We were on time for KO for once. Maybe we shoud watch football matches that involve travel more than five minutes from our front door more often. But what to do now? How do you spend half an hour at a non-league ground when there’s not an awful lot taking place on the pitch? As ever, BOOZE was the answer for most. I decided to do some silly arthritic stretching instead.
We took up a position behind the goal along with the Regent Ultras ahead of KO. The Ultras are very much a real thing. One drum doesn’t make a bonafide nut job fanbase; but the Regent Ultras are a bit more than that. The proud red and black chequered flag was flying from a fair few households during our walk up to the ground. It’s makes a pleasant change from the silly flag shaggers.
Gorleston were a very odd team. Which is a polite way of saying that they were absolute shite for the first half hour or so. It was a strange choice for the away ‘keeper to wear No. 13 on his back. He gifted two goals to the Regent within the space of ten minutes. Unlucky, fella etc.
It was bloody cold out on the NE Essex coast. I enjoyed the first half, but I enjoyed the warmth of the clubhouse even more at HT. I was half tempted to buy an absolute abomination of a Regent away kit. The design looked like it had been out-sourced to the Streatham Rovers design team.
Gorleston improved after the break. They actually managed to leave their own half and spring a few attacks. Somehow they pulled a goal back, and even threatened to make a game of it with the score at 2-1.
But Brightlingsea looked like securing the points with a daisy cutter of a shot from the edge of the area that trickled underneath the No. 13 between the sticks. It’s probably best not to buy a ticket for the lottery later, mate.
A really unfortunate deflection down at the other end gave an unbalanced scoreline of 3-2. It was time to make a strategic decision. I was cold, it was damp. There was a bus leaving back to Weird Wiv in ten minutes. It would mean missing the final five minutes. What could go wrong?
Fifteen minutes later and we were on the top tier of the party bus back to Wiv. A quick scroll of X, and blimey. Gorleston equalised with the last kick of the game. It’s all very well arriving early for a game but it’s probably best to stick it out as well.
SHOUT OUT to the Brightlingsea Ultras who didn’t shut up all afternoon.
