AWAY DAYS

KING’S LYNN

(A Personal View Of Recent Matches)

 Who in their right mind sets their alarm clock for 6.30am on a Saturday to travel 404 miles there and back to see a football match? Ok so I’m not in my right mind.

I have to give great credit to the missus though as she is always very willing to get me to my pick up point by the appointed time. Someone suggested it’s to get me out of the way as quickly as possible but that’s cruel.

We estimated it would take 4 hours and it did. We had a couple of brief stops en route at Pontefract Collieries and Holbeach United and arrived in King’s Lynn at 12.30. It’s odd but despite the length of the trip these were the only two grounds we passed without going out of our way too much.

We had plenty of time to look around the town and have lunch at the Wenns pub in the town which was quite pleasant. We managed a quick tour of the quays and found the Custom House which was duly photographed to add to the collection of Custom Houses I have, only those that know me will appreciate the significance of this.

We got back to the ground well in time for kick off, it was £7 for entry and a decent programme cost £1.50, lots to read including a programme review that looked at our last ever home Football League game and marked the programme 9 ½ out of 10 and valued it at £7.50. The review goes on to say that if KL had been playing Gateshead, the last home game programme for Gateshead in the Football league is valued at £350. The ground was well up to Conference standard in my view and a lot better than a number of Unibond grounds.

The first reading of the teams had a surprise in that we didn’t have a goalkeeping sub…the second reading corrected it mind you!

What a first half it was, end to end football in front of a passionate crowd for once made for a lively atmosphere. We were 2-0 up after two attacks and 3-1 after three. The Linnets fans disputed all three goals saying the first two were offside and the third was a dive for the penalty! Nothing like unbiased watching is there. I got chatting to a chap just before half time who was in line with our first two goals and he said it was one of their defenders who was playing us on and I can confirm that it was very definitely a penalty as Terry’s legs were definitely taken away. He is very clever mind you how he does it! The referee received a rousing reception as he went off!

I had therefore spent a lot of the first half on the phone to the wife who was having her first go at updating my web site (www.southportfcstats.co.uk) with the teams and goals as they went in. I think she just about kept up with the action although I did get  “I haven’t finished updating the last one yet, Rob” blast at one point!

The second half fizzled out somewhat and we were very comfortable winners in the end. I have to confess I thought we would find it harder than it was in the second half but we could have scored a few more and if Steve Daly hadn’t been so honest we would have had another penalty, even the keeper said, with a smile on his face, it was a pen.

The 46 Southport fans that I counted fully appreciated what was a great all round team effort and the enthusiastic support was duly acknowledged by the lads.

It always makes a long journey home more pleasant and quicker when you win and this was no exception. We were back for 9 after a quick stop on the A1 to stretch the legs.

Rob Urwin