Knees-up Mother Brown #3

Blog written by wessex_exile
Published: 20th August 2023 13:52

Not so much after the Lord Mayor’s show, maybe more the comedy warm-up act beckons, as the U’s take on MK Dongs at the JobServe today, with the Lionesses against Spain to follow in the World Cup final tomorrow morning. The family will be gathering for the game tomorrow, with the dubiously happy coincidence that it also marks my passing of another year on this planet. [b]Durham[/b] has hit several nails on the head in his excellent match preview, not least just how poor we were on Tuesday against the real Dons. But, as [b]RS[/b] has already pointed out, we are only two games into the season, could have beaten Championship Cardiff City, and should have had at least a point against Bradford City, so not quite time to break out the Leonard Cohen albums just yet.

[b]Come on England![/b]

[b]The world outside U’s World[/b]
Much to my delight, the legal woes of three times indicted Donald J Trump have multiplied yet again, becoming four times indicted after Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis announced a raft of charges against Trump and 18 other alleged co-conspirators related to the concerted attempts to overthrow the Georgia 2020 election result. On charges which include those covered by RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act), the parallel with organised mafia/ mobster syndicates is palpable. Willis has asked for a March 2024 trial date, but most commentators believe with the huge volume of evidence to go through, and 19 charged under the indictment, she’ll be doing well to get it to trial before the November 2024 general election.

[b]”[i]Only the mob takes the 5th…[/i]”[/b]

However, what makes her indictment different is that it is being tried at the state court level, not federal court, which means even if Trump were to be elected President (heaven forbid), he can’t pardon himself in a state court case (which he clearly intends to do in the other three cases, even if he’s in jail at the time). It is mind-boggling to think that someone out on bail on four separate indictments, and found liable for the rape of E Jean Carroll, could still even be considered a fit and proper candidate for the presidential race, but that’s the cesspool of US politics under the influence of Trump’s MAGA movement. It’s even more baffling that virtually all of his opponents for the republican nomination are still in lockstep behind the man they must beat if they want to run for the presidency.

In a dreadfully heartbreaking case that beggars belief, former nurse Lucy Letby has been found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six more whilst working on the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit between June 2015 and June 2016 – just one f’cking year! The numbers are probably even worse too, she was found not guilty on two charges due to insufficient evidence, and the jury was unable to reach verdicts on six more counts of attempted murder. What’s even worse (if that’s possible) is that reports indicate NHS bosses failed to investigate allegations against her from co-workers, tried to silence doctors who raised concerns, and even demanded that consultant paediatrician Dr Ravi Jayaram apologise to her for expressing those concerns. Letby will be sentenced on Monday, and if it’s anything other than a whole life order, it will be a travesty of justice.

In sunnier news, the owners of Stoke Fruit Farm on Hayling Island have asked visitors to please stop stripping off to pose naked for photos in their field of sunflowers. The farm posted on their Facebook page "[i]Reminder to all we are a family area and please keep your clothes on in the sunflowers! We are having an increase of reports of naked photography taking place and this must not happen during our public sessions please![/i]”. Killjoy co-owner Sam Wilson said "[i]we’ve always had people take risqué pictures but this is the first year it’s been a problem[/i]”.

[b]U’s World[/b]
So Ben Garner came out punching on social media post-Wimbledon and is expecting a much-improved performance today, hopefully with the Dongs the unlucky recipients of a wounded tiger backlash (my words, not his). He acknowledged that Tuesday "[i]was a bad night, we’ve [accepted] it, we’ve apologised for it and we need to make sure it doesn’t happen again[/i]”.

Gazette reporter Jon Waldron has also reported that we’re not yet done in the transfer market (apart from the ongoing Junior Tchamadeu saga obviously), with the U’s making the signing of a central midfielder the top priority. No doubt prompted by losing Ellis Iandolo for at least eight weeks following surgery on an ankle injury picked up at Valley Parade. Fingers crossed Ellis makes a speedy recovery, given he’s shown to be one of our better summer signings so far (not to imply any are actually bad).

On Tuesday night, Colchester United Community Foundation presented their first Community Champion award of this season to 6-year old Paisley before the match. She was nominated by her school after this brave little girl had the presence of mind to call 999 and talk the call handler through all the information needed after her mother Jenny had an allergic reaction and was struggling to breathe, even to the point of letting the paramedics into the house when they arrived too. Bravo Paisley, and on behalf of Col U fans around the world, I can only apologise that your first ever football game as reward was AFC Wimbledon – hope you had a fantastic evening regardless.

[b]Match of the Day
[i]Exeter City v Colchester United
7th August 2010
Npower Football League Division 1 (Tier 3)
Attendance 5,927[/i][/b]

[b]No programme for this one, just the ubiquitous calendar entry[/b]

For the [i]KMB03[/i] blog, the memorabilia random match selector has gone back almost exactly 13 years, to our first match of the season at Exeter City, and the first match under new manager John Ward. John was appointed in the summer following the somewhat surprising departure of Aidy Boothroyd to Coventry City. Playing a relatively ‘uncultured’ style of football, Boothroyd had flattered to deceive for the most part, keeping the U’s in with a shout of promotion until a drastic slump in form late February onwards left us two places but a whopping eight points outside the play-offs.

Robbie had invested heavily in that promotion campaign, in fact had invested heavily in the previous three campaigns, but the financial pressure was telling. Under John Ward, promoted from being Boothroyd’s assistant, the transfer budget was significantly scaled back. Several key players (and wage earners) left the U’s over the summer, including David Fox, Clive Platt and David Prutton, with loanees Kevin Lisbie and Danny Batth also returning to their parent clubs. As a sign of things to come, most of John Ward’s signings were freebies, including Lloyd James and Brian Wilson, non-leaguers Andy Bond and Ben Coker, and loanee Dave Mooney (from Reading). Bond, Mooney and Wilson would all make their debuts for the U’s at St James Park.

First game of the season is always a preferred game if I can get there, so having Exeter City drawn by the fixture computer was literally a match made in heaven for me – probably less so for the 2-300 or so who had to travel from Essex, though I did meet up with friends beforehand in the St Anne’s Well pub who’d decided to make a weekend of it in the West Country – they picked a good one too, the weather was cracking. Despite what my calendar entry suggested, arrangements had been switched around regarding kids, as we were all off to Alton Towers the following weekend, so Em was home looking after Alfie, and I was out on a proper beer-fuelled awayday.

John Ward’s revamped U’s for the first game of the season lined up:
12..Mark Cousins
4….Magnus Okuonghae
6….Paul Reid
20..Brian Wilson
23..Marc Tierney
10..Kemi Izzet (captain) (Lee Beevers 86’)
14..Andy Bond
17..David Perkins
22..Anthony Wordsworth (Ashley Vincent 84’)
15..Kayode Odejayi (Dave Mooney 76’)
16..Ian Henderson

With the Faithful making as much noise as we could, even if the open terrace was sucking most of it straight up and away, we roared into the first match of a new campaign, only to be undone almost immediately. It was difficult to see the detail from our vantage point at the far end of the ground, but on just six minutes Nardiello went to ground under a challenge from David Perkins and referee Phil Gibbs had no hesitation pointed to the spot. Ryan Harley stepped up in front of the Big Bank to convert with a fierce shot, though from the Big Bank video vantage point available on YouTube (below) Mark Cousins (guessing the right way) looked unlucky not to be able palm it away with his trailing arm.

Not the best of starts by some margin, but it didn’t last long. Despite the set-back, the U’s continued with a free-flowing passing game that was a refreshing change to some of what had been served up in the latter part of Boothroyd’s time in charge. Just three minutes latter the U’s were level. A sweeping move saw Brian Wilson ping in an inch-perfect first time cross for Anthony Wordsworth to head past stranded keeper Paul Jones, and right in front of us travelling Faithful going mental on the terrace.

I’m going to need a word for another level above mental, because barely a minute later that would describe us, as Wordsworth again hammered home an unstoppable free kick from way outside the box (30 yards?) to give the U’s the lead. This was more like it! We weren’t done either, and in a first half largely dominated by the U’s, keeper Jones did well to keep out efforts from Andy Bond (who was having a belter), Ian Henderson and another 25-yard piledriver free kick from Wordsworth.

That’s not to say Exeter weren’t creating their own chances though, and in a game that was attractive to watch from both sides, Nardiello was a constant nuisance for the U’s defence, and Cousins did well to keep out efforts from both goal scorer Ryan Harley and Liam Sercombe. With half time arriving and the U’s with a 2-1 lead, most would probably concede that was a fair reflection on the first half – time for a half time pasty.

Following the excitement of the first half, the second became more of a tactical battle, with the U’s happy to do what they could to frustrate in midfield to keep the pressure off the defence. Manager Paul Tisdale was the first to roll the dice, bringing on former U’s legend Jamie Cureton with just over 20 minutes to go. There was a gracious round of applause from the Faithful to mark his arrival, and of course one or two boos as well. Thereafter he was fair game and was receiving the bird throughout the remainder of the match.

Not long after Cureton came on, Ward sacrificed frontline firepower Kayode Odejayi in a like-for-like swap with debut forward Dave Mooney. However, it was Brian Wilson who came to Cousins’ aid not long after, blocking a certain goal for Nardiello at close range, shortly before Nardiello and Tully were replaced in a double substitution by Richard Logan and Jake Thomson respectively with just over ten minutes to go. That was all Tisdale’s cards on the table, with John Ward hopefully still holding a couple of aces up his sleeve.

With just over five minutes to go it looked like we might do it too, with Cousins finger-tipping away a low 20-yard drive from Ryan Harley. That was the cue for John Ward to bring on in rapid succession Ashley Vincent for goal scorer Wordsworth and Lee Beevers for the tiring Kemi Izzet.

And then with only three minutes to go we were undone in the cruellest fashion…

Cousins managed to beat out a Matt Taylor effort, the loose ball ping-ponged around the box with no one in blue able to put their laces through it and clear the damn thing, and there was substitute Logan to lash home from close range. St James Park erupted, as you would expect, whilst we were as sick as the proverbial. To the credit of both sides, neither were happy with the point, and both went at it in the remaining few minutes for a winner, but to no avail, with the U’s earning a valuable point in Devon, though it felt like a defeat.

[b]Exeter City 2 (Harley 7’p; Logan 87’) Colchester United 2 (Wordsworth 10’, 11’)[/b]

Once the smarting of a late equaliser had subsided, on reflection it was a good point, and an even better performance. It gave hope there was going to be footballing life after Boothroyd, and indeed after the Bank of Cowling shutters had come down. The following Saturday John Ward’s U’s drew at home to Sheffield Wednesday and the following weekend won at Rochdale. In fact, apart from one cup defeat at Sunderland, the U’s were unbeaten for the opening 12 games of the season, and although only three were league victories it was still enough to keep us in the play-offs.

After his Norwich City experiment crashed in flames, evergreen Jamie Cureton originally signed for Exeter on a short-term deal, but a contract extension was quickly arranged to keep him there until the end of the season. He scored 20 in all competitions, winning the Supporter’s Player of the Year and Player’s Player of the Year awards in the process. Jamie being Jamie, he declined the new contract offered him and left for Leyton Orient – though that didn’t work out, and he ended up back at Exeter on loan at the tail end of the following season, before signing for them again in 2012/13.

[b]Up the U’s![/b]

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