This was the big one. The crawl to end all crawls. Except it was a Tuesday, after a long day at work, and having to get half way across town.
Also the German had decided to come on this one, her fifth Blues game with a respectable win 2, won 2 record, however I was nervous she could force me to change my plans. Along with the time issue, that fear proved to be correct.
The 237 bus from White City to Hounslow was invented to follow my pub crawl, it passes four of them directly, and a few others I didn't have the space to print about.
Meeting the German somewhere around Shepherds Bush having escaped from the office early, one turned up straight away.
Up top, armed with map, excited last a 12 year old going to Disneyland, except the bus didn't move, for a long time, somebody had decided to go into the back of a fellow motorist and that was that.
Police sirens, ambulances, the full works, get on the tube.
Kew Gardens and the High Street; "all the pubs are along here", I tell the German. "How long to the first?" "About 20 minutes" "We'll catch a bus". At nearly 5.40, with the traffic building up, the evening was already starting to unfold.
The bus stop was next to the Waggon and Horses pub, No.2 on my list, No.1 was the Magpie and Crown at the other end of the street with the ground in the middle, there was only time for one.
Not quite Meryl Streep in 'Sophie's Choice', let's be honest I wasn't having to hand over one of my kids to the Nazis, but to choose hurt all the same.
The 237 was appearing over the horizon. "Let's get on it". If we'll in the same division next season I hope the games's on a Saturday, she'll be at work!
The Waggon passed by as did an Irish pub, but I did see the rail I remember throwing up over after one game in the nineties, (92 I think, lost 2-1, oh the irony; Benjy scored), as we crawled along to the Magpie and Crown. 6.00 and at last a beer.
EEB's choice: The Waggon or the Magpie, the latter one, but it hurt
Except I couldn't see what was on offer. A fat bloke had parked himself in front of the four handpumps and didn't seem to want to let anyone take a look at what was on offer.
As I didn't want to just say, 'that one', and end up with a 6% dark beer from Scotland I said 'excuse me', which was ignored, and I had to push myself closer to the bar. The look I received you'd think I'd taken his beer and drunk it right in front of him, though looking at the size of the guy that would done him a favour.
As it was I saw 4.4%, decided that was a good place to start, and had a pint of Māori at £2.70, which I'm guessing was from New Zealand. And seeing as they were beating us at cricket at the time it seemed the right thing to do.
A touch too bitter for me, it was still very welcome. The German stuck to a half of Guiness and blackcurrant.
The pub always has a beer from the local Twickenham micro-brewery on offer, so it would have been rude not to have a pint, and at £2.60 and 3.8% was very nice indeed.
It was now 6.30 so off we went to one of the four pubs situated at the four sides of the stadium, unique and rather wonderful.
That's a beehive off picture at the top, honest
Then the German screamed out, "is that a beehive?","yes, that's why the pub's called 'the beehive' and it's not real". "Oh very funny, you like Fullers, I'll buy you a pint."
Now this is where I should have stuck to my principles and said, 'sorry dear, we must stick to a pub on my list.' But when someone offers you a drink, especially my beloved, principles can go and take a swim in the Thames. "OK then."
I didn't place the pub on the crawl because it's not any good, as the Yeovil fansite ciderspace puts it, 'plenty of better pubs around - and a few worse', but you had to stop somewhere.
As it happens the ESB was drinkable and as the landlady gave me a vodka and tomato juice, "single Smirnoff or house double?", "how about a house single", "not much difference in the price really", and she poured a single Smirnoff anyway.
"Enjoy your drinks", blimey, you don't get that in every hostelry, as she put a straw in the glass, of the bloody mary, not the ESB. If she'd added an umbrella I would have felt like Del Boy in the Nag's Head.
The cricket was on, the New Zealanders now five down but only need about twenty seven, I'll talk to the German. "So why the Beehive?" "It has all to do with Fullers buying the Beehive Brewery in 1910, which is why Brentford are called the Bees. Their ground was formerly owned by the.......as her eyes were starting to glaze over, I turned to the cricket, another Kiwi wicket, but time to go.
One day I'll do all four corner pubs but at 7.15 there was just time for the Griffin. We found the Princess Royal, asked a a pretty young copper where Brook Road was, and she sent us down the wrong street, so we saw all four pubs after all.
Ahh, the New Inn, plenty of time spent in there in the past, and I can see plenty of Yellow shirts, but as you just have to go round the ground, we soon found the right pub.
The fourth pub on the corners of the ground but sadly the only one we had a drink in
"Just London Pride', oh if you insist, and another Guinness for the German and then into Griffin Park just as the team come out.
A far better report of the game with player markings can be found here: www.southendunited-mad.co.uk/news/loadnews.asp?cid=TMNW&id=465861
The big worry is M'Voto's hip injury, and now he's back on Wearside doubtful we'll see him at Stockport.
Sankofa is no regular League One centre-half and though he got away with it against little Charlie MacDonald they'll be a big bloke around the corner soon enough, and he did lunge in a bit for their first spot-kick.
Another loanee might be called for, Dervite still at Tottenham?
Our goal was fun, half of us still sitting down wondering why the players are hugging each other.
How the linesman could be 100% sure is anyone's guess, not sure the highlights will help.
No beer sold at the Griffin, so a Bovril and a hot dog for the German who kindly reminded me she hadn't eaten since lunchtime!
As for the penalties, at the other end hard to call, the first was one of those you hope you might get away with it, but the second did look a perfectly timed tackle by the Mousse.
(In fact you can see them here and judge for yourself, just forget the 'referee Tilson' comment:
www.southendunited-mad.co.uk/news/loadsngl.asp?cid=EDY4&id=466048)
I didn't see an appeal by the home team, but there you go, the stats say we had five goal attempts, three on target, and bar our 'goal' I don't remember any of them!
Actually had a MacDonalds after the game, a quarter pounder with cheese meal, first for a couple of years, not bad.
The now legendary 237 turned upwhere we sit in front of a smooth looking guy in a very expensive suit, obviously been working late, at least he won't talk about the game.
His phone rings. "Just been to the game. Got two dodgy penalties and won the game in the last minute. (Laughs loudly.)