Dean Cruddace

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Ground: the company of Wolves

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Malcolm Dawson writes……the last time I went to Wolves, if I remember rightly, Stephen Elliot equalised with about 10 minutes to go and it was the last time I was seriously worried for my personal safety at a football match.

I had arranged to go with a female friend of mine who had been born in the Black Country and claimed to be a Wolves fan, even though she was more into rugby and mixing with the hooray Henry types that sport attracted in rural Leicestershire. I should have known things were going to turn out awry, when I arrived to pick her up at mid-day to find a note (or by then it might have been a text) saying she had nipped out to the shops. The shops being Tesco and her weekly big shop, which of course all had to be unpacked first, then she insisted on a cup of coffee and a sandwich, all the time my fidgity unease becoming a virtual panic. Eventually we set off at around two but by the time we got near the ground, the designated away parking had all gone and I ended up having to leave the car some way away, near the centre of town. We made it just in time for kick off. Wolves led for most of the game then with minutes to go we scored.

As I left the ground in my red and white shirt I was spat at and called a Geordie b*****d! Of course the stock reply is “call me a b*****d but don’t call me a Geordie!” but it was then a more amenable home supporter advised me to remove my Sunderland top before venturing into the underpass that led to the car park. That was the last time I accompanied that particular lady to a game.

Now, in the latest part of his series in which he recalls his own first encounters with the grounds SAFC visit this season, Pete Sixsmith  remembers Molineux from a year when The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde, The Mighty Quinn and Cinderella Rockerfeller were all topping the charts and the nation held its collective breath to see if Congratulations would see Cliff come back to the UK with the Eurovision trophy …

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Sixer’s Bristol City Soapbox: another pointless exercise at the Stadium of Light

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Malcolm Dawson writes………..I am not one of the multitude calling for Simon Grayson’s head for the simple reason that at the end of last season I decided that I would not renew my season card and would not return to the Stadium of Light until I felt the club was able to offer me something in return for what was (up until May) my loyalty.

There is only so far blind faith can take you and my eyes are open. So I’m not calling for Grayson’s head purely because I haven’t been able to judge personally how inept he really is. For that I’ll rely on Pete Sixsmith‘s first hand verdict, first in his report from yet another frustrating afternoon spent in Sunderland and then later in the flesh when I see him at the U23 game. You see I haven’t given up entirely …

Bristol City H

Every team, bar one that I have seen at the Stadium of Light this season has had a number of common characteristics, the common one being that they are well organised with their players appearing to know what their roles are within the team structure.

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Sixer’s Hull City Soapbox: Simon Grayson’s big band still not hitting all the right notes

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Malcolm Dawson writes……while I was watching Pete Sixsmith‘s home town club of Shildon progress to the next round of the FA Cup, thanks to a softish penalty which the goalkeeper saved, only to watch helplessly as the rebound was headed straight back into the net, the man himself was at the KCOM stadium where a promising first half performance was negated for the second time in five days by a player who used to turn out in the red and white stripes. As ever, Peter’s account of his day goes beyond the match itself. Did he enjoy his day in the City of Culture? Read on to find out.

HULL CITY (away)

This weekend was a difficult one for managers in the Football League as three of them lost their jobs on Saturday evening. Good ‘ol ‘Arry went at Birmingham City, Chesterfield parted company with Gary Caldwell and Michael Brown picked up his P45 at Port Vale. And if you listened to some of the people I shared a coach with back from Hull, Simon Grayson should be joining them within the week.

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The First Time Ever I Saw Your Ground: Hull City

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Malcolm Dawson writes……..here in the latest instalment of his series in which, prior to an away game, he recalls the first visit he made to the home(s) of our upcoming opponents, strong Pete Sixsmith looks back on previous outings to the UK City of Culture that is Kingston upon Hull.

TFTEISYG HULL CITY.

One of the big disappointments of Hull City’s first promotion to the Premier League was that they were no longer the answer to the question “Which is the biggest city in England never to have had a team in the top division?” although they are the answer to the question “Which is the only club in the 92 where you cannot colour in any of the letters!?”

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