As the great man's guest must produce his good stories or songs at the evening banquet, as the platform orator exhibits his telling facts at mid-day, so the journalist lies under the stern obligation of extemporizing his lucid views, leading ideas, and nutshell truths for the breakfast table.
Cardinal J. H. Newman, Preface to The Idea of a University, 1852

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Leicester home 28th February

2 - 2

Cracking match. Leicester equalised in the 96th minute, though there was only supposed to be 5 mnutes added time. Still, we easily matched them, and it was Championship football. In keeping with the tradition, Ex-Don Lloyd Dyer got a standing ovation from the home fans when substituted. We're a friendly crowd (sometimes!)

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Tranmere Away 21st Feb

Drew 1 - 1

Another complicated family w/e!

We were all up in York for a big family reunion. V and A travelled to Tranmere, I heroically remained in York. A kept me in touch with goals by text. I was in the theatre at the time, with my phone on vibrate, surreptitiously keeping an eye on things.

Hartlepool home 14th Feb

Won 3 - 1.

It was comfortable in the end, but we had to come from behind and it took some late goals. At the time I was surprised by our substitutions, but it obviously worked.

Cheltenham Away 31st Jan

Won 5-3.

J, V and I went by train to Cheltenham. J went on to Newport and did a bit of coast by bus, while V and I went to the match. Another great day out! We were cruising, but Cheltenham didn't give up, and by the end we were glad of the final whistle - sort of, I mean we were enjoying the entertainment, but just getting a little bit anxious. We remembered Carlisle.

I like these small lower-league grounds, despite what our fans were saying about garden-sheds!

Leyton Orient home 27th Jan

Lost 2-1.

Oh dear, I can't at the moment recall much about it. We certainly ought to have won.

Peterborough away, 20th Jan

0 - 0 draw - but a pretty entertaining match for all that.

I suppose the fact that my memory of the match is of Gueret's brilliant saves suggests Posh were on top. I'm not sure that it was very one-sided though.

Tuesday evening match that V and I went to on the coach.

Carlisle away 17th January

Winning 2 - 0 at half time. And lost 3 - 2. How could it happen?

J, V and I travelled up by train Friday, staying Friday and Saturday night in Lancaster. Travelled all the way around the Cumbrian coast Saturday morning, up to Carlisle. A travelled up from York Sat morning and joined us V and me in Carlisle. Meanwhile J, together with L and friends got off the train at Maryport (?) and did a bit of walking. Then we all met in Carlisle after the match for dinner. Us four, V, A, J and I, returned to Lancaster for Saturday night. Confusing? This was, of course, a method for J to clock up lots more coastline.

Apart from the result... it was overall a very pleasant w/e. Except for the journey up. Didn't arrive in Lancaster 'till midnight, due to chaos in the trains following a fatality on the line south of MK. Mind you, we'd got really cheap advance tickets - something like £25 for the three of us return to Lancaster - so couldn't really complain.

[Reading this later it sound callous - cheap tickets and inconvenience alongside a fatality. That needs thinking about.]

Friendly Carlisle supporter chatted with V and me, while we waited for A before the match.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Colchester home, 12th Jan

Draw 1-1

Ex don Clive Platt scored for Colchester. Even so, when he was subbed late on the home fans gave him a standing ovation. That's nice, that is.

It helps that he's said nice things about us since he left.

Southend home 28th Dec

Won 2 - 0

Another match I now have no recollection of, though I know I was there.

Bristol Rovers away, 26th Dec

The first league match I missed this season! But I was in Edinburgh. Eating a late pub-lunch when A's friend texted him the result. My haggis tasted the better for knowing that the dons could still win even without me there to support them.

Leeds home, 20th Dec

Won 3 - 1

17 000 attendance, and the away support was the real thing: seriously impressive singing, as you'd expect from a recently-premiership side. But this resulted in a strange mis-match with what their team was up to on the pitch. The team was a pretty average league one side. It just didn't seem right, support like that really deserves better.

Brighton away 12th December

(Friday evening) Won 4 - 2

V, J and I had a w/e down there. Terrible stadium - or rather terrible for the away fans, so far from the pitch because of the running track. As always, though, great atmosphere among us away fans - shared misery in the cold, turning to shared delight as we won. Truly magical goal from Puncheon at the end: totally bamboozled the defenders.

J clocked up more of her coast travel on Sat ahd Sunday. Our landlord for the B&B on Saturday night was a Millwall supporter, and was impressed that V&I had been to the away match there - and warned us to be careful when we play them at home. He was supposedly being kind - warning us of the unpleasantness of his fellow Millwall fans - but I guess it is still part of the Millwall identity "we're the hard men".

Sunday morning, ice cream at Beachy head in sub-zero temperatures... now thats being 'hard'!

Scunthorpe home 6th December

Lost 0 - 2

Can't recall much about this, but A reckons Scunthorpe played defensively they caught us on the break

Hereford home, 25th Nov

Won 3 - 0.

I was there, honestly, but at the moment I've no memory of the match. I'll come back and edit this, if any memories come back

Walsall Away 15th November

Won 3 - 0.

V and I went on the coach. I don't like coach travel, but its made much more acceptable now I've got an mp3 player. Not for music, I soon bore of music, but radio 4 podcasts are great, plus a selection of poetry.

Hartlepool away 15th November

Won 3 - 1.

We had a weekend away, taking the opportunity to meet up with A, who came from York. Surprisingly enjoyable w/e, in addition to the match. We had some pleasant walks on te beach.

On the Friday evening I was surprised by the friendly 'hellos' I got from a few people. 'I don't know anyone up here', I thought, 'yet they seem to be genuine'. It was only later I twigged that they must have been fellow Dons fans up for the w/e who might recognise me from other away matches! Doh, I can be slow sometimes...

I'm, writing this months after the match, so can't honestly remember a huge amount about the game.