24 Minutes to Tulse Hill

My plans to overdose on football over Christmas were dealt a cruel blow by the remaining snow. I had been looking forward to a traditional Boxing Day visit to Orient and that bit the dust early on. That was a wee frustrating as having decided to cut back on Orient the times I actually want to seem to be cursed. I imagine that Dagenham & Redbridge fans were even more disappointed after having been told that their game was definitely on after a pitch inspection on Christmas Eve. That proved to be an incurable case of optimism or an attack of the stupids. In planning the games I was going see over Christmas I had tried to make sure that I would go to new places and see new teams but in the end there wasn't much choice. I had been to Carshalton for the first time back in September as I rediscovered the charms of non-league football and although I had enjoyed the game against Tunbridge Wells in the FA Cup I hadn't planned on going back any time soon. However once the Tooting-Kingstonian derby was postponed Carshalton's game against Sutton United was the only realistic alternative.

Talking Benelux

My plans for a footballmungous Christmas now lie in tatters. The postponement of Barkingside's league game against Barking last Wednesday was the thin end of the wedge. Since then my planned entertainment at Crawley was frozen off (though I was already viewing the pub as a more favourable destination so wasn't too disappointed. However the relatively small amount of snow we had in East London on Friday morning was enough to make me think that a game was going to a bit of a miracle on Saturday. Saturday morning brought 'proper' snowfall and I began to wonder when I will next get to a game. The 3 games I was thinking of for tonight all went out of the window a long time ago  and I have just found out the match between Dulwich Hamlet and Romford has been unsurprisingly called off already. In fact I have just about given up on anything before Boxing Day and I'm not too hopeful there either. At some point on Boxing Day I will have to decide whether or not to abandon my trip to Lancashire. This has a dual purpose of seeing some football; but also allowing me to step foot in the town of my birth 35 years or so since I left. Sentiments will be put to one side. If football is looking more likely in Rymanlandia is looking more likely than Chorley or Preston then I will bin the trip for another, more clement, time.

Anyway. I already had a ridiculous football trip this year.

It'll be Football this Christmas

Leatherhead open the scoring against Eastbourne Town with a very  yellow ball

My familial arrangements this Christmas see me home alone and absolved of the kind of responsibilities that prevent me getting to large numbers of games. I am now recovering from what was for me a new record of 4 games in 4 days. While I wouldn't yet call myself a groundhopper I added 3 new grounds to my tally and a goodly number of goals. It would have been more if Barkingside weren't seemingly intent of breaking some sort of postponement record this season. Over the Christmas period I am going to try to recount some of the games I've been to both over Christmas and earlier in the season and why I've chosen them. I am still getting to grips with a new camera and if I can avoid too much blur will post of few pics as well.

Super Carl Griffiths - Remote Control Hog (Or the Quaterfinals of the Gordon Brasted Trophy)

Carl Griffiths - A legend of E10. Most recently seen as assistant manager at Barkingside; he recently made a late substitute appearance and notched from the penalty spot. He was only biding time though as he has just been appointed the new manager at Aveley. He visited old friends at Barkingside tonight and made sure at half time and full time that no-one had a chance to catch up with the Sky coverage of Chelsea but nipped straight to the bar and grabbed the remote so everyone could check the lower division scores. He seemed chuffed that Orient had come back to draw 2-2. The game everyone had come to see: Barkingside vs Bethnal Green United in the Gordon Brasted Trophy. It was an entertaining affair with the visitors maybe slightly unlucky not to outscore the hosts who won 2-1 courtesy of 2 penalty kicks. Where the ref got 6:42 minutes of time added on in the second half is anyone's guess though. 

My New Favourite Ground

I thought I had better post something quick smart or this blog would have died before it ever really started. There have been a lot of things I had pondered writing about; Man U fans not knowing who Norman Whiteside is for one! I don't really have anything to add to the reams being written regarding England's crapitude against the French except to say that virtually anything that was said about was probably an exaggeration. What I would like to mention though is my new favourite footy ground. I haven't even seen a game there and don't know who plays there but it's fantastic.


Hidden away below the the Docklands Light Railway and cordoned in by various rank smelling business premises is Lyle Park, the hidden jewel of West Silvertown. From the tiny bit of the park you can see from the road it just looks like a run-down children's play area and a couple of scruffy concrete tennis courts. However, venture past these and all of a sudden you find yourself in a little football secret garden.

A Greeting Hurled into the Void

Last Minute Consolation will be an outlet for my thoughts and frustrations as a disillusioned ex-season ticket holder at Leyton Orient. It's not all doom and gloom though as by abandoning my season ticket I have been liberated. I have rediscovered my interest in non-league football and as a result am not only enjoying games but am also looking forward to attending them. I will examine the current state of my relationship with Orient at some other point but hopefully there will enough of a mix of topics and thoughts aired that this will appeal to disgruntled football supporters of all hues.