Oh why was the alarm going off at 5.15am? Because I was getting the 7.20 to Manchester and this was the start of a day of culture.
With the German's birthday the day before being celebrated with a trip up the Thames in gorgeous sunshine finished with the odd bottle of Aussie Chardonnay, more than four and a bit hours sleep would have been appreciated, but I'd never spent any real time in the U.K.'s, arguably, third city and I was determined to do it properly.
The £8 fare from Euston which started to jump up on later services had nothing to do with it.
Not on the Pub Crawl as I wanted it all to myself along with half of Ireland
Arriving at 9.42 with my Rough Guide to Manchester and feeling a touch hungry I fell into the grand establishment of the Piccadilly Tavern, where a full English and coffee was going at £2.68. I was not expecting organic meat and free range eggs but it did it's job and at least I wasn't joining the guys washing it down with pints of Guinness!
There was no problem with the southern accent as the place was filling up with red-shirted ManU fans, did they know it was a 17.15 kick-off, and there was hardly anyone from the city anyway, but there was plenty of Irishmen, a lot of Irishmen, I learned more about Roy Keane's chances at Ipswich than I could have done in any newspaper!
Relaxing and catching up on the guide, now what museum shall I aim for, it had somehow crept over eleven and I could see umbrellas going up outside, it didn't look very inviting. They had two excellent real ales, Dragon's Bite for St. George's Day week, and Orkney Red MacGregor, which is organic, you can taste the bloody peat in it, and both at a ridiculous £2.25 a pint. I stayed in the pub.
There was no morning footy so they bizarrely had kids TV on several large screens. It gets rather surreal when you start seeing a vampire child with a talking dog after a couple of pints at that time of the morning. Things have moved on since Tiswas.
Now around half twelve I took the five minutes walk to Piccadilly, you don't have to know Manchester to work out what part of town I was in, and jumped on the No. 24. My eyes switching from map to road to make sure I was not going past the recommended Rifle Range pub thirty minutes later we stopped right outside the Rifle Range pub. Note to self, ask the bloody driver next time!
A local had written that the barmaids here had 'excellent nellies' but looking Nellies up in one dictionary I found that the word could be 'used as a disparaging term for an effeminate homosexual man'. Oh well, as long as the beers good.
And it was. Three pints of J.W. Lees Cask Bitter, an amber beer with a malty fruit aftertaste, 4% volume and also £2.25 a pint, were all drunk far too easily. The only downer watching the incredibly dull Scottish Cup semi between Rangers and St. Mirren, blimey I would have put money on the Blues taking the pair of them on and winning.
I was now well in the mood for a game and a song.
Taking a seat ten minutes before kick-off I could see the Shrimpers support had outshone themselves once again. 600 maybe but many in fancy dress and the singing had already started, Geoffrey King being mentioned in dispatches, and it wasn't to invite him out for a drink.
There was a hint that there could be more in the relationship between Batman and Robin than just fighting super villains. While the smile on Scannell's face when he signed the left boob of one of our 'policewomen' was priceless.
The conga was not as cheographed as they have been in the past but congrats to everyone who got around more than once, the look of one Oldham fan in their stand as all this was going on was one of shock and surprise, he'd obviously seen nothing like it.
The game itself wasn't up to much but far more fun was being had on the terraces. Couldn't see the penalty incident clear enough to make a call, Mildenhall was close though to saving, but great we got an equaliser, well taken by Barny who should have been on from the start, strange call that by Tilly.
Sankofa did OK as ever at right back while Francis played his usual game but on the right wing. Barrett, Clarke and Dervite were great at the back. Macca and Grant strong in midfield. Robinson full of running as ever, I have really warmed to Theo missed chances or not, hope we can somehow keep him but it's unlikely I suppose.
For a full report and player markings go here: www.thelittlegazette.com/news/loadnews.asp?cid=TMNW&id=444937
On the 17.55 with ease, an inflation busting £15 this time, so with the bus £27 the lot, not bad.
Lots of catching up on sleep, Spurs were two up when I dropped off, had lost 5-2 by the time I woke up and home around half eight.
Not a bad day and another note to self, never think of not going to a last away game again, even when next year the wife's birthday fulls on a Saturday, she'll understand, though maybe not if it's Oldham away again.
N.B. I have got some great photos of the Shrimpers support on the day which I'm trying to get posted once the technical gremlins allow me to do so!