Time gentlemen, please

The final Friday before the Easter break, the first Friday after the clocks went forward. Time, it seems, waits for no man and another football season lurches into its final, convulsive death throes. Still, mustn’t grumble.

Following last week’s na-na-na-na nineteen goal thriller, Simon Gas and Joe returned to action to provide pastoral care and team selection respectively. Joe selected the following two teams –

Bibs – Dan, Simon Gas, Steve A, Andy, Sam, Mick, Danny

Colours – me, Alex, Joe, Ian West Brom, Boro Dave, ringer Hugh (from the Seven ‘O’ Clock collective), Simon Inkpen

Boro Dave, despite looking as if he’d been beamed in from the early 50’s (having forgotten his kit he played with rolled up trousers, although he was sporting appropriate footwear) and Alex formed a potent partnership for the colours and helped the side sans luminous yellow apparel take a seemingly unassailable 4-1 lead, despite the attentions of defensive giants like Danny and Simon Gas. The team in Bibs got back into things after an absolute howler from myself in goals – a speculative centre was prodded toward goal by Dan, whereupon I experienced some sort of goalkeeping neurological meltdown and failed to either stop it with my hands or my body. Terrible stuff. Emboldened, the Bibs got another back a few minutes later after some slack defending. But despite a series of presentable chances falling to Andy and Mick the Bibs couldn’t find an equaliser, while at the other end wave after wave of attacks from the Boro Dave-Alex axis crashed harmlessly onto some resolute defending.

The game started to peter out with play reduced to hopeful balls forward into space and poor passing. Joe sustained a nasty knee injury after clacking patellas with Steve, who seemed largely unaffected. Hopefully nothing serious there.

Final score: Colours 4 Bibs 3

Eschewing the youthful hubbub of the Old Fountain’s Head, the hardy few who made it to the pub instead imbibed at the White Hart, where things seem altogether more old-fashioned, down to the mid-period Springsteen videos on the TV and the fact that they appear to have employed Carol Decker behind the bar. Will they be grateful of the custom? What effect will the new roof terrace at the Fountain have in the future?

Our old friend Time will reveal all....