while the Facebook pictures album is here.

Saturday, 18th October

CML North Division 

Easington United 1 Newark Town 6

Very rarely do I have cause to take issue with referees. In the Central Midlands League I have generally found them, with few exceptions, not only very approachable but also more than competent. If I have had any complaints in the past, it's that they have perhaps appeared a tad unwilling to act decisively when games have required it.

This was one such case. I'm not saying that the dismissal of Newark Town's Ian Hillier in the first half of the game would have had a decisive effect on proceedings thereafter but it may well have - and that's what sticks in the throat.

Hillier's lunge on Adam Jamieson was not only reckless - airborne and two-footed (a fact acknowledged by the Newark supporters stood near me on the touchline) but was also pre-meditated, coming within minutes of Charlie's "robust" tackle on the Newark right winger. The only thing that saved our keeper was the fact he got something on the ball. Hillier didn't. He raked Jam down the back of the knee. Without exaggeration it was the worst "challenge" I have seen in many a season and Jam was very lucky the connection wasn't even truer as that could have been season-ending. Referee McGill obviously saw it differently and showed a yellow. My new-found acquaintances near my dugout agreed he'd got it wrong. 

He also got it wrong after the break when failing to show any card to Ngoni Dongo for another lunge at Jam, this time from the front that raked his shinbone. This time Jam couldn't continue. In Dongo's defence he was over-stretching having had a poor first touch but the studs were high and in today's environment...

All this aside we were still in the game at both these points. We weren't soon afterwards. A second half collapse of the sort seen earlier in the campaign - and indeed just a week earlier - ensured that Newark's impressive start went on.

A red card did eventually come out of the referee's pocket, in the 90th minute, following Arron Martin's reckless jump at Charlie in an increasingly fractious end to the game. Had the same been shown some sixy minutes earlier, things might, just might, have turned out differently.

All in all these incidents detracted from what is a pleasant experience hosting the  players, management, committee and followers of Newark Town. Thankfully, it wasn't allowed to spoil the cordial relations between our clubs when the Blues returned to Low Farm a fortnight later.

Match report here; Facebook picture album here.

The Newark report can be read here.

Saturday, 25th October

CML North Division 

Thorne Colliery 4 Easington United 4

Regular readers of this blog (is there such a thing?) will know that Moorends is one of my favourite venues in the CML. That is mainly on account of the fantastic grandstand that dominates the ground and has done since, I believe, the 1930s.

I wasn't in it today as I was still on dugout duty, where to everyone's pleasure I was joined by Sam Mc. Back from a brief spell at Hedon, the former skipper wasn't quite fit enough to start but was named on the bench and proceeded to offer plenty of wise words from the technical area.

They were needed as for the opening half-hour we brought our recent second half collapses forward 45 minutes! After 18 minutes we were three down and staring down another barrel. At the break we were 4-2 down and still with a mountain to climb.

You won't be surprised to learn therefore that the final scoreline was celebrated almost as much as the recent draw at Bentley. Although, it has to be said, we deserved this point more. 

Match report is here and the Facebook picture album here.

May 2014 (First Half)

And so another season ends...well almost.

With Hull City's appearance in their first ever FA Cup Final obviously meriting its own post, this first half of the final month of the season covers everything up to Saturday, 17th May - a date forever etched in the memory of some of us.

Unfortunately, it also turns into a fairly depressing list results-wise but scorelines don’t always tell the full story...

Sunday 4th May

Super League

Hull KR 29 Widnes Vikings 34

The Younger Slushette maintained her one hundred per cent failure record at Rovers matches as the Robins somehow contrived to throw away a 7pt lead inside the final 10mins against the Vikings.

It was a pretty depressing end to an afternoon that had begun so well - despite being overshadowed (almost literally) by a huge pall of black smoke that was emanating from a fire at a recycling plant near Saltend.

The fallout from the blaze prompted the closure of Hedon Road, meaning a detour via Bilton on the way home. Still, at least this allowed me the pleasure of listening to dozens of Dullers calling up Humberside after Hull's even more spectacular implosion at home to Agar's Wakey.

As for the game itself, here's a report. 

Tuesday 6th May

South Holderness Cup Semi-Final

Easington United Reserves 0 Hedon Rangers 10

Hmm, for half an hour this threatened to be a tight-ish affair.  Then Hedon scored.  Still, at least the sun shone and it was a nice night.  Hedon through to the Final.  Further pics can be found accompanying the report of sorts, which is here.

Thursday 8th May

CML North Division

Easington United 4 Westella Hanson 5

One of the best games this season at Low Farm and far from a meaningless end-of-season affair. Unfortunately, it ended in another defeat but once again manager AG was left feeling encouraged by the way his squad is shaping up...for 2014/15!

A full report with pictures can be found here.  The Facebook pics can be found here.

Saturday 10th May

CML North Division

Easington United 3 Thorne Colliery 7

Four seasons in one day at Low Farm - but only one outcome as AG's squad shortages were exposed by a ruthless Thorne side that has enjoyed its highest league finish in years (3rd) and a run to the final of the League Cup wherein they were edged out by the all-conquering Bulls of AFC Mansfield.  The player/manager's dismissal was our fourth in the last five games!  Report here, pictures here and here.

Tuesday 13th May

South Holderness Cup Round 1

Hedon Rangers Reserves 3 Easington United 9

Following the Reserves' defeat in the semi-finals, it suddenly became imperative that the First Team avoided any slip-ups against Hedon's second string.  Thankfully they never looked in danger of doing so.  Four up by the time I got there, they went on to seal a place in the semi-final with some ease.  Therein they were set to be at home to Skirlaugh in three days time...

A report of the evening's main cut and thrust can be found here.  Pictures are here and here.

Friday 16th May

South Holderness Cup Semi-Final

Easington United w/o Skirlaugh

Ah, a gorgeous spring evening on the Humber Riviera, the Low Farm pitch glistening in the sunlight and a setting that simply demands a game of football.  But sadly, none will take place.  Skirlaugh cannot make tonight's date due to "FA Cup and Magic Weekend" commitments.  They also turn down the alternative offer of Monday.  There is nothing else for it but for the Cup Committee to "disqualify" them under Rule 4(c).  The Eastenders will meet Hedon Rangers in next Friday's final...

So that was November...

Saturday 23rd November

Central Midlands League North Division

Easington United 4 Ollerton Town 1

There are times when even I have to accept that football is not headline news.  There are times when “The Beautiful Game” must take a back seat to other events going on in the world.  And I hold up my hands and acknowledge that this is one of them...

Just what did one of this country’s biggest sporting icons of the Eighties, Steve ‘The Nugget’ Davis – six times World Professional Snooker champion, soul music aficionado and saviour of ‘Voices From The Shadows’ magazine – think he was doing parachuting into the Australian jungle with the likes of Joey Essex?  How has it come to this?  In what times we live.  Cuh.

But I digress.

Against Ollerton Town we gained only our second win of the season.  Admittedly there was a touch of fortune involved, the visitors’ losing defender Bowler for the foul on Gav from which Lewis levelled matters via the penalty spot just before the break.

For a time afterwards we struggled to make the extra man count but when Sam H was felled by keeper Sprigg and Lew doubled up from twelve yards, the old swagger returned.

Sam himself got in on the act late on before Lew capped things with a fine solo effort that completed his hat-trick and a 4-1 win.

As I’ve suggested before, home games aren’t necessarily the most interesting topics blog-wise – they can easily just turn into a re-hash of the “official” match report.  This one did have its moments though, not least when objections were raised to the Ollerton goalkeeper’s refusal to retrieve a ball from just yards behind the Seaside End goal.

“Gerron you lazy b@stard!”

“Why?  You don’t see Robin Van Persie going for balls...”

“’Robin Van Persie’?  When did he play for Ollerton?”

As the game wore on and the visitors’ frustration with the performance of the referee grew, such light-hearted exchanges between both sets of supporters became few and far between.

No matter, we had finally completed a second win of the season, now to go on an unbeaten run...

Match report & excellent pics by Burt can be found here and on our club Facebook page.

Ollerton's report - if any ever appears - will be found on their club website.

Saturday 30th November

Central Midlands League North Division

Thorne Colliery 1 Easington United 0

It would be easy to say that the feel-good factor inspired by the win over Ollerton was ended just one week later, courtesy of the defeat at Thorne Colliery.  But it would be quite wrong to do so.

For despite a poor first half display that ultimately proved our downfall, there were plenty of signs in the game that the current campaign could yet turn out to be a positive one.

Thorne are this season’s surprise package.  They came into this game in fourth place and with only two defeats in 13 league games.  Their ten wins have been built on a solid defence, the best in the competition, having conceded only 12 goals thus far.

At the other end they’ve only scored 31 goals, 10 of which have come from leading scorer Ross Ebbage.  He took this tally to 11 in the game’s decisive moment, which came on 35mins when we were yet again punished for coughing up possession in our own half.

We were much improved after the break, without really creating anything clear-cut; that is until 12 minutes from time when Hutch – employed as Sam Mc’s latest central defensive partner – picked out Stef Radley with a great diagonal but “Lenny” could only steer his shot wide of the far post.

At the other end Thornse struck the woodwork twice more as we were constantly caught out pushing for the equaliser.  But further goals would have been harsh on the lads, their improvement second half being deemed worthy of a point by several observers post-match.

The fine old stand at Moorends Welfare, a tasty half-time burger and some cracking post-match nosh in the Moorends Hotel contributed to another away day that was to be enjoyed...despite no return in terms of points.

My official match report & Burt's pics can be found here and on our Facebook page.

The home report that appeared in the Thorne Times can be read here.

Two out of two – Tickety Boo!

Saturday 18th August

 CML North

Easington United 3 Thorne Colliery 1

 

So, the Olympics are over.  London – and indeed the country as a whole – can be proud of its part in staging what even the Aussies have acknowledged was possibly THE best Games yet.  Ah Sepp Blatter, look what you could’ve won!

The post-Olympics blues have been somewhat hard to shake off.  And I didn’t imagine myself ever saying that!

Still, the start of the domestic season has helped and especially so given our winning start.  There was also a chance for Roy Hodgson’s new young Lions to show how much England’s footballers had learned from the heroes of Team GB.

Singing the National Anthem appeared to be one lesson (although in fairness, the new boss had instilled this practice in most of the squad at the Euros).

The singing of “God Save The Queen” had become something of an issue during Great Britain’s Olympic matches; in particular, the reluctance to join in on the part of the Welsh men and the Scots women became the subject of much comment.

While it irritates me that someone willing to take an official honour from the monarch (as Ryan Giggs did) then admits to being unable to join in with her anthem I do feel the time has come for England’s sporting teams to now have a song of their own.

The rousing renditions of “Land Of Hope And Glory” from the Commonwealth Stadium in Manchester in 2002 nailed that as my choice.  However, I know many people prefer “Jerusalem”, the choice of the England cricket team.  Either way, surely we should now reserve “God Save The Queen” only for sporting occasions in which all four home nations are united?

Thankfully, the England boys appear to have picked up other good habits from the Olympians; winning being one and some proper humility in post-match interviews being another.  I wonder how long either will last!

 

 

The run-up to the first home CML game meant first programme of the new season.  Given the “feel-good factor” present since the appointment of the Sumo, a solid core of Holderness-based players in the squad and the opening day win, I gambled on a decent crowd.

With another BP sponsorship deal secured for the programme and access to the spanking new printer, I have to say this season’s issue looks the best it’s ever done.  And at two quid for 32 pages I think it is excellent value for money – especially as once again there’ll be no gate charged for entry to Low Farm.

With a cracking weather forecast, my only worry was that I hadn’t printed enough copies.  Hmm…

 



 

We buried my Uncle Ted on Saturday morning.  At 83 years old, I believe him to be the oldest yet of Mum’s nine siblings, although Frank and Peter could go on to claim that particular title.

Ted was a farmer all his working life and went out in style, being brought to Skeffling Church on the back of a “thractor an’ thrailor”.  The church was full, the Revd Heale entertained us by, among other things, chewing corn as part of his eulogy and Ted was laid to rest among family and friends.  As surviving son Keith and daughter Wendy wrote in their acknowledgement in the Gazette the following week, it was all “fost rate”.  Just the way Ted would’ve wanted it.
I was glad to swap my suit for something cooler before football.  With Mrs Slush taking the Slushettes to a friend’s party in the afternoon, we enjoyed a leisurely lunch with my mood darkened only by Five Live’s commentary of Becchio’s decisive goal for Colin Wanker’s side at Elland Road.

Before kick-off we had our “official” photo shoot, with the lads sporting the new strip sponsored by Hull-based Sure Powder Coatings Ltd.  With a frame for which our range of club merchandise doesn’t yet cater, the manager looked slightly out of place in his baby pink tee-shirt.  But I think he got away with it…

 

 

We had two changes to the squad from Glapwell, with Meddy away at a Festival and Neilo nursing sore nads following the midweek snip.  I had a feeling that his presence may be missed more, given his industrious debut at Hall Corner, and for the first 45 minutes I was proved right.

After a bright opening ten minutes we were rocked by a spectacular strike from Callum McCormack.  According to Charlie, the 35-yard free-kick “moved all over” en route to going in off the post.  Well, our new matchballs were “Euro 2012 Replicas”!
I stayed away from the changing rooms at half-time, spending the time instead in conversation with Thorne’s hard-working club secretary Joy.  She explained the lack of subs in the visiting contingent – five players were suspended; four as a result of the “feisty” game with champions Westella at the back end of last season.  This also explained the absence of the influential Darren Fell, here today in alternative employ as asst-mgr.  “He’s injured anyway”, added Joy.
Apparently, my absence from the players’ area meant I missed the first Sumo Rant of the new season.  Shame.  At least I got to see the results of it as the lads produced a much improved display to turn the game on its head.

 

Enjoyment at second successive win was enhanced by news of Jay Simpson’s late winner for the Tigers against Brighton.  It was just about enough to compensate for a very poor day on the financial front.

crowd of just 38 had seen the Sumo’s first home win and from that number only ten had bothered to buy a programme.  Alarm bells were starting to ring inside my head.

A full match report of the game, along with Burt Graham's pictures can be found here
Colin Brammer's match photos can be found here

 

Rounding things off

Saturday 5th May

CML North Division

Easington United 4 Thorne Colliery 2

Saturday 12th May

CML North Division

Easington United 9 Glapwell 1

Eli celebrating with his mates

For the second season running we ended our league campaign on a high; a solid win over Thorne Colliery being followed by a rout of a Glapwell side that arrived at the Farm with only eight men.
Full details of the win over Thorne can be found here and that over Glapwell here.  You'll also find action pics.  The amount of time that has passed since the games has made composing a blog post on them somewhat academic.

The Thorne result was notable for confirming our tenth placed finish, with the following week's win ensuring we finished level on points with Kiveton Park - "joint ninth then", according to Nicho who doesn't "go in for all that goal-difference bullshit".

If I can think of anything really worthwhile to write about either game in the next few days, I'll post it.  But don't hold your breath.

PS: Photo courtesy of Burt...but you probably knew that already didn't you? 

"Eli-Eli-Eli-O"

Saturday 17th March
CML North Division
Thorne Colliery 0 Easington United 2

It never fails to irritate me how people in this country jump on the “Oirish” bandwagon for St Patrick’s Day.  Especially, when until very recent times, our own Patron Saint’s Day was largely ignored.

However, on walking through the doors of the Moorends Hotel this particular 17th March, even I got caught up in the spirit of those wearing daft oversize leprechaun hats and stupid bits of clover, all suitably adorned by the logo of that brewer of the black stuff.  It’s amazing what a win can do.

The week leading up to Paddy’s Day had also seen me enter my 47th year on God’s earth.  It was an occasion marked in suitably understated fashion with tea at The White Horse.  Good old fashioned pub grub is what Deb and Annie, new hosts at The ‘Oss, have on offer and on this evidence very good it is too.  Pity they haven’t got any cask ale back on yet though…

The main stand at Moorends never fails to impress me

A trip to Moorends would provide Mack & Nicho with their last chance to assess players before the upcoming cup quarter final against Dronfield.  Therefore the late cry-off of young Sam, half an hour before the 11.30am departure time, was the last thing required.

Once again, blue skies greeted the horn-tonking arrival of The Pistol up Hull Road.  This week we had the pleasure of an overdue return to the front seat for Shotgun Burt and, as could be predicted, we hadn’t reached our first pick-up at Patrington before sex – in thought not deed - had become the overriding topic of conversation.  Talk about “humpy old men”.

A largely uneventful trip down the M18 saw us arrive at Moorends a good hour and a half before kick-off.  Just as Nicho likes it.

Sam’s absence meant Eli retained a place alongside The Skip at the heart of our recently porous defence, while Killer and Tom were given the wide berths (one of which came at the expense of Frosty who perhaps paid the price for a couple of recent heavy Friday nights!).

Charlie struggling to overcome the trauma of his last visit

Meanwhile, an evening gig for Patty in Hull, which prevented him from travelling, prompted a return to the First Team for one Charles “Nzogbia” Holden. 

Keen to get off to a good start, Charlie was certainly quieter than on his last trip to this ground – that day his facial expression had gone from one of delight to that of absolute horror when realising that the only thing keeping Mozzer’s privates from being on parade during a pre-match jig was one of Charlie’s goalkeeping gloves!  

Our last visit to Thorne Colliery had come in the wake of their winning the Doncaster FA Cup.  They’d carried their feel-good factor into the weekend, tonking us 6-2.

As we arrived at the ground not quite a year on, our hosts were still in the same competition.  According to their manager they were awaiting the results of a County FA enquiry into their tie at Hemsworth Town, which had been abandoned.

“Why was that?” I asked.

“Cos all they wanted to do was ‘feet’ us”, came the South Yorkshireman’s reply.

“Feet” for fight is just the latest amusing example of the differing local dialects you come across in this league.  Our recent visit to Ollerton had provided a couple more – “orse” is your arse, while “arse” is your house.  Apparently.  I love regional accents, me.

Like a passing-out parade

The old grandstand at Moorends Welfare Ground is my favourite in the CML.  Sadly, the very vocal “Colliery Boys” who’d helped create such a memorable atmosphere on our first visit, no longer appear to come to games.

Instead there was a small gathering of locals towards the top end of the stand, with our own travelling band of half-a-dozen congregating behind the away dugout.

For much of the first 45 minutes, my main entertainment was provided by contents of the wonderful little hip flask given to me as a birthday pressie by the lovely Mrs Slush and engraved with three of the finest sporting logos in the world – the badges of Easington United, Hull City and Hull Kingston Rovers (if I was being pernickety I’d have also had the Yorkshire Rose thereon but never mind).

It was an opening half typical of that between two sides low on confidence and, dare I say, quality?  Thorne came closes when Scott Rhodes slid in to hit the post from Darren Fell’s cross.

Still, goalless at the break – we’d take that given that at the same stage last season we’d been four down!

Eli 'Threepenny-bit Head'

The half-time burger tasted even nicer for the fact The Pistol had bought it.  Things got even better fifteen minutes in when Robbie’s free-kick found its way to Gav and although the keeper did really well to beat away his shot, Eli was on hand to slot home Killer’s return.  One nil.  Get in!

The hosts should have been level within a minute as we switched off at a free-kick.  Bad miss that.  And we punished it when The Skip’s ball over the top put Rob in wrong-side of his marker and a cool finish ensured the points were coming back on the bus.

And not a “feet” in “seet”, excellent.

Two Zip

The full official match report can be found here, along with several more shots of the day, courtesy of Shotgun Burt. 

A better Bank Holiday

Saturday 30th April - Thorne Colliery (home) Won 4-2

Monday 2nd May - Bentley Colliery (home) Drew 0-0

Ah, it's good to see smiles back on people's faces.  That genuine spirit of optimism, hope, belief even that good times are on the way back; the misery of recent woes will soon be forgotten and that a better future awaits us all.

But enough of the Royal Wedding.  The Eastenders are back in the groove after a thumping of Thorne and driving a top-of-the-range Bentley to the limit.

Oh and how I needed a weekend like this.
Following the disappointment of the prevous Bank Holiday, which was only partly salvaged by a battling draw for the Tigers at the "Drama Queens" and a much-needed win for the Robins over Quins, actually getting both games played would be a result.
In the event, not only did this happen but we also reaped some deserved reward from both.  Which was nice.
And on 6 Music Radcliffe and Maconie played Otis by The Durutti Column.  Which was also nice.

A fitting cover for Royal Wedding week

The week leading up to our second scheduled "double header" of the season had plenty in it to distract me from some worrying recent events at the Farm. 
Most of the distractions centred on Wednesday, beginning with the story of Barney Gibson who, at 15 years and 27 days, became the youngest ever County cricketer when appearing for the Tykes against the students of Durham, as Yorkshire took a break from competitive action (a welcome one it would appear given recent results). 

Later that same day the CML Premier Division title was virtually decided when Yorkshire Main edged out Bentley Colliery in the top-of-the-table clash.   A thrilling game saw Main win 4-3 in front of a decent derby crowd at Edlington Lane.  As The 66 POW points out in his excellent blog, those who chose to stay at home instead and watch the "eagerly anticipated" first leg of the Champions League quarter-final between Real Madrid and Barcelona on the box missed out.  For aside from a couple of great Messi finishes, it proved to be anything but a classic - give me an Easington v Holmpton "Old Farm" derby circa 1989 any day!

Music's power to transport you back in time came to the fore on Thursday morning as first The Stone Roses' I Wanna Be Adored then The House of Love's Shine On had me back in the late Eighties.  I was younger, I was freer, I was, erm, single.  Looking back, life appeared to centre around occasional jaunts to the centre of the universe that was Madchester, regular gigs at Hull Uni and the Adelphi and weekends of non-stop partying.  Ee, things seemed so much more simpler back then.  Perhaps because they were.  Being involved with Easington United wasn't half as time-consuming back in 1989 as it is now.  Mind you, we were cack at the time!

Nice of them to get things done before the Thorne Colliery game

Mrs Slush arrived home from work on Thursday laden with bunting.  I thought for a moment it was in anticipation of a win for North Ferriby in the EvoStik play-off at Colwyn Bay.  Silly me.  They lost 0-2.

No matter, as Royal Wedding fever had gripped this little corner of Easington and, although it is deemed very "uncool" to say so, I too was quite looking forward to it.  Nobody does the pomp and ceremony side of things quite like us Brits and I'm all for a bit of that.  And Pippa.
Given that much had been made beforehand about Hull's lack of applications for street parties, something that had prompted former resident Paul Heaton to declare in the Guardian that he'd never been prouder of the city, I found it highly amusing to see that the day brought something of a different story.  Good on those who made a day of it.


One-Nil

 Saturday should also have seen the Reserves in action at Low Farm, "slumming it" on the pitch across the ditch against North Cave Reserves.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, the already-relegated visitors informed us on the eve of the game that they were unable to field a team and as such were conceding the game.  Three more crucial points in the Stiffs' fight for Premier Division survival but another serious attack on the East Riding County League's credibility.
No fewer than eleven league games in the top division alone and several other "meaningless" end-of-season fixtures conveniently ended goalless without, it would appear, a ball actually being kicked.  As a club, we'd proposed a rule change at the previous year's League AGM urging stiffer penalties to so-called serial conceders.  It was thrown out and although our Reserves have benefitted from the continuing trend, as a member of the League Management Committee such awarding of points without meaningful punishment to those teams unwilling to take the field simply belittles the whole competition.  Rant over.    
Fortunately there were to be no such calls made by Thorne Colliery who arrived keen to repeat the gubbing they'd inflicted upon us less than a month earlier.  Thankfully they wouldn't.
Starting strongly, we survived an early scare when Lee Mills hit the post when it looked easier to score.  But then Owen got up on his toes to fire in the first and there'd be no looking back.

Two-Nil

Three minutes after his first, Thorne's defence failed to clear their lines and Man Mountain took a touch before firing home his and our second.  That first win in five matches was looking on the cards...

Three-Nil

Lapses in concentration have cost us dear this season and almost did so again when Marshall - unopposed - headed wide from six yards.  Charlie then produced a fine stop to deny Fell and we made the most of these escapes, Mozzer curling home a beaut of a third goal before the break.  Three-up.  Surely we wouldn't let this slip.

We didn't.  Although never quite reaching the heights of the first half performance, we never looked like loosening our grip on the game.  And victory was assured when Gav finally claimed his long-overdue 100th goal in Easington colours...or was it already over the line?

Farny's initial touch...

...wait for it...

...here's Gavin...

Four-Nil...but where was the touch?

Disappointingly, the gloss was taken off a very well deserved win, first by a couple of late Thorne strikes, and then by a couple of new holes kicked into various walls in the away changing room.  Hmm, I found it all frustrating given not only the decent relationship we've forged with our opponents but more so given the problems Thorne themselves have been/are currently experiencing with their own accommodation.  Still, I was more than willing to put it down to "frustration" and let the visitors sort it out in-house.  I trust they'll get in touch when they have done...

Is it the ref's footwear or the weeds attracting attention?

Sunday brought yet another defeat for Rovers, away at Wakefield after Blake Green had seemingly won them the game.  And my frustration at that result was increased by my computer's ability to tune into The Eighties on Q Radio.  And when connection was finally secured, it was only the ferkin Bluebells!  Still, A Guy Called Gerald's 'Voodoo Ray' rescued matters.

Where will it drop...

The new BBC drama "Exile" provided good, if slightly disturbing evening viewing (Jim Broadbent being particularly brilliant alongside the always watchable John Simm) but I retired to bed saddened to learn that to further figures from my childhood, Sir Henry Cooper and Ted Lowe, had sadly passed away.  Given historian Richard Holmes' earlier passing, the loss of the sporting duo completed the saddest of hat-tricks.

Where else would you rather be on a Bank Holiday?

The rapid turnaround between home matches - plus the need to cook a "Sunday lunch to die for" - meant the day had been anything but relaxing.  Still, I was in buoyant mood when getting up on Matchday Monday and not only because it was to news that Osama Bin Laden had fallen victim to a game of "Knock Knock" with US Special Forces.
I arrived in good time at the ground and needn't have worried that our visitors may have got snagged up behind the collection of vintage tractors winding their way along the B1445 from Keyingham across lunchtime.

Gav misses out on Goal No. 101

Defeat at Yorkshire Main had left Bentley's title hopes hanging by a thread and so manager Chris Toyne was understandably downbeat when I spoke to him before kick-off.  His manner helped increase my quiet confidence that we could build on Saturday's result.
And we did, despite being denied the points in a goalless draw that was anything but drab.  Programme maestro Andy Medcalf and @Tigerkj64 of Twitter fame helped turn the afternoon into something of a Pompey 2011 Reunited and I think both went home impressed by the quality of football on show.

"Ayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyhhhhh"

Like me, they were probably left wondering how none of our 32 attempts on goal managed to find the target.  But having been on the end of several hidings at Bentley's hands in recent times, I took the 0-0 result as a moral victory!