Cobblers Frozen Off

The Saturday before Christmas is not generally one of the better times to be travelling as it tends to be the day a lot of people go home for the break but King's Cross was very quiet considering.

Meanwhile, just over the road at St Pancras it was all tears and disappointment as all the Eurostar services had been cancelled and the place was packed with disgruntled travellers.

Despite the wintry weather conditions affecting the chunnel and the rest of the country, the trains on the east coast all looked to be running on time. Martin and I joined John and Bev in coach G.

They'd come armed with bags of cards and stamps as they attempted to make good use of their time on-board. It was interesting to see just how fractious such an innocent past-time could become. The Transport Police were put on standby...

Of course we were well aware of the 9am inspection for today's game and we'd not long pulled out of Peterborough station when Chris rang through with the news we'd been expecting - the game was off.

Unfortunately for Martin this meant waiting until we reached Doncaster before he could get off and get a train back south, hopefully without incurring further expense.

Liz rang - Rotherham's home game had also bitten the dust following a pitch inspection but since the London Millers leave London relatively late, they'd not even reached Stevenage and so were all returning back to London without a great deal of inconvenience.

I was happy to continue northwards safe in the knowledge that there'd be a few DAFTS in Darlo happy to go drinking instead. Given the recent run of results and the injuries we have, it would be nice to know we weren't going to lose this weekend.

On arrival at Bank Top I left John and Bev and headed straight into town - a quick stop for pies in the covered market and then over to the QuakerHouse.

Now as far as some of we brave casketeers (© Viz) are concerned, the problem with this time of year is the huge number of Christmas ales that are produced, all with a regulation humorous name and jolly pump clip.

And it's all a bit of a lottery as to what sort of pint you're going to get - will it taste of Christmas pud, all fruity and rich - which is not my idea of beer - or be a cinnamon bomb that more resembles a joss stick?

(left) Neil's festive egg and twiglet combo

I generally avoid them but today in the Quaker it seemed everything but the stout (Black As Owt from Ferryhill's Yard of Ale brewery) was a festive-themed ale.

We had Jingle Fells (Hawkshead), Three Kings (York), Rudolph's Ruin (Springhead) and Winter's Yard (Yard of Ale) and Christmas Carol (forgotten the brewery) . To be fair I tried the Three Kings and it was OK. The Rudolph's Ruin was more or less an ordinary beer in the usual Springhead style.

It wasn't long before I was joined by Tony and Brian - and then Neil came in after he'd finished Harry's Xmas shopping. And then finally John and Bev completed today's little group of Darlo-ness having posted their cards.

We had a good try of most of the beers - at one point Milton Dioynosus was put on which is a very quaffable beer from Cambridgeshire.

Neil then went for a pickled egg and with the addition of two twiglets produced a festive reindeer-shaped snack. He's been in Norway too long...

Next stop was Number Twenty-2 which was busy with festive shoppers. It was good to see that they had Westoe's IPA from the Jarrow brewery - an excellent beer like most of their stable, nice and hoppy - the beer of the day for me.

(left) Please, can I have some more?

Tony then got us all some stout for the next round - there is always a decent stout in No 22 and today it was Goose Eye's Over and Stout.

Unfortunately we found it to be disappointing - not the type of stout we normally like and in the end I didn't finish it and went straight back onto the IPA.

And then the final port of call was up to the Brittania - I only ever seem to come here when games have been postponed which is a shame but I'm just too lazy to do three pubs pre-match under normal circumstances

(left) Neil with yet another snack

I only had time for a pint and then I had to get back to Bank Top for my train home.

On walking through the market square to the station, large heavy snowflakes were starting to fall - a good time to get out of town...

E Numbers

I'd made the decision to not travel to Torquay more or less at the start of the season - a lot of my fellow fans like this trip for an away weekend but personally I don't think the pubs there warrant the travelling.

So instead I'm hooking up with my London Miller chum, Chris, to try out a few pubs in sunny east London.

The first point of call for the day is the King William IV in Leyton - a pub Steve Duffy and I tried out a few years ago before a midweek game against Orient.

(left) King William IV

In those days it was OK but nothing special.

These days though it's a high profile pub in the area as it's home to Brodie's Beers which is run by Jamie and Lizzie, the brother and sister brewing team that operate from the old Sweet William brewery at the rear of the pub (which coincidentally was run by John Wilson's chum Eddie).

It's a big old pub, quite dark inside with two big rooms - the rear having an enormous buffalo head on the wall (as you do).

There was a pretty impressive array of pumps on display, all serving a myriad of Brodie's beers along with a cider and perry on hand pump.

Also impressive is the cost of a pint - £1.99 for all their own beers which includes the Romanov Empress stout, a 12% monster of a beer. Perfect prices for these recessionary times (but don't tell the prohibitionist lobby).

The TVs in the front room are turned on for the Sky match - which turns out to be the less-than-exciting Stoke -v- Wigan - and it's noticeable that a few of the regulars slip away to the back room to escape it.

The beers we try are all on excellent form - English Best, Sunshine, Orient, IPA and Special - much as you'd expect given they've not had that far to travel.

Once the Sky game is over, we depart and wander along the High Road, across the Lea Bridge Road and head up towards Walthamstow village.

The village is a little area of tranquility and poshness in E17 and it's quite spooky. We're heading to the Nags Head but it turns out we taken a wrong turn.

Luckily for us this means that we come across the East London Sausage Company and we wander in to peruse their range of home-made sausages. Quite a large choice on offer - I go for the 1920's recipe bangers which look nice and plump.

They also put us right in our search and before too long we're arrived at the Nags Head.

(right) Children - know your place!

What strikes me on arrival is the number of signs geared towards parents, all telling them what to do with their children and their buggies.

A subsequent perusal of the pub's BITE entry suggests this isn't the most child-friendly pub - clearly they've had their fill of yummy mummies (and daddies) - and the little darlings are not allowed in the pub, only outside in the heated garden.

On entering the pub, it's apparent that they're expecting a big group - rows of champagne glasses all waiting to be filled up. It turns out a wedding party is expected to drop in for a few drinks.

The Nags Head is totally different place to the more earthy King William - light-coloured wooden walls, comfy chairs, posters advertising in-house activities such as life-drawing and Egyptian dancing.

(left) Nags Head, Walthamstow Village

I'd like to think this latter class resembles Wilson, Keppel and Betty at their finest but somehow I doubt it.

There's a respectable range of beers on offer - Taylors Landlord; St Austell Tribute; Nethergate Suffolk Bitter; Mighty Oak's Oscar Wilde and Maldon Gold and their house beer, Itinerant.

This last beer turns out to be produced by Nethergate and is brewed for the pub to celebrate the late pub cat, Tetley. In fact the pub recently had a feline-themed beer festival. They like cats and won't have kids in the bar - this should be my sort of pub.

As we settle into our pints, the expected wedding party arrives and the pub goes from a quiet, library-like calm to a chatty maelstrom of air-kissing and how-do-you-dos. We hang around to watch it all and have another pint - some of the other regulars find it all a bit much though and depart.

However there's only so much jollity and such like that we can take and we decide to wander back down Orford Road to the Village.

On offer were three from Adnams - Bitter, Broadside and Explorer - and GK IPA. Not very inspiring.

Chris and I both opt for the Explorer and settle down to watch the football scores come in. The beer is not up to much - it has minimal condition and looks extremely flat and listless - and frankly it's a struggle to drink.

Even more disappointing is the latest score from Plainmoor - Torquay 5, Darlington 0! Oh dear oh dear. Happier news though for Chris as the Millers have won with a couple of late goals at Valley Parade.

We decide that the beer isn't worth bothering with and leave it. We wander back to Lea Bridge Road where we pick up the 69 bus which takes us to Leyton tube. From here we travel a couple of stops to Mile End.

I drag Chris through the streets of Bow until we reach Roman Road market - unfortunately Kelly's pie and mash shop is shut so we head straight to the Eleanor Arms.

As well as the usual Shepherd Neame choices, there is a Sheps Xmas ale and the guest beer is Old Hooky so I settle for that. Very nice.

Landlord Frankie eventually shows his face - I last saw him rather worse for wear at the end of the Pig's Ear festival a couple of weeks ago.

Whilst we have a few further pints (bottles of Otley's O-Garden for me), a few musicians wander up and perform a few tunes - not many people in to appreciate them though. We're right in the firing line and whilst it's not really our cup of tea, we applaud politely before calling it a day and heading home.

The sausages were eaten the very next day and were absolutely fabulous. I'll be going back for more...

Oh No It Isn't!!

For the second time in two days I was in Darlo though today promised a higher level of entertainment as I took my sister and nieces to see Aladdin at the Civic Theatre.

Before that, the girls went shopping which left me enough time for a quick stiffener at the Quakerhouse where the staff were busy putting up Christmas decorations.

I had a pint of Wenleydale Brewery's Sheep Rustler which was a nut brown ale - something which you don't see too often but it was very smooth and silky.

Just as I was supping up a new beer was put on, the wonderfully titled Cyril The Magnificent from High House Farm brewery. Judging from the label this was a dunkel weisse and Cyril is a cat.

But as we know we shouldn't judge by labels as the beer was far from dunkel - in fact it was a fairly straight-forward impression of a weisse beer and not at all dark. Soft and smooth but not wheaty enough for my tastes.

And so onto the panto - my first proper panto ever and it has to be said I only really want to see this one as the Grumbleweeds are appearing.

The Grumbleweeds are in many respects a relic of the 70s - a comedy troupe from the club circuit doing impressions and telling dodgy jokes - and northern too of course - but we used to love their radio shows which ran from 1979 to 1988 on Radio 2 and characters such as Uncle nasty and Wilf 'Gasmask' Grimshaw. Believe me, it was funny - honest.

Appearing with them was Chico who more represents the modern-day breed of panto artiste - which tend to be soap 'stars' or the winner/runner-up of some modern-day reality show - at least he should keep the ladies happy.

Should we ever have cause to go back to Kenilworth Road and I complain about the seats, just say "Civic Theatre". There's hardly any legroom and I'm almost bent double and you all know that I'm not the world's tallest person. I'm sure Justice Taylor wouldn't be impressed.

It's only the third full performance of the show and the occasional line is fluffed or forgotten but my youngest niece loves it all the same.

Then following one song and dance scene, Widow Twanky comments that she's not enjoyed herself so much "since Darlington last won at home".

And there we have it - Darlo are once again music-hall material just like the old days...

It's Panto Season...

As I was up on my annual pre-Christmas trip to see the family in Northallerton, I was able to have a lie-in and still be in Darlo by 9:30am. This early start was to allow Tony the chance to take me somewhere for breakfast.

We settled on the cafe which sits above the covered market and overlooks High Row. The full breakfast was excellent - good to have a bit of fried bread for a change - and it was nice to eat whilst watching everyone rushing around doing their Christmas shopping.

Once fueled, we have a leisurely stroll around town and pop along to get some pies for Howard and Martin who were travelling up from King's Cross.

And then having exhausted shops to wander in as we try to waste time, we get to the Quakerhouse about 10:55am - they're open and they let us in.

For once we beat regulars George and Gwyn to the bar although a Bradford ticker did actually get in the beers in first - very rude but he looked a bit of a ticker and generally their human-skills tend to be a bit lacking.

The beers on parade were as follows: Coach House - Dick Turpin and Coachmans; Rudgate - Good, Better and Best; Hadrian & Border - Tyneside Brown; Vale - Winter Solstice; Marston Moor Brewery - Cock Caper and Winters Tail; Hambleton - Stallion; Woods - Quaff and finally York - Nippy Nights. I'm sure the ticker was impressed.

We'd just got our first beers when John Bell joined us - a change of routine as he normally meets us after he's been to the Brit.

(left) John and Tony audition for the Sound of Music

And then the Sheffield contingent arrived - Brian and Trevor are joined by their mate, Richard, who is a Monkeyhanger. Despite this aberration he was made welcome.

This being December, it seems a collective decision was made to don Xmas headware - in this case the black and white "Bah Humbug" hats. Unfortunately due to the size of my brain box, none of these would fit me.

John Wilson pops in whilst wife Bev is busy shopping - there can't be many football-supporting couples that top and tail the divisions with Bev's Chelsea-mob riding high and the Quakers holding up the rest of the teams.

After trying a good few beers, John and I wander up to Twenty-2 where we bump into Durham Tony. I get chatting to one of the regulars that I've got to know in there over the years - Colin - who has just recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's. He's taking a very positive attitude and making sure he comes out to the pub as he's always done.

The rest of the gang then catch up with us and we nab a nice seat in the front window. There's a lovely stout on today from Marston Moor and it's going down very nicely.

At 2:30pm we pile into our taxis - we have a novice driver who takes us the long way round and by the time we get to the ground the others have overtaken us.

I wander into the club shop as I've heard they've finally got some decent clobber in but the shelves are almost bare. There is a nice managers-style coat - only £35 - but it has a loose thread and there are no others in my size.

(right) A Happy Bah Humbug to all our readers

Up in the stands the East Stand is looking very empty and forlorn - thankfully Bradford have brought a few fans and so we should exceed the 2,000 mark.

As reported in the press, there's no Foster on duty due - although he's on the bench - but there's no sign of Miller either which leaves a relatively inexperienced (for us) pairing in central defence.

The team come out to a muted welcome - it's as if nobody is really looking forward to this game - it's clear that Brian isn't as he is soon asleep, safe in the land of the nod.

Meanwhile the rest of us have to watch the game and for the main, we struggle to retain possession against a busy Bradford outfit that can sense nervous prey.

We're 1-0 down after about 20 minutes - a corner is taken and Liversedge looks as if he's coming to collect then scrambles back when it's clear he can't reach it. The ball is volleyed in from about 12 yards - the defence look at each other and the keeper shouts at them though I feel he could have done better.

(left) Brian tunes out...

We struggle for the remainder of the half - it's not pretty and to be fair, we do well to be only one down at the break. There's been a lot of talk about players being played out of position but it's difficult to keep track as our 40th player of the season makes his debut today.

As the whistle blows, the Sheffield mob take a leaf out of my book and wander off to the pub. Tony is tempted to join them but stays.

The second half is a much improved from Darlo's perspective - the anonymous and apparently uninterested Diop is replaced by Collins and then Main and Convery are sent on to try and find a way through.

It's not long before Tony weakens and leaves to join the Sheffield mob but it has to be said that the second half is an improvement - it would be difficult to be otherwise - but we never really look like scoring against a fairly solid Bradford back four with Darlo old boy Clarke sporting a bandage.

The game meanders to a close and as the referee blows, I rush off to catch the shuttle bus back into town. On board there is much grumbling from long-time fans - "the worst side we've ever seen", "the club are not listening", "we're doomed" - it's not nice to hear this but who can really blame the fans?

Back in town, I pop in for a quickie in the Quakerhouse - spookily quiet - and then pop back to Number Twenty-2 where John and Bev are waiting. There's no more stout so I make do with Burton Ale - something I've not drunk for years - and then Burtonwood Top Hat.

It's nice and warm in here and I could stay all night but I resist and head back to Northallerton and the curry house. Not up to East End standards of course but any port in a storm...

Dear Santa...

...can I have a nice framed picture of Feethams to remind me of the good old glory days please? I've been a good boy all year (honest!).

Well, maybe glory days is putting a bit strongly except in all but the most optimistic of mindsets but certainly a happier time for many of us.

(left) Feethams and the old barrel stand captured by Stuart Clarke

And with the recent news that planning permission has been granted for the construction of 146 homes on the site, it's even more poignant, even if the ground is now a bit of a wasteland.

No doubt with Christmas in mind I recently received a mailshot from my old chum Stuart Clarke at the Homes of Football in which he's offering some of his Darlo prints for sale at very reasonable prices.

Stuart has been taking photographs at matches for many years - from non-league to World Cups - not so much of the the action on the field but beautiful shots of the grounds and the crowds - with many taken before the recent mania for ground redevelopment.

I suspect most will have seen his photos without knowing it - the recent spate of billboard and magazine adverts for ESPN's Premier League coverage all featured his work.

I've been a fan of his for many years and have several pieces at home on the walls - we even have one of Millmoor to keep Liz sweet!

(right) The faces say it all - we're back - that goal at Welling

They're an ideal stocking filler and pictures are available as limited edition gi-clee prints or crystal archive/cibachrome prints.

GiClee dye-based prints are produced in-house at Ambleside by Clarke printed on board to 10x8 inches at £45 + £5 post (inc. a signed window-mount) or 22x18 inches (four times the size) at £95 + £15 post.

Stuart can frame either size at twice the given prices in the three quality frames we offer (grand totals would be £90 / £190 + £25 post in either case). The wooden frames are light brown, dark brown, almost black.

All pictures are landscape-shaped which especially suits shots like this showing Feethams from the open end:


If you're feeling flush there are crystal/chrome prints - exhibition quality - which are very much collectors’ collectors-editions. Prices are from £275 to £3,000 for limited to one or two of each title (as opposedto 50 in the gi-clee formats).

If anyone is interested in suggesting to their loved one that they get their order in now, don't bother Santa - just contact Stuart by email at stuart@homesoffootball.co.uk or by phone on 015394 34440.

All photographs (c) Stuart Clarke

A Game Of One Half, Brian

Arriving at the away end at Saltergate, I had expected a bit of hassle with regard to my camera but for once the stewards were very considerate.

I'd wanted to make sure I took a snap or three of our final visit to what must be one of the few remaining open terraces in the league - not a problem, they said, snap away. Let's hope they retain that level of friendliness at the new place.

(above) The away terrace at Saltergate

Most Darlo fans had retreated to the stand to escape the rain which whilst not too heavy was very persistent - my drinking compadres were no different in this respect but it was good to see there was still a hardcore of youngsters who were stood behind the goal, prepared to get wet for the cause.

I much prefer to stand whenever I get the chance and cognoscent of the forecast, I'd brought my waterproof so I could stay out in the rain. I spied Pete - a fellow London-based fan who works for World Soccer - who'd taken the same precautions and so I joined him. No point getting wet on our own, is there?

(above) Al-Fresco Comfort Area

For the first half hour or so, the game reflected the conditions - annoying and not very pleasant - Darlo were on the back-foot for most of that time and the defence were struggling. Plus precious little action from the lone figure of Curtis Main upfront to alleviate the pressure.

Chesterfield then took the lead with a deflected shot - Darlo claims for a foul on Foster were waved away.

I decided to go walkabout and get a few more snaps, especially the Al-Fresco Comfort Area - or open air bogs to you and me - just had to be recorded for posterity for their sheer minimalism when it came to cover.

I got talking to my old chum Geoff from Northallerton - he and I grew up together and we went to our first Darlo games together as young teens - and he was adamant that we just couldn't afford to get relegated - as we all know, the Conference is all but Division Five (League Three?) and will be extremely difficult to get out of.

I didn't disagree but I said that I don't think we'll have much option if we're going to stay within budget - and with that Chesterfield popped in a second - an effort from the edge of the box that evaded everyone. And then the ref blew for half-time.

(above) A disconsolate Geoff after we concede a second goal

At this point, the chances of Darlo getting anything from this game looked remote - the defence that was so secure last Saturday looked so leaky today - and the lure of a nice warm pub with a good selection of beers got the better of me. I unsuccesfully checked around to see if anyone wanted to join me and then wandered off back to the Chesterfield Arms.

By the time I'd warmed up and got through my first pint, I'd got into conversation with a couple of local lads who were 'debating' whether Liverpool or Manchester United had the better record. I was tempted to suggest they go and support their local team but I was hardly in a position to do that today.

I rang Liz - she was at home today rather than take the bus-replacement service to their game away at Torquay - and she said we'd pulled a goal back through Collins but it was still 3-1 to 'Cheaterfield' as she insists on calling them.

After the game Brian and John came back in the pub for a beer but other than get the final score from them I was having to sup up and wander off to catch my train.

On the return leg I was joined by Chris who was extremely scornful of my lack of loyalty to the cause today - he just doesn't understand the lure of a good pub. And this after he missed both our games at Barnet because of weddings!

A Bounder and a Cad

Despite the terrible weather of the last week assaulting the country, the train services out of London all seemed to be running well.

I'd briefly passed through Kings Cross - full of red-shirts off north to the Mackem -v- Arsenal game - as I wandered off for breakfast at Da Vincis.

The trip from St Pancras to Chesterfield was very pleasant - a table in first class to myself with just a quick visit from Lance when he joined the service at Derby.

On the way up, I'd had a text from Colin 'You Need Glasses, Ref' Fletcher - for the second week running he was unable to make the game. He was treading the boards this weekend and he was needed to help rebuild sets for the evening performance. That's showbiz, dahling!

On arrival Trevor was waiting for us - he only lives a bus ride away - we were expecting Brian too but there was no sign of him so we headed off to the pub.

(right) Chesterfield Arms

The Brown family who run the Chesterfield Arms had actually contacted DAFTS HQ to suggest we give them a try.

Their normal opening time was noon but they were happy to open earlier for us and so we arrived there just after 11am with manageress Jo waiting for us.

There was an excellent choice of beers on offer. The first that we tried were the two houses beers from Leatherbritches - a golden ale, Bounder (3.8%), and the darker bitter Cad (4.0%) - both of which are just £2 a pint.

Both were good brews and in excellent condition - and it was pleasing to be offered the choice of whether we wanted our beer through a sparkler (we did).

In addition to these two there were also: Wells Bombardier, Wychwood Dogs Bollocks, Everards Tiger, Woodefords Wherry, Oakham Black Hole Porter, Black Hole Brewery's Supernova and a remembrance beer from Wyre Piddle called Piddle Remembers.

We all tried the latter four beers over the course of the next few hours and they were all in tip-top condition. The Supernova was a strong-ish pale ale, quite lager-y, whilst the Black Hole Porter at 5.5% was a good finish to the session.

All this plus six ciders - so Liz will be quite happy when they visit here in December - pork pies, cobs, pickled eggs and a cheeseboard.

Jo told me that they'd running the pub since February having previously run the Old Poets Corner in Ashover which had won Derbyshire Pub of the Year under their reign.

(left) Inside the Chesterfield Arms at opening time

They were endeavouring to bring the same winning formula to this pub as well - apparently all part of Project William by Everards (who own the pub) to bring in high quality tenants who are able to earn better-than-normal margin by selling their own beers.

Prior to the new management, the pub was known mainly as an away fans pub but it seems that the home fans have now cottoned onto what a good pub this is and have started to come here too.

We were sat by a roaring real fire debating the football issues of the day by the time Brian and John Bell joined us - Terry Henry's goal got more than it's fair share of debate as did Brian Clough after I'd finally remembered to bring Provided You Don't Kiss Me for Lance (after he'd won it in last season's London Millers raffle).

I'd had a sneak read of the first chapter on the way up and it looks like a good read. Must put it on my list for Santa.

I took a call from Doug Embleton who was enquiring about the weather down here - he and Pete Ashmore were stuck in slow moving traffic on the M1 in what he said was a bit of a pea-souper. Expect to see him when we see him.

As time went on, the pub filled up nicely but it was very disappointing that no other Darlo fans had found the pub. It's one of those places - much like the Bulls Head in Burslem - where home and away fans can mix and chat in a friendly environment without any hassle.

(above) Trevor gets the lowdown from Lance

For once we could leave it quite late before leaving for the game - the pub is handily situated about 300 yards from the away end - but the forecast rain had started and it looked a bit inclement. Looks like we were going to be wet on the outside as well today...

Down The Orient

Last night saw Liz and I wander over to Leyton for Piglet 9 - it's November so there has to be a Piglet at some point.

These are small festivals run by the Leyton Orient Supporters Club at their bar behind one of the main stands - initially started as a fill-in when the Pig's Ear festival had nowhere to go.

The supporters bar has always been good for beer even when it was by the (then) open away end. It still has a great reputation and has won numerous awards - it's currently the joint winner of CAMRA's National Club Of The Year.

When I pulled up at the bar for my opening pint, the bar staff- all volunteers and generally Orient fans - were all having a moan about their recent performances, the latest being knocked out of the cup at home a few days earlier by Tranmere - until I told them I was a Darlo fan and they should think themselves lucky.

This brought the usual questions - "Is George Reynolds still with you?" and "Is he still in jail?". They're a bit behind recent events at the <insert latest sponsor name here> Arena.

"Well you've got a lovely new stadium" one added. Hmmm, OK if you like that sort of thing. Which I don't really.

(left) Brodie's Orient - yummy

The festival had a special beer on - Orient from local brewery Brodie's - which is probably only a mile or so from the ground. You simply can't get more local.

I've been having quite a few of their beers recently and they've all been good. I don't know where they find the time to churn out some many brews.

The Orient was very good - a golden ale which at 4% is a more-ish quaffing beer with plenty of taste but which doesn't overpower your taste buds.

Liz was getting stuck into the ciders - well the Two Trees Perry from Gwynt Y Ddraig first which was slightly sweet but went down well.

Chris T joined us and managed to cadge a chair off somebody - the place was getting quite busy and it was standing room only. The crowd was very old-school London CAMRA with the usual crew from the Wenlock Arms in residence.

There was another local brewer present with three beers on offer from the Ha'Penny Brewery in Ilford. They had their Ha'Penny Bitter (3.5%), Sixteen String Jack IPA (3.8%) and Spring-Heeled Jack London Porter (3.9%).

The bitter was very clean and light - another session beer - and the porter was lovely - not a lot of body but full of dark flavours.

Unfortunately their IPA was a bit murky. It had been served to some people early on but later took it off.

(right) Ha'Penny Bitter

Brewer Gavin Happé (who co-brews with Chris Penny - hence the brewery name) told me that they'd used a huge quantity of hops and it had caused a haze (though it looked more than a bit hazey to me). All part of the learning curve I suppose.

One other good beer was Beer Monster from Oakham Ales - at 4.8%, it was a full-flavoured beer with a nice touch of maltiness, not too malty for me - I've never had a bad beer from them yet. I do miss our away trips to Peterborough!

And all beers and ciders were very competitively priced at £2.50 for a pint - beat that!

Liz and I finished off the night with Brown Snout Cider - yet another one from the chaps at Gwynt y Ddraig. At 6.0 it was quite a bitter single-variety cider, quite reminiscent to my cider novice tastes to the Kingston Black.

So well done to the LOSC team for yet another top festival. If only we had something like this at our place...

Three Points At Last...

It feels quite unusual arriving at King's Cross on this blustery morning - I've not been to a home game since our home defeat by Macc over a month ago - but it feels really good to be back in the groove.

Howard narrowly beats me into Da Vinci's for breakfast and then Martin arrives with just enough time for a cup of tea. Once on-board, it's clear to see that the North-East's Big Three are not playing today - plenty of room on the train. And despite all the bad weather, no problems on the track.

Today also marks the first day in charge for East Coat Main Line who took over from National Express at a minute to midnight on Friday the thirteenth.

This is, of course, the government in the form of operator Directly Operated Railways so it will be interesting to see whether things will actually improve. It might be nice if they can actually get the buffet open before we get to Stevenage for starters...

The journey is fine and we arrive on time. I suddenly realise that I've left my season ticket at home - so much for being back in the groove - but a quick call to Peter Cook in the ticket office soon sorts that out - they'll happily print a replacement for me.

The queue at Taylors isn't too large and I'm soon in possession of a host of pork, steak & kidney and fruit pies having taken orders beforehand.

I'm welcomed like a long lost son in the Quaker and it's good to see that the beers on offer are as varied as ever.

(right) The Quaker - for sale sign removed

Gary and Brian have now fully taken over the Quaker and the For Sale sign has been taken down. Gary was telling me that he's putting friends and punters to good use, getting them to bring back barrels when they're off travelling to other parts of the country. Sounds like a good idea.

And they're also going to be re-opening the room upstairs which was rarely used of late - should help with some of the over-crowding they can get on an weekend.

The choice on offer includes : Corvedale Brewery's Molly Morgan and Winter In The Sun; Brew Master from 1648; Brentwood Brewing's Marvellous Maple Mild; Tamar Best Bitter; Otter Head; Old Raby Ale from Village Brewer and Matfen Magic from the High House Farm Brewery.

Gary tells me that in the cellar he has a barrel of Darlington Spitfire from Lincolnshire-based brewery Dark Tribe but alas it won't be on today - the brewery has already produced a beer called SS Darlington so we ponder on whether they have some sort of connection with the town.

The Spitfire in question refers to a plane built after the townsfolk raised over £5000 back in 1940 - the story is covered in some detail here for those that are interested.

Howard arrives shortly after me and then I get a text from Colin Fletcher - the M1 is closed and he can't get to Doncaster to catch his train. So I'm not to get him a pie. Too late there but I'm sure it'll not go to waste.

And then another text, this time from John Bell - he's at the Brittania where they have a couple of stouts on, including one of my favourites, Titanic Stout - and I suspect he's trying to get me to deviate from my routine. I don't think so...

Howard departs to go walkabout in the way that blokes of his age do while I head onto Number Twenty-2. Not too busy so I get myself a stool at the bar and get chatting to a guy from Leeds about rugby league and the chances of a victory tonight over the Aussies at Elland Road - very slim.

Durham Tony and then John pop in and I have some very nice Coffee Porter that they've got on today - can't remember who brewed it but it was local - just a hint of coffee which is how I like it.

Down at the ground I pick up my replacement ticket but can't get a programme - they appear to have sold out. I meet Brian and we wander in to find that there's seems to be a few more people in blocks 11 and 12 today despite some of our little group being AWOL today.

John W is cruising in the Med with wife Bev whilst local retail magnates Tony and Lesley are following their NFL team in San Diego.

More new faces in the squad today - Nathan Mulligan and Stewart Giddings making their debut - and by the time we'd sat down and got sorted we'd actually scored.

Not for the first time in his career, Rotherham reject and thug-at-large Guy Branston took out Diop just outside the box. Branston protested his innocence to the ref - David Davis carried on and took the free kick quickly, passed to Mulligan who back heeled it to Curtis Main who calmly shot past the Burton keeper.

Have we peaked too early? That's always the fear especially given the number of clean sheets we'd previously kept in the league so far - none!

Darlo continued to push forward for most of the half and Miller went close with a header - this was starting to look quite positive.

Burton looked stronger though as we got to half-time - it ended with another bad challenge from Branston - quel surprise - who lead with his elbow in a challenge against Diop who was floored for a while. Those near the tunnel saw the egg-sized bump on his head when he came off for treatment. The referee thought nothing of it though - much like us in respect to his performance - and he was the centre of attention when the players came off at half-time.

In the second half, Darlo were under the cosh for large periods. Just after the restart Branston went close with a header and Liversedge had to make several smart saves. The defence looked a lot stronger today though - Miller and Foster back to form and Giddings breaking up Burton's breaks down the wing.

The referee continued to perplex Darlo players and fans alike with some very odd decisions and it all started to get a bit fraught.

Thankfully, the tension of the onslaught from Burton and the poor refereeing is broken by the chanting from a group of kids in one of the boxes behind us (and good to see a lot of the boxes in use).

My favourite was "The Referee's A Sausage" though I do my best to tell them what word they should really be using. It's just a matter of time I suspect.

Sub Dan Groves could have made it 2-0 late on and saved us a few grey hairs but his effort was cleared off the line.

The defence continued to hold out and the relief is palpable when the final whistle blew.

I rush out to catch the bus back into town - we're on a later-than-usual return train to London and so I'm off back to Number Twenty-2 to bask in the glow of my first win of the season.

Martin joins me for a couple of pints of Wensledale Bitter and then we head up to Bank Top for our train. It's very quiet and we have a table to ourselves and once we've had our pies I'm dead to the world...

Cup Dreams Go South...

And so we come to the first round of the FA Cup and all the excitement that this traditionally brings. Well, perhaps not this season as we face our second trip to Underhill in a fortnight.

(right) Deja Underhill

Since Rotherham's game against Wealdstone had been put back to the Sunday - apparently there was a function in the club bar on the Saturday that took precedence over the football - Liz joined me for the day.

We took breakfast at People's Choice near Barbican tube - this used to be very good but recently they've started to use frite-style chips which don't really stand up alongside the other ingredients of the Traditional English. 6 out of 10 - must try harder.

I suppose that as first round draws go, this was not the absolute worst we could have had - easy to get too for we in the south - but following our 3-0 defeat a fortnight ago, it was highly likely to be a case of deja defeat and as such it was only really a sense of duty that saw us attend.

That and another chance to wander along to the Lord Nelson. This time around there were just four of us - John Wilson and Geoff the only others who came along - but we had some fun playing with Bonnie the pub dog.

(left) Bonnie - throw the damn thing, will you?

Bonnie is a bit of an elderly dog but she loves playing with the regulars.

Perhaps we're now included in that group as she brought her squeaky toy for us to throw. Occasionally she'd even deign to actual go fetch it back...

The guest beer on this visit was St Austell Tribute - I've never been a huge fan of this beer but it was in superb condition on this occasion.

And not quite as many fans in the away end today - not surprising as Sunderland and Boro are both playing in the capital which will have meant that there'll have been no cheap rail tickets for those in the north.

Any hopes that the team had learnt from their last visit were snuffed out after just 20 mins when some shoddy defending saw veteran Paul Furlong slot the ball past Liversedge.

Following that there was some improvement for the remainder of the half as we pressed forward but there were quite a few poor individual displays - Davis was probably the worst and was to blame for most of the lost possession.

Despite being told that Moses Barnett had a great game in our sole win this season, I've yet to be convinced after he had another poor game at Underhill. It was his last game on loan and I'd be surprised if we see him again.

One-nil going into the break wasn't too bad but that soon changed as a simple tap in for Micah Hyde minutes after the restart more or less sealed it for the home team.

(right) Geoff walking backwards to Underhill (for Christmas?)

A third goal hammered the nail into the coffin but unlike our last visit, we didn't leave. We were rewarded four our loyalty as Staunton made a double subtitution - Josh Gray and Mor Diop coming on - and we started to show some concerted efforts up front.

Our finishing on the whole was wayward - Thomas and Collins especially - but Diop showed how it should be done with a close range effort which he slid past the Barnet keeper.

Unfortunately Diop then faded badly - presumably he's not yet match fit - and so did any lingering hopes of getting another goal back, especially after a couple of good saves from the home keeper.

So we're back to concentrating on the league - not a total surprise to any of us but it has the one advantage that we now have a free weekend at the end of the month.

We headed back into town after the game and passed through a manic Kings Cross to the Betjeman Arms at St Pancras.

Apparently Union, the new premium beer from Sambrooks, was supposed to be available but it wasn't. Instead I stuck to the Betjeman Ale whilst John has his first ever taste of Wandle Ale, Sambrooks' current and only offering - still a bit nondescript in our opinion and not dissimilar to Youngs Ordinary. We look forward to tasting the Union.

The Betjeman Arms was starting to get busy with England rugby fans and Sunderland fans all getting a few beers before catching trains home. Once we'd caught up with the football scores we headed for the calm and tranquility of the King Charles I.

Unfortunately we'd narrowly missed out on the Brodies Special which was being served direct from the barrel but their IPA is on tap and for a 4.0% beer it's a very nice drop - well hoppy and a decent body.

We try to get something to eat but the scotch eggs are all gone - there are mussels and pickled eggs but these don't tempt Liz at all. Instead the kindly barman shares some home-made pork scratchings that a customer has made. Crackling stuff.

We have a few more IPAs before ordering a takeaway from a nearby curry house and then we head on home. It's an early night for Liz as she's got her own game tomorrow - for her the dream lives on whilst we remain firmly mired in our league nightmare.

Making Mischief

No report from our game at Hereford unfortunately as I didn't actually make it. I'd got as far as Paddington but was feeling pretty crap by the time I got there.

I suspect the cause of my malady was a dodgy pizza made by my own fair hand the night before though Liz seemed to have escaped - must have been the anchovy/chilli topping that I do for myself.

I made the only sensible choice and went back home instead of the less-sensible-but-more-enjoyable one of joining Steve and John in the Barrels.

However Steve was up in London to see the Villa at Upton Park and we decided to make an east-end afternoon out of it. Certainly beats working.

I met him at Earls Court and we tubed over to Bethnal Green and the Approach Tavern.

It's a Fullers pub we've been visiting occasionally over the past year and we just stuck to Pride although Steve had opted for Chiswick initially but it came out like soup!

(left) Cyprus Road War Memorial

After a couple of pints we wander along Old Ford Road and take a quick visit to see an interesting local landmark, the War Memorial on Cyprus Street.

The memorial was erected after the First World War by the Duke of Wellington's Discharged and Demobilised Soldiers and Sailors Benevolent Club. They need an acronym.

It's very impressive in that it is beautifully maintained - in fact the whole street seems very pretty with all it's shutters - not how most would imagine the streets of Bethnal Green.

Apparently it is looked after by some elderly local residents but they're having trouble finding new volunteers to help out as all the old families die out.

We saw similar war memorials in St Albans when we had a crawl there in summer and they were also lovingly cared for.

From Cyprus Road we wander to the Roman Road where we're hoping to have some pie and mash in the local Robin's outlet. Steve was keen after being denied when we went to Dagenham a few weeks ago.

But it's not there - the local butcher informs us that it's recently closed and it now appears to be a meze cafe. Looks like Steve is out of luck again but we're told there are a couple more further along at the Roman Road market.

(right) G.Kelly to Steve's rescue

We troll along and find both of these outlets belong to G Kelly and as it's not a proper market day, we're not surprised to see that just one of them is open.

The food is very good - a nice pie, not too crusty with a decent filling of mince, and excellent mash - not too lumpy and certainly not the smooth baby-food style mash you get in most gastro-joints which I absolutely hate. Lovely jubbly!

(left) Traditional pie and mash with less traditional mushy peas


From here it's a short walk back towards Old Ford Road and a new pub for us, the Eleanor Arms.

We've seen the adverts for this pub in editions of the London Drinker for the last year or so and kept meaning to drop in and try it out.

It's a Shepherd Neame pub which has never been one of my favourite breweries but let's not prejudge! They had the Canterbury Jack and the Late Red autumn ale - we had the latter and it was in good condition and not too bad.

We got talking to Frankie and Lesley - the landlord and landlady - and they're a really friendly pair who seem to be on their way to turning this into a real cosy pub without any of the local ne'er-do-wells who previously visited the place. Their experience running NAAFI bars no doubt coming in handy here...

They're both delighted at being included in the latest Good Beer Guide - the first time for this pub - and we have a interesting chat on some of East London's other GBG entries - some of which do not always bear scrutiny in our humble opinions.

Frankie was getting a special brew from Shep's pilot brewery ready for the forthcoming quiz night - an American IPA - and he gave us both a small sample. Very tasty it was too but still with a Sheps aftertaste. I'm sure it will go down well.

(right) The Eleanor Arms

But we couldn't chat all day - next stop was the Palm Tree, one of our old favourites.

It's always a cosy bolt-hole and as dusk fell, the faint glitter of lights in the bar were a welcoming site across the Mile End eco-park.

As ever they had a couple of interesting beers on - one from Oxfordshire Ales plus Old Cocky from the Welton's Brewery in Horsham. We stuck to the latter - good stuff.

Liz then joined us for an hour or so before we left the pub and caught the tube to Upton Park for the West Ham -v- Villa game. Liz and I had got tickets for the home end as tickets in the away end had all gone.

We were in the old East Stand - the only stand which hasn't been revamped over the past few years - and the leg room is probably worse than the away end at Luton - even for a short-arse like me.

And the cost? £47. Which puts the £18 Darlo admission charge into perspective even allowing for the supposed difference in quality between the divisions.

As ever Villa fans are in good voice with their usual gamut of songs - "My Garden Shed (Is Bigger Than This)" and "John Carew, Carew (Is Bigger Than Me and You)" - clearly putting Holland-Dozier-Holland to shame - whilst the Hammers are extremely quiet, presumably through nerves. Just goes to show that a full stadium doesn't guarantee an atmosphere!

Villa more or less boss the game throughout but without taking the lead - West Ham are wasteful in possession and ponderous going forward. Villa live to regret their profligacy when the Hammers are awarded a penalty just before the break.

From our angle - more or less in line with the back line - Hines was offside anyway and the penalty awarded for a shove in the back looked harsh. But ref Bennett was clearly auditioning for a major role in The Simpsons. 1-0 to the Hammers.

Villa got their own penalty in the second-half for a high, clumsy challenge but Green saved Young's kick. But it was a brief respite as Young scored a cracker just a few minutes laterm curling the ball over a despairing Green.

Villa should then have taken West Ham to the cleaners but despite dominating possession they couldn't get another goal. Then ref Bennett sent off Habib Beye for a second yellow.

As Hammers fans around us snuck out early, it was almost inevitable that there'd be a late goal against the ten men and so it was - Villa were cruelly beaten in the 3rd minute of added time.

To ease the pain, we took Steve to a local kerala restaurant - fast becoming the new east end cuisine, much fresher tasting than the traditional Bangladeshi fare - and had some lovely mutton curry and parippu (that's lentils to you).

Still, a good day out, shame about the result - sounds just like Darlo...

(Under) Hill Street Blues

Another Saturday in the capital for Tony but despite playing up in north London, we first wander southwards to the tried and tested Maries where we find John W is already tucking into his breakfast.

We then catch the Northern Line from Waterloo and by chance, Brian joins our train at Leicester Square - very spooky timing - and after a while we emerge into the light and arrive at High Barnet.

(left) Welcome to Barnet

As we walk up the High Street we bump into John Bell who's lurking by the Olde Mitre - a quick peep though the window suggests that there's a underwhelming choice of beers on offer.

Recent reports on BITE suggest that this pub has improved of late but we've found it to be very disappointing on our last few visits. We'll be giving it a miss today I think.

As it's not yet noon, the first port of call is the White Lion as this is one of the few pubs in Barnet that opens early. Or it did last season. The door is shut when we arrive.

We notice that we've lost Tony and Brian somewhere on the way - by the time we call them and decide we'll go somewhere else the pub is now open. We decide to wander in for a quick one and my polite query about opening time is met with a mumble and a glare. Very friendly.

John W and I opt for the guest beer - Moles Best- which is OK-ish, possibly on it's way off, but it's difficult to tell as Moles always seems to have a distinctive tang. John B sticks to Fullers Discovery.

We don't linger long however and soon we join the others in the Lord Nelson. This is a bright airy pub that we really enjoyed last season.

It's hidden away to some degree and as a result it never seems to get too busy - certainly as far as football fans are concerned - and we arrive to find that Tony and Brian have joined Trevor.

It's a Youngs house so normally there's a choice of Ordinary, Special and Bombardier - all in excellent nick. There is a guest however and today it's Titanic Iceberg. I find this to be one of my favourite beers for session drinking - nicely tart and very more-ish.

We're later joined by Geoff, the tame Argyle fan, and then Durham Tony pops in too.

The food menu looks good though most of us are still full from breakfast. Brian isn't and he opts for the lamb shank which looks delicious. After finishing it, Brian soon falls asleep. Not a surprise.

(left) Sleeping Beauty

After a pleasant couple of hours we gird our collective loins and leave for the game, reaching Underhill just in time for kick off.

There are quite a few new faces in for Darlington - the story of the season so far - with loan signings and youth players getting a chance under Staunton.

The first half was excellent from a Darlington perspective - the team looked to have a good shape - the defence looks solid whilst Thomas and Collins up front look lively - and we have several excellent chances - one brings a great save from their keeper whilst the rest were poorly finished. Lack of practice no doubt.

Ian Miller was lost after about 30 mins after a clash of heads - Plummer came on and did well in his stead.

By the time we get to half-time it's a wonder we're not 3-0 up at least. Certainly the best half I've seen from us this season.

Darlo are out early for the second half obviously keen to get going - Barnet though are out much later and look like they've been kept in for a bollocking. If they were, it certainly worked.

The Quakers failed to keep their momentum going and after 15 mins Barnet had taken the lead through a header from a corner.

Barnet kept the pressure on and increased their lead with a breakaway through the middle though their scorer looked offside to most of us on the terraces - we were more or less in line with the backline unlike the linesman who seemed to be behind play (not for the first time).

It had to be said that the referee had an atrocious game too - not that he was to blame for the result but he was extremely poor for both sides - advantage was not given on many occasions and then bad fouls were not punished. Just as well Colin F was absent!

The tie was over a few minutes later as Darlington heads dropped and we were caught napping as a cross came in. Goodnight Vienna, Arrivederci Roma.

(left) Away entrance at Underhill

Tony, John W and Brian headed for the exits and I joined them. We'd seen enough for today.

We caught a City-bound tube with a minute to spare and headed off to the King Charles I at Kings Cross. A decent selection of brews on although sadly no Brodies - Deuchars IPA, Brains SA, Hopback Odyssey and a beer from Palmers whose beers you don't often see.

The jukebox got a bit of hammer - a wide range of music on there from old crooner Andy Williams though early Jethro Tull to classic Motorhead.

Tony was pleased to find some Neil Young whilst John and I were delighted to find one of our old favourites, Big Eyed Beans From Venus by Captain Beefheart - who can resist lyrics such as:

Men let your wallets flop out, and women open your purses

Cause a man or a woman without a big eyed bean from Venus

Is suffering with the worstest of curses

Yeah, you're suffering, with the worstest of curses.

Wonderful stuff, oh my oh my!

After a few pints Tony and John B leave to catch their trains home leaving Brian, John W and I to soldier on.

I move onto bottles of the Brodies Porter. I read the label and suddenly realise that it's over 7% which should be no surprise given my last two visits here when I've left a little worse for wear. I tread more carefully this time and sip instead of sup.

Bev joins us having just watched Chelsea demolish Blackburn 5-0 and then we're later joined by Liz and Jenny who've been up to Bury.

We discuss the arrangements for the Darlo -v- Rotherham fixture next February - train tickets will soon be on sale - and it looks like I'm being tasked with getting the tickets for the London Millers as well as the Capital Quakers. That's going to be a fun day out...

The FA Cup draw has now been made and we've been drawn away to Barnet on Sept 7th. The Lord Nelson will be our meeting place once more.

California Dreaming

The text on my phone read: "Darlo won 2-1. You are the Jinx. Stay Away. Signed Stan".

So it's now official - I'm the one to blame for our losing streak - despite missing other games and us still losing. But that's the way it is.

And sitting 5000 miles away in sunny California, I was simply pleased to hear we'd finally won a match.

I was over in Los Angeles to visit some of my colleagues in Burbank, home to the major studios such as Walt Disney, NBC, Universal and Warner Brothers.

On my first night over there I went to downtown Burbank and popped into the Gordon Biersch brew restaurant, one of a chain of bars serving US-brewed German-style beers.

There was a decent selection on offer - a soft hefeweizen (not unlike Paulaner), a couple of lagers (one light lager and one darker Bavarian-style offering), a Schwarzbier quite akin to an English porter and a seasonal offering which was an Oktober festival beer. All were very palatable - the food was good too.

On other nights when we worked late, I made do with a trip to the local supermarket, Vons, where they had a micro-brew aisle in their drinks area, and the delights of room service.

(left) Bottled brews

I tended to stick to a quartet of bottled beers - Blue Moon Belgian White, New Belgium's Flat Tire (an amber ale), Downtown Brown ale from the Lost Coast Brewery (great labels) and Stone IPA.

The Blue Moon Belgian White is actually a Coors beer but is an easy-drinking Hooegarden-lite which is an ideal thirst slaker.

All good ales and at around $3 for a 22 fl oz bottle, pretty good value as well.

One of the strangest parts of the trip was when I joined over 6.9 million Californians in the largest earthquake drill ever. Called a ShakeOut, the intention is to practice how to protect yourself during an earthquake.

Given we were on the 29th floor of a supposedly earthquake resistant building it's an interesting concept and at the designated time, an announcement came over the building tannoy and we all hundled under a desk - in our case a big desk in a meeting room - the intention being you see out the quake and then go down the stairs when it's finished. Makes our fire practices seem a bit lame in comparison.

Being true to type, I managed time to fit in a curry when we had the lunch buffet at Flavor Of India just a couple of blocks along from Gordon Biersch.

(right) Even the police like curry

The fare on offer was certainly not up to my local east-end standards but it pushed some of my buttons. The local police were there in force too - certainly beats doughnuts.

One of the highlights of the trip was meeting fellow Punishment of Luxury fan, Ged, who originally hails from Sunderland and who also once worked for the Mouse. Ged runs the site for the band and this was the first time we'd met.

Ged took me to downtown LA - not quite as glamorous as I'd imagined and more resembling the Isle of Dogs on a weekend - where we went to see Eddie Izzard play a small club as a fund raiser for a local charity.

Unfortunately we had to queue for over 40 mins in the worst weather LA had experienced all year - torrential rain - which had all the locals in a bit of a lather but was just water off a duck's back to me.

Finally inside the club, we were fortified by Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - one of the early standard bearers for the US brewery scene - and then a sparkling two-hour set from Izzard by the end of which we were thoroughly dried out.

Towards the end of the week the weather changed and it was a bit too hot for me. Perfect though for a lunchtime visit to the Disney Studio Lot to see where the Disney Magic is created.

It certainly is a happy environment - as it was lunchtime everyone was milling round outside the commissary (canteen to you and me) soaking up the sun - everyone smiling. It was quite weird for an old misery guts like me.

(left) Walt and Mickey

I had a wander round the lot including the massive sound stages where a lot of productions are put together as well as the smaller building where post-production is done. Impressive stuff.

And now I'm back in the frosty autumn and facing the dilemma of whether I should watch the game at Underhill on Saturday. Perhaps if everyone chips in and pays for me to stay in the pub?

Didn't think so, you tight gits....

NB. The text didn't actually come from Steve Staunton, dear reader, but a certain Arkwright-alike of the Darlington area.

Dagenham Daze

A bright and early 6:30am start for Tony Waters leaving Darlo but a slight lie-in for me before we meet up at Kings Cross and head over to Liverpool Street. The first point of call today is one of Tony's favourites, Rossi Restauraunt, on Hanbury Street.

Previous visits here have been followed by wins so we feel duty bound to pop in.

The menu needs barely a glance as we opt for the mixed grill-style breakfast – it has all the usual suspects plus a lamb chop and liver. A true creme de la creme of breakfastery.

Despite the photographic evidence and Tony’s odd-expression we did enjoy it. He’s just not very good at showing emotion…

(left) Tony just can't be happy today

Next stop is nearby Brick Lane - once the place to go for some rough and ready curries when I was first a young lad in the big city.

Sadly today it's a bit on the touristy side with touts trying to drag you into their restaurants.

A very shabby practice and one which rarely works.

However at this time of day it's nice and quiet and we wander into one of the major Indian supermarkets.

I'm familiar with a lot of the wares on offer after 20-odd years living in the East End but we were taken aback by the sheer number and size of some of the fish in their freezers. The calves feet looked less enticing mind…

From Aldgate East we take the District Line a few stops to Plaistow and bump into Steve Duffy on the way to the Black Lion. Steve's not had his breakfast but he ignores his hunger and goes to the pub with us – that’s the DAFTS way.

Disappointingly the Black Lion has a bit of a mediocre choice of beers - Courage Best, Adnams Bitter & Explorer and Banks Original. We stick to the Banks as none of us are great fans of Adnams.

(right) DAFTS in the Black Lion

It's not long before we're joined by John and Bev plus Bev's Chelsea mate, Dave, who also has a soft spot for the Daggers. We allow him to sit with us – we’re good like that.

Last weekend we were wondering who the new manager would be and today we know who it is - "Stan" Staunton, and assistant Kevin Richardson. It's fair to say Staunton's appearance is a bit of a surprise to all of us but we're slightly reassured that he's joined by Richardson who seems to be well regarded as a coach.

Another surprise is the signing of Noel Whelan, a former team-mate of Stan’s, in an effort to bolster our Goals For column.

Tony tells us Whelan last played a professional game for Dunfermline Athletic in 2006 and who has recently left Harrogate Town as apparently he was deemed unfit. I'm afraid it seems a desperate move but hold back the cynicism and wait to be proved wrong. It wouldn't be the first time in matters relating to Darlo.

Iain and Paul join us for the last hour or so and the debate goes on. The Irish landlord joins in – like many of his countrymen he was underwhelmed with Staunton's tenure as Ireland boss but wishes him and us luck for the day. Maybe we all need to be kissing the Blarney Stone as well?

As we pass 2pm, Iain and Paul leave to drive to Dagenham and give a lift to John, Bev and Dave. We three slowly finish our drinks and wander up to Plaistow tube where we miss catching a Barking train by seconds.

The next train is a bit of a wait and we have more of a wait at Barking for the replacement bus service. We've already missed kick-off by the time we arrive at Dagenham East and it’s 3:25pm by the time we arrive at the ground. Steve and Tony get updates on the phone and we hear we're already 2-0 down.

At the away end we find all the turnstiles are shut. A steward helpfully tells us we can't come in and we have to go to turnstile 1.

We duly wander back there where we told we can pay there but have to go back to the away end for entry.

(left) The new away end - the closest we got to the game

And then a rare piece of common sense kicks in and we realise that the chances of a Darlo comeback are slim to none and we should beat a sensible retreat to the local pub.

This also meant we missed seeing Howard who was cycling to the game and thus we were spared the sight of an elderly man in cycling lycra...

The Eastbroook is a fairly decent pub full of your average east-ender types – it’s a Greene King pub which normally puts me off but they had a small beer festival on with some barrels behind the bar. We had a pint of something-or-other and it was very tasty.

(left) Tony and Steve outside the Eastbrook

Steve still hadn’t had any food other than pork scratchings so we opt to visit Brook Pie and Mash shop a few yards away. No joy – they’ve run out of pies! We couldn’t Adam and Eve it.

Obviously Dagenham has precious little to offer us today so we hightail it back to Barking – abd a quick stop at the local Wimpy for Steve to fuel up – before heading back into town.

We wander to our new find, the King Charles I, just a few minutes from Kings Cross. It’s very quiet but has some good beers from Brodies - today we have the choice of their English Best or the Californian.

And for Steve they have Brains SA – you can’t escape Cardiff totally!

We have a good chat with the landlord and catch up on the history of the pub. It’s got a decent jukebox so we play that for a while.

Tony and then Steve leave to catch their respective train and bus back home. I should really go too as I have to be up at 7am the next day for my flight to LA.

Instead I get chatting to Jamie Brodie, who brews the beers with his sister and who just happens to live round the corner, and discuss the merits of his California beer – the landlord and I like it but think it tastes a bit thin for a 5.3% beer. Not surprisingly Jamie disagrees.

I have a few pints of their bottled porters and then wander off to meet Liz at Kings Cross and finally head off home – a little worse for wear and apparently I kept repeating myself. Moi?