A day out at White Hart Lane

[Horace]

As avid followers of this Forum might know, I foresook my regular non-league club yesterday for a taste of the "real thing" - Premiership Football. Tottenham v Derby. I am from Derbyshire, and followed The Rams as a boy, into adulthood, until I became an economic migrant to the South. All the joys of winning the Div 1 title in the 70s under Brian Clough and then Dave Mackay, etc.

 

I knew I could safely leave the lads to see off Cogenhoe in the FA Cup (didn't I?), so, with a generous offer from last season's vice-chairman, I took my seat in the North Stand and gazed in amazement at a packed house of 35,600. Bedlam! As a lone Derby supporter in a sea of "Yiddo's" (before anyone pulls me up for being non-PC, that's what they were all chanting throughout the game!) I longed to be in the Away Fans end, where at least we'd be suffering together.

 

No word came from Hertingfordbury Park, as Derby's humiliation continued. In the North London debate, I'm 100% a Gooner, so it was even more difficult, trying to look impressed as Spurs ripped Derby apart. Half time - ritual trek to the bar to try and swig down a (warm, gassy) bottle of beer with hundreds of others. Managed to establish that it was 0-0 at Hertford.

Second half, Derby better, no word from Hertford. These people really do pay huge sums of money to attend these games every week! OK, the drama was intensified by the baying of thousands of people, and sure, the players were much quicker (well, Spurs were!), but the in-game incident really wasn't so much better than non-league.

 

Game ended, still no word from Hertingfordbury Park. Walked through a stream of shellshocked Derby fans outside the ground - impressed at the non-threatening atmosphere everywhere - not at all like the 70's and 80's when they would have needed a police escort back to their coaches. Still worried that Hertford had lost because I wasn't there to announce "and the scorer of Hertford's goal is..." I phoned, to be told "We won, 1-0, Kevin Cooper, 83 minutes" Phew...

[HTFCew]

Dave Williamson took over the tannoy for the day.

 

We did try to get the music going before the game, but it kept skipping to the next track after about 10 seconds, so gave up.

[Horace]

I thought I heard an announcement on Manics' UTube clip! Not quite "Kevinn Cooooperrrr! but not bad!

[manics]

Alternatively Horace you could always have a day out at:

http://boards.footymad.net/mboard/fmb.php?tno=386&fid=185&sty=2&act=1&mid=2132234125