Cold Blow

I had a great week for goals with a 10-0 on Thursday and a 9-0 on Saturday.

It was Cricklewood Wanderers who managed double figures against Fitzrovia at a slightly misty Market Road.

The attendance was five, so there were twice as many goals as there were spectators. A bit like going to Old Trafford and seeing one team score 150.

Cricklewood scored eight in the second half, a week after all the goals in Waterloo & City’s 9-1 win over Trans Plant had come after the break.

Two games at Market Road; 18 second-half strikes. Cricklewood’s second on Thursday was a serious candidate for my goal of the season; an overhead kick from an angle.

Both teams turned up with pretty much identical red shirts. Fitzrovia produced some yellow bibs from somewhere but of course we couldn’t see their numbers.

I followed Redhill, then an Athenian League side, from the early ‘60s to the early ‘80s when they played at the Memorial Sports Ground in the centre of town.

I was present when they won the Surrey Senior Cup and the Athenian League Cup (twice). It’s always good to see them doing well and they went into Saturday’s Sussex County League Division One fixture with Worthing United knowing that three points could take them to the top of the table.

It was only my second visit to Kiln Brow this season and it turned out to be an embarrassingly one-sided contest.

I was standing behind the goal that the Reds were attacking, as I have done now in six different decades. It was 1-0 after 45 seconds, 2-0 after two minutes, 3-0 after eight minutes, 4-0 after 15 minutes. Worthing United, bottom with only one win all season, must have known it wasn’t going to be their day when the first went in.

Redhill’s left-back launched a huge throw into their goalmouth and as the ball bounced around, a defender tried to nod it back to his ‘keeper. It went into the net with the latter going the wrong way. The visitors had no substitutes on the bench and were fortunate to keep the score below ten. The Reds certainly tried for it, pouring forward in the last few minutes.

There was a freezing wind in Regent’s Park on Sunday morning that was bending the corner flags almost down to the ground. I was one of only two spectators as Brasenose College took on Shooters on Pitch 8 and tried to keep on the move, walking several times round the pitch, before making my way to the afternoon’s FA Cup tie at Millwall.

I got there via a Jubilee line tube to London Bridge and a train to New Cross Gate. I suppose I was due a 0-0.

My favourite Sixth Round match is Sunderland v Crystal Palace at Roker Park in 1976. I travelled from Liverpool where I was a student and as the trains from London were delayed, I think I was the only Palace fan in the crowd when they kicked-off.

I was standing at the open end, right at the back, and Palace’s Alan Whittle scored the only goal at the other end. A great day.

Matches seen this season = 126
Matches seen in total = 6,421

Twitter: @thebarberfan