Oranges Don’t Get The Blues

Tollington Park 0 v 3 Blackhorse Rd

Saturday 20 October 2007

The Oranges were in party mood. Why, I hear you ask! Because there were eleven to start? Or even a twelfth by half time? Maybe these hearty facts added to the merriment, but first and foremost there was a birthday to celebrate, a top-flight footballing career spanning more years than the Oranges’ right winger has been alive. Make no mistake about it: all the party ingredients: balloons, birthday card, bananas-a-plenty, even a flock-of-geese-low-fly-by. Would there be anything to dampen our high spirits? Well, believe me, they tried:

1. Percy?

Yes, someone by the name of Percy (I jest not) had a go, kicking the white shirts and red roses into world cup also-ran territory (even if the green and golds never once looked like scoring a try, well, they didn’t did they, and people are still happy even now to call them world champs!)? Nope, after crushing the Aussies, and wiping the floor with the French, that did not get us down.

2. 0-3?

Three goals conceded, without reply, still unable to add to the other three we have bagged from that golden age (how we all remember it well!) of the first few games. OK, we’re averaging only half a goal a game, but even that sore statistic did not get us down.

3. Blue?

All kitted up and ready to go in trademark Dutch orange, we are unexpectedly called upon to change all over again, into blue. Grace in action! Not a murmur! Clearly, even this could not get us down.

4. Black?

What was it about the man in obstinate black? If I begin to sound like a peeved Steve The Whinger Bruce being interviewed by Garth Crooks after yet another Blues defeat, then please step in and stop me right now. Was it the 39 minutes he played in the first half? [Actually, thanks ref, the game on the adjacent pitch proved to be far more interesting, and we had several minutes at “half time” to watch it, as Pembroke upset the form book, coming out as 1-0 winners over Camberwell. Pembroke in three weeks’ time! Hmm] Or was it the 39 reasons he gave for not changing his kit from black to any of the other colours in the rainbow that were offered to him at "half time"? You have to take your hat off - he stood his ground, more concerned about “the letter he had indoors from the FA” than adopting the common sense approach on the pitch (but it did make us wonder, do not Blackhorse have this problem every week?). Or was it the no-more-than 39 steps he took in the second half as he rooted himself to the half way line (“yes, I can see everything from here”). No, even this did not get us down.

Yes, we were very much in party mood as we squared up to NELECL high fliers, Blackhorse Road – aka Nish's Boys. TPFC’s first home game! What did this mean? Fortress Wanstead? Overwhelming home support? Away support stuck in a corner terrace open to the elements (“you must have come in a taxi” and all that)? Rousing club song over the tannoy? Nope! You make sure the manager gets on the early train, bagsy a pitch, hang the nets, say the pre match prayer and pay the referee.

So what about the game? Debutant Jon at right back, worked hard against a tricky left winger. One of the few who fully understands the deep complexities and intricacies of the favoured TP oft heard tactic “AWAY!” as he headed, tackled and got stuck in, including a brilliant clear over the bar from less than one quarter of one yard out (thanks Jon, saved my blushes, Ed). The game was very even for the first 20mins as we defended well, and had the solid Steve plucking the ball out of the air on a number of occasions. But we were 1-0 down at half time from a super strike from the edge of the area, one of their players having drifted into an unmarked position on the edge of the box and bent a sweet oh so sweet shot that we all watched in silent awe. Like Jonny W dropping a goal in slow-mo. How each one of us wished we had that sort of skill and could do that for the Oranges! But out of dreamland and back to Wanstead, the harsh reality of Ian & Nick holding one of their 15 second inquests as only Nick and Ian can do.

We eventually went down 3-0. A creditable scoreline given Blackhorse’s league position. It was good to meet with Nish for the first time, a truly gracious person, and magnanimous in victory!

So nothing could get us down? Well, there was just one thing. Was that really our manager’s age? 39, although oft mentioned, has nothing to do with it, by the way. There was, and there continues to be, much soul searching: how much longer can he go on?

Man of the match: Nathanael. Tireless running.

Team: Steve Speroni, Ben Cordle, Jon, Ian Howard, John Helm (c), Eddie Campbell (Samuel Balogun (60)), Nick Speroni, Nathanael Field, Dwayne Mitchell, David Hambridge, Calvin Lindsay.

Attendance: Sonia, Keziah, Natalie, Arty, Jon’s wife and babe (there were strains of “you must have come in a pram” (or was that "travel system") from the away fans.