Football Crazy - Robin Hall and Jimmy MacGregor

Harking back to yesterday, with a Range Rover at my disposal, there was time for a visit to Longham Lake with the Ortolan in mind but little prospect of finding it! A 10 minutes diversion saw time to check the

 LAPWINGs
on the Barley Field for any signs of breeding, but apart from the fact
they are still there no signs of 'display' or 'sitting' birds were noted.
 

 The 07:00 arrival at Longham was heralded by several hundred
COMMON SWIFT
all in flight, while some of a similar number of

SWALLOWs
looked 'odd' perched on the vegetation in the middle of the lake.

 DAISIES
 hadn't opened their tired eyes yet

 but on the distant meadows c68 MUTE SWANs, half a dozen
CANADA GEESE and a lone GREYLAG GOOSE were
resting and eating.

 Other wildfowl included lots of
TUFTED DUCK
along with a few Great Crested Grebe plus 2 additions to the
Dorset Year List
 
 GADWALL
(female foreground) and

SHELDUCK

 REYNARD (RED FOX)
was also looking for his breakfast and seemed frustrated
at the abundance all out of reach.

 ROE DEER
beat a hasty retreat, having to take the longer route around the
fenced-off saplings while

 BRIAN
was taking things a little more easily.

 BLACK-HEADED GULLs
were in good numbers as were breeding
 MALLARD
but as promised
there were 'bigger fish to fry' for the remainder of the day.
So what was to be the "BIT of a TREAT"?
A couple of clues

It was not the weekly Keep the Cops on their Toes Exercise,

nor the annual convention of Meccano Builders.

Have you got it yet?
I have a favourite brother and his Christian name is Paul.
He's lately joined a football club as he's mad about football.
He's got two black eyes already and teeth lost from his gob,
Since Paul became a member of that terrible football club.
(Chorus)
For he's football crazy, he's football mad, 
and the football it has taken away the little bit o' sense he had,
And it would take a dozen servants to wash his clothes and scrub,
Since Paul became a member of that terrible football club. 

HUGH, seen here studying form over a cup of tea,

took me to watch the FA Cup Final at
 
WEMBLEY STADIUM

The Massed Tambourines of the Salvation Army Deserters,
aka the Band of the Grenadier Guards, entertained us

as the FA CUP was delivered by one of their rank to the plinth.

If you were asked who has scored the most goals for England at football over the years you might say Bobby Charlton or Gary Lineker, but you would be wrong. That honour goes to Dave Clarke who scored 128 goals over 144 appearances for his country culminating at the 2012 Paralympics in London. Dave is blind and yesterday blessed the final as Guest of Honour to present the cup to the winning team.

The Officials lead out the 2 teams

MANCHESTER CITY and WIGAN ATHLETIC

After the National Anthem, Zeppelin stowed away their kit

as The Beatles took a photo-shot

as both Teams and Officials were introduced to the crowd.

In the middle of the field, one afternoon, 
the Captain says, "Now Paul,
"would you kindly take this penalty-kick
since you're mad about football?"
So he took forty paces backwards,
Shot off from the mark.
The ball went sailing over the bar
and landed in New York.

This was the signal for Wigan to have a final Team Huddle

before play got underway

and 'FLAKEY' JOE (anyone who had a) HART
took up his post between the posts.

SHAUN MALONY passed the first kick of the game to

AROUNA KONÉ watched by fellow team mate 

JAMES McCARTHY

and the game was underway.

Not long however before the first 'clogging', handed out by
MC, giving WA the first 'free kick' of the game.

Both Managers, ROBERTO MANCINI and
ROBERTO MARTINEZ (names nearly the same)
looked pensive

as my personal selection for 'Dude of the Day'
 AROUNA KONÉ got on with the game.

Both GARETH BARRY and VINCENT KOMPANY
were more or less ineffectual throughout

while PABLO ZABALETA dished out his first,
of an album-FULL, of fouls.

The first corner of the game was awarded to Wigan and
deftly taken by SHAUN MALONEY nearly causing a sensation

and certainly bringing both sections of the crowd to their feet.

Despite Callum McManamen being voted the
'Man of the Match', by those who count,

my own choice would have been the hard working, skillful, clean
and fair playing Honduran (tough cookie) ROGER ESPINOZA.

Another Goalmouth Mêlée.

EMMERSON BOYCE

GAËL CLICHY

YAYA TOURÉ

WA Goalkeeper JOEL ROBLES

SAMIR NASRI

'Magic Player' DAVID SILVA
lobs in another corner,

SERGIO AGÜERO

waits anxiously

as YAYA has a 'sit down'.

Mr MANCINI brings on JAMES MILNER

as CARLOS TEVEZ recovers from a tumble

and PABLO ZABALETA collects a Yellow Card
for the album after his 'hat trick' of fouls.

 Some people just don't take the hint!

MILNER tries his luck with the next corner as far more
skillful decisions are being made on the touch-line.

 The Turning Point
BEN WATSON joins the fray, who could have
predicted what was to follow?

From then on WATSON was very much in the 'thick of it'!

and for all the wrong reasons

so was Zabaleta

given his 'Marching Orders' after multiple and a final
vicious tackle.

Watson was desperately unlucky with the 'Free Kick'

which just cleared the cross-bar,

but moments later managed to do 'slightly better'

by smashing a well placed 'header' into the back of the goal

from an equally 'well placed' corner.

MILNER also found his 'finest hour' in the game brilliantly
plucking the ball from the back of the net,

as WA formed a human mountain.
Poor photograph due to uncontrollable reaction.

 WIGAN FANs go Berzzi-Q.

Less than one minute later "they thought it was all over"

mainly because it was

as team and fans alike broke into joyous celebration!

While this post may seem as though I am some kind of football pundit nothing could be further from the truth, I had accepted the kind invitation simply because missing any one of life's experiences is NOT AN OPTION! It was interesting learn later that Ben (DAVID) Watson was playing his first game in 5 months because of injury and then slays the might of Manchester (GOLIATH) City, my reason for the uncontrollable shakes - always LOVING the UNDER-DOG!

How can you fully THANK a FRIEND for such a KINDNESS?

To Hugh and our mutual friend and companion Andy Grylls

THANK YOU 

I know will be enough.