The Long Arm of the Draw

So, I had an early start this season at the end of June with Fulham's game against the minnows of Runavik but had not managed to fit anything in until last weekend. I had also decided that it having celebrated the arrival of daughter number 2 almost 2 weeks earlier that it was time for my eldest daughter's first match. Now 3 1/3 is a bit too young for league football so Orient was out but I reckoned on the more sparsely populated surroundings of Barkingside vs Southend Manor being a little more conducive to the her attention span. This was especially important as she hadn't actually expressed any interest in football itself; just going to the football with me. So armed with a bag full of goodies, a picture book and a doll I put the buggy into action and set off.

The one thing that I wasn't expecting on arrival was 2 policeman in the car park making sure that all was tranquil at Oakside. It seems that Essex Senior League football was now a major event in the aftermath of the riots. In the end 4 coppers stood on the terrace enjoying the football (admittedly I think all 4 were special constables but it was still an amusing sight.)

What can I tell you about the match itself? Well it was just 6 minutes into the game when my daughter announced that she was bored. This was worrying. In the end a mixture of humour, preparation, going for walks and downright bribery got us through to the final whistle. Having a child with you automatically leads you to notice exactly how sweary non league football can be. Although we were sat behind the Southend Manor bench they were much less sweary than average. That didn't stop their utterances being questioned. Of particular interest was 'Why doesn't that man want his friends to turn their backs on the ball?'

So I can't really tell you much about the match as my ability to concentrate was very much compromised by the responsibility of looking after a small child (and keeping her entertained). It was though a decent enough game. Southend Manor currently sit on top of the table but this is the only game they haven't won this season. Barkingside looked dangerous early on with Southend Manor being particularly vulnerable at corners. However Southend looked a more settled side and once they got into their stride they looked more dangerous and caused Barkingside problems down the flanks. Barkingside maybe also suffered from the wholesale changes to their squad over the summer. Manor went in one up. It was an open game though and Barkingside eventually got their equaliser and both sides seemed reasonably content to play out the draw.

Oh and another thing. Taking a 3 year old to the footy seriously impairs your ability to take photos as the unedited version of the above photo shows:

We really want to see those fingers