Four matches in the last week, which included an U18 international and a tense affair in the Conference South, have taken The Barber up to 222 for the season and a crazy 5,114 all told.
They finished like this:-
Rothschild 4 Accenture 2
Eastbourne Borough 1 Cambridge City 1
Kings Arms 2 AFC Ringmer 7
England 2 Slovenia 1
It was my first visit to "Borough" since the Cup thriller with Oxford United that marked my 5,000th match five months ago. Now they are in trouble near the bottom of the Conference South and their frustration was showing. One player failed to reach a pass from a team-mate near the touchline and reacted by kicking a hole in the perimeter fence.
Borough were a goal down with two minutes left and it looked desperate. Then their left-back, who looked particularly determined, hit a screamer of a free-kick into the top corner and they grabbed a priceless point.
I wasn’t too optimistic about finding a match on Easter Sunday morning but a three-mile walk took me to Princes Park, close to the sea front, where Kings Arms v AFC Ringmer was just getting underway around 10.30. This match had an extraordinary ten-minute period early in the second half when AFC Ringmer were awarded three penalties.
The first came after a trip in the box. The "home" ‘keeper had hardly distinguished himself in the first half, letting in four and punching one corner into his own net, but an unusual tactic was about to pay dividends. A couple of seconds before the AFC No.7 took the penalty, the ‘keeper threw himself to his right. He was lying on the ground by the post when the ball thudded into his midriff.
Within a minute there was another penalty, this time for handball, and once again the ‘keeper in his blinding orange jersey plunged to his right well before the kick was taken.
The No.7 was wise to it this time but the ball clipped the top of the crossbar on it way down the hill and into a stream. A few minutes later there was yet another; surely AFC couldn’t miss all three.
The No.7 clearly wasn’t keen to take this one. But once he had been persuaded, he was cheered and back-slapped all the way from his own half to the opposition’s box. The ball was already on the spot and he cunningly walked up to it very slowly, stooping slightly as though he was going to adjust its position – as players always like to do.
Instead he took a quick stride forward and blasted a shot high into the net, the ball whistling past the ‘keeper’s left ear before he had a chance to move. Cue euphoria.
On Easter Monday I was delighted to see an U18 international at The Fitness First Stadium, home of AFC Bournemouth. England edged Slovenia 2-1 on a bright but windy afternoon and the crowd was an astonishing 9,594. I believe it was a record for the new ground. After 25 years Bournemouth remains my favourite place in the country to visit (and stay in) and I wrote a piece for the programme headed "Thank you, Bournemouth".
So many great matches at the old Dean Court…but I’ll just mention one. The Cherries were playing Rotherham in 1987 and needed a win to clinch the Third Division Championship under Harry Redknapp. At one point early in the second half tough midfielder Tony Pulis slid in to tackle a visiting player in the centre circle and when the cloud of dust had settled, the latter had lost both boots. That’s what I call a tackle.
Cherries were playing out the last few minutes, comfortable at 2-0, and their fans were massed at the touchlines ready to celebrate winning the title. But they came on too soon, the referee having only blown for offside, and pandemonium ensued. The home ‘keeper Gerry Peyton (pictured), in the middle of the dancing throng, lost his jersey. When play finally resumed, he had to play out the last few seconds without a top. I mean he was completely topless!