(no subject)

Hawks v Ebbsfleet this afternoon. Met Dick and Lauren, and a friend of hers, in the bar before the game; Dick said unfortunately he couldn't guarantee space to give me a lift to Gloucester tomorrow, so I'm on the train - leaving Pompey at 7.17. After Dick had tried to persuade Lauren's pal to sign for Hawks, then, on hearing that she was trying for a scholarship to America, to pledge her future to Hawks after she returned, Kevin came up for a chat and said plenty of rain was expected overnight. Dick added that the game at Gloucester might get rained off but there wouldn't be an official announcement until 10.30 or 11 am, so we agreed to keep in touch by mobile.

Hawks conceded a goal in the fourth minute, but Joe Keehan hooked in a pearler of an equaliser near the end of the half. Ebbsfleet's winger evaded his marker and sent over a cross for their captain to head home on 64 minutes; soon after, Guiseppe Sole raced into the area and equalised, but with ten minutes left Paul Hinshelwood screwed a shot, that we all thought was going in and even started to cheer, wide, and from the goalkick Ebbsfleet found their sub totally unmarked on the edge of a deserted penalty area. Bang, 3-2, game over.

Only one place to go after that - into the clubhouse to see lovely Steph behind the bar and drown my sorrows in a London Pride.

At least there was Harry Hill's TV Burp to come home to...