Home Alone

I was spared the frustration of the defeat by Shrewsbury as I had to be at home so I could remotely support some system testing - the latest in what have been a few weekends of this - not that I was ultra-upset as I'd not made plans to visit Shrewsbury.

I've enjoyed previous visits to the town - there are some lovely pubs there and it was nice to be able to stay in them until just before 3pm before wandering down the hill and over the bridge to Gay Meadow. Now you have to get a shuttle bus by 2:15 to get to the new stadium which is just a bit too regimented for my liking.

A lot of people don't mind this sort of thing but the older I get, the more I want to get out of my pre-match session - it's often as important and enjoyable as the games themselves - and so I'm getting choosier about which grounds I'm going to.

As it was, instead of having a nice pint in Loggerheads chewing the fat with Lance and Steve, I took a swift break from work to pop in Duncan's for some excellent pie and mash.

The woman who worked there was telling regulars about the West Ham fan who'd been given a ticket to their cup game at Hartlepool.

It seems he wasn't sure how to get there and somehow ended driving to Cambridge before giving up on his quest! I don't know if that says more about the intelligence level of Premiership fans or his subconcious saving him from the clutches of the Monkeyhangers...