... and this pathetic attempt at facial topiary ...
... and it's probably farewell "proper" football for a while after two sub-zero nights and another to come - certainly not holding my breath for tomorrow (although the way it's been at work work over the last three days, it'd be half-time before I got there - at least it would give it another 45 minutes to thaw ...). 56 in 5 minutes ... .
... in the Doodson Cup tonight ... the centre-forward didn't wear glasses during the game - but he still scored four (Kevin Townson) ....think we'll leave it at that for this evening - apparently Mossley's heaviest home defeat in 101 (one hundred and one) years ... .
... a bit of rain - and the photographers are looking like ... this ...
Picture courtesy of Tim Harrison - taken today at the Stamford v Belper Town game - and I bet Tim was under cover as well !!! My stuff is drying out as we speak ... .
... second versus top today - managed to get there in time for kick-off thanks to the "I can afford a taxi thanks to Ashton United giving me a season ticket for services rendered" scam !! A fairly tight start - although the North Ferriby opener has to go down to a defensive error IMHO. After that ... it seemed that Ferriby were more up for it - my 'silly (?)' quote on the Ashton board was that "North Ferriby were 'first' to every second ball" - makes sense to me anyway ... Afraid the Ashton attack appeared far too dependent on one man (Aaron Burns) - and with Burns not getting on target there was no-one else to take up the slack - a late three-for-three substitution was I feel a touch too late to make any difference - and an 88th minute second goal for NFU put the seal on it. Some pictures from today at Ashton United 0 North Ferriby United 2
Home - nibbles - pics - Mrs Smiffy has buggered off for the weekend (gone to see Bellowhead in Derby with a few other family members) - but she's left a "list" - tomorrow I feel !!! Needs doing mind - the "carpetman" arrives on Tuesday so ... some filling some painting some varnishing some "old carpet removal" from the stairs - oh and not forgetting a wondrous Sunday tea (not decided what yet tho' !). Might go for "Match of the Day" for a change ... just started ... .
... it's been a "heavy week" - including all those silly bits of paper wot you all throw away (six lots this week - does wonders for the paper recycling business I'm sure !) - several late finishes (and that's with 0645 hrs starts as well) - yes it's truly knackering ... today I managed a 1400hrs finish - time to get home and dash up to Hurst Cross - but I can seriously see Saturday football in grave peril between now and Christmas (well the "getting there for 1500 hrs kick off anyway) - best make the most as they say ... football in a minute ... .
... from Tuesday night ... apologies for delay (all the usual reasons detailed earlier) - but here are some pictures from a "game of two halves" ... Mossley 1 Curzon Ashton 2
The DIY continues relentlessly - together with the cooking and the work (which is really ramping up for Christmas now - aargh !) .
... and then three come along at once - just had the "celebratory tea" and small boy whacks this out on the USB plugged into the downstairs stereo machine - listen to this ... it's awesome ...
It took me back to 1997 - when I first got hold of Page and Plant's "No Quarter" album (OK CD !!) - when Najma Akhtar appeared on "Battle for Evermore" - there have been many similar collaborations since then (I recall Tungg and Tinariwen what we saw a good few years ago). An we like Laura Marling anyway - saw her at Kirkwall Cathedral in Orkney when on hols a couple of years back . But get your head around this one ... this IS really really good ...
.
... there I was still fiddling about sorting out my gear - Garforth might have shocked us all by taking an early lead - but they didn't. Unfortunately I'm still fiddling about when Sam Madeley lobs the keeper for a 7th minute 1-0 lead for the home team. From then on .. it wasn't quite a procession - OK 7-0 sounds like a procession, but credit to Garforth - they gave it their best shot - but it was more a case of "damage limitation" than anything else. To be honest it could/should have been double figures - but you can't complain !!! Pics from the game at Mossley 7 Garforth Town 0 So - as mentioned before - today has been a day of painting/filling/tidying etc - we still have to live on this house so when the "Call to Stop" arrives we then have to clean up etc to make the house liveable (ha !) for another 24 hours ("wet paint warnings" everywhere !!!!). And so to tomorrow - on early starts next week (0645hrs - aargh) - fortunately today Mrs Smiffy is in charge of tea - a touch celebratory in fact as small boy has got a job - starting tomorrow (yes we have bubbly as well) !! Me .. knackered before the bloody week starts ... but looking forward to Tuesday when Mossley finally get their local derby game against Curzon Ashton in - it's been postponed several times so far (should have been August Bank Holiday Monday for Frith's sake !!!) - but I'm afraid it wins over Stalybridge Celtic v Harrogate Town on the same night.
Just hope I can get away with Ashton United v Ilkeston FC on Wednesday night as well (would be nice to see if any of my Ilson chums turn up on a dirty Wednesday night !) - might well involve serious "painting working" on Monday and a lot of promises for later in the week - we'll see ...)
... and can I just say !WELL DONE HYDE FC"on their cracking 3-1 win away at second placed Newport County ??? Yes I can ... .
... as you've probably noticed over the last few weeks ... it's all getting a bit "irregular" on here - days missed out - and games missed out as well. I can only say "sorry". What bits I've squeezed on have involved football - where I can do - and various "bits and bobs" about redecorating/renovations around "Chez Smiffy" - so when every day becomes "Work - Tea - DIY/Decorate - sleep" ... there's not been that much time to sort out "STS". With the house a bombsite - yes we are talking "serious renovation" - I'm afraid the blog is having to take second place.
Witness last week - missed the only available game because of "pressure" - am I allowed ??? Reckon I am - as the header for this blog says ..."there's more to life than football" - it's hard but I have to cope with that !!! Well - yesterday I made a game ... but there was much more before - as in a particularly "heavy Saturday" at work (Christmas is definitely coming - already !). Got home - said "Hi !" to missus, got changed, buggered off out to football. Then it was home after game - get changed - head off down to Manchester (Royal Exchange) to meet friends and to see a Tennessee Williams thing ("Orpheus Descending") which was confusing to say the least. Last train home arriving at 2225hrs - relax a while ... and then I'm up till 0245hrs sorting out pics from the game - before getting up at 0800hrs this morning to crack on with more painting - believe me this ain't no "little jobbie" - we are talking "Big City" - as regards painting/filling/caulking/wiring - I finally got my "Non League Paper" at about 1630hrs this afternoon (Mrs Smiffy in bath - I sneak out for paper, fags and a couple of beers - I've deserved that as much as the missus has deserved her soak !!). So - I finally get a chance to update .. here it is ... I'll stop this now and start another for yesterday's game. .
... trains back to "normal" - hurrah !!! ... RM profits up from £12m to £144m ... job safe for a while ??? Belper Town 9 (nine) Romulus 0 ... and 9 is how many players Romulus ended up with apparently ... .
.... so ... waiting for the 0846 train to Greenfield - 10 minutes late ... it then took 45 (forty five) minutes to get to Greenfield (normal journey time 5 minutes) - apparently due to "signalling problems" (wonder if it's connected with the brand new signalling installed at the end of October ??). ... and then it started to rain - and after three and a lot hours walking in it, my hands just "stopped working" - took me nearly 10 minutes to write out a P739 (a "Sorry You Were Out" card - or us posties say "You ordered the bloody thing -why not make some provision to receive it ??" card - tee hee !!). We got there in the end but somewhat slower than usual ... ... and then it off to Tesco to buy tea, into the "Railway" for a pint (and a warm !) and then over the road to the railway station for the 5 minute journey home ... the 1551hrs train was in fact a Rail Replacement Bus that turned up at about 1625hrs (by now ... cold again !!) - and took slightly longer than 5 minutes to get back to Mossley. No staff available at Greenfield (they all finish at 1420) - National Rail Enquiries were as much use as a chocolate teapot ("There will be a train at 1851hrs" - really useful ...) - all in all a pretty shambolic day. The daftest thing was ... all the express trains were running through - but no "stoppers" ... crazy crazy crazy. By now I'd lost all interest in life etc. - so I cooked the tea, knocked the football on the head (Curzon Ashton have beaten Ossett Albion 3-2 by the way) ... and pulled out a pot of paint (matt white to be exact). No other football this midweek either which is a right bugger. Let's see if Network Rail/Northern Rail can sort out this nonsense before 0846 tomorrow - by the way Saddleworth, there's four D2Ds (you probably know them as "junk mail/leaflets") this week - so lay off the bloomin' parcels !!! .
Early result from Friday night ... Chef's Knife 1 Shutter Finger 0 !!!
It was 3rd vs 5th at Hurst Cross - and I was still queuing to get in when Chorley opened the scoring in the first minute - there were a few Chorley "whingers" in the queue in front of me wobbling on about the delay in getting in (yes you Madam in the red coat !!!). Well looking at the latest non-league attendance table (which is very interesting reading for the stattos out there) might give a clue. Chorley are 40th with an average of 627 - Ashton are 160th with an average of 216 - bumped up by their healthy attendance against FCUM the other week - hence the need (not !) for more than one turnstile. The other tip of course - when going to a ground where the Social Club is OUTSIDE the ground (Ashton) as opposed to INSIDE the ground (Chorley), it is probably advisable to leave said Club before 1458hrs !!! Anyway back to the game - Ashton recovered, regrouped and got a fine equaliser when leading scorer Aaron Burns nodded the ball past the despairing clutches of Jack Cudworth. However, Chorley went back in front from the penalty spot to make it 1-2 at half-time. Two in two minutes around the one hour mark (Chris Lynch and a Burns penalty) saw the home team edge in front and from then on it was pretty much end-to-end stuff which could have gone either way - there were a few nervy home fans in my vicinity !! However Ashton held on - and late on could have got a couple more but for the heroics of Chorley 'keeper Cudworth (certainly their MOM for me !). All in all - a cracking game of football between two good sides (despite the apparent pessimissm on the Chorley message board !) and a fine advert for the Evo Premier.
I'd had a "slight accident" on Friday evening when tidying up the kitchen when I managed to slice open my "shutter finger" - eldest lad said, "Which knife ?" - I said "Chef's Knife" - he said "Oh the one I sharpened up earlier this week !!" Nice clean cut - but painful and a bit stiff by Saturday afternoon (just getting the excuses in early !) Anyway - pics from the game at Ashton United 3 Chorley 2 Good to see young Reco at half-time - apologies for missing you after the game (I was offered a lift home and you just can't turn them down - cheers Dave !!). A couple of "wind-down lemonade shandies" later before home and collapsing in front of the box for some well-earned 'R and R' after what's been a bloomin' hectic week. Woke up at late o'clock to sort out photos before finding bedroom for even more kip. Made a start this morning by getting a load of washing on and removing old light fitting (after turning power off first of course !!) - bang this one here - and then it's a case of "get moving" in the front room with new ceiling rose and decorators' caulk. Already been out for the "Non League Paper" to check stuff - both Stalybridge and Droylsden bowed out of the FA Trophy yesterday (again the knives are out for Celtic Manager Jim Harvey) - Hyde let a 2-0 lead slip at Ebbsfleet to lose 3-2 - Curzon lost 2-1 at Clitheroe ...but Mossley march on at the top of the Evo 1 North after a fine 2-1 at in-form Ramsbottom United - (interesting to read the report of this game in the NLP - 'twas written by my old mate Tony Cunningham who was on the Mossley board back in the 1980's but is now involved at Rammy - nearer home for him - and if he gets to read this "Hi Tony !! Best wishes to yourself and young (well not so young now !!) Phil !". Other thoughts - what to have for tea (Mrs Smiffy away this weekend) ?? ...
It's been "one of those weeks" ... early starts (0600hrs get up) - and from Wednesday onwards the mail and packets have 'gone viral' - it seems that Christmas has certainly started early in the Saddleworth area. It's been home late (with overtime booked as done !) cook tea and then fall asleep - hence the lack of anything on here. Factor into all this that we're still living in a bit of a "bombsite" and are desperately trying to get the house sorted in between work etc - it's just been crazy !!! Last night I just couldn't be bothered cooking either, so I cheated and bought a "Tesco Curry Takeaway" option after work, slammed it in t'oven, ate it and then we sat down and started on the "Bourne Trilogy" on DVD (got the three for £7 a few weeks ago - Morrisons !). Naturally fell asleep about halfway through before waking up and "rewinding" to the last thing I could remember and then carrying on !! Another early start today - another heavy day as well (it's just not the norm for a Saturday)- finished late - so late I ended up having to take a taxi up to Hurst Cross for the Ashton United v Chorley game - argument being that, with Ashton having kindly given me a season ticket for "services rendered" (i.e. team and pen pic portraits), I could use my 'admission fee' to cover the taxi fare (and I was still a couple of quid up on the deal !!!). Looking forward to a full day off tomorrow - which includes sorting out one new light fitting (including wiring - don't tell NICEIC) and some filling/caulking - and if time permits some more painting - at least all the plastering is now complete - thanks to Bryn (if anyone needs a plasterer in the Tameside area - I can supply details - he's done a damn fine job - and very reasonable too).
... and I'll sort out some pics from Ashton United v Chorley as well ... .
... got home from work (0630 start) cold and wet - have dried stuff off (including me) - have cooked tea for the masses (including me) and have done some wood-cutting (as part of "repair the bombsite house") ... ... and it's nearly eight o'clock ... Notice no 'immediate' mention of the £14 admission - but it does need including here in the interests of balance - train/bus to Hyde plus admission plus the "odd shandy" - getting home at silly o'clock with a 0530hrs get-up in the morning ... sorry chaps just can't do it tonight - but no doubt Paul will be doing the biz vis-a-vis pictures (check out his site). Afraid I'm reduced to TV footy this midweek ... so it goes
UPDATE at 2300 hrs-ish ... that's a cracking win against Grimsby i.e. a top 4 team - now only three points away from the "Droylsden Premier Disaster" - and if you look back through this blog, I'm sure I DID say that Hyde would do much much better - well done Tigers tonight !!
And all I managed was to see was a referee that was "Clattenburg Quality" - a "not offside" and a ridiculous "non penalty" at the very very end - coward ... .
... you may have guessed !!! 'Twas a week's holiday with Monday and Tuesday spent doing stuff around the bombsite that is our house (you want plaster dust ?? We've got loads !!). Painting, putting up picture rail for starters - quick "sneak out" on Tuesday night for the Stalybridge game - up till daft o'clock sorting pics for the Boston United peeps - finished them off Wednesday morning - and then it was down to Stafford to see my Mum and Dad (first time for yonks !). Pub lunch, long natter and then off to Ashbourne for the evening (found a nice Italian - pubs not up to much unfortunately !), staying over in order to get a good early start on Thursday - an 11 mile walk up the Manifold Valley and back down Dovedale (pics to follow). Off to Belper on Thursday afternoon/evening - where we remained until Sunday lunchtime. Shopping, wandering, eating out, a few odd jobs around the Mother-in-Laws abode was the order of the day(s). Saturday was Mrs Smiffy's birthday - so off I went to Belper Town to watch their reserves play Long Eaton Reserves (the Belper first team were playing Northwich Victoria - who play their home games ... at Stafford Rangers !!!). A game of two halves - Belper 2-0 up and cruising at half-time, before it went horribly wrong. Pictures available at Belper Town Reserves 2 Long Eaton United Reserves 4
A Birthday meal out in Belper (another Italian !!) before flaking out in front of the telly. A bit more fiddling about this morning before heading back up the A6 to here ... an hour's tidying (cleaning up plaster dust etc etc - "plasterman" was here doing more on Saturday) another "birthday tea" on the menu tonight (cooked by large boy) ... so I'd better sign off for now - more later (hopefully) before we get back into "work mode" - an early kick-off tomorrow morning (0645 hrs) - let's hope that they've finished the railway stuff and that the first train runs ... .
Rainworth MWFC 1-2 Stapleford Town
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