Instant Replay

On Saturday, Hall scored our only goal with a gentle half volley that willo-the-wisped into the goal after tenderly kissing the underside of the crossbar.

Nothing unusual about that.  Ten minutes after getting home I watched the goal again as a Poppies fan had chosen to record that attack on his mobile phone, and then load the footage onto the internet.

The clip may still be here -

What a Cracker!

Leaving aside the expert camera-phone work - no wobble, and he sticks with the ball all the way to and from Hall's foot and into the net, Also glossing over the ridiculously good quality of the footage - since when did camera phones become so good (alternatively -  how ridiculously old and technology unsavvy am I?)  And, not ignoring for a moment Clive Shackleton's astute commentary, I can't believe I'm the only person who is amazed by the advances in technology that allows this to happen?

Week in, week out, whether it's Poppies TV, or a beery Terrace God with a mobile; for the price of an internet connection, we are treated to seeing Poppies goals on demand.  Whether it's Liam shooting from the edge of Finedon, or Rene scoring with a part of his body (as opposed to simply being the closest Poppies player when an own-goal is scored), we can settle back and bask in front of Poppies goal-glory.

We've become used to such coverage.  It's part and parcel of modern football, But you don't have to go back many years when such visual entertainment would have been seen as witchcraft.  Nothing more, nothing less.

I saw Rene Howe's recent winner at Hayes & Yeading, filmed from 2 different angles.  Which is one more angle that I've seen Robbie Cooke's goal at Charlton, or Phil Brown's great goal at Blackburn.  Famous goals from our history, where thousands of us roared with delight, generated less actual footage than a nothing league game in front of a few hundred bodies.

What about the Poppies at Wembley in 1979?  I've never seen any film from that game.  The largest ever grouping of Poppies supporters in history and I've seen more video from our last game away at North Greenford United from a couple of seasons ago, although this may be mainly because I recorded it!