29 May 2016

Victory

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. In the seventy second minute of yesterday's play-off final, Hull City's attacking Senegalese midfielder, Mohamed Diamé, received the ball twenty five yards shy of the Sheffield Wednesday goalmouth and curved that leather orb beyond the flailing arms of the Owls' goalkeeper. Joy upon joy! Your blogging prayers were answered and on behalf of the club, the massed supporters and Mohamed Diamé himself,  I thank you for your combined spiritual support.

As The Laird of Eagleton Sir Graham Edwards reminded me, football is just a game... like war, like love, like work, like life itself. The important thing is not that you get to play the game but that you win. And we won!

It seemed that half of Sheffield  had arrived en masse at Wembley and their vocal support was superb. When they were jumping up and down you could feel the vibrations through the concrete structure of the stadium. We had less fans but a better team and we should probably have achieved a better scoreline than 1-0.

Afterwards, Shirley and I drove north to Northampton where at nine thirty p.m. we enjoyed a Toby Carvery meal and victory drinks before carrying on to Yorkshire. I guess I drove for eight hours all told yesterday. At midday we had deposited Ian's belongings at the Arsenal Stadium in Highbury before heading back to The North Circular Road en route for Wembley.

For only the second time, I used a website called "Just Park" to rent somebody's driveway. It was a ten minute stroll from the stadium. Wearing our black and amber gear, we walked past a pub that had been invaded by the blue and white army and a grinning man asked me, "Are you lost?" Well, I knew exactly how to get to Wembley but maybe I am lost - a lost soul, wandering through the dark  jungle of life. But I didn't say that, I just said "No!".

We entered a Turkish kebab house where we ate a late lunch. The kebabs were delicious and we had a table to ourselves at the back of the place. Then on to England's national stadium where seventy thousand fans were gathering in the late May sunshine. Soon our friend Tony appeared following a five hour coach journey from Hull.

Like me he was very anxious about the game but in the end Mohamed Diamé obliterated all  tension with that stunning twenty five yard shot that silenced the Wednesday end of the ground and sent their distraught supporters  back to Sheffield with their tails between their legs. "Diamé! Diamé! Diamé!" As the late John Denver sang, some days truly are diamonds.

23 comments:

  1. I am relieved, never in the whole history of mankind has such a miracle happened. I would have been grateful it only lasted ninety minutes it sounds as if it could have gone on half an hour longer.
    The boy done good.

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    1. It was dreamlike Adrian. Thank you for your virtual support. If you would like to buy any Hull City gear, go here:-
      http://www.tigerleisure.com/homeware/

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    2. Thanks for the link. £44.00p for a T-Shirt. I'll go to the bottom of our stairs. I see everyone else thought them a bit expensive. They have knocked £30.00p off. If I wanted to look like a Bumble Bee then they are a bargain.

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    3. A Hull City dog lead is only £7.99. Go to:- http://www.tigerleisure.com/souvenirs/pet/1517_dog-lead.html

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  2. Replies
    1. I suspect that you a trying to poke fun at me. It can't have been me as I am taller than Steve Bruce and that fellow's not much taller than a circus midget.

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    2. Would I poke fun?! Actually, I did say I thought you were the one on the right. Congratulations though - I managed to see the first half hour or so before I had to go out and returned just at the moment Steve Bruce lifted the trophy.

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    3. You must have gone out for a KFC family bucket meal. I bet your son was delighted to be on the receiving end of such a generous birthday treat.

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    4. Nope - a high-class tenner a head carvery :)

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    5. Ye can't beat a good carvery...but their Yorkshire puddings are usually unpleasant...just like me.

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  3. Very happy for you YP..it must have been a special day for you.

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    1. It was special. But not better than my wedding day. (Shirley sometimes read this blog).

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  4. Who says prayers are never answered ?

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    1. I have been an atheist as long as I remember but perhaps He was watching over us all the time. Thank you for your prayers CG.

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  5. Thank God that's over!! Mohamed probably thanked Allah. I just thank myself that I'm not a soccer fan!!

    Glad you had a wonderful, exciting weekend, Yorkie..you certainly worked up an appetite by the looks of it! :)

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    1. Appetite? Yes - the carvery meal was not so much savoured as gobbled Lee.

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  6. Hey! Great win! But that was a long drive home!

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    1. But not as long as a long drive in Canada Red.

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  7. Oh good. It's always good to be on the winning side - winners are grinners.

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    1. Ha-ha! And losers are musers...sometimes boozers.

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  8. Well, I can't get too excited about the football, but I am impressed you know that John Denver song -- one of his later, minor hits! I often use that expression too, courtesy of John.

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    1. In Sheffield, United's team song is based on "Annie's Song". Its revised title is "The Greasy Chip Butty Song". I am sure that John Denver would have been very proud if he had known.

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  9. Whoa there YP. Rein in that horse. "As The Laird of Eagleton Sir Graham Edwards reminded me, football is just a game... like war, like love, like work, like life itself." Football is a game. Love, war, work and life are not. Sorry to be serious but, hey, that's just how it is.

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Mr Pudding welcomes all genuine comments - even those with which he disagrees. However, puerile or abusive comments from anonymous contributors will continue to be given the short shrift they deserve. Any spam comments that get through Google/Blogger defences will also be quickly deleted.

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