Sep. 11th, 2006

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Arrived at the office feeling a tad rough, but got a pleasant surprise from Christine #3 at the top of the shift. This month we've all got to do Atlas training (learning the new system of inputting our sick absences, 'special leave' and applying for training courses), and I'd signed up to do it Thursday week - something I clean forgot when I swapped my shift on Thursday week for Shelley's today. Christine asked me whether I'd be doing it today, and I explained the situation - "so I'll have to come in Thursday week just to do the Atlas training." Christine said she couldn't let that happen, and immediately went off to see whether I could be added to today's session. Moments later she came back saying I'd been booked in for 11.30.

So that was three-quarters of an hour off the phones, as I joined ten of the girls sitting in the Map Room while a lady explained the Atlas system to us and demonstrated it on the overhead projector. The rest of the shift wasn't too bad, thanks to a lady who did the survey in good spirits - including revealing that her 16-year-old college student daughter is a 'lazy moo' - and to a couple of the girls who listened to my troubles at home.

I'd decided not to set off too early for Havant & Waterlooville v Dorchester, to avoid having to hang around the ground too long before the game without enough money for pre-match food or drink. Unfortunately I cut it too fine and just missed the 6.30 boat from Gosport. Arriving at Portsmouth Harbour at 6.49 I found there wasn't a train to Havant till 7.15 - which didn't get there till 7.33, too late to walk to the ground in time for kick-off. I walked up to Portsmouth & Southsea station, hoping I might pick up an earlier train starting from there, but I got there at 7.08 to find the next train to Havant was ... the one from the Harbour I'd hoped to steal a march on. I had to resign myself to missing the first ten minutes of the game.

In the end my walking pace was faster than I'd given myself credit for, and I heard the whistle blow for kick-off and the teams being read out as I walked along the approach road to the ground. In fact, as the kick-off had been held up by the minute's silence for the fifth anniversary of 9/11, I only ended up missing one minute.

The first half was sluggish and goalless, but Hawks came to life after the break and won 2-0 with a bullet header from Richard Pacquette and a net-buster along the ground, direct from a free kick, by Brett Poate. In the last ten minutes Fitzroy Simpson ballooned over with an open goal in front of him, and Tony Taggart was clean through but hit the goalie's legs. Never mind, three points in the bag. Into the clubhouse for a Magners and the closing minutes of Reading v Man City on the big screen.

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