Niels Blog - A view from the back of the stand.
Notes From The Back Of The Stand (V)
Category: Niels Blog Written by Niels Eriksson Hits: 876
Monday 20 August
Worcester City v Bishop’s Stortford
City’s first home game of the season comes at last. I’m running on adrenalin, having spent the previous 4 days wading through the Welsh mud of the Green Man Festival. Set everything up and head for the Legends Bar to check the sound level in there. Only two speakers out of the four are working, the two in the skittle bit being the problem. I fiddle with the amp a fair bit, scratch my head quite a lot but never figure out what the problem is. Can’t check the wires, as the club is filling up and that would mean taking ceiling tiles off and creating a bit of a mess, so will check them another day. Some days later a thought occurs to me, during a discussion with the chaps who built the PA box, and ran the show for many years, they told me that the wires to the speakers in the bar had been cut on occasions. That will be my first check next Saturday.
Upstairs I get the lowdown on the opening day 2-2 draw at Bradford PA from Jane and a tired Nic (who had been up until 4am battling with the club website, which has crashed big time). Jane does her notes and writes a short line about two staunch City supporters, Dave Bayliss and Sarah Bushell, who have passed away recently, and who will be remembered with a minute’s silence before the match.
It’s getting pretty late when I go for my ground speaker check. As I approach the Canal end goal I see club directors Colin Layland and Mike Davis,with a couple of stewards, trying to put up a 3 part advertising board for MEP Nikki Sinclaire. The stantion that holds the goal net out is in the way and has to be unscrewed to get the board in. Colin is directing and Mike is struggling to get the screws out as they are just a bit to high for him. So I apply some pressure to the electric drill/driver from above and the screws come out. I end up putting in the top screws while the stewards and Mike hold the boards straight. Colin directs.
Back in the PA box I tell Jane and Nic what I have been doing “I have just had to screw that Nikki Sinclaire ....”,
but before I can finish my sentence they burst out laughing calling me a quick worker.
The time approaches kick-off and Jane’s husband Norman is neglecting his duties. Norman has one job to do, and that is to let us know when the players are coming down the tunnel (by raising his arm and then dropping it) as it’s hard to see from the PA box. However he has his back turned and is in deep conversation with Colin Layland. As the players come out and I flick Time Is Tight on he spins around looking mighty embarrassed. One job, ONE job, and you failed, Jane tells him later in the bar.
The minute’s silence is impeccably observed and I leave Jane and Nic to it, and go and stand behind the goal with my 25 year old daughter, and her boyfriend, who have come down from Nottingham. Amelia has been coming down the Lane for nearly all her life. As a one year old she used to play on the grass that used to be under the floodlight at the Canal End. Nowadays she manages one or two home games a season and whatever away games are near her home. She is rewarded with Mike Symons stunning opener for City.
I return to the PA box for half-time and find BBC H&W reporter Dan Johnson waving at me through the window. The press box is in darkness, with their light bulb having blown. I go in search of a new one but fail to find anyone who knows the whereabouts of any replacements, so I steal one out of the Club shop kitchen and give the press some light. On my way back I bump into Colin and find out the shocking truth, the club has no spare light-bulbs.
There’s currently a debate going on on the message board discussing whether the board should ban Dave Boddy from the ground, for selling the club down the river during his time as chairman. Even though I am not comfortable with him using his Conference connections to get in free and lord it in the directors box, I have the opinion that I does him good to see how the current directors are running the club properly, and within budget, something he never managed, to my knowledge. However after the light-bulb fiasco I might have to change my mind.
A good game of football comes to an end with Symo wrapping it up by rifling in his second, and Worcester City FC sit proudly at the top of the Conference North table, if only for a day.
Playlist:
Before
Read All About It Professor Green (feat. Emeli Sande)
Don't Wanna Go Home Jason Derulo
Airplanes B.o.B. Feat. Hayley Williams
Get Ready The Temptations
Video Games Lana Del Rey
Lost In Your Love Redlight
The Hounds Of Love The Futureheads
Cars Gary Numan
We'll Be Coming Back feat. Example Calvin Harris
L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. Noah And The Whale
Keep It Simple The Slackers
Whistle Flo Rida
I Want You Bob Dylan
Watercolour Pendulum
Trouble Pink
This Is Love (feat. Eva Simons) Will.i.am
Starships Nicki Minaj
Waterloo Sunset The Kinks
All My Life Foo Fighters
Bonkers Dizzee Rascal & Armand Van Helden
I Gotta Feeling Black Eyed Peas
HT
Heatwave (feat Rymez & Ms D) Wiley
Wonderwall Oasis
Leaning On A Lampost George Formby
Parklife Blur
After
Beautiful Day U2
Perfect Day Lou Reed