(no subject)

Went on the Fareham Town team coach to their FA Cup replay at Sandhurst last night. The club bar, even smaller than the one at Cams Alders, was pleasant enough. Met up with the Creeksiders there - Steve promptly asked "We're not going to let in six every time you come, are we?"

The two teams were evenly matched, and Fareham had plenty of shots on the Sandhurst goal, though all were either thwarted by the defence or blasted high or wide. Dale Field picked up a nosebleed during the first half and had to change his shirt.

At half-time I ordered a Bovril, only to be told that they'd run out, so settled for a coffee. You got your coffee or tea served in a Sandhurst Town Council Centenary 1994 mug - much better than those plastic cups hot drinks come in at most grounds, even though, alas, the mugs had to be returned. Quirks like these are why I love football at this level. Hot dog with onions very tasty.

The second half was end-to-end stuff and it was thanks to the heroics of Lee Webber in goal, who made a string of super saves including from an 85th-minute penalty, that Fareham kept a clean sheet. Fareham's own attacks continued throughout but the ball wouldn't go into the Sandhurst net. Dale appeared for the second half wearing another new shirt, and halfway through he headed for the dugout to put on a fourth, but there wasn't another spare so Fareham were left playing with ten men until Mark Tryon, who'd been substituted, had taken off his shirt and Dale had put it on. Fareham were in their white away kit; Chris observed that if they'd been wearing the red home strip Dale wouldn't have had to change!

The tea bar hadn't stayed open, so I had to pop back into the bar and buy a packet of nuts before extra-time kicked off. Fareham seemed to have the better of the pressure, but still no goals and so it went to a penalty shoot-out. Our little group to one side behind the goal celebrated when Sandhurst's second kick was blasted against the bar...but they scored all their others and Sam Stone and Jason Mann both missed theirs. Jason walked along the row of Fareham fans saying sorry, shaking our hands and thanking us for our support. When he'd gone nobody spoke.

And I had to wait in the bar until the players were changed and ready to go. When I purchased another packet of nuts, my third of the night, at the bar, the barman, indicating me, announced to the home club people "This man is the new record holder for the most peanuts eaten at a Sandhurst Town match." One of the Sandhurst people asked to read my copy of The News, explaining that he used to live in Leigh Park. I'd read it on the journey up so said he could keep it.

We arrived back at Cams Alders at quarter past midnight. As I got off the coach Ian, the Fareham secretary, thanked me for coming; I said "See you next Tuesday." "What about Saturday?" he asked. I just said I was away on Saturday, which is true. (In any case, if I hadn't bought those Quins tickets weeks ago I'd have been going to Hawks v Bromley on Saturday.)

I was still 4 miles from home.

Not surprisingly, I was knackered at work this morning. I had to have an infusion of coffee from the vending machine before going on shift, then at my first mini-break ran down to the office shop for a Boost bar, but less than an hour later was still conducting an interview in a state of zombification.

I did get a respite for the last three-quarters of an hour; at 1.15 I started doing my internal e-mail. Today that included not only the updated site emergency procedures, which take a fair while to read, but also the guide to this year's Christmas shifts. This contained good news for Rachel; there is no PM shift on Christmas Eve, so I'm able to do a swap, working her Christmas Eve AM shift in return for her covering me on Wednesday 19 December. Though it was she who chose that date to offer me, that could be equally good news for me, as The Pogues are playing in London on Tuesday 18 December. I just need to find out if I have my ECDL class that night, or if we break for Christmas the week before. On my CLAIT class we did the latter, so I'm optimistic. Seeing The Pogues on the anniversary of Kirsty's death would be special. Fortunately Rachel was sitting next to me and I was able to tell her first hand, much to her delight.

The lack of PM shifts on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, though, does mean I have to make up those two evenings somewhere. This is made difficult by my working Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings and having night school on Tuesdays. As I certainly don't want to work any double shifts if I can help it, I looked to Rachel for the solution. I guessed she'd appreciate not having to work on New Year's Eve, it being in the school hols, so I shouldn't have any difficulty getting the swaps I needed from her.

First I bombed down to the coffee lounge to check which nights there was European football, so I wouldn't saddle myself with working any of them. Then, on my return to the telephone unit, I offered to swap her New Year's Eve for my Wednesday 9 January morning shift. She agreed, thus enabling me to do one of my two make-up evening shifts on the night of 9 January. She also agreed to swap her Tuesday 15 January morning for my Wednesday 16 January morning, leaving me free to do my other make-up shift on that Wednesday evening.

Even then, that wasn't quite the end of the story. I still had to make up Boxing Day, and that had to be done on either Saturday 29 December or Saturday 5 January. I knew Hawks were away both days, to Lewes and Bishop's Stortford respectively, but wasn't sure about Fareham. Back to the coffee lounge to consult Fareham Town's web page. They, too, were away both Saturdays. I decided that as I'd been to Lewes last season I'd rather go to Bishop's Stortford, so opted to work the 29th.

And when all that palaver was over it was nearly 2.10. Nice way to earn an additional 10 minutes' pay - and it had taken me off the phones for nearly an hour. Kushti.

(no subject)

Just got back from the Hawks' Academy team's friendly with Reading. The club had really pulled out the stops urging people to come to this one, to the extent of making admission free. Not a bad game, Reading deservedly won 2-0 but then they are a Premiership side's academy. As I had Malc, Aly, Simon, Mark, Barry and Lisa all sitting very near me, and most of the Ladies' team were sitting in the next block, this evening turned out to be more about the banter in the stand than what was going on on the pitch in front of us. There was some discussion on Saturday's game, with all of us agreeing that Shaun Wilkinson had been the star performer. Mark observed how Malc and I represent "the extremes of the spectrum" in attitudes to Shaun, as I call him "Sergeant Wilko" and Malc calls him "that Judas bastard". Mark found time to perv over some of the Ladies' team, and Jenna D's arrival when she was called on as physio had several of the guys drooling. When I came back from saying hello to Jodie and Laura, freshly back from Spain, Barry said to me "We're relying on you to keep the girls in order."

"He's the one who sets them all off!" was Malc's reply.

Great chips from the tea-bar at half-time.

Malc tried to get me to come on the away trip to Maidenhead, saying I could pay my subs next month if I was short, but I had to explain that the cost of getting into the game and buying drinks are still out of my range. "I'd need 40 quid in all and I'm about 39 short." Cue amusement all round. He persuaded me to say I'd come on the trip to Welling on 20 October, but I've just had to text him pulling out, as October's another expensive month for me and a check with my diary revealed Fareham are at home to Alton that day.