Ooh arr revisited

The following article, written by Alan Reidy, first appeared in the Tiverton Town programme on 28 October.

Some things are inevitable – as sure as night follows day follows night, as sure as Olaf Mellberg will scratch his beard during interviews, and as sure as Ashley Cole will be jeered by his own compatriots when representing England there is one little statistic centring around Tiverton Town FC that is seemingly as certain as a three inch putt for par on a flat green. Our leading protagonist in this story is Mark Saunders, the veteran midfielder that first played for Tivvy when footballs had laces in them and boots were made of leather. In a quest to get a little more insight I asked the man himself whether he kept tabs on his own career from a statistical point of view following our victory at Bashley at the weekend.

Semi-detached

Tuesday 21 October – Gills 2 -2 Notts County

For reasons too tedious to mention further I am without a season ticket this year for the first time in 20 years. In fact, to be totally accurate, I have gone from only missing home games through illness or holiday to not going at all in the space of a few months. I think this may have surprised a few people – not least my other half who keeps nagging me to go  and not believing me when I say I don’t want to.

Deja Vu

Saturday 4 October – Exeter City 3-0 Gills

My match reports on this site usually follow a similar pattern, particularly for away games. A few inane ramblings and dark mutterings, an inarticulate rant over the incompetence of the side and a summing up drawing on the positives to try to lighten the mood. Well, after witnessing two wins in the last 65 away games I’ve attended, quite frankly I’ve had enough. I’m not sure how I’ve contrived to miss our last six victories on our travels (going back over two years) but the lack of success is one thing – the number of utter tonkings is reaching ridiculous proportions and it’s got to stop.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz….

Sat 27 Sep – Gills 1 – 0 Port Vale

I think the cliché goes “the really good sides win when they play badly” which should mean we’re very, very good after the 1-0 win over Port Vale but all it really confirmed was that Port Vale were even worse in a contest that was of such poor quality that it stunned many onlookers into bemused silence. The fabled 0-0 with Yeovil back in October 2005 is widely recognised as the dullest game since our demotion from the “promised land” and this wasn’t dull in the “nothing happened, how fucking tedious” manner of that game, it was just the astounding lack of quality on display from both teams left all our minds boggled.

A New Personal Best

Saturday 13 September – Shrewsbury Town 7-0 Gills

Just when you thought it was safe to open your eyes….getting dicked 6-0 at Wolves in the Championship was one of those things you were prepared to put up with given our unprecedented lofty status; getting gubbed 6-0 at Ashton Gate in League One was bloody annoying but hardly out of character in those days of kamikaze defending and an utter lack of confidence as we slid through the division on a tide of reckless hidings. But, but, how do I put it? Some wise old crows once sung that they’d “been done seen about everything when I see an elephant fly” – well those wise old crows got to see Dumbo take to the air but they sure hadn’t seen everything. I really never thought the day would come when I witnessed GIllingham equal their record margin of defeat in a sleepy Shropshire market town.

Blown Away

6 September – Gills 3-0 Grimsby Town

Another pleasing win kept the boo-boys largely at bay for another week, and rightly so. To my eyes we are now watching the sort of side that Stimson wanted to build but didn’t have the chance last year. He’s now had the chance to breathe, assess his resources, get them fit and organised and it’s beginning to look as though the side we have are going to be better than a lot of what this division has to offer.

Blimey a letter (email actually)

Dear Binman/Editor BMH!!

Right from the off I’ll be honest and say I’m a Fulham season ticket holder and my trips to Priestfield from my flat in Herne bay are few and far between!Due to Manchester United playing in Monaco on the Friday night, I found myself with a free Saturday and my old mate, Alan Mitchell(aka “The Thespian”),lured me to the Preistfield to see the home game with Accrington Stanley.