Tuesday 21 March 2023

A Bridge Too Far....

.... is the inevitable phrase to open this blog post with. To the surprise of no one, Grimsby's FA Cup run came to an end on Sunday. The media circus spun in to overdrive on the days running up to the day. Business as normal for Premier League clubs, but off the scale for Grimsby. Those of you in the UK will be sick of the sight of blow-up fish.

The frenzy went international. Someone in our group shared an article from the Malaysian press, there was an interview on NZ TV with Kiwi goalkeeper Max Crocombe, and an article in the German press.




Fill in your own punchline about "Paul Hurst's Mannschaft" 


Tickets sold out within 12 hours of going on sale, and that included bedtime. I managed to secure mine online after they went on sale to season ticket holders at midnight. It was a bit of a race as the number of season ticket holders outnumbered the number of tickets available. My immediate concern then was who will I actually watch the game with. These things are best shared. The Nundanket branch in Liverpool was offered an early Christmas present of a hospitality package, which he readily accepted. Over the course of the next week, a few more non-season ticket holding pals were able to get tickets from family and friends who weren't going for one reason or another. 

A small group of us assembled on Sunday morning at Clapham Junction for the train journey to the south coast. On arrival in Brighton, Nundanket II was sent on his way to the stadium to enjoy the meal part of his 'package', whilst I was left babysitting his Harry Haddock. Note there's no definite article in said piscine creature's name, and it's correctly pronounced "Arry Addock". The rest of us sought some refreshment prior to heading up to the stadium. Inside the atmosphere was building up, but not quite up to the levels of the Southampton game. The game itself was not anything like as competitive as the previous round either. That probably had an effect on the atmosphere. Discussion today on social media offered some other reasons for that too. The stadium design (acoustics), the lack of a drummer to keep things 'together' (musical instruments being banned from the Amex Stadium), a friendlier disposition amongst the home fans, the fact we didn't 'sniff blood', and a change of demographics of the Grimsby support with it being a weekend match.

After match some more refreshments were consumed, at the stadium whilst waiting for queues at the station to die down) and in the amusingly named 'Prince Albert' pub near the main station in the city. The citizenry of the place, fans and 'civilians' alike, were very hospitable. We were made to feel welcome all day, unlike the usual experience of football fans.  Strange. There has been a massive 'love in' on social media since the game, with Brighton fans saying very nice things about us, and us wishing them well in the next round(s). Many of the older ones remember their own club's flirtation with the bottom end of the Football League and homelessness in the 90s and early noughties.

There's not much to report about the match itself. The 5-0 scoreline tells you all you need to know. And you can forgive me for not wanting to dwell too much on the actual game. 

Disappointed? Yes. Not to progress further in the competition. But delighted with the whole campaign. The first time Grimsby has been this far in the competition since 1939. The experience has brought the fanbase, club management, and playing squad closer together. Another chapter has been written, to use an old cliché. Or to use a new one, more memories have been created. It's helped to raise the profile of the town in a positive way. And the extra revenue will come in handy for the next season.

So the most appropriate image I want to finish on is this clip, of Grimsby fans celebrating(!) at the end of the match. Excuse me, I seem to have got something stuck in my throat.

https://twitter.com/TheBrightonBard/status/1637718212585443332?cxt=HHwWiMC-9bGCrLotAAAA

16 comments:

  1. Ah well, it's not a movie, and these things generally end up this way....it was a good run while it lasted!

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    1. Aye. You always get beat in the end.
      Chris

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  2. Very sorry for the outcome matey, it was a bit of a spanking, but you did have a good run and as you say there were a lot of positives that came out of the affair so hold onto that. Next time perhaps?

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    1. I might be beyond caring next time if it’s another 84 years.
      Chris

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  3. I am sorry Chris that it ended like that. Remember, "it is the journey not the destination that is important" 😊
    Cheer up, as we always said in our over 35's soccer team after our usual drubbing, there is always next week!

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    1. Indeed Ben. I am of a philosophical disposition. There is always next week. To use the football cliché: we go again.
      Chris

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  4. Glad you enjoyed it …..just never been a football fan myself, probably saves a lot of heart ache

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    1. It’s the shade that makes the rare burst of sunshine that much more enjoyable. Or some such consolation. 😄
      Chris

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  5. If it helps any my team went out 3-2 v an aggressive Sheffield Utd side who I'm hoping will not do as well as Burnley did against Man City. Sour grapes ...moi. Bloody right.

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    1. It doesn’t help, but it’s more like it! I’ve got grudges that go back years. Is there a bit of Roses needle going on here too?
      Chris

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  6. I watched the game, Chris - it was a brave effort, but in the end I guess it was not to be. Not sure why McAtee was only used as a sub - that was a surprise? Anyway - stout effort all round, good for visibility of the town and (I sincerely hope) worth a lot of money in the bank. You are secure in the knowledge that your team will have to settle for the same number of trophies as mine this season, so hey-ho. I shall miss the haddocks.

    https://www.clydefc.co.uk/club/history/hall-of-fame/harry-haddock/

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    1. Hursty (the manager) likes to play it safe. Stay in the game as long as possible, then see what you can nick. But Hurst said in an interview that McAtee just didn't deserve to start (there's something in that in recent weeks). The Cup run adds something like £1.5m - or about 1/3 of last seasons revenue.
      Thanks for the link to Harry Haddock. Wonder if he's any relation to Peter Haddock (Newcastle and Leeds)?

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  7. Well it was good whilst it lasted as they say and they got plenty of coverage in the press, which can't be a bad thing. There's always next year, so you never know...

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    1. Aye, as well as the extra money, the raised profile might help with attracting better talent. It's all good.

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  8. The Prince Albert is one of my favourite watering holes when on a Jolly Boys Day Out to Brighton.. cracking pub...

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    1. I’d agree with you there.
      Chris

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