Saturday morning/afternoon work was a bit of a joke - I'd been working in Ashton on Thursday - then had a call on Thursday afternoon saying "Come in - to Oldham - early on Saturday and prep a walk". At about 0610 hrs on Saturday had a txt saying "Come in even earlier - and prep TWO walks". Went to Ashton first to drop off "stuff" from Thursday, thence to Oldham, prepped accordingly and was then told "Can you go to Ashton and do a walk there". Hmmm ... Did same - finished about 1430, straight home - bags already packed - and then off up the M60/M6 towards the Lakes. Stopped off just outside Lancaster (Lune Estuary) for late lunch/early tea picnic before reaching Ambleside. Dropped off stuff at B&B and then hit the pubs ! Sampled some Coniston "Bluebird Bitter", Cumbrian "Loweswater Gold" and some Hartleys "Cumbria Way" before collapsing in a heap - it had been a long Saturday !
Up for (Full English) brekkie at 0830 before walking straight out of the B&B on an 8 miler around Scandale reaching heights of 2,500 feet (Dove Crag). Blazing hot day as well with all the climbing done in the first half before a gentle descent through the dale. Excellent walk with excellent views. Dropped into the Co-op on return (forgot shaver !) and also grabbed a "Non League Paper" to check out Saturday's stuff - good to see Mossley beating high-flying AFC Fylde - even better to see Stafford Rangers keeping themselves in with a chance of avoiding relegation by winning at Corby. Back for shower and change before heading out for ... food ! An excellent nosh was had at Tarantella - I went for the ham, chicken and leek terrine for starters with the local lamb and veg in a red wine jus for main (must learn how to do a jus !), while Mrs Smiffy had stuffed (big) sardines and then the wild mushroom risotto - top food, nice relaxed restaurant - recommended ... then found another (Robbies) pub and continued the assault on "Cumbria Way" !!
Monday saw another full English before packing up the car and heading for Stickle Ghyll in the Langdales for a 6 miler around Pike o'Stickle. Incidentally on both days we bought our lunch - huge butties from Nick's Kitchen - surely the best buttie shop in Ambleside ! A little cooler - and a bit windier - but another stonking walk nevertheless ... piccies from both days at Ambleside Weekend - 23-25Apr11
Finished around 1600 hrs and then it was back to Mossley for homemade spag bol and a bit of "R & R" - and a play with "PhotoMerge" (!!). Found out that Droylsden had NOT done Stafford a great favour by only drawing with (rather than thrashing !!) Hyde FC. However it leaves the Blue Square North relegation fight on until the last day of the season. Hyde go to Corby with a one point advantage over Stafford (and an 8 goal superior goal difference - eek !), while Stafford visit ... Stalybridge Celtic ! You can guess where I will be on Saturday afternoon - hope to God I finish work early enough ...
Back to work for me today - got a txt at about 0545 hrs (WTF !!) asking for me to come in early and prepare a walk - did so (via Ashton again to drop off the Saturday "stuff") before I went off to the wilds of Royton (wish I hadn't worn my shorts - 'twas a bit breezy !!) - I believe I'm on the same walk for the next couple of days as well - but you never know (sometimes "p*ss-ups and breweries" come to mind with the staffing methods !!) - and then we've got the "Stuff the Royal Wedding" trip to Lancaster City on Friday afternoon to see Mossley's season come to a close ...
... well football and computers anyway (although I DID find a copy of the "Non League Paper" in Ambleside Co-op on Sunday afternoon !!) - yep, straight after work on Saturday me and Mrs Smiffy escaped to the Lake District for our "27th Anniversary Weekend", getting back not long ago. Will do more later but I've just had a bit of a "tweakette" with a few of the pictures - I had a bash at doing a "panorama view" from the top of Pike o'Stickle up in the Langdales (have tried this before ... but this time I remembered to meter first then set the camera on Manual setting for all the pix !!!) - and thanks to the joys of Photoshop Elements 6 "Photomerge" option, here's a low-res version of same (double-click etc)...
All this and no tripod - anyway tis time for tea ... .
... too hot for football - bring back the sub-zero days I say !! Reckon Clithoroe edged the first half but there was little between the two teams after the break. Some pictures at Chorley 1 Clitheroe 1
Apologies for lack of captions - too much to do tonight (and no team sheet !) - believe or not I took the grand total of just 53 pictures throughout the entire match !
Managed a quick snifter in the Railway @ Chorley as well (Ringwood "Boondongler" !) - now off to cook some steaks ! .
Pic I took with compact way back (Christmas 2006) - underpass @ Chorley Station
... so the search was ON for some football - only to find that 98% of this weekend's games are being played on Easter Saturday - which I can't do for various reasons (work being one of them !) ... HOWEVER ...
... so I didn't make the Leigh game (best move probably - they keep winning in my absence !!), but got up to Seel Park to watch the youngsters for the second time in three days. A very different side turned out last night though - arguably a "scratch" side with no recognised goalkeeper (defender Kyle McDonagh donned the gloves); no subs either; Jordan Cuff on first team duty; Fab Fabio Abreu on England duty I believe. Woodley got off to a flyer with an early goal and one thought the home side would struggle given all the above problems - not a bit of it !! Joe Heap levelled the scores soon after half-time, and the phrase "play for the FULL 90 minutes" bore fruit as Nat Martin grabbed a very very late winner. All this while the first team were beating Leigh Genesis 3-1 (that's 6 points and 8 goals in 2 games - a far cry from this time last month). Some pictures from last night at
... not totally happy with the pix - seemed to be having a few focussing problems, especially in the first half - it does seem to "show its age" at times that EOS 20D ! However a new body is still a distant dream (although I did deliver 1,400 polling cards the other week - dunno how much cash we get for each one - will probably find out when the wage slip arrives tomorrow ... certainly won't be as much as the "by-election windfall" just after Christmas).
The kitchen was all but finished late this afternoon - although we need a sparkie to come and shift a socket so that the integrated freezer ... can integrate !! Now it's time to paint, tidy, tile etc etc ... I did have a day off today - which was spent in the garden pointing a patio what I laid during my "dole period" last May/June ... and building ANOTHER breeze block wall ! Nice day for it though ...
Bonus "STS" pic from yesterday - Jordan Cuff 'contemplates' ...
... a glorious Sunday afternoon - got there in good time, having done some shopping earlier in the day (might have been a Sunday but the inbuilt "postie body clock" still got me up early (damn !). Cock-a-Leekie soup suitably made (and left on the hob to cool) and up to Seel Park for the North West Youth Alliance Open Cup Semi-Final. Opponents Marine B are in the division below Mossley, but were top of their table having scored 60 goals and conceded only 9 in their 15 games, so a tight encounter was envisaged ...
... and so it proved, even taking into account the fact that the Mossley side have played something like 24 games in the last 72 hours (a possible exaggeration ... but you get the picture !). 0-0 was a fair reflection of the first half, but Mossley finally broke the deadlock with a belter from England Schools International Fabio Abreu unleashing an unstoppable shot from just outside the box. This was the turning point - and Mossley didn't look back. Two more goals gave the final scoreline a slightly flattering look, but the home side were well worth their win in the end. Some pictures at ...
... before returning home and doing a nice "lamb chop dinner" and nodding off in front of "Harry Potter 3" !!
Back in Oldham for work today - I now appear to be a "floater" (i.e. nothing regular) - first day at it today so the jury is still out - although it does go against my pre-conceptions/ethos of regular walk/knowing your walk/your customers/their foibles/the walk's foibles. We'll see how this "day to day" career pans out ...
... and the new kitchen has begun - apparently it didn't take too long to rip the old one out - and new cabinets/drawers have started to appear ... and don't worry - pictures of before/during/after etc etc are being taken for posterity !!!
Had thought about going over to Curzon Ashton tonight for their "one point to confirm a play-off place" game against Clitheroe - but what with sorting out yesterday's pix - and also running a damp rag around bits of the kitchen to "keep on top of it all" - it's now 1920 hrs - and Mrs Smiffy has just got back from "Zumba" ("traditional dance of Mossley" as it's known in the Smiffy household !!!), so the posh beef stew - created yesterday on return from football - is now going to be "re-heated and eated" - will keep an eye on the non-league vidiprinter for tonight's footy action (probably whilst nodding off in front of "Harry Potter 4" !!).
Will probably wander up to Seel Park tomorrow evening (1830 hrs kick-off) for another dose of Mossley Youth in their league game against Woodley Sports Youth - no way will I make it to Leigh Genesis v Mossley (don't think so anyway - we'll see !). .
Think I'll use the door though - our windows contain glass !
... as Mrs Smiffy not back until late afternoon/early evening. The Mossley Youth team are at home to Marine B Youth this afternoon (KO 1430hrs) in the North West Youth Alliance Cup Semi-Final ... and I'll try to remember to "shoot" in Shutter Priority mode rather than Aperture Priority which I reckon must have contributed to yesterday's "slightly iffy" pictures - having thought about it ... lovely sunny day etc ... might (?) help the damn thing to focus better/quicker (I really should check this out with the proper experts - as in what does all/most of the work - the camera or the lens ?!?!).
I'll cook a nice tea tonight though ... promise ... .
Arrived just before 1500 to find Maxine (Curzon snapper) in crisis - she'd dropped her lens - and the camera end was a touch "dented" ! Fortunately she had a spare and coped admirably - see Maxine's pics .
4-1 sounds like a comfortable win for the home side - but it was anything but to be honest - especially after Curzon took the lead. It would be interesting to have counted the numerous chances that the visitors had in the first 45 minutes - but were unable to take.
Two goals in five minutes just after half-time (including a lovely effort from Crewe loanee Harry Davis) took the pressure off somewhat, although Durham never gave up and certainly played their part for the full 90 minutes - and it was good to see a few away fans had once again made the long trek down to Tameside (having been at Mossley only a few weeks ago). Some more pictures (still struggling with the sun at times - not used to it !) at
Plenty of other football as well today (excluding "that game at Wembley" !). Mossley decided to get back to winning ways in my absence (curse this Saturday working !) with a 5-1 demolition of Prescot Cables ... Stalybridge Celtic halted the Eastwood Town charge with a creditable 1-1 away draw ... Ashton United's seaside trip to Whitby ended with a 2-1 defeat (but I bet the fish and chips from the Magpie were excellent !) ... and Hyde FC did their relegation fight no harm at all with an excellent 2-2 draw at high-flying Boston United ... coupled with Droylsden's "narrow win" over Stafford Rangers (OK it was 5-1 - but I'm hardly likely to trumpet that one am I ??)
Next week's "kitchen" at Chez Smiffy ...
Now to bed - we've got "Mr Kitchen Man" coming next week to take the last big chunk of my redundancy money off us - so as well as emptying the kitchen so they can wreck it before rebuilding it, I'll be cooking some stuff to put in the freezer - so it might be microwave meals for a few days - but at least it'll be "home cooked microwave meals" !!
a typical Spanish "gachas" !! ... comes to a close tomorrow. Work-wise, I've been "loaned out" from my normal place of work to a neighbouring office (which is actually closer to home). It had its "upsides" ... the first week I was finishing about 5 minutes walk from my front door; I kept "bumping into people"; I had a rough idea where I was going (!!). Second (this) week was similar ("bumping into Ashton United fans"; managed to organise a "sign for" for an empty house (due to the addressee's wife being a workmate of Mrs Smiffy !!) and similar 'local' stuff like that). "Downsides" however - said office doesn't seem as well "organised" as my usual abode (spoiled maybe ?); the walks are not as 'even' - in fact some of the walks are a helluva lot longer (I was told they're 'outside specification' - an interesting phrase if ever I've heard one !) so I've been 'going over' most days (and claiming the O/T !); certainly some work needs doing/sorting out here ... so when I got a letter telling me "same again next week", I jokingly texted my (official workplace) line manager asking what I'd done wrong and asking when I'd be considered for parole ... to be then told I'm back at my 'normal' place of work come Monday (although it appears NOT doing my 'normal' walk - QED). So - one more day to go (apparently) - and it'll be interesting to see what time I finish tomorrow vis-a-vis getting some football in (as in Curzon Ashton v Durham City).
Meanwhile ... Mrs Smiffy out - in the company of Rory Gallagher (in the MP3 sense), I've just rustled myself up some chicken and chorizo in a mushroom, tomato, garlic, onion and red wine "mush" (a good Spanish word here is "gachas" - gruel, slop !!!) - think I'll go and watch a DVD now (times like this when I whip out one from the 'football' shelf - maybe the Droylsden v Stafford Rangers Conference North Play-Off Final from May 2006 - topical insofar as Droylsden are visiting Stafford tomorrow - and guess who need the points most !) ...
(Still umming and aaahing about work offer from "that place" - although with working 6 days a week at the moment - and next week having a Bank Holiday - when could I fit it in ??).
An excellent game indeed, with the Ashton defence managing to contain the Matlock danger man Ross Hannah - and the home side's Sam Madeley putting in a true "Man of the Match" performance culminating in a belting third goal "a la Rooney" to seal what was in the end an emphatic victory for the home side - all square at half-time but the Robins played really really well in the second 45 minutes and once they edged ahead, never looked in any danger. Pictures (I changed lenses at half-time, giving the 85mm a "second half run out") from last night at
If you can bear with me, I hope to have pictures of all the goals from the Bamber Bridge v Mossley game on here quite soon - it finished up 2-2 after Mossley went in at half-time 2-0 up (!). .
... To put it bluntly, my previous employee "f*cked me off" with a paltry pittance at the end of 2009 ... come April 2010 I was asked if I would "sort out" their year-end financial package as they had not had 'upgraded'/changed their finance software to fit in with the evil barsteward owners in India (who were, in the main, responsible for the earlier "f*cking off"), and I was the only chappie who was still familar with the old software. I helped out (and got paid for the privilege) ... Twelve months on ... a similar request has been received (OK late last week) ... I've not yet replied ...What would YOU do ?? Off to Ashton United v Matlock Town very soon - I'm eschewing the glory night at Curzon Ashton (they're playing Chester and will get a handsome crowd no doubt - Maxine can do the business on behalf of Curzon - and Chester have their own snapper). .
... plenty of pre-match publicity/hype etc for this one ... what with ex-Woodley boss taking over at Mossley, ex-Mossley boss now managing Woodley, half the Woodley side being ex-Mossley players and Mossley featuring two ex-Woodley players ............... a lovely day and a local-ish derby ...
... yep it had a dull as dishwater 0-0 written all over it !!!
Still a point's a point for the home side (!) - now mathematically safe from relegation (coupled with Ossett's 3-3 draw with Radcliffe - ex-Lillywhite Dan Toronczak scoring two for Ossett and ex-Lillywhite Osebi Abadaki getting one for Radcliffe - the connections just keep coming ...) - and new Mossley boss Gareth McClelland starts his short-term lease on the "hot seat" with a point. Pictures at
... and the crowd was up by 40-ish on the previous few home games (yes I'm excluding the 873 against Chester !). Enough football for now - I've got some trout to cook - and then another couple of sets of piccies to go through from Friday night (garden flowers) and today (a walk in the Piethorn Valley near Denshaw) - probably back later ... oh and well done to Mossley Youth who reached a second final today with a 3-1 win over Altrincham in the NWYA Premier Division Cup Semi-Final ... .
"Shaun Higgins has quit as Mossley manager. That's Hyde, Glossop and Mossley all changing boss in one week!"
Now in the old days, it was middle/end of October when Managers got the boot ... times have obviously changed ...
... more news as it arrives ...
(LATE EDIT - apparently all will be revealed on MossleyWeb tomorrow ...so all you office-bound buggers/unemployed/retired will know more than me ... !) .
Vicious day at work ... and they say mail volumes are dropping ... total b*ll*x. Also suffered from jammed pouch box ... so managed to lever it open with house key ... which promptly snapped !
... since the "April 1st Incident", things have been somewhat 'terse' on this 'ere blog ! Time appears to be something in short supply at the moment (my excuse anyway). Went back to Oldham on Saturday for work - heard that Ashton were still "short of bodies" but remained where I was (Oldham were also "short" !). Got round as fast as poss before dashing home, grabbing a bite and heading straight for Belper, arriving 20 minutes into the first half (this is where the earlier terse thread kicks in - one interesting point - Belper's 5-1 win was their first home league win since mid-November !). Sunday saw us head over to Stafford to see the other half of the Mothers Day equation (plus a Birthday for my Dad) before getting back to Mossley, sorting out the Saturday pix and having the third half of the Mothers Day (Mrs Smiffy is a Mother too !!!) involving chocolates, wine (OK beer for me !) and a take-away.
Today saw the start of my week in Ashton - and I find myself delivering in Mossley all week (bit of a bugger - spent £19 on a weekly bus ticket, only to find I'm finishing literally minutes from my own front door ...). Tea cooked and then settled down to some virtual football. Stafford grabbed a vital point (for them anyway) at Worcester which now sees them two points clear of Hyde FC having now played the same number of games - meanwhile Hyde FC were busy "relieving" Manager Neil Tolson of his duties with immediate effect !!! A very strange move with five vital games to go in their season ... one thing I've never understood about the Hyde situation at the moment is why a "Record Seller from Melton Mowbray" has got involved with the club - it's been a season of turmoil for the Tigers with a number of the behind the scenes "old guard" calling it a day, further rumours about further debts, and the battle against relegation. Now players Scott McNiven and Steve Halford have been given the unenviable task of seeing out the remnants of what has been an awful season down at Ewen Fields.
Other stuff from tonight - and it's a big "Well Done" to Ashton United who beat Matlock Town 1-0 in the League Cup Semi-Final tonight. They'll be meeting the winners of the Northwich Vics v Bradford Park Avenue game which is being played this Thursday. Matlock Town's is another season that seems to be on the slide at the moment - as well as tonight's defeat, a play-off place which looked a certainty not that long ago is rapidly disappearing - can't be anything to do with the "Ross Hannah Saga" can it ? (will he leave, where will he go etc etc etc) - incidentally he did NOT feature in tonight's game at Ashton United. Curzon Ashton got a bit of a jolt tonight in their quest for a play-off place. 5th placed Curzon lost 2-0 at home to 6th placed Warrington Town - although the gap is still 9 points with only 7 games remaining and Warrington are the only team with a realistic chance of knocking them out of the top five.
Tomorrow - I was hoping to get over to Witton Albion to see the Presidents Cup Final betwixt Belper Town and Lancaster City ... however a "transport problem" has rather put the mockers on that option. So ... it's a five minute walk up the hill to see whether Mossley can do something about this awful run they're on at the moment (1 point out of the last 30 !). Have just checked the league table - and one point will make relegation a mathematical impossibility (Ossett need to win their remaining 6 games and turn a 55 goal deficit around ... but maths is maths !) - such talk would have been unthinkable a couple of months ago. The phrase "The Season can't end quick enough" applies to many at the moment ... .
... in between cooking Herby Pork Chops with a Ratatouille Sauce ... I've got Worcester City v Stafford Rangers on coveritlive ... Stafford's "game in hand" over Hyde FC ... back later ... .
Got to game about 20 minutes late so missed the opening goal for MDT - the remainder of the first half was fairly "flat" - but Belper clicked into gear after the break ... and could have scored a lot more.
... unfortnately "Mr Anonymous" had it sussed as early as 0744 hrs this morning ... bugger !!!
There's been a few good 'uns today - this morning on Radio 4 we had the "3D Radio article" (featuring Robert Fripp in a vain attempt to give it added realism) - very good, but sorry - FAIL. I've also seen a "Pay what you Weigh" pricing idea for the Stalybridge/Workington game tomorrow; and also bookmakers making Mossley 1/10 favourites to beat Chester tomorrow (see here - you need to be registered tho' !); and Ashton United are getting all their fans to travel to the Hucknall game in Wellies ... No doubt there are many others out there in the ether ... (LATE EDIT - apparently Latvian student Lapri Olof has signed for Hyde FC !!!)
So - today in work @ Oldham to be told "Can you go down to Ashton for the day ?", closely followed by "Can you go down to Ashton all next week as well ??" ... hey ho, why not ... theory tomorrow is back in Oldham - get finished asap - and then head down to Belper (as noted in earlier thread, I'll be missing Mossley's biggie at home to Chester - such is life ...) - should get something on the Belper Town v Market Drayton Town game however.
Finishing this one with a rather "cute" (!!) scam e-mail received today (click on for big copy) ...
... suitably ignored by yours truly (no way am I clicking on those links !!) - but it might concern a few peeps though, seeing the "we will charge your card $847" statement) - s'pose the worrying thing is that it got through the 'AVG test' - so if any "anti-virus whizz kids" out there can hit the sender's e-mail address (Denial of Service etc) - GO FOR IT !!
I knew it would happen sometime ... and after a particularly heavy day at work and some good work in the kitchen (a nice fish pie !), I think now is the hour/day/week/month/year ... have to admit I've thought about it for a while - felt the whole blog was getting a bit "stale" - just work/football/work/football - and some of the original freshness seems to have gone out of the whole thing - maybe it's the change of job (which has certainly made new demands on both time and energy - and weekend options !) - maybe it's the perilous season that Mossley are having - maybe this particular format has just run its course and it IS just time to call it a day. Think back a couple of weeks - I put on a post entitled "Bloggers Block" - it has started to get like at times ... even when I look at some of the football photos I've done recently I feel it's starting to get a bit 'samey' - possibly a little self-critical I must admit, but that's certainly been the feeling - a "chore" rather than anything else ...
Still I mustn't complain - it's been fun over the last four and a bit years - made a few friends (and a few enemies as well !!) - as an outlet, it kept me going a bit during the dark days of job uncertainty and eventual redundancy (even if it was a bit "angry" and yet self-pitying at times) - and I'd like to think that you the viewers (nearly 98,000) both old and new have got something out of it - or found something interesting occasionally - a half-decent piccie for example ...
... as I said on August 5th 2006 - "I name this blog "Six Tame Sides" - God help all who sail in her ..." - I reckon we've reached our final destination. Hope you all enjoyed it - I might be back later ... you never know, a bit of 'time off' might help to re-charge the "blog batteries" a bit. I still retain "first dibs" on the phrase "Six Tame Sides" though (the domain name www.sixtamesides.co.uk is mine as well so hands off !!)
Cheerio for now - and look out for me at the football (I'll be the one with a camera on a stick !) ...
... avidly 'watched' thanks to such useful chaps as the Non-League Videprinter, Twitter and Tigers Internet Radio (Gloucester City !)...
Good to see Ashton United winning 1-0 at Mickleover just 48 hours after their 120 minutes in the Manky Cup Final - I reckon they're safe now. The Blue Square North saw a couple of vital games in the basement area with Hyde FC losing 1-0 at Eastwood (an 88th minute winner !) and Gloucester City losing 2-0 at home to Stalybridge Celtic ... coupled with Stafford's "last gasp" 1-1 draw at Guiseley on Tuesday night, it makes for interesting reading at the lower end of the Blue Square North table with Gloucester starting to fall back into the mire as well. The real "biggie" here on Saturday is of course Gainsborough v Hyde - Stafford host Harrogate Town as well ...
... and the "biggie" for Mossley is also this Saturday with a home game against runaway leaders Chester - this should bring a healthy crowd through the gates at Seel Park - unfortunately I'll be missing it (family commitments on a Mothers Day weekend) !!
Remember - there is more to life than football ... but only just !! .
Finished work in good time and headed over to Hurst Cross to join the Ashton United "DoubleDecker Special" which transferred a good proportion of Robins fans over to Ewen Fields. After a glorious day weather-wise ... it got bloody cold rather quickly !!
The game - excellent. Ashton belied the "one divison difference" for a good proportion of the game and twice got back on level terms from 0-1 and 1-3 before succumbing 4-3 in extra time - Ciaran Kilheeney scored all four for Droylsden including two penalties. The Ashton fans were certainly the noisier on the night as well ! If you want to read more from an Ashton perspective check out the Ashton United messageboard. I didn't stay for the after-match ceremonials - I was bitterly cold by then, and had the offer of a lift straight back to Mossley. Some pictures from the evening at
Was my day off today - was told yesterday I "wasn't needed" at Oldham ... so at 0740 this morning I get a phone call "They need a body at Ashton DO" !! "Why not ?" thought I, and spent several hours delivering in the vicinity of the Curzon Ashton ground (!!) before heading home, rustling up a beef goulash and then sorting out the pix. Back to Oldham tomorrow ... now time to make the most of the rest of my day off ... .
Some "ball juggling" from Anthony Dorney ... Ref the early morning pictures idea - unfortunately the weather was "not up to it" - and to be honest, with losing the hours kip last night, neither was I really - another time perhaps... still, with Mrs Smiffy not yet back from London, I grabbed 90 minutes this afternoon to watch the Mossley Youth Team in a "Stroll in the (Seel) Park" against AFC Liverpool Youth - a very comfortable 4-0 win. A few pictures at
I knew it would be tight - arrived at Hurst Cross about 1320 hrs - and was still putting gear together when Liam Dawson put the home team ahead ... the next 78 minutes were not the greatest - but Ashton looked fairly comfortable throughout - and it was a bit of a "six pointer", so I guess three points at the end of the day is a good result (Ashton United now on 40 points - Ossett Town - second bottom - on 31 points) - a few pix from my 75 minutes of footy at Ashton United 1 Retford United 0
... due to timing/work etc I had to go to Ashton by motor vehicle - so left as quick as I could to get home, dump car and head to "Britt" to watch the Wales/England encounter - arrived about 15 mins late, so missed first goal (!) - the next 75 minutes were not the greatest ... but I guess three points at the end of the day is a good result (this is starting to sound vaguely familiar !!)
News from the smoke - Mrs Smiffy and daughter not yet arrested - and the "bits" of news I've seen so far naturally centre on the 0.001% of the people there (as predicted on yesterday's post). Once I finish here I'll sit down, relax, try to find some un-biased reporting (web or TV) and see how it all went ...
Still up for some early morning snapping tomorrow - weather today was a bit cooler than expected (and flippin' windy to boot !) - watch this space as they say - plus I also need to do a bit of shopping and a bit of recycling tomorrow as well - the (first load of) washing is washing as we speak - and must also try to find something "interesting" to do with a shoulder of lamb ... thinking "Greek Style" at the moment rather than "mint style" ... .
What to expect in London tomorrow ?? Maybe not ...
A couple of fairly "heavy days" at work (Thursday and today) and this is the time when many people say "TGIF" - I'll say it - but there's one more day of work to go before I can say "TGISA" !!!
Going to be a funny old day tomorrow - only available football to be honest is Ashton United v Retford Town - which is kicking off at 1300 hrs due to some (to me anyway) misplaced idea that EVERYONE wants to watch the Wales v England game at 1500hrs. OK I'll watch it - but I'll be rushing round tomorrow morning in the hope that I can get the majority of the Ashton game in first ...
Going to be a quiet weekend here at "Maison Smiffy" - Mrs Smiffy and daughter are, as we "speak", on their way to London to stay with mates before heading into the city to join the "anti-cuts demo" - were I not working I'd be there too. It would be nice (ha !) to see this "pseudo Government" to look long and hard at the diverse cross-section of people who will be marching tomorrow - but no doubt their eyes will be focussed on the tiny tiny minority of the "usual suspects" - and they'll be hoping the the damage etc that these balloons cause will help to deflect from the main attraction (and keep the Mail/Express-reading 'holier than thou' zealots happy !). Worth mentioning that these people will be marching in support of the police as well - so hopefully (again !) the (on-duty) boys and girls from the Met will be taking note (especially as many off-duty bobbies will be on the march). I did mention "kettling" to Mrs Smiffy - but she does understand that this does not refer to a nice cuppa at the Ceylon Tea Centre in Regent Street !!
So - in her absence - DragonForce is blasting out as I pen these notes (to be followed by some Power Quest !) - and if they don't return on Saturday night I might well get up dead early on Sunday and take big (170-500) lens out to get some "sunrise" photos of Oldham, Manchester and beyond from the top of the hill near us (a place called Hartshead Pike) - been wanting to do this for a while ... and the weather forecast looks promising as well !
Enough for now ... for those interested here's some Power Quest for you to get your head round ...
As I said on here many years ago (August 29th 2007 to be exact !) - DragonForce go into battle with a "Grrr" on their face - Power Quest go into battle with a smile and a cheery dispostion !!! .
Some "traditional country dancing" from last night's game ...
Well it was only a friendly but ... you can't complain at nine goals (OK I only saw eight of them - always a problem when the Social Club is closed !). Hopefully it's given the squad a bit of a a "pick-me-up" after the recent run of dismal results - time will tell, starting at Durham on Saturday (a quick chance to put right all the wrongs from last Saturday). Pics at
Obviously I won't be able to get to Durham - but will await the feedback with interest ... Saturday IS going to be a bit of a nuisance however, because of this damned England match - the only "local game" is Ashton United v Retford - and it's kicking off at 1300 hrs ! .
... tonight Mossley have a friendly against Abbey Hey (currently 14th in Vodkat League ... Division 1) - maybe it's some kind of "confidence booster" - maybe it's some kind of "experiment" (as if first team games are not) - but most of all - it's FREE and it's five minutes "up the sandhill" (from our house !).
... might as well start with the football - no confidence, no conviction, no direction, no goals, no hope - Mossley's season appears to have finished - which is bad news for attendances, cash flow etc etc. People will JUST NOT BOTHER - fact. In fact - keeping up to date with Belper Town as I do - you might as well substitute the phrase "Belper Town" for "Mossley" in the above equation - sad but true ... The only cheery football note was of course Stafford Rangers in their "Great Escape" adventure @ Gloucester City - unfortunately it might be at Hyde's expense eventually - but as I've noted before, let's hope Gainsborough do the honourable thing in the relegation race ...
After the game me and Mrs Smiffy wandered over to our mates in Rochdale - big meal, a bit of a night walk and sleep. Short walk on Sunday - crap weather (!) and home to cook a belated St Patricks Day dinner - Beef & Guinness Pie - very nice indeed.
Today - day off - dentist (final score Fillings 1 Extraction 1) and a "bit of a chat" at the bank (it's a great feeling when they ask "Do you have a mortgage ?" and you can say "Not any more !!"). Got around to buying a "Non League Paper" (they certainly cocked up this week with the Unibond 1 North results - they'd printed all the midweek results there instead of Saturday's - shoot the subbie !). Midweek football can only be Glossop North End v Alsager Town on Wednesday night - £12 on the Ashton United bus to Buxton tomorrow is a touch too much ...
Some odds and ends from the weekend - picture-wise ...
Super-Moon ?? Too cloudy ...
Blue Tit feeding (NOTE - count the legs !!!!!)
Grafitti on disused reservoir near Whitworth ...
A lapwing ... at speed ...
A bit of a pylon ...
Now off to tidy up today's food offering - brisket & veg ... .
What else can you expect at this time of night/morning on a Sunday/Monday ? You'll be wanting stuff from Mossley's latest capitulation perchance (because that's where I ended up on Saturday) ?? Oh go on then ...
... boy is working all day/all night - so trip to Morecambe/Lancaster is off !
"Shopping local" for football tomorrow then ...
(Quick change of tack here - interesting quote by OGL David Cameron today ref Col. Gadaffi (that's Colonel not Colin I believe) ... "We will judge him by his actions and not his words - he must stop what he is doing and brutalising his people." Surely a case of pot - kettle - black ... and I'm sure that petrol at 136p per litre has got absolutely NOTHING to do with it !!) ... here endeth the politics ... .
... well it was only a fiver to get in on a misty night in Stalybridge - unfortunately it wasn't a pretty game to watch - and to rub salt into the wounds, the camera "threw a wobbly" just as Celtic took the lead through a Connor Jennings penalty - d'oh ! It was one of the few "moments" in a very drab first half - and the second half wasn't much better. Corby got their equaliser (which was always on the cards) and, apart from a few "moments" the game drifted towards its inevitable stalemate conclusion. Still it was only a fiver to get in !!! Pictures at
Work was "interesting" today. Got in, prepared my walk for action - and was then told I was being sent to a neighbouring office to "help out" - so today was spent delivering mail ... in Mossley !! I might have lived here over 25 years - but I discovered a few streets I've never been down before !! As far as I know, it's back to normal tomorrow ... but you never know ! This weekend is my "long weekend" (as in Saturday and Monday as days off - and I'm taking them both !) - so I'd been looking forward to an interesting/unusual day out football-wise. Unfortunately there's very little of "interesting/unusual" choice - Mossley @ home; Ashton United @ home; Curzon Ashton no game; Droylsden @ home; Stalybridge @ home; Hyde FC no game ... so on Saturday we're going up to Morecambe to see eldest boy (and lady) - and I'll be taking in the Lancaster City v Chester game ! Sunday sees a walk (no doubt !) and Monday a trip to the dentist (gosh !). .
Hey ho - three days of work, rest (and more rest) - missed Mossley's 2-2 draw at Salford last night (well ... it stops the rot I suppose ...). Dutifully applied for my London 2012 Olympic tickets last night (well ... two @ £20 each for some football @ Old Trafford) ... and am now heading for a cheap night out at Stalybridge ... .
"STS" exclusive - Belper's Jon Froggatt on the ball ...
... the decision was made in the end on Friday night to head for Belper on Saturday after work - thus missing the Mossley defeat by Chorley (I guess the only upside to this game was a very healthy crowd of just over 300 - downside being the sixth successive defeat) ...
Anyway - arrived at work Saturday to be greeted by the "Thanks very much for delivering all the Census Forms in a timely and efficient manner" ... 600+ Council Tax statements (plus a large number of associated "rebate letters" for those entitled to same ... ouch !!). Discussions quickly took place - and it was agreed that they could be spread out over three working days (just like the Census) - so I took a few just to show willing (!!) - finished and home for about 1300 and straight off down the A6 arriving in Belper about 1445 and heading straight for ChristChurch Meadows (not even time for a quick shandy in the "George & Dragon" as is my usual habit).
After a fairly even - if rather drab - first half - the second half got off to a bad start for the home side when McGee put Grantham ahead and 15 minutes later it was 2-0 ... and that was that I'm afraid. Some huffin' and puffin' but little for the home fans to shout about. Strange at the moment the similarities between Belper and Mossley - both mid-table with apparently little to play for - both struggling at home - attendances down - both with a goal difference of -1 as well. Grabbed a couple of beers after the game before heading back to Mother-in-Laws for food and telly.
Today saw "a bit of a walk" - once round Belper (strange to see how many shops etc. are now CLOSED on Sundays - recession or what ?) and then we headed off the the Royal Derby Infirmary (and a long walk inside the hospital to find the right ward !!) to see Mrs Smiffy's sister's son (my nephew ?) who had an "big" operation earlier in the week. He's "improving" but it's going to be a long haul ... home this afternoon/early evening, meatballs, spaghetti and an "authentic" tomato sauce was my creation for tea before finally getting around to fiddling with Saturday's piccies - which can be found at Belper Town 0 Grantham Town 2
Maybe an early night (i.e. before midnight !!) - and then time to get stuck in to the Council Tax statements tomorrow. Midweek football - don't know yet - if I go for the "keep it simple" option it'll be Stalybridge Celtic v Corby Town on Wednesday night (note also - admission for this one has been reduced to only a fiver !!) - otherwise the "awkward" option is Salford City v Mossley on Tuesday (awkward in public transport terms that is ...). Next weekend is my "long weekend" (Saturday/Sunday/Monday off - unless I decide to work Monday !!) - and we may well be going to visit large boy (and lady) up in Morecambe - again undecided (the footy option there would be Lancaster City v Chester - tasty eh ?). As I said on Friday ... decisions, decisions ... and I'm putting them off for now anyway !! .
... finished my Census Duties" (Delivery Department) on Wednesday (what a good boy !) ... and for the last couple of days we've been hit by mail that has been "held back" because of same; it's the stuff called "Mailsort" -i.e the stuff with this kind of 'stamp' on it ...
... and there may be more tomorrow - eek ! So ... quandary time - a member of the Derbyshire branch of the family has had a serious operation this week so Mrs Smiffy wants to head down Belper way on Saturday - Saturday is the one day I get the use of the car to help me get the job done quicker (saves a lot of hanging around waiting for buses to and from work - and also knocks a little bit of time - not much, but a little - of the day's work itself) - so do I take the car to work and hopefully finish early-ish and then drive down to Belper, getting there before 1500 (and then catch the Belper v Grantham game) ... or get up earlier and do the "bus route" (enabling Mrs Smiffy to head south a lot earlier) and hopefully get finished and back in Mossley in time to catch the majority of their home game against Chorley ??
Decisions Decisions ... and the decision WILL be made tonight - now off to cook exotic "tea for two" ... .
... after a hard day's "Census Delivery", beginning in sub-zero temperatures and warming up as the day went on (plus a lump of o/t in the afternoon), what better way to relax than ... going back out into slowly plummetting temperatures to watch a game a football ?? Mad or what ...I've not seen such a one-sided first since ... probably the last Mossley defeat (!!) - but somehow or other Ashton United went in at the break 1-0 up - a cracker from Jonathon Bathurst in between the incessant Kendal Town pressure (thought Osman was outstanding in the first half). After the break I thought Kendal went right off the boil - yet they came away 2-1 winners !
Strange game indeed ... some not too brilliant pictures at
Considering the distances involved for a midweek game, Kendal brought a sizeable chunk of the crowd with them (including the famed "Chelsea" - who I've not seen for quite a while !) and they all went away happy (with thoughts of a play-off place resurfacing no doubt) ... Ashton meanwhile played well in patches but never really got to grips with the likes of Osman up front and struggled to find a way through a solid Kendal defence (their number 3 was tiny - with enormous shorts - but he too had an excellent game).Tonight spent eating pancakes (while others went for the banana/maple syrup/choc sauce option, I went savoury with the mince/onion/garlic/tom puree choice !).
Now making a French Onion Soup in between scanning vidiprinters/message boards for tonight's scores (so far - 2120 - Curzon 1-0 up @ Lancaster and Belper 2-0 @ home to Newcastle Town - Presidents Cup semi-final this one ...).
Back to stir those onions - hope they start to caramelise soon ... there's more Census forms to deliver in less than 12 hours time !!! .
... a bit of a cock-up on the Smiffy front vis-a-vis "local winners" on Saturday. Of course Stalybridge were NOT the only "Six Tame Sides Saturday Success" - Hyde FC won as well (and I did half-mention it, noting that Stafford Rangers shipped 5 (five) goals at home in their crucial relegation battle ............. against Hyde FC).
... being a born and bred Staffordian who was there during the glory years of the 1970s, I must have found it a little bit too much to take - and thus blanked it from my mind !!!! Let's hope that BOTH teams can stay up and fight another day (I don't think I've got any friends in Gainsborough - so here's hoping that they do the decent thing ... !!)
Again - sorry chaps ...
Now to grab some tea before heading to Hurst Cross ... .
... and I never DID get that "Non-League Paper" - a 20 minute drive and we were up on the Pennine Way for a "bit of a stroll" ... well it stops my legs seizing up if nowt else !! Just a few pictures ... well it stops the shutter from seizing up if nowt else !!
(The faint haze ... is someone walking in front of the camera - aargh !!!!)
... I got there eventually !!
Busy Saturday morning for me - I'd promised to "help out" one of the lads at work who was playing in a cup semi-final with a 1400 kick-off - so I did 25% of his walk in addition to mine. Got home at about 1445 ! Time for a quick butty and change before heading down to the Tameside Stadium - arriving about 1520 - eek ! (Note to self - don't do too much overtime on Football Saturdays ... unless you're just walking up the hill to Mossley ...) Got there to find Curzon were already one goal up thanks to a (controversial ?!?) Chris McDonagh penalty. The rest of the first half was a pretty scrappy affair I thought - disappointing considering it was meant to be a game between two of the top five teams. It was cold (naturally - always is on the Snipe !), windy ... and the pitch was looking a bit rough. Second half was much improved - although it was the away team who looked the better team throughout that 45 minutes - Curzon looked very disjointed - and most of my pictures had that "far away" look about them (stood at the wrong end y'see !!). It was only a matter of time before an equaliser arrived, but surprising that it took until the 85th minute. Fylde had the ball in the net again after that, but the "goal" was chalked off - for pushing in the box I believe. I suppose both sides should be fairly happy with a point each though - keeps 'em both in the mix for play-off places ... some pictures at Curzon Ashton 1 AFC Fylde 1
Some grim results from yesterday - Mossley lost (yet again - and had two sent off !), and both Stafford Rangers and Belper Town leaked 5 (five) goals at home - there's going to plenty of unhappy/angry folks spouting forth on the numerous Message Boards I guess (with calls for Managerial change as well I don't doubt). Ashton United appear to have been a bit unlucky at high-flying FC Halifax Town (conceding an 89th minute goal) and Droylsden lost as well (2-0 at Boston). The only winner from the "Six Tame Sides" was Stalybridge Celtic (3-1 at Gainsborough) - although mention ought to be made of Glossop North End's 7-1 home win over Silsden - GNE have had a very "up and down" season so far (with more downs than ups), so this should have brought some cheer to the Surrey Street faithful (note to self - go out and buy a "Non League Paper" quite soon ... maybe another cuppa tea first !)
Not too much to choose from next midweek - Droylsden and Ashton United are both at home on Monday night, so I'm guessing it'll be between those two. It's going to be a bit of a bugger at work as well, as it's "Census Week" - or delivery of same. I've seen the piles (and piles and piles !) of Census Packs sat waiting and ready to rock - one to each house, and they're fairly hefty weight-wise as well (especially when youve got 600+ of them to deliver and three days to do it in !!). Not sure which religion we're supposed to be putting on the forms this time around - in 2001 I went for the "Jedi" option (like 400,000 others if I remember rightly !!!) - I haven't seen any concerted campaign this time to get us all to put down "something silly" - there's time yet however ...
My Day in three instalments (pictures posed by models !!)
... so the morning was spent doing those things you do on days off - to the doctors first for my "Annual MOT" (well spirometry !) - apparently the change of job from desk-bound slob to walkie-physical postie has done wonders to my lung capacity and general breathing in/out (if only the ciggies could disappear I'd probably be 21 years old again - not recommended though !!!). Then off to Ashton for a haircut and brief "shop wander" before returning home and grabbing camera, sticking new lens on, and heading out of the door for a bit of an aimless stroll (back garden, down to canal, up onto bridle path, back to canal and then home along the "top road" stopping off at the "Rising Sun" for a couple of pints of Hornbeam "Lemon Blossom" (and very nice it was too !). Some pictures at Postie Day Off - 03Mar11
Home to cook a pork stir-fry ... and now this ... followed by a quiet night in.
... this week - when me and Mrs Smiffy made the front page of the "Mossley & Saddleworth Reporter" (you'll have to excuse the cr*p quality of the scan - it's come via microfilm - yes that aged format - from Ashton Reference Library - a double-click - and some "Ctrl+" should bump it up and make it more readable ...)
I'd been watching Atherton LR earlier in the afternoon before driving home, picking up Mrs (pregnant) Smiffy (and a lemon meringue pie) and heading over to Rochdale. Got to Rochdale eventually - but not via the approved route - and in a different vehicle (the lemon meringue pie was on the back seat of the car - don't know what happened to that) !!! Food for thought - probably the day I used up all my life's good luck ... however three months later I was back at work - and our Michelle arrived - none the worse for her pre-birth "ordeal" ... Day off today - I've done what all posties (allegedly) do - been for a walk - some piccies later ... . .
Another late kick-off (1950) - something which sadly is becoming the norm for night games - God knows why - and another defeat to a lower-placed team - and another sloppy, disjointed, dare I say it p*ss poor performance from the men in white. Another grim attendance (officially 102 but ...), another cold night, another "What the Hell am I doing here ?" moment ... I'll be honest, as the game wore on I was slowly losing the will to snap - which probably explains the paucity of pictorials from the game - I even contrived to miss the Mossley equaliser whilst warming hands and changing lenses - I certainly wasn't expecting it - and neither were the other (alleged) 101 people there I'd guess. Anyway suck it and see ...
Mossley 1 Prescot Cables 2
Something's going horribly wrong - good players do not become bad players overnight ... interesting to note that the current dire run seems to have begun following the departure of Ben Richardson to Woodley Sports - coincidence or what ? Rumours abound (naturally) of internal strife, players being dropped for no apparent reason, players being played out of position. The official line seems to be "building for the future", but for every new brick, two seem to be falling down. Fourteen games to go, with six more at home, and the worry is that sooner or later the crowds will "officially" dip below three figures - obviously there are home games against Chester and Chorley to come which should provide healthy attendances ... but last night some of the natives were definitely revolting ... and three points from the last eighteen is relegation form ...
(At least Stafford Rangers beat Redditch to give some hope for avoiding the drop into the Evo Stik ...)
... and finally - in a vain attempt to cheer everyone up - I leave you with a snap of Sam "The Snood" Hare ...
... it was a question of "where to go" at one stage - since Saturday's "game" at Mossley, I thought long and hard about tonight's options - Mossley v Prescot or Stalybridge v Worcester - and for all the lazy lard*rses - the Chelsea v Man U telly option never came into the equation - this TV "extravanganza is however guaranteed to make a bloody big hole in the attendances of EVERY non-league game this evening, although looking at last night's local attendances however (85 at Curzon, 75 at Ashton United), we can't just blame Murdoch and his henchmen (much that I'd love to ...).
Anyway ... I'm going for the "line of least resistance" (or least travel at least !) - we give Mossley another go ... call it "Third Time Lucky" if you like after two successive home defeats by teams BELOW them in the table - tonight's opponents are in the bottom three. I will be spreading my wings a bit come Saturday(OK if Curzon Ashton v AFC Fylde can be seen to be "wing spreading" !!) - Mossley are away at Garforth and I'm pretty sure work committments will knock that option on the head.
One other game to look out for (for me anyway) tonight is Redditch United v Stafford Rangers (bottom v bottom-but-one) - a win for the Boro will make their Saturday fixture at home to Hyde FC (bottom-but-two) VERY interesting (would I like to be at that one ... but ...)
Time to get "charged up" (in the battery sense) - hoping that several thousand volts are running through the Mossley team as well ...
... and just for the hell of it - some more Seth Lakeman !!!
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