EASY! EASY! EASY!

Before Peterborough Sports Boss Jimmy Dean reads EASY!  EASY!  EASY! and flies off the handle, I am not referring to our elementary 10-man trimming of his expensively assembled squad, in front of their record attendance (of which we made up 50%).

Even though the game was "EASY!  EASY!  EASY!" this article isn't about the Trophy game, where we won the match in such an EASY!  EASY!  EASY! manner.  Instead it is about the Supporter Trust instigated EASY FUNDRAISING online option, where you can raise small, continuous amounts of money by doing what we Brits do best - shopping online.

Some time ago this facility was set-up by serial do-gooder Richard Atkinson, enabling a lot of online purchases to automatically generate donations to the Supporters Trust.  As the name suggests, it is really EASY!  EASY!  EASY!  And remember, we're talking about THE EASY FUNDRAISING website.  And not the FA Trophy win over our local rivals Peterborough Sports FC.  Just to make that clear.

A link to the Poppies section of Easy Fundraising can be found here: -

Poppies Trust Easy Fundraising Page

Using it is simplicity itself.  If a site you are shopping on is linked to this scheme an icon pops up asking if you would like the supplier to chip in to the Poppies fund.  The amount depends on the supplier and the amount being spent, but, as they say, every little helps.

Admittedly, it does help if, say, you do a lot of online ordering for your workplace, or for numerous people.  And you soon spot which companies believe in the scheme, and which host it merely to boost their "caring" image.  Toadhall Cottage chucked over £20 into the pot when I booked a week's rental through them, while Flybe will usually throw in enough to buy a Klondike for every return flight booked through their website.  But, hey, it's all free money and when more cover appears around Latimer Park, these small donations will have helped.

After 3 years I'm closing in on £100 raised.  It may not sound much, but it has been accrued with me literally doing nothing.  And if 249 others had done similar, we'd now be standing under our new Tin Hat....

Also EASY!  EASY!  EASY!

Looking at the trajectory of the ball
we are going to assume this is Lindon's
SECOND attempt at Peterborough......

photo liberally borrowed from Shorty and the Club website

Poppies take a practice run at Wembley

We all know the Poppies get to Wembley regularly.  Every 21 years, give or take.  By our reckoning we are due back there at the end of next season!  Woo-hoo!  Can't wait!

This means that this season's Trophy "run" is merely a prelude to a successful campaign next term.  Surely?  We can enjoy this season's Trophy tilt for what it is.  A comfortably calamitous failure in waiting.

Given that this season is all about survival in Nationwide North, a Trophy run might be considered a bit of an inconvenience.  However, I'd suggest we at least turn the upstarts at Peterborough Sports FC over before we gracelessly bow out of this season's competition.  Sometimes you can just take against a football club, and we're starting to take against this club.

They seem a mite uppity for a club that has played under their current name for less than two decades and spends most of their time picking up players that weren't good enough to play for us.  This uppityness no more apparent than in the twaddle spoken by their boss.

The full interview is here -

Jimmy Dean spouts random sh*ie

The upshot from this bigshot is that there is "little love lost for Peterborough in Kettering". 

What?  Really?  I don't think anyone from Kettering has really had a negative thought about the city of Peterborough, or even Peterborough United.  Over the years we've played them a lot.  They've lent us some good players over the years.  And Sam Cartwright.  And we all love Barry Fry.  So, nothing BUT love for Peterborough.

Peterborough Sports website also picked up on the vibe of their Manager, declaring the Poppies to be "local rivals".  Local rivals?  Way to big yourself up chaps!   We've always assumed a local rival is someone from nearby you actually play against from time to time?  Or, failing that, a club from the same town or city.  I'm pretty sure neither of these criteria have yet been met by Peterborough Sports FC.

Obviously once they've thumped us at the weekend they will crow about it, Jimmy Dean will cream his pants, and they'll probably run off a couple of dozen commemorative T-shirts (celebrating the win, rather than Jimmy's soiled underpants.)  But you'll still not be a rival, local or otherwise, and we're sorry if that hurts....

Shows what we know......

It looks like we might have been slightly premature with our calling off of today's game.....

I'm booooooooooooored.....

Even as early as Wednesday we all know the chances of Saturday's home game going ahead are precisely zero.  If that.

Even with the Herculean efforts with the pitch at Latimer Park we still know that a carelessly discarded cup of tea can cause flooding, and no rain for a couple of days and the surface is an unplayable dust bowl.

Given the forecast for the next couple of days is for incessant rain we thought we'd fulfil the "public interest" element of our blogging charter and come up with a few suggestions of how you could spend your Saturday, other than watching (and we're not getting carried away you understand) the Messiah Paul Cox's all-conquering Poppies.

Poppies FA Cup Wall of Fame

Might as well give 'em your money anyway....

https://poppiestrust.co.uk/page/fa-cup-wall-fame

The Flicks

Sure, it costs an arm and a leg to sit in an uncomfortable seat for a couple of hours listening to other people each Nachos and check their social media every two minutes.  But nothing beats the magic of the cinema, does it?

Personal recommendation?  Doctor Sleep

Follow-the-sheep suggestion?  Joker

Avoid like a Diamonds family reunion? Terminator: Dark Fate (all you will do is rush home and watch 1 and 2 again to remind you this franchise used to be sooooo good!)

Kettering Odeon Cinema

The Theatre

Lighthouse Theatre is hosting "Jackson - Live in Concert", with a chap called "CJ" performing as the King of Pop.  We trust the show will be all Thriller dances, perfect pop and Moonwalks, and none of the more, ahem, backroom shenanigans....!  

Wacko Jacko - the music, not the "other stuff..."

Activities

Swimming Pool

https://www.leisurecentre.com/kettering-swimming-pool/TimeTable

General swim between 3pm and 4.30pm.  Same length of time as watching the Poppies, and, on Saturday, just about as wet!

Kettering Museum and Gallery

The Museum has, with killer timing, a display about being "Out to Play" in Kettering.  

Kettering Museum - where we all know we should go more often!

The Art Gallery has a craft display, hosted in conjunction with an unpronounceable Nordic organisation.

Urdy-Gurdy time at the Gallery

Alternatively, the game might actually be on....

Coincidence?

First appearance this season
of the "lucky" socks.

4-0 win.

 Coincidence?  I think not!