Ton Up For Darlo...

Thanks to an offer on East Coast trains, I'm travelling to Darlo on the 13:30hrs train, hopefully beating the Friday afternoon rush.   A first class ticket was just £30 (with £10 for a standard ticket) but due to a dodgy stomach I didn't really feel like taking advantage of the free fare on offer (beef lasagne which looked and smelt very tempting).

The train is pretty busy but pulls into Bank Top on time and I head straight off to Number Twenty-2.  My first visit in four months and as I approach the bar, landlord Ralph greets me with a "Hello, Curly!". Some thngs never change.

There are the usual Village Inn beers on offer plus Golden Dragon Pippin and Bitter, Jarrow Radgie Gadgie and Ringwood's Boondoggle. I opt for the Pippin which is nice but due to my digestive problems, I'm not at my drinking best.

Before I finish my first pint, I'm joined by Paul Brown who has also travelled north this afternoon and then as we get the next round of beers in, Tony completes our trio.

We're not long into our beers before the Twitterverse is alive with the news of the resignation of Dennis Pinnegar from the Darlington board.  Tony had vacated the board along with some of the other well-known Darlo faces a few weeks ago and so the rumour mill was busy with idle speculation. Just what was going on?

What was not going on was communication.  There'd been a severe lack of any hard news or information in recent weeks and months from the board.  When would we see our share certificates for instance?


DAFTS in reflective mood

Well, very soon as it happens according to a just released statement from the DFC board - whoever was still left on it - that was reported on the Echo website.

Apparently the share certificates were in the post to the 28 individual share holders (which no doubt includes a healthy percentage of DAFTS)!

After a few more pints, Paul was finally summoned to go and get some tea for him and his missus whilst Tony and I opted for a take-away.  Hopefully a bit of spice would sort out my stomach so we wandered off to Cafe Spice in Clark's Yard.

Sadly I wasn't able to make much of a dent into the food I'd ordered - which wasn't a great deal, very unlike me - but it did mean that Tony would be very well catered for tomorrow!

Next morning saw some improvement though all I could really manage to eat was some cornflakes.  We wandered up to the station, got our tickets and joined Trevor as his train pulled into Darlo.

At Central station, Martin's train wasn't far behind ours and the four of us jumped into a taxi and headed off to the Free Trade Inn in Byker. The pub opens at 11am and I for one wanted to maximise drinking time.

By a stroke of good luck, the pub had hosted a Meet The Brewer event a few days earlier featuring the excellent Magic Rock brewery.  They had a couple of my favourites left - Clown Juice and Human Cannonball - plus one of their new beers, the 2.8% Simpleton, which was so full of flavour for a low percentage beer.

Not only do they produce great beers but all their pump clips and promo material are works of art though to be fair they can't claim the credit -  that must go to graphic designer Richard Norgate.

The pub stands on the banks of the Tyne and there is a cracking view down to the quayside. As we admire it the sweating forms of Rich, John and Andy come into view - they took the mick about us getting a taxi but we're a pint up and not sweaty.

Local CAMRA stalwart Eric Larkham pops in later on - I met Eric and his other half in the Euston Tap a few weeks ago and found we had mutual friends and history in Newcastle CAMRA.



View from the Free Tade Inn - nice eh?

 One thing that stood out for me was the friendly attitude of the staff, especially landlord Mick Potts who didn't hesitate to offer tasters.

One of the pub locals was a home-brewer and had brought in a bottle of his first attempt at a saison-style beer which was handed around. Not a bad first effort.

It was quite a bind to leave all this behind but we dutifully headed off to Byker metro and travelled the two stops to Walkergate. From here it was a ten minute walk to the ground.

I bumped into Mark and James Meynell as we enter - I've not seen either of them for quite a while and it was quite a shock to find that young James is now 30 and a parent.  Another thing to make me feel old.

All the talk was of Pinnegar's resignation and the statement from the DFC Board.  The news has unsettled everyone and once again the main moan is about the lack of information from the club and what is rumoured to be a short-fall in funds.

The game starts and it is Benfield who loook the liveliest, putting our keeper under pressure from a couple of freekicks and shooting narrowly wide.  I hope we're not in for another Team Northumbria-style performance!

Ever so slowly though, Darlo start to dominate possession, making inroads into the Benfield half without puting their goalkeeper under serious pressure.

Darlo finally break the deadlock after twenty minutes or so - Purewal set up nicely by a Dowson header and he didn't waste the opportunity to score Darlo's 100th goal of the season!

A second goal was created and once more Dowson was the provider - he nicked the ball before the home keeper could collect, passing to Thompson who scored.

Before the end of the first half, Dowson finally got on the scoresheet himself as Thompson returned the favour with a neat pass, leaving Dowson to slip the ball pass the advancing keeper.

As the half-time whistle blew, it was hard to see how Benfield would get back into the game.

I tried some chips and mushy peas at half-time but was still not 100% and eventually I decided to leave and head back to the station where the facilities were rather more civilised (if you know what I mean).

In the end I only missed one more goal as it seems Darlo took it easy in the second half and didn't score again until almost full-time.

All those travelling back to Darlo had to take a replacement bus service but thankfully for Martin and I, the trains to King's Cross were still running, albeit via a scenic route that took us via Sunderland and Hartlepool which added an extra hour to our journey time.

And for once I decided that it was probably wise to avoid the Euston Tap and head straight home.

Dowson slots home Darlo's third goal

Hebburn, We're In Hebburn...

A very rushed start to the day - I wake up late by my standards - just 90 mins to get up and into Kings Cross for our 8am train.  This is more than enough but it means I'll have to get a move if I want to squeeze in a breakfast as well.

When walking round Kings Cross the other week I noticed that our usual breakfasterie - Da Vincis - is no more.  It has been revamped and is now part of the Best Mangal chain which seems to be glorified kebab bars.

We tried a cafe I 've been in before - the Station Sandwich Bar - the breakfast is perfunctory with mediocre ingredients - not very enjoyable, especially after all the rush. I suspect we'll try somewhere else next time.

It is my first train trip for quite a few weeks - nice to be back on-board, watching the world go by and providing some company for Martin. Tony joins us at Darlo and then we meet Trev, John, Rich and a few others at Newcastle Central station.

After dumping my overnight bag at left luggage and getting our Metro tickets, we wander through Chinatown to the Newcastle Arms where the landlord was busy washing the front steps. 

Not a bad choice at the bar - Big Lamp Prince Bishop, Full Mash IPA, Gundog Pale Ale and one smokey beer, Anarchy Smoke Bomb, that looks a bit odd but tastes really nice. The Gundog Pale Ale is tasty too.

After a couple of rounds, we wander down to the Bridge Hotel where we meet Ian Swalwell.  Not long after that yet another of my old University chums, Chin (Andy), turns up for a reunion.  Rocky (Dave) turns up too. Interestingly it seems I'm the only one who still calls them by their nicknames.

At the bar we have an excellent choice featuring Abbeydale Deception, Marble Bitter, Williams Midnight Sun, Hadrian & Border High Level, Outstanding Selling Out, Salopian Hop Twister and, on keg, Three Towns St Erics Pale Ale (which is excellent but doesn't last long).

We then head off back to Central station and take the Metro out to Hebburn. On arrival I check my map and take everyone the wrong way, eventually having to ask for directions. Whatever!

A small-ish ground, just one stand that straddles the middle of the pitch and then two standing ends. The fourth side is for us by officials only.

It looked like Hebburn were carrying on from where they left off a few days earlier - a defeat to Darlo at Heritage Park that some saw some very enthusiastic tackling - and by the 25th minute they were down to nine men.

The pitch was not one that encouraged good football - it looked more like hiking terrain than a playing field - and from the off, Hebburn were determined to knock Darlo out of their stride.  Dowson was fouled in the penalty box after ten minutes and Galbraith scored from the spot.

Hebburn though were level within minutes after some poor defending in the Darlo box as they failed to clear a high ball into the box. Totally against the run of play.

We've not had a gratuitous floodlight
shot for a while so here we go

However Darlo had soon regained the lead when Dowson was brought down outside the box - defender Harrison was deemed to be the last man and so he was shown the red card.  From the free-kick Gott scored via a deflection from the Hebburn wall.

It wasn't long before Hebburn were down to nine men after Forsyth - booked for the initial penalty - received a second yellow.  Credit to Hebburn though as they frustrated the Quakers for the rest of the half and it remained 2-1 at the interval.

Hebburn continued to make it difficult for Darlo in the second half - not surprisingly Darlo dominated in terms of possession, making inroads down the wings. but failed to make the most of their chances. Hebburn keeper Regan also made some excellent saves.

After sixty minutes the Hebburn resistance was finally broken as Purewal slide in to poke home a cross from Galbraith. 

The Quakers visibly relaxed, pressing continually for the rest of the half which saw them add four more goals to the tally in the final ten minutes.

As well as a welcome three points, Darlo looked to have escaped without any major injuries - their refusal to get involved in the rough-house tactics employed by Hebburn was no doubt a major factor.

In all other respects the Hebburn officials and fans seemed a decent bunch - there was some excellent on offer though the (chinese) curry sauce was rather thin for my liking. I'm fussy about such things.

We were all back in Newcastle by 5:30pm - Martin and Iain headed off to catch the train back to London - whilst I checked into the Royal Station hotel.

Tony had stayed on for a few beers and I joined him in the Town Wall.  The Saturday night crowd was beginning to gather but we had a chance to try a couple of really good beers - Portobello Porter (a new brewery from west London) and Allendale End22 Simcoe Single. Both are excellent.

Tony finally had to drag himself back to Darlington for the race night so I popped up to the Trent House, near Leazes Park. This is where I I used to drink in the early 80s, about the time that the first copies of Viz used to be sold here.

Rich, John and Andy were here, going through the card, so I had a couple of halves. Other than acquiring a soul music-theme, the place hasn't changed much since I was a student (though my graffiti in the gents has finally been painted over).

My next port of call was the Crown Posada where I had a quick pint - the place was very full with nowhere to sit so after supping up, I popped outside and caught a taxi to the Cluny.

Brian Bond - in your face

As soon as I walked though the door I bumped into Keith Newman, from Radio Northumberland. He has a show called New Wave With Newman where he plays new wave and punk favourites as well as some new stuff.  He is a big Punilux fan too and has featured them heavily on his show. 

We meet Alan Crawthorne who, like me, is a big Bill Nelson and someone I've communicated with via the internet in recent years. Nice to finally meet him at last.

Also there is former Mission Impossible editor and, more recently, music impresario, Steve Harland, who has come up from Teesside with a load of his mates.

As well as bumping into Steve and Jimi from the band, I'm introduced to Rob Blamire who is bassist in Ferryhill's finest, Penetration. It was through seeing Penetration at the City Hall in 1978 that I first heard and saw Punishment of Luxury so I have cause to be thankful.

As on-stage time approaches we head towards the gig hall - not completely full but a decent crowd.  I have my camera but decide to just take the odd shot so that I can concentrate on really enjoying the gig. Which I do.

The set is much the same as usual - all based on the Laughing Academy album rounded off with a storming version of the Brainbomb single. 

I pop into the dressing room with Keith for a chat with Nev and find a teenage girl collecting autographs - go younger generation!  We leave the band in peace after a while and Keith drops me back at my hotel.  It has been a long but very pleasurable day and I'm ready for bed.

Geoff Luke RIP

Football lost another of the good guys when our Plymouth Argyle-supporting chum, Geoff Luke, died recently.

He was a true man of Cornwall, working as secretary at Truro City in addition to supporting the Argyle. Like many young men, he came to London in the 1970s to seek his fame and fortune and one of his first jobs there was that of assistant secretary at West Ham United.

It was in London that he helped create the Plymouth Argyle Supporters London Branch in 1976 which boasts a membership in the high hundreds and in ethos is not so different from our very own DAFTS.

In those dark pre-internet days, communications were all done by mail and Geoff housed the branch photocopier in the living room of his flat. Ever the trusting man, several committee members helds keys to the flat so they could pop in and copy a few pages for the newsletter whenever they had some spare time.

Martin and Geoff before the FA
Trophy final at Wembley

Another hobby that Geoff was heavily involved in was table football and in his prime he was an England international. For the last twenty years or more he has organised an annual tournament in St Agnes that was highly regarded amongst the finger flicking fraternity.

Geoff made his first visit to Feethams with Colin Fletcher, his table soccer buddy, and was always happy to come and sample the DAFTS pre-match atmosphere at various Darlo games in the south of England (including the FA Trophy final win at Wembley).

Over recent years I got to know Geoff very well - like me he was always ready and willing to go to beer festivals or try out new pubs in the burgeoning beer scene in London - he was great company and we got on famously.

Geoff would disappear for weeks on end though as he visited the farthest corners of Europe attending football matches at all levels of the game.

It was typical of his cheeky nature that he managed to get press accreditation for two Russian World Cup qualifiers by saying he was editor of the Pasty Times (the PASLB magazine).  It impressed the Russian FA and he made it to the press box!

If you asked how he could afford all these trips as a pensioner, he'd tell you he'd budgeted for such a life-style until he was 80.  What happens after that, I'd always ask jokingly? Will you turn up on our doorsteps all bereft?  Sadly we'll never know. 

I'm very grateful that I was able to share his last day with us.  Argyle's match at Southend was called off so after a flurry of texts, he joined myself and fellow drinker Chris Turner (Rotherham's game also called off) in the Euston Tap at noon.

Howard was also in town so he popped along for an hour before he left we three to start a bit of a pub crawl - first to the recently opened Hops & Glory on Essex Road before heading off to Dukes Brew & Que where they brew their own beer. Good stuff it is too


Geoff won the 50-50 draw at our game at Hayes &
Yeading back in 2011.  Ever the gentleman, he spent
most of it on beers
for all his friends.

Our final destination was the Fox on Kingsland Road - an area of London's east end that was once a beer desert but which is now an up and coming district.  It was a pub we'd been to several months ago on one of our crawls of discovery.  We quite liked it - a decent beer choice even if the clientele consisted of loud-talking, trendy types about half our age.

After a few beers, we called it a day at 7pm - fairly compos mentis as we'd been taking it relatively easy throughout the day - Geoff headed off north to catch a bus and then pick up his train whilst Chris and I went south - he home to south London whilst I, having got a second wind, wandered back to the Euston Tap for a few more beers.

What I didn't know until the following Tuesday that whilst on the train home, Geoff suffered a massive heart attack and died.

It is a oft-given cliche but nonetheless true to say that he was taken before his time. At his funeral this week, it was clear from all the tributes made to him that he played a significant part in many people's lives and would leave a huge gap behind.



 RIP Geoff Luke, b. 19 September 1947, d. 19 January 2013.

Mid-Season Musings

As we pass the mid-way point of our first season in the Northern League, we are top of the table though we've played more games than Spennymoor. 

Defeats at the hands of Guisborough and Team Northumbria - games where we should have expected to have done much better - have meant that we're going to rely on Spennymoor to drop more points.

I think that everyone at the club can pat themselves on the back for progress so far on all fronts - things could have been a lot worse and it is heartening to see the great attendances we've had through the gates of Heritage Park.

Away fixtures have also seen Darlo fans travelling in numbers and having a really good time as they go back to their roots.

I'm sure those in charge at the club won't be complacent though - there is still a long way to go and plenty of games to be fitted into the fixture list. And of course the issue of how and when the club returns to Darlington remains a hot topic of debate.

On the negative side and from a personal perspective, I've not made it to as many matches as I would have  liked -  only three games so far compared to the sixteen I'd attended at the same point last season.

I'd intended to attend several more games but fixture rearrangements, the odd boycott and staying at home for building work meant it has been the poorest start for me for many a year.

What is more surprising though is that I haven't really missed attending games - I've certainly not missed having to travel to the north-east for each game, especially given the spate of postponements due to bad weather.

Now I'm sure the fact that we're doing pretty well in the league has had something to do with it but it is no coincidence that London is now brimming with excellent pubs and this has more than filled the gap left by the football.

I suspect that I will make more games in the second half of the season, especially those that will allow me to visit Newcastle as the pre-match drinking choice there is so much better than the likes of Shildon and West Auckland.

Zwanze Day! And Nevilluxury too!!

Originally Martin and I should have been heading to Darlo for our home game against Guisborough but the match had been moved forward to a Friday evening as Heritage Park was booked for a function on the Saturday.

Needless to say both Martin and I were mightily annoyed by this - the club had known about this issue since the start of the season but had kept the fixture in the programme even though they knew there was no chance it would go ahead on that date.

I switched train tickets for Martin so he could travel on the Friday - incurring further expense that I wasn't prepared to consider - only for the game to be called off due to a frozen pitch. Not a happy bunny.

As it was Liz and I wandered down to Ken's Cafe on Green Street as the early match was West Ham -v- Chelsea.  The place was the busiest I've ever see it, full of Hammers queueing for breakfast. This  included a bus load of French Hammers, some of who we'd seen peeing in a side street.  Zut alors you filthy French people!

After my not-so-petit-déjeuner, we wandered past the Boleyn Ground and bumped into one of our old chum, Stuart Clarke, he of Homes of Football fame.  He was there with his TV producer mate, Dan Gordon.

Stuart was looking to take some shots of fans as they arrived for the game - we suggested he popped into Ken's. Once he was done they were racing off to Kenilworth Road to do the same before Luton's FA cup game.

Duly fortified by my fry-up, I left Liz to watch the game, caught the tube into town and took a stool at the bar in the Euston Tap.  London Miller Chris joined me before we headed up to the newly opened Craft Beer Co bar in Islington where we meet our beery chums, Jackie and Simon.

The Craft Beer Co. is the latest part of the chain and unlike the other outlets, this feels much more like an actual pub.

We don't stay too long though - we head over to the nearby Earl Of Essex which is hosting Zwanze Day. This sees the opening of a barrel of Cantillon rhubarb gueuze in just 32 bars worldwide and this will be the only barrel in the UK.

Not surprisingly there is high demand among the lambic lovers of London and so they're selling the beer in thirds and to do so you have to buy a ticket in advance.

We're there at 4pm to get our tickets as the barrel won't be opened until 8pm. Thankfully the Earl of Essex has an excellent range of beers so we stay put.

I have somewhere else to go for a few hours though as Nevilluxury - guitarist in Punilux - is supporting Alien Sex Fiend's at their 30th anniversary gig at the Boston Dome in nearby Tufnell Park.

I pop into the venue early and catch ASF sound checking,  I meet their guitarist, Simon, who just happens to be a colleague of John Wilson. It really is a small world.

Nev finally arrives with friend Polly - they've come on the train carrying a guitar and an amp - very rock and roll. Cue Nev's sound check.


Nevilluxury

As the doors open and the ASF fans trickle in, Nev starts his 30 minute set - mainly his solo stuff which nonpluses the audience somewhat until they're on his wavelength.

Set over, we retire to the kitchen for post-gig pizzas and a quick chat before they have to rush off for the last train to East Anglia.

I return to the Earl of Essex where Chris has kindly kept my third of the Zwanze safe and sound - it is really good and you can certainly taste the rhubarb.  Sadly it doesn't last long.

We have a few more beers - some of my favourites have come on since I left including a couple of Kernel beers.  In fact, the Kernel maestro, Evin, is here too to taste the Zwanze but it is far too crowded to chat.

Chris and I leave before 10pm - he has had more than enough even by his standards - I'd like more but the place is simply rammed.  Time to head home for a curry and the FA Cup highlights...

Bloody Students...

Our destination today is Newcastle so we're on the 7:30am train from Kings Cross - it promises to be a long day and even Martin has seen the light as I arrive to find him having breakfast in Da Vincis.

Too early for any other football fans today despite the early kick off at the Stadium of Light - the train is quiet until Doncaster when the carriage becomes full of confused women trying to find their seats as they head to York for Christmas shopping.

Brian joined the train too and we join him in the relative quiet of coach H. At Darlo we're joined by John W, Neil and Claude.


On arrival at Central station we wander off to get our Metro tickets for later - by now Trev has turned up - and we head off to the Newcastle Arms.  We find John, Rich and Andy waiting for it to open and after a few minutes the elderly barmaid turns up and attracts the attention of the manager. In at last!



Rocky (Dave!), Cath and Ted



Amongst those on tap today are Hadrian & Border Needles & Pins, Durham White Amarillo and Big Lamp Prince Bishop. The White Amarillo is very disappointing - thin and not a lot of flavour - but the Needles & Pins is very tasty and the pick of the bunch.

As we sup the management turn the TV on and rather than sport, we watch Lorraine Pascale as she makes some very tasty looking desserts whilst being very suggestive a la Nigella. Beats Football Focus.

As the clock approaches noon, we decamp and head on down to the Bridge Hotel - John Bell has arrived and is with Frank who is standing in for Gateshead chum Steve who is indisposed.

Once again, my old Uni chum Cath has popped along - not long after another old chum, Rocky (or Dave as his family call him) joins us too - we've not seen him since 1984 so we have some catching up to do. I'm pleased to see he still likes his beer.

A good selection at the bar: Summer Wine Rouge Hop, Bristol Beer Factory Independence, Buxton English Pale Ale, Gundog Gundog, Harbour IPA, Moor Revival and Allendale Tarbarl Stout plus Tempest A Face With No Name on keg.

Most of our little band are happy in the Bridge but a few of us wander off to visit the wonderful Crown Posada.  Not necessarily wonderful for the number of beers - they have four taps - but the general atmosphere with the old Dansette playing easy listening vinyl.  A quiet little haven.

The two Johns and I decide to order a taxi - John B goes outside to do so and when he comes back he can't find his wallet. He checks all his pockets and we check the immediate surroundings - even the other punters check but no joy.

A real mystery and we can only assume he has dropped it and someone has taken it.


Keeper Craig Turns
goes off injured



We arrive at Team Northumbria's ground by taxi about half-way through the first half. As a student I used to play football on the pitches in this area - the Geordie version of Hackney Marches.

As we enter the ground the score is nil-nil. The game looked quite even at this point though neither side was creating realistic chances.

Shortly before the first half ended goalless, Darlo keeper Craig Turns was injured and replaced by Jack Norton.

Sadly for Norton (and Darlo) he was beaten by a low shot shortly after the restart.  Not a good start.

This spurred Darlo into action and for most of the second half we were constantly attacking. However far too many moves broke down due to a poor final ball or poor finishing as the ball whizzed across the Team Northumbria six-yard box.

The away fans were all starting to get very tetchy at the lack of an equaliser - something we've maybe not seen much of so far this season.  It didn't help when it looked like TN had scored a second only for the ref to disallow it.

As time ran out, we walked towards the exit - the ref seeming to be playing a lot of additional time - TN attack on the counter and score to make it 2-0 and that's it, game over.

We don't wait for the final whistle but trudge back to the Metro.  Thankfully a train soon turns up and we're back at Central station by 5:30pm.

As the others go to the Forth Hotel for some more beer, I buy a train ticket for John so he can get home. He isn't interested in any beers and who could blame him?  I'm sure he wished he'd ignored his alarm for once.

Thankfully we have an unremarkable trip back to Kings Cross - I'm sure we slept for most of the journey - and since Martin has had his fill of beer for the day, I head off alone to the Euston Tap.

Team Northumbria defend
in numbers 

Not a problem though as there is always someone to chat to there - tonight I meet another Ted - just what the world wants!

Some cracking beers as ever - Mikkeller Solstice Saison, De Molen Amarillo, Magic Rock High Wire, Summer Wine Oregon and Thornbridge Wye.

The Wye is an interesting beer - it is infused with cucumber and is very light and refreshing but still packs at punch at 4.7%. I tried this at the Borefts festival a few months ago but this is even better.

I was still going strong but last orders are called and I wander off to Euston Square, getting back to Upton Park just before 1am. Thankfully the Kebabish is still open - not one of the best curry houses but at this time of the day it'll do just fine.

Boycott!

And so another Saturday sees me missing our game. On this occasion however no one can accuse me of being a part-timer!

Darlo are playing away at West Auckland and although I'd bought rail tickets to travel up for the game, the decision by the home team to increase admission by 100% (from £5 to £10) has led to calls for a boycott by Darlo fans.

Despite the vague mutterings of the West Auckland chairman trying to justify the increase on additional security costs, it is plainly a money-making exercise taking advantage of our following. It is not the cost per se but the principle and certainly the on-line community are heavily in favour of a boycott.

Such behaviour must be nipped in the bud to deter other clubs from doing the same although praise should go to those away teams we've played so far for not taking such a stance.

Northern League chairman Mike Amos had said this is not the sort of thing they expect to see from their member clubs but nonetheless he'd still prefer that Darlo fans didn't boycott the game. Which does seem to be a mixed message to me.

No doubt some fans will still attend regardless of the price and will not see the point of a boycott.  Whilst I don't agree with them, they're fully entitled to do what they want and they certainly don't deserve the spite and vile that has been levelled at them on the messageboard.  People only seem to like a democracy when it goes their way.


Geuze on cask - excellent!



My non-attendance does me allow to spend some drinking time with the London Millers not far from home in the Black Lion, Plaistow.  Like us, they use this pub as their pre-match watering hole for games at Dagenham.

Sadly the beer selection is a bit boring - Courage Best and three rather obvious beers from Adnams.  I have just the one pint as I bring some of the Millers up-to-date about developments at Darlo.

I resist the temptation to join them at the game - I can find better things to do with £19 - and head into central London and, you've guessed it, the Euston Tap.

Today there is a better-than-usual reason to visit as they're celebrating their second birthday. This comes just a few days after CAMRA awarded declared them to be runners-up in their Conversion to Pub Use award (the winner being the Drop Forge Inn in the Jewellery Quarter, Brum).

To celebrate their birthday, they have some an extra-special selection of beers available. On cask the Kernel Table Beer at just 3% was packed full of flavour whilst the Cantillon Geuze was extremely drinkable.

On keg there were some excellent beers, the pick of them being Kernel/Brodies SCANNERS IPA collaboration, Buxton Imperial Black IPA and making their debut, a couple of beers from the Wild Beer Co, Scarlet Fever and Fresh.

The Wild Beer Co suggest their beers are made with a "combination of ancient and new techniques" to give a "truly memorable drinking experience".  Slightly OTT craft-beer style bollocks? Well both beers are very interesting and enjoyable - far too often you get just one or the other but these beers work for me.

Martin ha travelled as normal so I drop hm a text to see how he is gettign on - he replied to say that he and fellow-steward Claude were watching the game from over a wall. Good lad!


Tigger has been dumped

 After chatting to a few tickers - more than usual today to try the Wild Beer Co beers - I popped along the Circle line to join the London Millers for post-match beers at the Craft Beer Co on Leather Lane.

I'd not seen any league results and so I was quite surprised that Dagenham had won 5-0.  "Evans Out" was my first response but that is always my response to that man.  

Sadly I heard that Darlo had also lost - a last minute penalty scored by old-boy John Campbell according to Martin - which brought a bit of a downer to the day.  However a curry on the way home soon put it all in perspective!

As I wandered back home through the back streets of East Ham I came across this sad looking character who appeared to have been abandoned.  As a Disney chap I should really have rescued the poor mite but I think we already have enough animals in our household...