Here are those 17 games attended by "The Barber" in the last 15 days: Alba v Monsoon (5-0), Hayes v Barnet (1-0), Green Oak Morton v Westminster Wanderers (7-3), Eastbourne United v Harlow Town (0-0), Alba v Hield United (5-3), IDS v Eastern Promise (1-6), Banking & Securities (Deloitte) v Products & Services (Deloitte) (2-1), Davis Langdon v TNT Magazine (2-2), Charlton Athletic v Feyenoord (2-0), BUPA v London Underground (2-1), Green Oak Morton v GPR (6-5), Torquay United v Notts County (0-0), FC Vendredi Soir v Barhale Warriors (1-3), Inter Sleeze v Swiss Cottage Wanderers (0-1), FC Unknown v North London Olympian (1-1), Audit Commission v Viacom Outdoor (4-0) and Thorp Design v Hudson (1-2).
The above included the London League’s Summer Cup and Summer Plate Finals at Paddington Recreation Ground. Eastern Promise, in an all sky blue strip, won "The Cup" and their No.7, "Yemi", had a special talent. He wasn’t particularly big and all the power came from his whirling arms as he launched a succession of throw-ins right in under the opposition’s crossbar. One went straight into the net without anyone touching it (I haven’t seen that for years) and two were nodded home by team-mates standing on the goal-line. Quite an asset!
Unusual things tend to happen at the Rec, where games are generally watched by less than ten people. A few minutes before BUPA v London Underground kicked-off last Thursday, with the pitch dry and hard after a couple of days without rain, the water cannon were switched on at each corner. What followed was like a disaster movie, with the whole ground being flooded as people ran for cover. The cannon appeared to be completely out of control and "The Barber" for one, sitting in the back row of the uncovered stand, was drenched. But the pitch, for the most part, remained dry and hard.
A couple of highlights were a friendly at Charlton that featured a former European Cup winning team (Feyenoord) and a Coca Cola League Two fixture at Torquay that pitted "The Gulls" against the oldest League club (Notts County). I was queuing for a ticket at The Valley on the Wednesday and after ten minutes had inched my way to within touching distance of the window. Then four huge Feyenoord fans appeared from nowhere and pushed in front of me. There were four of them and one of me, so it was a case of "Have a nice evening, boys". But a steward had spotted them and moved swiftly to ask them to join the back of the queue, at least 50 yards away. I didn’t say a word – but smiled slightly.
Saturday’s match down in Torquay was my first at the Plainmoor ground since August 1967, when I stood at the back of the open terrace behind the goal to see them play local rivals Exeter City in a League Cup tie. Both ‘keepers had outstanding games in a 0-0 draw – and that’s exactly what happened at the weekend too. The fare from Paddington, returning the same day, was a mind-boggling £62.20 and that was for the privilege of spending eight and a half hours in two packed trains. The return journey was an hour and a half longer than it should have been because of engineering works that hadn’t been advertised. But Plainmoor was unrecognisable from the way it was 38 years ago and I’m glad I was able to have a look round the ground – and the town – such a long time since holidaying there with the family. I remember we saw the comedian Harry Worth on stage.
A team’s, and indeed a player’s, fortunes can change so quickly during a football match. That was illustrated very well at the Inter Sleeze v Swiss Cottage Wanderers game at Whitefield School on Sunday. Soon after the start the ball was ballooned over both the bar and the high perimeter fence and "The Barber", on ball-boy duties, rummaged about in the bushes about 20 yards away before hurling the ball back to the ‘keeper. "Thanks, mate!", he cried with a big grin as most of the other players applauded my efforts. Then, within a minute, that same ‘keeper made a retrieving save of Gordon Banks proportions from a lob towards an empty goal but crashed into a post with a sickening thud.
He lay in the back of the net, motionless, as team-mates raced back to help. Someone watching from the side, who had actually refereed the previous game, called for an ambulance on his mobile and paramedics were quickly on the scene in their dark green shirts and trousers. I didn’t like to look too closely but the stricken player seemed to have a massive lump on the left side of his forehead and there was blood around too. Thankfully he was eventually able to stand, with assistance, but it was 12 minutes before play restarted. The replacement ‘keeper, who had been playing in defence, immediately picked up a back-pass but excelled after that early indiscretion and kept a clean sheet.