After trips to both Sheffield and Cornwall you might think that I had done quite enough travelling for one Easter Weekend, but NO, for on Easter Monday I was bound for distant KINGSTON, for some particularly pointless football i.e. AFC Wimbledon vs Peterborough United in a battle to decide who would probably end up somewhere in the middle of League One and who would also end up somewhere in the middle of League One. It was SURE to be a THRILLER!
My travelling began at The Kings Arms in Waterloo, a lovely pub which seems to be known to one and all as THE lovely pub in Waterloo. It was here I met Mr P Myland and Mr C Dowsett, my companions for the rest of the day, also a whole HEAP of other Poshies, with whom MUCH nattering would be undertaken. Also undertaken were pints of MILD (lovely) and Plum Porter (30% lovely, 30% all right, 40% A Bit Much in that order).
We headed back to Waterloo and took the train to NORBITON, then had a long walk to the Kingsmeadow Stadium, interspersed with a CHIPPY LUNCH. The walk was familiar to me as I have been there BEFORE on twooccasions, both times supporting Boo Hewerdine. I remember the Social Club, where I played, being quite big, so was surprised by how DIDDY the ground itself is - I reckon that if a capacity crowd from the stadium went into the social club all at once you'd still get served within five minutes!
It was a DELIGHTFUL ground though. I mean, all right, the roof on the terrace was so low that you couldn't see what was going on in the far corner, but it had a friendly atmosphere and you were VERY close to the pitch, which led to a LOT of Trying To Wind Players Up. The best bit was when one of the players told one of his colleagues to "{flipping}> throw it!" during a Throw In, which caused much hilarity. I'm not sure WHY it caused such LARFS, but it seemed very funny at the time - perhaps because we were desperate for ANY amusement.
For LO! it was not exactly a Classic Match Of End To End Play. There was nothing at ALL to play for, and it showed. There were SOME good bits (I was delighted to see both Craig Mackail-Smith and Junior Morias in action, I officially LIKE them) and the fact that it didn't matter made the whole experience much less stressful. I have seen MUCH WORSE when it DID matter!
When the game was FINALLY over we sloped back to the train station and I traveled back listening to Messrs Myland and Dowsett sharing opinions on lower league players with an AFC fan. I didn't have sufficient knowledge to join in!
Back in town Mileage went to check into his hotel (he was in That London for a weekend of CULTURE with Mrs Myland and son who had, INEXPLICABLY, gone to do something else that afternoon!) so Chris and I went to the St Stephens Tavern for some further NATTERING. While there I got into a MINOR DISAGREEMENT with Bar Staff who refused to accept a tenner I had proferred because the EDGE had been torn off. I apologised and opened my wallet to get a different note and as I did so thought "I wonder where I got that note from? HANG ON!" I turned to the barman and said "But YOU gave me this in my change from my last pint!" The manager was called and he silently tucked it back into the till and I was given my beers and change without further comment. Now I think of it he never apologised nor nothing, that's a bit off isn't it?
Anyway, the evening carried on without further unnecessariness - Mileage came back, further chat was chatted, pints were finished and I wobbled my way back to the tube for home and an end to my many travels. It had been a MARVELLOUS Easter but I would need a couple of days to get OVER my days off!
