Stadium:mk; not a bad little ground
With the lads in deep trouble after the home draw with Tranmere on Feb. 13 it was time to take up the baton again and get back to booking some away trips.
Originally I was not planning to go to Milton Keynes or Hartlepool, the train tickets to Norwich had been bought a few weeks before, but in that perverse way a footy fan looks at things, I was determined to see the lot.
Four to six points were on I felt, and I didn't want to miss the fun, the march back up to mid-table security.
Getting a ticket late for MK was easy, it was a day return bought on the day from Euston, no worries. Hartlepool was a lot trickier, but more on that later.
I was also on one of my not-so legendary 'no drinking' months, not that matters in the land of concrete cows as there's not much to drink at in that place anyway, though when I arrived around 13.00 in the freezing cold, as usual, a large malt would have been nice.
The short bus journey to the stadium went through several housing estates that all looked similar, I was sure the bus was just going around in circles, until the stadium could be seen, and very impressive it was too.
Great to sit inside a League One ground, and it will get worse next season, and have a clear site of the game even high up.
Not that you wanted to watch; Vernon's misses, Laurent's decent into madness, the defending! As on many occasions this miserable term it was a game we could have got something from but ended up losing 3-1. Paterson's cameo looking promising.
A word on the away support, magnificent, true Blue drumming away, the singing, I hope the lads could hear it way down on the pitch, it got me going!
Delia, back in the day; go on, you would
So escape as quickly as possible with only three days until Norwich away, where the no drinking rubbish would really hurt, there are some decent pubs around the town, especially as everybody was predicting a massive defeat.
Of course, as we now know, we should have got at least a point there, but in different circumstances.
No argument that the Canaries, on their way to being League Champions, were the better side, they could have been two up after ten minutes, but we kept our shape, fought well, and the atmosphere became like a cup tie and we were the team from a lower division. Something that will be for real if we draw them away sometime next season!
When we scored it was really great, mass hugging, the songs got louder, and the atmosphere in the kiosk area at half-time truly memorable. The cheer when they replayed Vernon's goal felt as if the roof was going to come off, if I couldn't have a pint I celebrated with a Delia pie.
A point would be OK when they equalised, and when we won a free-kick with 91 minutes on the clock I though just put it in the stand, but quite rightly Simon tried to score, the keeper made a good save and up the other end it went.
When we cleared one corner on 94 minutes I turned to leave but heard 'oh fuck' from a voice above, going back up the steps City had won another corner, 2-1. Very cruel and the two hour train journey home went on for ever.
Members of the London Norwich Supporters Club though were in good spirits, there biggest concern was how to get to Carrow Road Easter Monday with the engineering works, oh to have those problems!
The second last minute defeat in a week to Charlton was another kick in the teeth, but I had decided I had to get to Hartlepool, this was it, we had a real chance there. The lads could still turn it around. It fell in March, I could have a drink again!
The German thought I was mad even considering it, especially with all the cheap fares gone. I must have tried every combination from every station in the land to get up there under the ninety-odd quid train tickets had gone up to. I found a way, it was crazy for a bloke of a certain age to do, but I was a desperate one, on a limited budget.
It was two overnight coaches to Newcastle for a tenner each way, then a £7.50 return to Hartlepool. £27.50 for a near 600 mile round trip, not bad just 10 days before the game, but I wasn't quite sure what to do with the few hours I'd have in Newcastle before and after the game!
Leaving at 22.30 from London Victoria it was 80% full but I was able to get two seats to myself. The coach went on to Edinburgh so I better make sure I was awake for 6am when the coach hit the north-east!
The new Southend assistant manager? Would improve discipline
It was spitting with rain when we arrived and after breaky in a cafe open nice and early I decided to find the staue of 'Earl Gray' in the middle of town, he didn't just have a tea named after him you know, and then go on a 'Get Carter' location tour, unfortunately the heavens decided to open big time while I was crossing the original bridge, and I still had a couple of hours to kill!
The train journey to Pool went via Sunderland and only took 43 minutes, some open countryside, the odd caravan site, but nothing like the trip from the same station to carlisle, now that is class, they've got a wall you can look at.
Getting there at midday I started in the Weatherspoons close to the station but was determined to find my recommended Causeway bar and this is where maps let you down, it looks close but maps can lie, 15 minutes, felt like double that!
Once there, the decision was taken to stay for the remaining time before the game, four pints of Cameron's Strongarm at £2.50 a go certainly put me in a very good mood for the game.
Sadly the game didn't live up to expectations, we were rubbish again, and O'Donovan a hat-trick, didn't look like he could hit a barn door at our place, unbelievable. More worrying was M'Voto who has totally lost his mojo since the injury but looked as if he was getting it back towards the end so here's hoping he might fancy a year in League Two, but possibly Steve Bruce won't!
A pint afterwards before back in Newcastle which is a scream on a Saturday night, great people watching. What was noticeable was whole families go out on the piss, grannies down to teenagers and their partners, whole groups, everyone's in on it, just wouldn't get that down south, even the East End as it is now.
The rain stayed away and it was a good time once the the beer had taken away the pain of such a horrible defeat, 23.30 came around and it was in at Victoria by 6 the following morning.
Right decision? Yeh, why not? But no more overnights, that is something that's passed me by now!
So relegation looked certain, but tickets were already booked for Bristol, one of my favourite cities, mates were driving to this one, so there was still a few miles, and a few pints, to be covered yet before the season was out.
To be continued......