"F**kin' Hell"

You may have heard the above exclamation during the half-time interval of last week's footballing lesson at the hands of Gateshead.  That felt weird to type - "footballing lesson", and "Gateshead" in the same sentence!  Anyway, this cry of indignant pain was nothing to do with Gateshead's double whammy just before the break, or even fearfully anticipating more of the same during the second half.

No, this heartfelt swearing was tore from my lungs because for seemingly the millionth time I had managed to not win the Club 200 half-time draw, and, for about the ten thousandth time, the winning number was one away from my own number.

I know just how you feel.  Except, I'm not French,
so I guess I should count my blessings.

Keep a listen out at home to Newport tomorrow to the Club 200 draw.  You can safely wager the souls of your immediate family that "93" won't be the number drawn out, but get pretty good odds on either "92", or, as on Tuesday, "94" being announced.

In the seven (?) or so years of this Trust-run draw I have scrupulously entered every season without winning.  I have also never won the Klondike, or any of the earlier manifestations of the half time raffle.  Bearing in mind I have been going up to Rockingham Road for the thick end of 35 years, this is an awfully long dry spell.  A fallow home period thrown into sharp relief by the fact that I have won at least three half-time draws, and possibly more, on opposition grounds.  I don't attend anything like every away game.  And I rarely buy half-time tickets at away games.  And yet, I still have several wins under my belt from these trips, and diddly-squat from the 600 plus games I have attended at home.

That said, what I won from these away draws weren't exactly life-changing.  My win at Adams Park game me the enviable choice of a replica Wycombe Wanderer's shirt (!) or a box of crappy biscuits (which I am convinced were just sitting in the office there....)  Whoopy-f**king doop!

A win at Basingstoke in the Trophy or Cup back in the late 80's (for me, not the team) accrued for me the princely sum of £15.00!  Even with inflation, that wasn't an amount sufficient to get me telling my boss to stuff his job on Monday morning.

My favourite half-time draw win, of the ones I remember, came during our Blue Square North play-off win at Droyleden.  Not that I won a great deal (tight northern bastards!), but I was given a thorough behind-the-scenes tour of the club.  I showed my winning number to the steward and was ushered into a dark drinking pit in one corner of the ground.  Once someone in there had confirmed I had the winning ticket I was shown through to the Secretary's office.  he wasn't there, so I asked someone wearing a Droylesden club tie (plus other clothes, I hasten to add) where he might be, and was thumbed into the direction of the changing rooms.  Ten minutes later I'm standing by the players tunnel, giving our guys encouragement as they came out of the dressing room and ran past me, in the bowels of the Droylesden main stand. 

The game had resumed for a few minutes before a bored looking chap came over and counted out a few grubby notes into my hand with a look of utter disdain on his face.  It was almost as if they rather hoped that no-one claimed the raffle prize.  Fat chance given my lack of luck on my own patch!

I then had to follow the players down the tunnel, past the home dugout and clambered back into the away end.  I'd like to say that I gave Pace a verbal-volley when passing him, but obviously I bottled it....)

Nevertheless I will be digging deep again on Saturday, aiming to win the 50/50 Klondike draw, which suspiciously always seems to pay out exactly £200.00....but I warn you now to get ready for another abusive volley of foul language!