6-1

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I’m going again with John Holton’s Writer’s Workshop, specifically his prompt #6 – ‘write about the most recent time you went to a sporting event.’ This one is right up my street, though sadly my final time was much longer ago than I would have wished.

As all good dads do, mine tried out many things with me to see what I liked. He took me to my first football match when I was five, to cricket not long after that, to go-kart racing, motor racing, and introduced me to playing sports – even the occasional round of pitch and putt golf. The two that really stuck with me were football and cricket, and later tennis: both of my daughters played, one of them at national junior level, which involved many weekends acting as a taxi service, cheerleader and a shoulder to cry on. And there have been many visits to Wimbledon along the way.

Football – the one with a round ball that players actually kick, to be clear for American readers – has occupied a large part of my life. I played a lot as a kid, both for the school and in local leagues, but hung my boots up when I went to uni – one training session with the sadist in charge was more than enough! I grew up in Dover, and have supported the local team since that very first game. We all had a ‘proper’ team that we followed: mine was Spurs (i.e. Tottenham Hotspur), and after moving to the area following uni I took a big interest in the local English Football League (EFL) side, Leyton Orient (the O’s). This culminated in my having a season ticket for them, and for some years I never missed a home game.

I had to give up going when health issues got in the way, meaning that I could no longer get to the ground. This was during the 2015/16 season, when the O’s were in the fourth tier of the EFL, which of course is called League Two, having been relegated from League One at the end of the previous season. I’ve looked at the full fixture list for that season but am having difficulty remembering which of them might have been my final game, so I’m going for one I am certain that I went to.

The game took place on 7th November 2015, and was in the first round of the FA Cup, our main national knockout competition. The O’s had been drawn at home to play a side from three tiers below them, Staines Town, in a match which the local paper rather pessimistically called ‘a potential banana skin!’ This is how the game went:

Not so much a banana skin, more of a cakewalk – 2-0 up after 12 minutes wasn’t something the O’s faithful were used to! The local rag should really have known better: the previous season we had played another non-league team at home in the Cup – Southport – and had won 5-2. Even if these were against supposedly ‘lesser’ sides seeing your team score loads of goals is always a pleasant experience. I thought about writing to the local paper to suggest that their football correspondent should take a few lessons, but thought better of it. Someone else did, though!

There is a sad ending to this story. The opposition that day, Staines Town, ceased to exist as a football club in 2022, following a protracted dispute over the land on which their ground was sited. Their owner felt that he could no longer afford to fight the legal battles and wound the club up, after nearly 130 years in existence. The O’s almost suffered the same fate in 2017, so I know how their supporters must have felt. They were a great bunch when we played them, as you can see from their joy when Staines scored. No supporter deserves to see their club die. And the owner? He now spends his time racing monster trucks in competitions around the world. There must be an analogy in there somewhere!

A footnote to the story. The picture at the top of the page is of the scene just before that fabulous free kick for the fourth O’s goal that you saw in the video. That was taken by Dean Cox, who was very much a fan favourite. In all he played 275 games for the club, scoring 59 goals, many of them spectacular like that one. In the previous year against Southport he scored one so good that even their fans applauded it, and the referee had a word of congratulation too. He was the sort of player that every club loves to have, trying his heart out every time, and as he stood at the diminutive height of 5’4″ it gave us the chance to sing things like “we’ve got tiny Cox” to keep ourselves amused. Footie fans were never the brightest, really!

I really miss going to games, as I used to have a seat with a great view, near the halfway line three rows from the front, and enjoyed the company of fellow fans. Being in the lower levels of the EFL we don’t get on the tv much, either, but we played really well though losing 1-2 to Manchester City in a televised FA Cup match earlier this season. We are actually live on tv this evening, as for some reason Sky have chosen to show what would have been this Saturday’s game. It isn’t the same as being at the match, but I’ll be there in spirit! And at least I won’t have to wrap up like this:


 

 

49 thoughts on “6-1”

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    • I only had daughters, so it was tennis courts for me in all weathers – even snow!

      Brentford went up from League One in 2013/14, just pipped us to automatic promotion. Beat us 3-1 at our place, and looked a very good team.

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      • I know that feeling!

        I tended to watch the kids play rather than take part. One time the little one, about 7 at the time, had to wait for her coach to arrive for a lesson and persuaded me to hit a few balls with her. I thought I’d better not hit it too hard so tapped it over the net. It came back like an Exocet at my feet with the advice “you’re supposed to hit it, Dad.” Last time I was ever on a court with her! 🤣

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  5. I went to Leyton Orient once, on a spur of the moment decision in 2011 (I think)… I had a free afternoon in London and that was the one game I could make. They beat Bristol Rovers 4-1, and a young striker named Harry Kane scored a couple. I watched the City game in the cup, and was of course cheering the Os on. They gave it a good go!

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    • You picked a good day to go! Harry scored his first ever goals for us – one of a number of loans he had before breaking into the Spurs team. I was very proud watching that game: probably the best we’ve played all season!

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  6. My Dad loved to watch the footie on TV but never went to matches as far as I knew. An early boyfriend played on Sundays and I froze on the touchline every week in support. He went back to his previous girlfriend, who apparently didn’t like the game! Ho hum.

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  7. The football really does get under your skin. Once you have ‘your’ team’- and oftentimes it seems the team picks you rather than the other way around, for some ineffably random reason- the journey is on. Unless, as we know, you support one of the traditional Big Six Premier sides, or one of the latest sides fairly oozing with endless supplies of oily money the journey usually ends at around six place on the table, at best. So there IS something to enjoying the lower reaches of football. I guess there the highs are lower but the whole community seems to be enmeshed in the local team. (On that note there are some wonderfully twee names in the lower reaches of the English game. Forest Green Rovers, Runcorn Linnets, Gomersal And Cleckheaton, Blyth Spartans etc. Just so so British!)

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    • The choice stays with you for life, there’s no changing! I’m probably greedy having three teams but they all mean a lot to me.

      The game is more real at the lower levels, apart from the likes of Birmingham and Wrexham buying success. Interesting that you chose FGR in your selection: we were all pleased to see them relegated back to the National League, as their owner is a vegan who imposes his views on everyone and is generally reckoned a twat 😊

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      • And in the O’s case, we had an Italian owner allegedly money laundering his ill gotten gains from scams in the tv company he ran in Albania, trying to escape their authorities. He almost destroyed the club.

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  8. I understand well that you miss going to see matches in person. Soaking up the atmosphere together with hundreds of other fans and it feels differnt to see the players play live! However, you had it at least which led to the story you shared with us today. Thank you for that, Clive!

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  9. Words from a true supporter who follows their team through thick and thin.
    Anyone can follow one of the top sides*
    True lovers of the game support their team, whatever.
    Best of luck against Stevenage tonight.

    * this excludes Aston Villa whose more discerning and experienced fans start to groan when the media begins to say what a ‘great season’ they are having….We know that’s a casting of dire runes and fumbling feet with follow.
    Still, we seem ‘safe’ for this season.

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    • Thank you. Fingers crossed for tonight. I’m hoping that we are starting another long run of wins, having won last time out after five losses in a row! I think Villa are a good bet for Europe next season.

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      • Congratulations on that win. Play-offs still beckon.
        As for Villa, the battered veteran fan will always say ‘We’ll see’. Amongst the current crop of Premier Leaguers Villa are masters at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Still I think our Premier League status is safe this year.😏

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      • They do, but I hope the remaining games are less painful to watch than last night’s! That was a real slog, and as Richie Wellens said afterwards we’ve just played our two worst games of the season and got six points from them! We were near the playoffs for a while last season then faded, so I’m not confident.

        I think Spurs could run you close for that title, and aren’t safe from relegation yet!

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      • Yes indeed sometimes the 3 points won are ugly affairs…but a win is a win.
        The legendary Ron Atkins could be scathing about his Villa players.
        1. When they booed off after a poor performance at home against traditional rivals Spurs he said ‘I started the booing’
        2. When Villa seeming to win comfortably against Sheffield Wednesday in an FA cup match his comment was ‘There was only one good team on the pitch. The trouble was for them was, they lost’

        There will be a sigh of relief when the season is over. (I wish commentators would stop being enthusiastic about Villa’s progress in the FA Cup this year, it tempts fate far too much)

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      • After five defeats in a row, when we had generally played well and been unlucky, it feels like some kind of strange justice is being served!

        Some managers are good comedians too – Tommy Docherty comes to mind as well as Ron.

        Fingers crossed for Villa this weekend 🤞

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      • We’ll need it… Away to Preston North End…and ‘The Magic of The Cup’ hanging over us.😧

        Another legendary Ron quote, when asked what his nightmare fixture would be in that year’s FA cup run was he said, in all seriousness.
        ‘Kidderminster Harriers at Villa Park’….Many the Villa fan who agreed with him

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      • It sounds just like how I felt watching the O’s on Thursday! I hope you have the same luck that we did – and a decent keeper like ours. Who knows, he may even do a Keeley and score for you 🤣

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  10. I sympathise with you Clive, you must really miss it. I like to remind myself from time to time how lucky I am being able to go and still supporting a successful club. However the last couple of years I have also been going back to watch my local team Prescot Cables and it’s good to get back to the roots. And I can move around the ground as well depending on what end we’re attacking! And the pitches are better than they used to be.

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    • I do miss it, Paul, as I do live gigs and theatre. But that’s life, I guess!

      That’s one of the beauties of lower league football, isn’t it. We used to stand behind the goal Dover were attacking and swap ends at half time. Probably not possible nowadays!

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      • It does, doesn’t it! We put incredible amounts of mileage on our cars! And plenty of hotel stays too.

        Since uni the only sports I’ve played are darts and snooker, with one game each of cricket and rugby for a works social team. They nearly killed me!

        Enjoy the rounders 😉

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      • It’s timely and expensive, too, but it’s definitely worth it. Our elder granddaughter is into fencing and is a champion swimmer working toward a swim scholarship for college. Both our grandsons play soccer and basketball; the elder boy also is a varsity track runner and all the kids did years of taikwondo. They’re busy!
        We’ve been enjoying the NY Boulders, the minor league baseball team in our region. More fun than the pros!

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      • An impressive set of talents! As long as they appreciate the support their parents give them it is definitely worthwhile.

        I know what you mean about lower level sports. I prefer watching football other than the Premier League – it somehow feels a more honest game.

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  14. This is a great, heartfelt reflection on your football journey. I love how you shared memories of your dad introducing you to sports and how your passion for football, especially Leyton Orient, grew over time. The story about Staines Town’s closure was really touching, and you captured the bittersweet nature of supporting a club so well. The tribute to Dean Cox was a nice personal touch, too, showing how much players like him mean to fans. Even though you can’t attend matches anymore, it’s clear the memories and love for the game still live on. Thanks for sharing this!

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