BFC 5-3 QPR, Saturday 14th December 2019

‘I got results back.  Ah’m all clear, Debs!’

Welcome to ....

A tempestuous week meant drinking from 9am on the Booze Express to Barnsley.  Heading out of the EU, and Tories even taking over my home constituency of Sedgefield, it was left to Barnsley FC to cheer me up.  Christ.  I don’t fancy my chances.  I hadn’t seen them win all season, in 8 or 9 attempts.  By the final whistle today we’d hit 5 and won our 3^rd game of the season.  Must be the Boris effect!

It's matchday, so obvs you can't use the station pedestrian footbridge.

Course, I missed the first two goals, as it took an age for the box office to assign next week’s Millwall match tickets (and I still didn’t buy enough, idiot).  I traipsed round the back of the Ponty in time to hear a distant cheer.  F***.  1-0 down before I’ve even got in.  So it was with some surprise upon entering the East Stand that ‘the scorer of the QPR equaliser was….’  We’d gone ahead, they’d hit back.  All-square, I’d missed nowt.

You have to be kidding, right?  £30?

I’m not sure what to make of the game.  Was it a thriller?  Or just two poor sides not having a clue how to defend?  At least ours took turns to give them goals, as Mads got caught on the wrong side for #1 (I’ve since seen it on telly), Diaby fails to track his man for #2 and whichever Williams isn’t Ben got absolutely ar5eholed down their left before the pullback eluded Mowatt.  Yes, we need to be scoring about 5 a game to have any chance of picking up points.

Match action in front of the Ponty.

However, in attack, one must give new coach Strudel his dues; he’s dropped Woodrow behind a front two of Chaplin and Brown.  Who saw THAT?  I maintain it makes sense, cos Woodrow's the only player we have who can kick a ball, so those loose balls on the edge of the box are meat and 2 veg to him; but on Satdy we saw the renaissance / beginning of Conor Chaplin’s BFC career.  Previously, all I’ve seen is a little fella running about to little or no avail.  Now he’s hitting hattricks, being in the right place at the right time without Woodrow to get in his way.  Even better, we discussed pre-match Slacki’s bet with Loko that Chaplin would get 10 for BFC this season.  He was on 4.  We all agreed we’d rather have Loko’s side of the bet….(course, it might still come in when Barcelona snatch Chaplin in the January window).

The Rangers hordes.  Thanks for coming!

Brown too was a revelation.  Was he involved in 4 of the goals, or only the 3?  Whatever.  Let’s hope he’s allowed to develop rather than be shunted around from position to position.  Aside from Chaplin's well taken threesome (his 2^nd, a half volley into the roof of the net being the pick), Brown laid Diaby in for a tap-in, the early free kick catching QPR asleep and sending Brown scurrying away down the right.  The other, a Woodrow pen (our 1^st at home in 3 years, who’d have thunk it?) was nailed on after Woodrow beat the full back all end’s up.  We were 5-2 up at this point and not even a late consolation could ruin a perfect week day.

Cauley buries the pen.  Just take my word for it.

Onwards and upwards!

*** Chaplin.  Official MOTM too.  Amazing what a hattrick does. 

** Brown.  Back to his best?

* Woodrow.  You can’t keep a good striker down.  Sell him in Jan.

Londontykes' MOTM: 1. Chaplin  2. Brown  3. Mowatt

Despatches:You know it’s an ‘interesting’ week when you’re getting lectured by a Dirty L**ds fan due to the inappropriate nature of a chant on the train back**.  ‘Think of the children’ he said, as he pointed at his 14 year old, who’d not taken his ear plugs out all journey.  He really did look angry too, but at least he (correctly) ascertained who the leader of the crew was (me!).  Problies cos he thought he could have me.  I was a little taken aback, to be honest.  And I thought I did well to maintain a calm voice as I told him I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, given some of the disgusting chants I’ve heard Dirty L**ds sing over the years (‘Jimmy Savile, he’s one of our own’ anyone?)  If he wants to protect his darling little cherub, I’d suggested watching anyone but L**ds.

**Course, he was right.  Any sane person would find that Yorkshire Ripper chant absolutely abhorrent, but it’s so…DAMN CATCHY.  I must point out that Nice Guy Chris did not join in said chant.  He’s better than that (and wasn’t as drunk as the rest of us)

Some Super Reds await a train.

We also met the full Reds team, minus Diaby (well, I never spotted him) at Wakey train station on the way back.  Seems they were off out in that there London for a meal, before spending Sunday at Winter Wonderland.  Isn't that for kids?  (Well, our team ARE kids...)  They were mainly hanging out in the coffee shop.  McGeehan came and said hello and had a brief chat, before I went in and dragged Toby out for a pic with his #1 fan Jonesy.  (I didn't say what Jonesy thought of his efforts at left back.  I merely said 'Don't worry, you'll be back in the team soon' cos he's too good a footballer not to be.  And we've too poor a defence as well.)

Oh, and I fell asleep on the bus home and had to walk the mile and a half back home.

Peckham Rye, last night.

Drink du jour: Leffe, Weihenstephaner, Spiced rum and ginger ale.  More beer at the Parcel Yard, where I became ‘tired and emotional’.  This country has officially gone to the dogs.

Away: 769 

The Damage:

£24 travel

£2 fanzine

= £26

The Tunes:

Let Them Eat Chaos (Kate Tempest)

Until the Hunter (Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions)

A Long Hot Summer (Masta Ace)

Behind the goal, pre-match.

Looking towards the away end.

The old Main Stand.

The Ponty v QPR.