![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
So at the weekend I said my goodbyes to my football buddies. Several of the Fisher lads on Saturday asked why I didn't go to an NHS dentist; I explained that I had done, and that they'd let the faults in my teeth go, to the point where they now needed private fixing. The team did the business for my last game before my little sabbatical - Fisher won 2-1 and the opposition had two men sent off. We in the shed kept up another almost constant round of singing, and at full time the players came over and shook our hands - or in Peter Afolayan's case, gave us high fives. After popping into the bar to see the full-times coming in over a quick Bud, I said goodbye, good luck and "see you in August" to the shed set; Richard replied "Hope all goes well with your teeth."
Then on Sunday it was goodbye to the Hawks Ladies for good, since I expect to be in Milton Keynes well before the start of next season. Dick arranged for me to travel on the minibus to Forest Green with most of the players. When the girls heard it was my last game, they all thanked me effusively for my support over the years and wished me all the best for the future. Kay revealed that she was a dental technician by trade, and said to beware of being ripped off by private dentists as they're all about making money. She added "I can make you a set of false teeth for £204." She knew of an NHS dentist in Waterlooville, and Laura S, driving, asked her to tell her the details as she needs a dentist... A friend of Vinny's came along with us, and said she was going to take over my role as '#1 fan'.
As you could guess with that lot, it was a very jolly trip. The girls skylarked around a lot and indulged in some intimate conversation about their own, each other's, and other Hampshire female footballers' personal lives. Noticing me finding their chat amusing, they had hysterics. Kay said she'd need a loo stop along the way, I said - much to the girls' amusement - "I'm sure we'll stop for some nosh at Membury", and "We're noshing at Membury" became the day's new catchphrase. In the end they couldn't hold on until Membury and we pulled in at Chieveley. It was only 10.30, too early for lunch (though a couple of lasses went for BK burgers nonetheless), so I settled for a cereal bar and a vanilla and maple syrup smoothie.
Forest Green always give the girls a tough game and this was no exception. Forest Green broke the deadlock in the 83rd minute but three minutes later Becki hit the bar and Lauren stabbed home the rebound to equalise. Soon after, Lauren sent over a soaring 20-yarder that I thought was going in but it sailed wide.
The girls had to settle for a point, leaving them only an outside chance of promotion. After they'd got changed and had had a chance to get nibbles and drinks, Trev called for everyone's attention and made a little intro speech to say that they were saying goodbye to me today. He recalled my emerging from a hedge in Oxfordshire and joining the girls on their legendary trip to Doncaster to play the Belles in the cup, then handed me a card and a couple of gifts from the girls. They were a blackboard mug, with a chalk for writing on it, and a calendar with photos of most of the players on - "put it on your desk in Milton Keynes," Kim said. I said a few words thanking them all for the years of fun and friendship, urged them to go on, have a good FA Women's Cup run and win all three of the other cups, and wished them all the best for the future. After a riotous round of applause, several of the girls hugged or shook hands with me, then I sat down with a Stowford Press and read the lovely messages they'd written in the card. All very moving.
The trip back was more jollity, including the girls playing "snog, marry, avoid" (occasionally it got adapted to "shag, marry, avoid"). This time we did nosh at Membury. Most of us, me included, hit the KFC though a couple went for Burger King. Now that fried food's a very occasional treat for me, my chicken tasted the best ever.
Back at Havant I said my fond farewells to the girls from the bus. Dick and Nikki gave me a lift to the Hard. Home and straight to bed.
And so back to work next morning. Yesterday and Tuesday evenings taken up with maths course homework. Class was today; we're doing probability at the moment, and one of the examples we ran through involved the probability of winning the jackpot on the National Lottery (just over 1 in 14 million). John opened a can of worms by asking what your chance of getting 5 balls was. I made a couple of attempts at that one, with contributions from a couple of the others, but never hit on anything that sounded convincing, John mentioned as an aside that he'd won the five ball prize three times, and Gill, the tutor, insisted we give it up as a bad job, until an example about a fictional lottery at the very end gave Gill and me the right formula to work it out - just under 1.4 in ten thousand, prompting Gill to point out that John has had a lot of luck.
Then on Sunday it was goodbye to the Hawks Ladies for good, since I expect to be in Milton Keynes well before the start of next season. Dick arranged for me to travel on the minibus to Forest Green with most of the players. When the girls heard it was my last game, they all thanked me effusively for my support over the years and wished me all the best for the future. Kay revealed that she was a dental technician by trade, and said to beware of being ripped off by private dentists as they're all about making money. She added "I can make you a set of false teeth for £204." She knew of an NHS dentist in Waterlooville, and Laura S, driving, asked her to tell her the details as she needs a dentist... A friend of Vinny's came along with us, and said she was going to take over my role as '#1 fan'.
As you could guess with that lot, it was a very jolly trip. The girls skylarked around a lot and indulged in some intimate conversation about their own, each other's, and other Hampshire female footballers' personal lives. Noticing me finding their chat amusing, they had hysterics. Kay said she'd need a loo stop along the way, I said - much to the girls' amusement - "I'm sure we'll stop for some nosh at Membury", and "We're noshing at Membury" became the day's new catchphrase. In the end they couldn't hold on until Membury and we pulled in at Chieveley. It was only 10.30, too early for lunch (though a couple of lasses went for BK burgers nonetheless), so I settled for a cereal bar and a vanilla and maple syrup smoothie.
Forest Green always give the girls a tough game and this was no exception. Forest Green broke the deadlock in the 83rd minute but three minutes later Becki hit the bar and Lauren stabbed home the rebound to equalise. Soon after, Lauren sent over a soaring 20-yarder that I thought was going in but it sailed wide.
The girls had to settle for a point, leaving them only an outside chance of promotion. After they'd got changed and had had a chance to get nibbles and drinks, Trev called for everyone's attention and made a little intro speech to say that they were saying goodbye to me today. He recalled my emerging from a hedge in Oxfordshire and joining the girls on their legendary trip to Doncaster to play the Belles in the cup, then handed me a card and a couple of gifts from the girls. They were a blackboard mug, with a chalk for writing on it, and a calendar with photos of most of the players on - "put it on your desk in Milton Keynes," Kim said. I said a few words thanking them all for the years of fun and friendship, urged them to go on, have a good FA Women's Cup run and win all three of the other cups, and wished them all the best for the future. After a riotous round of applause, several of the girls hugged or shook hands with me, then I sat down with a Stowford Press and read the lovely messages they'd written in the card. All very moving.
The trip back was more jollity, including the girls playing "snog, marry, avoid" (occasionally it got adapted to "shag, marry, avoid"). This time we did nosh at Membury. Most of us, me included, hit the KFC though a couple went for Burger King. Now that fried food's a very occasional treat for me, my chicken tasted the best ever.
Back at Havant I said my fond farewells to the girls from the bus. Dick and Nikki gave me a lift to the Hard. Home and straight to bed.
And so back to work next morning. Yesterday and Tuesday evenings taken up with maths course homework. Class was today; we're doing probability at the moment, and one of the examples we ran through involved the probability of winning the jackpot on the National Lottery (just over 1 in 14 million). John opened a can of worms by asking what your chance of getting 5 balls was. I made a couple of attempts at that one, with contributions from a couple of the others, but never hit on anything that sounded convincing, John mentioned as an aside that he'd won the five ball prize three times, and Gill, the tutor, insisted we give it up as a bad job, until an example about a fictional lottery at the very end gave Gill and me the right formula to work it out - just under 1.4 in ten thousand, prompting Gill to point out that John has had a lot of luck.
