Defeat

 

Hull City's Joao Pedro this afternoon

A few weeks have passed by since I last drove over to Hull to see my beloved football team in a live match. Today Hull City played Doncaster Rovers in a third round F.A, Cup tie.

My friend Tony had secured our tickets and I met him outside the stadium  half an hour before kick-off time.. Nobody seems to know why this game was scheduled for midday on a Sunday but it was. Increasingly, football authorities in league with TV companies change match times with little thought for loyal fans and the inconvenience they may experience.

Anyway, on this occasion, I did not mind overmuch as the early start meant I could zoom back to Sheffield after the match to enjoy Sunday dinner with the family.

It was a cold day - the temperature hovering around freezing. I wore my long johns, leather gloves and Hull City beanie hat as well as my  warm manager's coat - probably the best  clothing item I have ever purchased. It has served me well for twenty years or more.

I had a bad feeling about today's game for Doncaster's current manager, Grant McCann, was sacked by Hull City and they have a senior player called Billy Sharp who left The Tigers last summer. And so it came to pass.

Doncaster scored first through Luke Molyneux after 51 minutes with City's Colombian midfielder Gustavo Puerta cracking home the equaliser after 80 minutes. Of course the home fans went wild.

We had several chances to win the tie in the last ten minutes and in the half hour of extra time that followed. However, the game went to a penalty shootout and when Mason Barstow blasted over the crossbar the ominous ending was just round the corner.

I caught the service bus back to the "park and ride" facility to the west of the city and then sped back to Sheffield for a tasty Sunday dinner that, for once, I had not prepared myself.

In spite of the defeat, it was a good day and as always it was good to see Tony again. Our conversation never ends.