Football

 My love for football began when I was quite young. 

It was just before the 1966 World Cup, when I was taken to Plainmoor, home of Torquay United, to watch what was known as a ‘testimonial match’ for an ex player, Terry Adlington…and I rather enjoyed this match. My dad was a great Arsenal supporter; his father had taken him to London to watch Arsenal many a time and so I guess that when my dad knew that Arsenal was the team coming to play against Torquay, he jumped at the chance to go along. And he took me.

I’m sure that this means nothing to most readers but here are the teams:

And thus began my love for football as well as my love for Torquay United, known as ‘The Gulls’.

However, fast forward many years…and only very recently, it was announced that my chosen club is in financial trouble. And so it’s a case of watching and waiting to see if a buyer comes forward. Otherwise…it’s curtains! Nooooo! 😫

This would be a great shame as just look at where my club ‘hangs out’…!

Isn’t this a superb setting? Now you know why Torquay United has the nickname, ‘ The Gulls’. The gulls are ever present over the ground and always ready to pick up scraps left over from the supporters’ half time sustenance!

Luckily, although I didn’t marry a Torquay fan, I did marry an Arsenal fan and so that went down well with my dad, who was often known to write to the Arsenal manager, giving him ‘advice’!

My dad was a qualified F.A coach and so knew a bit about the game. Well, quite a lot actually. But hilariously, after one such letter was posted ( it was in 1971) to Highbury, (the home of Arsenal), my dad actually received a reply from the then manager, Bertie Mee! It said:

‘Thank you for your letter and advice….but

having just won the First Division AND the F.A. Cup….’

Well, we all rolled about the floor in stitches! He couldn’t have chosen a worse year to write to the very successful manager. Season 1970-1971 was one of  Arsenal’s famous ‘ Double’ years. 

My dad certainly had his moments. 

( Mind you, so do I!)

One of my moments was two or three weeks after the start of this season, when I joined a league within the ‘ Premier League Fantasy Football’

As I said, I joined late and so ever since I have always lagged behind as it’s almost impossible to catch up. There are six of us in the league and I’m always at the bottom…but I’m having such fun! 

A couple of weeks ago, I was the highest scorer and hit lucky with my chosen team! My best score to date!

I have to say that much of this is luck but many people study the stats too. I didn’t realise what a huge part stats played until I got involved with this.

This is just a snippet of my ‘football life’, part of my life and in spite of all the highs and lows, I still enjoy 

‘The beautiful game’.