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Orange Street
Aug. 28th, 2022 08:04 pmThe day after the final, I got stung by a scammer claiming to be from Royal Mail - the call showed on my phone screen as being from an official Royal Mail number! - saying there was a parcel being held for me at Highbury sorting office in London that needed a fee paying. While going through the payment procedure, that looked like it was on Royal Mail’s website, I suddenly noticed a spelling mistake. I closed the web window, but had already entered my payment details. Fortunately my bank NatWest’s fraud team were on the ball and phoned me. I confirmed that no, I didn’t want to make a payment of 1650 Egyptian pounds. They stopped the transaction and cancelled my debit card.
On the Tuesday it was back to the Wicor for the first AFC Portchester men’s league match, versus Cowes Sports. The season starting on a Tuesday night felt weird. Jade joined me for this one. We had a drink in the clubhouse before joining Lewis and a couple of the others on the ‘Curva Portchy’. We stood there for the first half, joining in with the odd chant, then after our half time visit to the tea hut Jade needed to take the weight off her feet so we watched the second half from the main stand. On 77 minutes our star Brett Pitman headed home the only goal to start the season with three points. Jade loved it and said she’d like to come again.
A crashing blow came during the week. Steph messaged to cancel our plans to travel to Italy next spring to see a Salernitana match. The vagaries of her annual leave mean she would only have been able to go in April or May; and every Salernitana home match in April or May clashes with a home game for Leicester City, where she and Jill are season ticket holders. The one exception is the Fiorentina game on Wednesday May 3rd; although that would have been a birthday treat for me, Steph said she doesn’t have 3 or 4 days’ holiday spare to travel there midweek. So it’s arrivederci Salerno.
I’m gutted, since I can’t get to the Women’s World Cup down under, so I have nothing more exciting to look forward to in 2023 than nights in armpit towns like Swindon and Rotherham for Lionesses home matches.
On the bright side, I seem to have been readmitted to the ranks of The Gang as Jules had got me a ticket sitting with them for the Lionesses v USA friendly in October.
Sunday the 7th I needed my walking boots as the Portchester Ladies played a friendly at QK Southampton, whose ground is out in the sticks a long way from the bus routes. Having walked to the start of the road the ground was on, I detoured along another arm of the crossroads, in search of a litter bin to dump part of my cut-up bank card in. On my quest I spotted a Beefeater pub. Will remember that one for future visits to this ground.
This time, alas, there wasn’t time to stop for lunch so I rejoined the route and made the long walk to the ground. A little Portakabin served as a bar, where two friendly club volunteers served beers, cold cans, chocolate and crisps and talked to the clientele about the club’s men’s and women’s sides and the goings-on in the Premier League. There was no stand, but a couple of benches offered the chance to watch the game and take the weight off your feet. I watched with two ladies who had family members in the team - they were impressed that I’d been at the Euros including the final - as the Portchester girls won 2-1. Stacy gave me a lift back to Fareham where I went to Vita for a bite to eat.
Lewis messaged during the week to say Paul at AFC Portchester was running a minibus to that Saturday’s away game at Blackfield & Langley. So I joined a merry band of a dozen or so Portchy fans on the journey to the New Forest. It was a blazing hot day; Paul bought us all bottles of water at the Co-op at the start of the trip. Blackfield took the lead, but deep into injury time a home defender handled in the area and Brett equalised from the spot. Early in the second half our Jersey Royal struck again, chipping the keeper from 30 yards for what turned out to be the winner.
The following Friday night, the minibus ran again, to Portchy’s FA Cup tie away to Sholing. The departure point was the Delme Arms on the road from Fareham to Portchester, a perfect little pub with a friendly barmaid, clientele who wished us well, several flavours of Rekorderlig, and the women’s Hundred cricket on the big screen.
We stopped at a pub in Titchfield for Paul to visit the Gents; a couple of the guys on board reckoned he was going for a quick pint. Lewis was in the clubhouse when we arrived; he handed me my Arancione pack for the season, which held a replica shirt with ARANCIONE 12 on the back, a couple of badges, stickers and the latest issue of the fanzine.
Portchester made a sluggish start and Sholing, one division higher, scored twice in the first half. The Portchy lads staged a spirited fightback after the break and Felipe Barcelos scored with a hard drilled shot along the ground. Late in the game we won a corner, and goalie Stephen Mowthorpe came up for it. I really wanted him to do a Jimmy Glass, but the ball went harmlessly to the Sholing keeper. Our FA Cup adventure was over.
Paul tried to raise spirits on the journey back, saying that we were never going to win the FA Cup, and that we were going to win the league title. Early days, mate, early days.
Back to the Wicor last Sunday for the Ladies’ friendly with Rushmoor Community Women, one division higher. Sam was back from honeymoon; we said hello as she came out of the tunnel to warm up. Lewis and I watched from the Curva Portchy. His mate Matt was there; when referee Michelle asked around for volunteer assistants, Matt said he’d always wanted to be a linesman and accepted a flag. Rushmoor ran out 4-3 winners, inspired by their brilliant striker Emma Mutch. Michelle reckoned we ought to sign her up; but would she drop down a division and travel to play for a team the other end of the county from where she lives? Matt hadn’t done anything to draw criticism from us spectators, a sign of a good match official, but, alas, he was disillusioned with running the line and was glad it was over.
The Ladies were back at the Wicor on Wednesday for their final friendly, with Portsmouth Women’s reserves. Among a decent sized crowd, Lewis, Matt and a couple of the others were on the Curva; Lewis asked who was in goal; he was most amused when I said we had a guest goalkeeper. He joked “We should have a different guest player every game”. The guest goalie, Abbi, made some great saves but Pompey, featuring Ella Wilson who left us for them over the summer, triumphed with a couple of impressive thirty yarders.
Yesterday the men were at home to Brockenhurst. Defender Ryan Wilkins put Portchy in front on eight minutes when his shot from a cross bounced into the net despite the goalie getting a hand to it. Soon after, Liam Robinson doubled our lead with a low zinger from the edge of the box. Midway through the half, Brett’s header from a cross was parried and debutant Harrison Brook fired home for Portchester’s third.
On 70 minutes Brett struck a beautiful lob from the edge of the box into the far corner for number four. Late in the game Brett did a cheeky backheel that fell perfectly for Jake Raine to score. Portchester went nap.
Well, that was fun.
On the Tuesday it was back to the Wicor for the first AFC Portchester men’s league match, versus Cowes Sports. The season starting on a Tuesday night felt weird. Jade joined me for this one. We had a drink in the clubhouse before joining Lewis and a couple of the others on the ‘Curva Portchy’. We stood there for the first half, joining in with the odd chant, then after our half time visit to the tea hut Jade needed to take the weight off her feet so we watched the second half from the main stand. On 77 minutes our star Brett Pitman headed home the only goal to start the season with three points. Jade loved it and said she’d like to come again.
A crashing blow came during the week. Steph messaged to cancel our plans to travel to Italy next spring to see a Salernitana match. The vagaries of her annual leave mean she would only have been able to go in April or May; and every Salernitana home match in April or May clashes with a home game for Leicester City, where she and Jill are season ticket holders. The one exception is the Fiorentina game on Wednesday May 3rd; although that would have been a birthday treat for me, Steph said she doesn’t have 3 or 4 days’ holiday spare to travel there midweek. So it’s arrivederci Salerno.
I’m gutted, since I can’t get to the Women’s World Cup down under, so I have nothing more exciting to look forward to in 2023 than nights in armpit towns like Swindon and Rotherham for Lionesses home matches.
On the bright side, I seem to have been readmitted to the ranks of The Gang as Jules had got me a ticket sitting with them for the Lionesses v USA friendly in October.
Sunday the 7th I needed my walking boots as the Portchester Ladies played a friendly at QK Southampton, whose ground is out in the sticks a long way from the bus routes. Having walked to the start of the road the ground was on, I detoured along another arm of the crossroads, in search of a litter bin to dump part of my cut-up bank card in. On my quest I spotted a Beefeater pub. Will remember that one for future visits to this ground.
This time, alas, there wasn’t time to stop for lunch so I rejoined the route and made the long walk to the ground. A little Portakabin served as a bar, where two friendly club volunteers served beers, cold cans, chocolate and crisps and talked to the clientele about the club’s men’s and women’s sides and the goings-on in the Premier League. There was no stand, but a couple of benches offered the chance to watch the game and take the weight off your feet. I watched with two ladies who had family members in the team - they were impressed that I’d been at the Euros including the final - as the Portchester girls won 2-1. Stacy gave me a lift back to Fareham where I went to Vita for a bite to eat.
Lewis messaged during the week to say Paul at AFC Portchester was running a minibus to that Saturday’s away game at Blackfield & Langley. So I joined a merry band of a dozen or so Portchy fans on the journey to the New Forest. It was a blazing hot day; Paul bought us all bottles of water at the Co-op at the start of the trip. Blackfield took the lead, but deep into injury time a home defender handled in the area and Brett equalised from the spot. Early in the second half our Jersey Royal struck again, chipping the keeper from 30 yards for what turned out to be the winner.
The following Friday night, the minibus ran again, to Portchy’s FA Cup tie away to Sholing. The departure point was the Delme Arms on the road from Fareham to Portchester, a perfect little pub with a friendly barmaid, clientele who wished us well, several flavours of Rekorderlig, and the women’s Hundred cricket on the big screen.
We stopped at a pub in Titchfield for Paul to visit the Gents; a couple of the guys on board reckoned he was going for a quick pint. Lewis was in the clubhouse when we arrived; he handed me my Arancione pack for the season, which held a replica shirt with ARANCIONE 12 on the back, a couple of badges, stickers and the latest issue of the fanzine.
Portchester made a sluggish start and Sholing, one division higher, scored twice in the first half. The Portchy lads staged a spirited fightback after the break and Felipe Barcelos scored with a hard drilled shot along the ground. Late in the game we won a corner, and goalie Stephen Mowthorpe came up for it. I really wanted him to do a Jimmy Glass, but the ball went harmlessly to the Sholing keeper. Our FA Cup adventure was over.
Paul tried to raise spirits on the journey back, saying that we were never going to win the FA Cup, and that we were going to win the league title. Early days, mate, early days.
Back to the Wicor last Sunday for the Ladies’ friendly with Rushmoor Community Women, one division higher. Sam was back from honeymoon; we said hello as she came out of the tunnel to warm up. Lewis and I watched from the Curva Portchy. His mate Matt was there; when referee Michelle asked around for volunteer assistants, Matt said he’d always wanted to be a linesman and accepted a flag. Rushmoor ran out 4-3 winners, inspired by their brilliant striker Emma Mutch. Michelle reckoned we ought to sign her up; but would she drop down a division and travel to play for a team the other end of the county from where she lives? Matt hadn’t done anything to draw criticism from us spectators, a sign of a good match official, but, alas, he was disillusioned with running the line and was glad it was over.
The Ladies were back at the Wicor on Wednesday for their final friendly, with Portsmouth Women’s reserves. Among a decent sized crowd, Lewis, Matt and a couple of the others were on the Curva; Lewis asked who was in goal; he was most amused when I said we had a guest goalkeeper. He joked “We should have a different guest player every game”. The guest goalie, Abbi, made some great saves but Pompey, featuring Ella Wilson who left us for them over the summer, triumphed with a couple of impressive thirty yarders.
Yesterday the men were at home to Brockenhurst. Defender Ryan Wilkins put Portchy in front on eight minutes when his shot from a cross bounced into the net despite the goalie getting a hand to it. Soon after, Liam Robinson doubled our lead with a low zinger from the edge of the box. Midway through the half, Brett’s header from a cross was parried and debutant Harrison Brook fired home for Portchester’s third.
On 70 minutes Brett struck a beautiful lob from the edge of the box into the far corner for number four. Late in the game Brett did a cheeky backheel that fell perfectly for Jake Raine to score. Portchester went nap.
Well, that was fun.
