another account of last night...

....but from a Stevenage supporter, and therefore not all that interesting, although more entertaining than most.

"Last night I trotted along to the Lamex Stadium with our Rector, Jim, and his son, to see Stevenage FC?s first home friendly as a League Two side. The opposition was provided by Norwich City, Jim?s team. The sainted Bob Sage, local actor, was the man with the microphone and the pitch looked exceptional (again). Stevenage had already beaten Yeovil Town ?behind closed doors? (probably the best place for them) and Histon away, and had struggled away to Chelmsford City but secured a 1-1 draw. The opening XI looked quite similar to that which had ended last season, give or take, and some of the new signings, such as John ?my name is almost Mourinho? Mousinho, snapped up from Wycombe Wanderers, weren?t even seen jogging along the touchline in ?Blue Square Premier? training tops (waste not, want not).

The ball zipped around pleasantly from the feet of both teams with the better first half chances falling to the away side, mine host at ?The Crooked Billet? leaping around like a hyperactive orange as his reflexes were tested by the Norwich forwards, including Simeon Jackson, who received a token boo from me as an immediate ex-employee of the Damned Gillingham. He was replaced after 45 minutes, so the Sage one said, by Grant Holt, but as Holt is a white man and the new forward was black, there was a clue that flawed information was being disseminated. Charlie Griffin, last seen by most supporters being carted off from the Wembley pitch to hospital following a Barrovian assault, received a special cheer, and when he was chopped down early in the second half the referee awarded a penalty and I was poised to write ?Mother Julian, Horatio Nelson, the Singing Postman, Delia, your boys took a hell of a beating?. Not so. Scott Laird?s penalty was well saved by Ruddy to preserve the home team?s duck.

Stevenage ?threw on? Bas Savage, a trialist who was last employed by Half Football Team Half Biscuit and is apparently famed for his moonwalk goal celebration. He did not have the opportunity to demonstrate this last night, but he was a continuing irritant to the Canaries, who at one point made ten simultaneous changes. Somehow it remained 0-0 despite a couple of instances of the ball ricocheting off heads and out when it might equally have pinged into the goal."

Posted By: Tricky Hawes, Jul 21, 13:13:09