A Tale of Two Debuts

Who can forget the complete humbling the Poppies suffered at St Ives on Boxing Day last year?  A performance so abject that the 6-0 defeat actually flattered US.  Jim's honeymoon period coming to a crashing end. Rhys Sharpe having the worst single game I've ever seen a player give in a Poppies shirt, and I've seen Nathan Koo-Boothe play while not entirely fit, and hadn't received his wages.  This was the day when the possibility of back-to-back relegations suddenly didn't look the least bit remote.

Among the many watching-through-fingers moments of that hideous afternoon in Cambridgshire the completely anonymous, walking speed debut of Bruno Andrade went under the radar.  I seem to recall seeing him flitting around on the fringes of the game without contributing much (not alone by any stretch of the imagination) and assumed we were literally just playing anyone who answered the manager's call.  By season's end, when Lavery had bullied our lazy collection of Leese signings, sprinkled with a few successful loanees into a half-decent team that dragged itself out of the relegation scrap, Bruno had turned in a few decent appearances and vital goals.

Such was the upturn in form and performances that Bruno featured as one of the very few players we wouldn't have minded seeing returning for this season.  I seem to recall the entire list was, Marzano, possibly Bruno and Dan Jarvis (who obviously wouldn't be back as he's just become "Player of the Season.")  To most people's surprise Bruno popped up pre-season as one of Maidstone's "glamour signings".  We shrugged our shoulders and awaited the results of Lavery's labours.

Fast forward a few months and we're back at St Ives, and blow me down, Bruno is lining up to make his second debut for us at the scene of his inglorious first debut.  The club and team, though, is barely recognisable from the scared shambles they were just a few short months earlier.  Yesterday, backed by 10 quality teammates Bruno took the chance to twist, turn and shine for the Poppies and capped it off with a fine goal.  Despite missing several good players to injury the Poppies are looking the real deal.  Had we not played within ourselves during the second half yesterday we might well have entirely erased last season's humbling at St Ives's hands.  At the moment we are looking so sharp, we could probably even afford to carry a few Andy Leese signings and still win games.  Yes, we are looking THAT good.

Poppies celebrate yet another goal against St Ives.
It will NEVER be a chore typing that!

Waterworld 2: The World Has Turned Upside-down

 

The pitch being readied at Latimer Park TODAY, when huge swathes of the Midlands are under so much water that there is a distinct chance of spontaneous de-evolution happening and many people reverting to breathing through gills.....

....compared to relatively recent times like this, when someone spilling the frothy head off of their pint in the Social Club caused a month's worth of postponements!

Ah yes, I remember it well.....

Last night there was another excellent evening arranged and hosted by Paula Conde-Sharpe in the 1872 lounge at Latimer Park.  In front of a well fed-and-watered audience, Colin Vowden and Craig Norman reminisced about times and players they encountered during their times at the Poppies.  Until it was mentioned on the night it hadn't occurred to me that we were listening to the only two, possibly ever, Kettering Town FC players to score for us at Wembley Stadium.  Wow.  

It is always great to hear former players talk in such warm, humorous tones about their time with OUR club.  Whether it's players slightly before your time discussing mad days and madder players you've heard of but didn't personally recall, or people like Shoey and Barry Fry who can basically talk forever and riff off each other until the cows come home, these evenings are invariably enormous fun.  And it is never, EVER unwelcome to hear someone tell you that their time with us was the best of their career.  Whether it's true or not (!)

Last night we had a couple of players that everyone over 40 will remember well, talking about times, players and events WE all recall (on good days....)  I heard the names of so many players and officials that I hadn't thought of in years.  Suddenly it was 1999 all over again and I was a snotty know-nothing 30-something listening to guys who made my life just a little bit better, and getting a chance to thank them for that.

It did set me thinking though.  Perhaps these evenings can only work with sportspeople?  Just imagine if we too were asked to go into a room of people we didn't particularly know, but they knew all about us, and breezily chat about our jobs and fellow employees from 20, 30 or even 40 years ago!  Can you imagine?  How sh*t would that be?  

Who would want to hear about the time someone wildly overordered stationery?  Or be regaled with tales of IT issues you manfully managed to overcome (spoiler - turned it off and on again). Or the time Marie in the finishing department said you'd look good with a mullet, only to find out when you were well on the way to committing that folliclular faux pas that she was already going out with one of the spotty-herbert no-marks from Plant 2.  Or even try to desperately remember the names of people who were fully part of your life for a year or two, so long ago?  And then try to make these patchy recollections in any way amusing.....Nope, these evenings aren't for us regular folk!

Time's Up!

We all know that the larger gates we seem to be getting this season are a right pain in the arse.  Having to queue ever-so-slightly longer for beer and burgers is enough to make any reasonable person start spitting dummies out and throwing toys out of prams.  And after that, finding a random stranger standing where you usually prop yourself is enough to well and truly tip you over the edge.  

Oh, for the Andy Leese days of ever decreasing support when you could still turn up at five to three, grab a pint, a bite to eat, verbally spar with Ken Samuel AND still not miss any action.  Mind you, truth be told, even if you'd turned up at five to FOUR under Leese's stewardship you'd probably not have missed any action.  At least, not in the opposition box.

Finding people at games that actually want to be there, rather than simply habitually turning up or being Poppies-institutionalised is a shock we're all having to deal with.  How many of these smiling interlopers will be here for Freezing February mid-week games is up for debate, but they're bloody well here NOW.

Another unwelcome by-product of more people heading to Latimer Park is that 3 of the 4 home games so far this season have had a delayed kick-off.  For some reason, unlike the whole entirety of the footballing world, we seem to be struggling to hit the correct kick off time, just because a few hundred more people want to see Lavery's Lovelies.  

How can we possibly sort this seemingly insurmountable problem that every other club has surmounted?  A couple of thoughts come to mind -

(A) How about arrive a bit earlier, or 

(B) Accept you might miss the start of the game as it's kicked off at 3PM.  Like normal.

Mm...that seemed a bit too easy.  I must be missing something.....

Not so hard, surely?