November
Newsfile

Newsfile Archive

It was only City's second defeat of the campaign and we are still in contention at the top. Q.P.R extend their lead at the top of the table and they remain the only unbeaten team.

City lined up

Kendall, G.Jones, Giles, Anthony, Hughes, Parkins, Heal, Fish, Collins,
Low, Jeanne. Subs:Thompson, G.Evans, Brazier, K.Evans, McCulloch.

Match report
Colours: Yellow shirts with blue flashes, horrible white collar that was
half round neck and then transformed into a v-neck that frankly left no-one
satisfied, blue shorts with yellow side panels, plain yellow socks.

Floodlights: In corners,  on. Scoreboard: off.

Ref: shiny bald on top, bushy on sides, possibly a tribute to Professor
Heinz Wolf.

Weather: Sunny, in my eyes a bit but alright.

Bovril: Nice, hot, made from cows

QPR fans: 150 approx, bit dysfunctional, all washed-up Stan Bowles
impersonators, a Harry Hill lookalike, pasty-faced men with carrier bags
killing time in that dead hour before Countdown , and a Brentford FC scout.

City fans: a magnificent 7 - one on her birthday, one on his wedding
anniversary (no, really), one coming for just 15 minutes on his BBC lunch
break (part time supporter), one deliberately turning up late for his Post
Office shift so that's why you're getting no cards, one at a "Union Meeting"
, one who is just plain nuts, and Meirion, who looked very warm indeed.

The reserves, away at QPR. Three pounds in, padded seats, beers if you
wanted 'em,  and hardly a  shot on target. Marvellous. It really was
everything you've ever dreamt of, and much, much less. There we were, the
seven City fans, basking in the afternoon sunshine of the main stand  at
Loftus Road, guilty, excited, illicit, avoiding eye contact, wondering where
our lives had lurched off the rails and taken us into this gloriously
furtive, sordid netherworld. A finer band of misfits than us it would be
hard to find, a moving testament to the lure of the greatest reserve team in
football the world has ever seen. Never again, mind.

With City kicking towards the away end, the game opened quietly, with the
early City stand-out being keeper Lee Kendall who got told off for swearing
by some Tory busy-body 200 yards away in the stand. Thing is, it's football,
not crown green bloody bowls, but without a crowd, shouting "f*cking hell"
at the top of your voice really does carry. Brought a little lump to my
throat it did. We make kids cry.

City promised early on (before delivering so little), with a Collins
free-kick 25 yards out on 7 mins cannoning off the wall and breaking to Low
6 yards out, who then contrived to yank it almost into the school behind the
stand when it would have been easier to score. Ominous. Leon Jeanne was
playing the free role behind the front two, looking a bit off the pace, but
dangerous enough. He and Low were not scared to run at the defence but there
was liitle good delivery, and ultimately very few chances on goal.

Nicky Fish looked good in centre midfield in the first half, comfortable on
the ball, looking up and playing people in. Bit small, but so was I when I
was that age, and now I'm really big. Parkin similarly impressed in the
second half, comfortable and got stuck in well. Gethin Jones had an
excellent game too dealing with QPR's tricky left back Ben Walshe.

The first half hour was even, but then QPR's greater experience started to
show, with regular first-teamer Richard Langley making dangerous runs from
midfield and young Irish striker Brian Fitzgerald looking excellent, holding
the ball up well to bring team mates into the game. Half-time was welcome
relief for the team as well as for us. Pukka Pies, Bovril and talking about
the Leeds game, tidy.

The 2nd half saw fewer City forays into the QPR half and it was no surprise
when QPR took the lead on 52 mins, an innocous ball out of defence finding
the City back line a bit flat as QPR striker Dennis Oli run onto the ball
and slot it past Kendall as he came out to narrow the angle. Cue polite
applause from them and silence from us.

The rest of the game set me thinking of the Christmas shopping I could have
been doing, and they could have done us by more to be fair, notably when one
of their strikers was through with just Kendall to beat but decided to do
trick shots, with his back to the keeper doing an elaborate back heel just
for fun. It had us and most of the players in fits of laughter. Leon had
chances, Josh made runs, Collins drifted out of it, we lost, and we went
home, sleazy glamour oozing out of every pore. Loved it.

The Boy With The Thorne In His Side