Today, Grimsby Town play at Burton Albion in what could be our last ever game in the Football League. I thought I was past feeling melancholy about this a few weeks back, when it looks we were dead and buried. But, somewhow, Town being stubborn Town, we managed to cling on like a flabby, incompetent limpet, until the last game of the season. We need to win, Barnet need to lose or draw. Imagine having to rely on bloody Barnet.So this morning I've woken up with a weird combination of senses: half excitement, half dread that come ten to five this afternoon, we'll have slipped out of the Football League, maybe never to return.
So many memories of going to Town matches are running through my head today. Watching the first great Town side under George Kerr finish in the top half of the old Second Divsion year after year (and come with a whisker of being promoted to the top division in 1983-84); seeing Alan Buckley's first season start awfully only to change a few months later into a time when you just knew something great was on the horizon; the back-to-back promotions that followed when Town, spurred on by that midfield of Gilbert, Cunnington, Cockerill and Childs, played the finest football most supporters had seen at Blundell Park; the amazing rush of Wayne Burnett's golden goal in the Auto Windscreen's Final in 1998 (a moment that threw me and my mates about a million feet in the air, and then brought us all immediately to tears). All of these things - and loads, loads more - make today so vital yet so sad.
I can't get a ticket for the Burton game, and nor can I really afford to go (one way or another I'd end up spending a fortune on booze in a town where the football team's nickname is 'The Brewers'.) So I think I'll just ignore the match until ten to five, then scan the results on telly, in that sort of Russian roulette way when you're eyes fall on all the others scores but the one you're looking for.
To celebrate/mourn today's result, here's my favourite ever song about Lincolnshire (heck, it's one of my favourite songs ever). It's 'Lincolnshire Skies' by The Regulars.
I can't get a ticket for the Burton game, and nor can I really afford to go (one way or another I'd end up spending a fortune on booze in a town where the football team's nickname is 'The Brewers'.) So I think I'll just ignore the match until ten to five, then scan the results on telly, in that sort of Russian roulette way when you're eyes fall on all the others scores but the one you're looking for.
To celebrate/mourn today's result, here's my favourite ever song about Lincolnshire (heck, it's one of my favourite songs ever). It's 'Lincolnshire Skies' by The Regulars.
4 comments:
Even us Hull City fans want you to stay up - good luck!
Cheers, David. This is horrible!
Good luck for next season. Hope you can keep the club out of administration.
The thing is it's not the end of the world like it was. Plenty of teams have gone down to the conference and returned - or even further like Aldershot. So like us if you do go down you might have a promotion season to look forward to next year - actually more like another relegation fight for us. The price of this Hull City love is that you book The Candy Twins for your Nottingham indiepop all-dayer so we can play our Billy Whitehurst tribute to you, and tunes from our new album on indie-mp3 records.
I'm dead touched to see my song here. Lovely post, Sam. Shame you didn't make it along. I know there's all that stuff about we were relegated amid scenes of national shame, but we did find the best pub in the world. Have to go back sometimes just for the pubs, I reckon. It's dead cheap on a Derbyshire Wayfarer!
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