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... for Mossley, winning the Willow Wood Hospice Cup today by beating Ashton United 1-1 at Hurst Cross...
... OK - at 90 minutes, it went to penalties - and as I was behind the net for them, I can assure everyone that it finished 5-3 to Mossley (as Ashton didn't bother to take the final "dead" pen). A game of two halves for me anyway, with Ashton just edging the first 45 minutes and going in 1-0 up. However Mossley stepped up a gear in the second half, and after Mike Fish's equaliser, looked the more likely to go on and win the game - but after 90 minutes it remained 1-1 - and it then went straight to penalties - where Mossley prevailed.
Today's pictures (my first efforts using Photoshop Elements 6.0) can be found at
Ashton United 1 Mossley 1 (3-5 on pens)
Excellent game - disappointing turn-out from both sets of fans I thought - they missed a good'un, and also missed a chance to contribute to a very worthy cause.
Good to get a bit of silverware in the cabinet mind !
Next stop - Seel Park on Tuesday to see the Lilywhites take on the newly-rebranded Hyde FC (new name, new colours etc) - here's hoping for a similar performance - things are certainly looking up at the moment !
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(Picture from "Manchester Evening News")
Yesterday afternoon there was a fire at the Warburtons factory in Bolton ... There must be plenty of other jokes to follow so I'll just leave it at that for now !!!
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... finally got round to loading Photoshop Elements 6.0 onto the laptop today (thanks again Ken !) - tis a "touch different" to the old Version 2.0 - still some pre-season games for me to get to grips with it though ! Played about a bit with it anyway - and came up with this (using some album cover photos of "God") - click for big ...
Today's day off was another "no-go" for pointing the patio - damn summer weather - never mind, I could have been pushing damp envelopes through letter boxes - can do same tomorrow instead probably (I've already learned that it's a good idea to do a weather check the night before !!).
There was some footy tonight - Glossop North End beat Chapel Town 4-1 in the High Peak Cup, and will now meet Buxton at Silverlands in the final on 4th August - good luck to them in that one (always nice to start the season with a bit of silverware innit ?). The Willow Wood Hospice Cup is calling on Saturday up at Ashton United - and then Mossley play Hyde F.C. on Tuesday night (so that will be 4 of the "Six Tame Sides" seen before the season starts - leaving Celtic and Curzon to complete an early set !).
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A very evenly contested game tonight - Mossley were certainly not overawed by their Blue Square North opponents at all, and it was only a touch of class by ex-Hyde (and Stafford Rangers !) man David McNiven which separated the sides after 90 minutes. Some piccies at
Mossley 0 Droylsden 1
An excellent work-out which continued the good form that has been shown throughout the friendlies so far - next stop is Hurst Cross on Saturday to meet our old friends (and ex-landlords !) Ashton United, with a bit of silverware at stake in the Willow Wood Hospice Cup - and I'm damned if I can tell you who the current owners of said trophy are - might even be Mossley !!!
Can't you tell I've got a day off tomorrow with this late late show ? Praying for some decent weather to ... well you know the rest (you might even get some pictures later) !!!
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... I assume Droylsden will bring a strong squad (including their Southport "captures") ... so I assume Mossley will be turning out a similarly strong squad ...
I know what - put this laptop down and go and have a look !!!
Pix etc later - tis my "day off" tomorrow, so will have time to do "stuff" tonight when I get home.
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... and why not ??
Plans for a massive shake-up in policing in England and Wales have been outlined by the home secretary which include:
1) the abolition of Soca in favour of a new National Crime Agency, which will include organised crime, border policing, and the child exploitation and online protection centre (Ceop)
2) the scrapping of Police Authorities. Instead, elected police and crime commissioners will have the power to hire and fire chief constables from May 2012
3) the proposed introduction of police reservists - a pool of volunteers to undertake police duties
4) "community crime fighters" - ordinary people could take part in joint patrols with officers. There will also be a push for more to become special constables or join Neighbourhood Watch schemes
5) phasing out of watchdog the National Policing Improvement Agency
Some thoughts on the above:
1) For a Government who seem to be into "cutbacks" and "get rid" mentality, the scrapping of one group to create another ... will probably cost money ...
2) Police commissioners ?? Hopefully this will include special phone lines for all the commissioners to contact Batman directly (well it worked for Commissioner Gordon) ... and phone lines ... cost money ....
3) Aaah .. volunteers - well we all know how people view the existing PCSOs - and they get paid; so if someone turns up with a "volunteer" uniform ... never mind, 'tis policing on the cheap I guess ...
4) Possibly a good idea - having watched "Death Wish 3" last night, it would be good to think that Charles Bronson would be organising the training sessions - maybe the world needs more vigilantes - still sounds again like policing on the cheap mind ....
5) Get rid of a watchdog - and decrease accountability - perfect (assuming that this gives the vigilantes - sorry "community crime fighters" - a little more leeway to instigate 'instant justice' etc.).
No idea what brought this on - but there you go - my rather immediate"gut reaction" view having just spotted this on the BBC website ...
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Finished work comfortably in time to get home, get changed, get camera bag and (via the pub !) head up to Seel Park for today's "international" against Clwb Pel-droed Tref Y Bala. Mossley started the brighter and took the lead on 12 minutes with an exquisite long range effort from new boy Chris Rowney (definitely one to watch this season this lad !). Mossley looked very comfy for the first 45 minutes against their Welsh Super-12 League opponents (they were playing downhill as well !). It was a different story in the second half however - you could blame substitutions, but I reckon Bala stepped up a gear - they got a deserved equaliser through Mike Thompson, and looked set to go on and win the game. However Mossley were not to be denied - they stuck at it and in a late late show, goals from Jordan Goodeve and Steve Moore made it 3-1 to the home side. There was even a crowd invasion at the very end (OK a dog !). Another good performance from the Lilywhites, which does bode well for the future. Some pictures at
Mossley 3 Clwb Pel-droed Tref Y Bala 1
Changes next week - the Wednesday game against Padiham is OFF (hurrah - tis my last college night !) - instead Mossley will face a stern test at home to Droylsden on Tuesday night instead.
That's my lot for tonight - a day off tomorrow - weather permitting, some garden antics - I know you're all missing the patio project updates - blame the football !
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Y Fenni cheese ... yes it's Welsh (Y Fenni is actually Welsh for Abergavenny), and it's a Cheddar cheese made with mustard seed and brown ale - it's wonderful !!!
Quiet night in now - a bit of messing in the garden tonight (built up a border and - once again - moved a lot of soil) - the pointing done earlier in the week is not brilliant - suffering from rain damage (despite being covered - bugger !), but I'm going to live with it.
Fingers crossed I can finish early enough tomorrow (need to get up at 0530 hrs - eek !) to get the full 90 minutes up at Mossley - Mrs Smiffy is away (in Wales ironically !) so I don't have the use of the car, which would have speeded things up a bit - still it'll be good to see how we do on a Saturday "sans automobile" - hopefully not too many bloody packets towards the end of the walk (last couple of days have been somewhat "heavy" in that area - not as in weight, but as in bloody awkwardness - lots of 'em, crazy sizes and nobody being in - meaning 3 or 4 minutes filling out the forms each time, and then having to continue to carry the damn things !) - welcome to Royal Mail !!
Now off to see what's on the telly - otherwise a DVD calls ...
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I think (officially) it was Mossley Reserves v East Manchester, but it was a mix of what I would call first teamers and fringe players. Still don't know all the names, but there were some rather nice touches from some of the "AN Others". Also worth pointing out that for mid-July it was bloody cold tonight !!!! Pix from tonight at
Mossley 3 East Manchester 2
Saturday should be interesting - game at home against Bala Town and also an away game at Bacup Borough at the same time (oh to have so many players !) - let's see which players play where - and hopefully I should be finished work-wise in order to get up to Seel Park for 1500 hours.
Other news - applied for my Football Conference Snapper Licence today - so I'll be covered at all levels with the Six Tame Sides, depending on who plays where - and my work commitments - after a pretty poor effort last night (albeit only ten minutes !), I'm a little happier with tonight's offerings - and the deal has been done with Mrs Smiffy as in "You can have the new lens - if you pack in the fags again !" - so it's a no-brainer really. Prepare for a grumpy Smiffy over the next couple of weeks - but it's all in a good cause !
And here's a bonus pic - just for the hell of it - Nathan Neequaye getting involved ...
... meanwhile the patio "lies dormant" - might get something done down there on Sunday - weather permitting of course !!!
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... tonight after getting back from college (p.s. got certificate tonight - passed "with distinction" - what a swot !) - apparently I missed a useful 80 minutes - all you get is some very "rusty efforts" at:
Mossley v Oldham Athletic - the Last Ten
Still - the chance for more practice tomorrow night as Mossley take on East Manchester in another pre-season friendly ...
(It was 2-2 by the way.)
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News today ... SSL International is set to be sold to Reckitt Benckhiser in a £2.5billion deal ...
When you delve further to find that SSL International make Durex condoms ... and Reckitt Benckhiser make Cillit Bang ... you can probably see my warped sense of humour ...BANG - and the baby's - errr - not there !!!
Off to college in 30 minutes - with possibly a little bit of football afterwards (Mossley v Oldham Athletic XI) - assuming the game is on (weather is horrible yet again - spent 20 minutes sheltering on someone's doorstep today - and thus overran my time by ... about 20 minutes ...) !!!
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Day off tomorrow - but the weather forecast which last week was predicting good stuff is now predicting not good stuff ... so garden activities may be restricted. Watch this space (maybe !!) ..
... yet !
Looks like some of the local teams got under way yesterday - Mossley had a "behind closed doors" match against Springhead (won 4-0); Hyde lost 2-0 to a Man City XI; Stalybridge Celtic lost 2-1 at Congleton; Glossop North End had a re-run of the 2009 FA Vase final up at Whitley Bay (lost 1-0) - they also drew 2-2 with Curzon Ashton earlier in the week as well. Also my snapper mate Tim dusted the cobwebs off his lens with Belper Town drawing 1-1 at Parkhouse (apologies if I've missed any out - not yet had a thorough look through either the message boards or the "Non-League Paper")
Well - that's one week "out on my own" under my belt at work - went pretty well up until yesterday, when I'd (rashly ?) promised to do a bit of O/T (an extra half of a walk) ... and it hammered it down with rain several times ... and I didn't get home until nearly 1700 hrs ! All part of the learning process I guess. Quick change and off to Rochdale for a barbecue - naturally the weather had improved so the burgers and sausages stayed dry. Today - more cr*p weather, so a walk was called off, and we ended up going to a small art gallery on Platform 1 at Todmorden Station - well it's different ...
Pasta Bolognese is calling tonight - will start prepping that about 1800 - work shirts already ironed - and back in tomorrow praying for better weather. Day off this week is Tuesday (and some weather forecasts predict a scorcher - I'll believe it when I see it), so hopefully some further progress on the patio project (pointing, pointing pointing will probably be the order of the day). Mossley are at home on Wednesday night (i.e. college night), but I might just get to see the last 15/20 minutes ... and I will take my camera to college just in case - prepare for some rusty football photography !
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... must be a record for me (excluding holidays with no internet) - no real excuse either. The World Cup is over, and I'm still in work. No friendlies attended yet - in fact the first two Mossley home friendlies are on Wednesdays (i.e. my college night) so that's two more to miss ! Anyway, given the changes in my circumstances, this coming season will probably see a more "restrained" view of football - OK so I'm back in work, but obviously earning nowhere near as much salary-wise ... and it's goiing to take a while for the bank balance to settle down (I think I mentioned that the first week's wage put it into credit - 24 hours later, out went a D/D - back in the red again !!).
What else of note - the patio project carries on relentlessly - but obviously with restricted hours available to it - here's the latest:
Next jobbies - get the bloody thing properly pointed, build the final retaining wall on the right to stop it all falling away - and then paint the breeze blocks (a colour of masonry paint called "hot brick" is the colour of choice !) - also tidy up ye olde sinke and the prospective flower bed (bottom right). Mrs Smiffy is the 'plantmeister' and will fill all the gaps accordingly.
Had a day off work today - and messed about a bit. Got a battery for my watch (save me scrabbling for the phone to check the time when filling in the P739's and the recorded/special deliveries) - new bus pass bought - and also a quick (!) trip into Oldham for a second walk around my new walk just to get my bearings. I shadowed the guy last Friday, but he's one of the guys who does his walk with the aid of a car, whereas I'll be doing it the 'old fashioned way'.
I'm sure there'll be some football to talk about soon ... bear with me ...
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... after "six days on", a deserved break was spent resting aching legs, ready for tomorrow. Actually I lie - the morning was spent loading up the motor with furniture which we then drove up to Lancaster to "install" in big boy and fiance's new house, which they will be moving into sometime this week. Home to (would you believe) help to sort out a finance problem at the place that sacked me off last year - unpaid of course !! Tea, bath, telly and this ...
... and for the latest "patio pic" look no further - retaining walls almost complete - next job is some hard core before laying four more slabs up a level (left of spade !!), to be followed by some edging stones up the other end - should keep me going this week ...
World Cup anyone ? Holland for me ... but that was one helluva performance by Germany ...
Wimbledon ?? The usual (as in Andy Murray at 1400 hrs - "Great British Hope" ... Andy Murray at 1800 hrs - "Useless Scottish has-been") ...
3-0 up and squeezed through 3-2 ?? Good job that cricket wasn't the best of seven ...
... aaah the Great British Summer of Sport - roll on August, when honesty takes over from greed ...
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... at work (for a change !), hence the lack of "stuff" on here ... however, as it's the weekend (and I'm in tomorrow at 0730 - which equates to leaving house at 0615 - integrated bus services - ha !!) I thought I'd squeeze a quick one in.
What can I say, apart from "I'm loving it !!!" - once I get my own "patch" I will take the GPS out with me, just for the hell of it, but up to now, it's been good - a little awkward today (lots of packets - lots of empty houses, so ended up carrying them ALL the way round) - more paperwork than you think - first paypacket went in today (none of this "week in hand" kerfuffle), which finally gets the bank balance looking 'positive' - home in time to finally kick-start the patio project as well (a couple of breeze blocks laid - pictures later !!) before heading to the pub to watch extra-time and penalties ... and heartache for Ghana.
In between times, I've emptied the pix off babycam - and I offer up two for now:
From the "bog wall" in the Britannia - just about sums it up !
After college on Wednesday - ended up in the "Q" in Stalybridge (in the Guiness Book of Records as the pub with the shortest name !) - witness the astro-turf - it's actually the very same stuff from Hyde United's ill-fated move towards artificial turf back in 19eightysomething !!Anyway - proves I'm still alive and kicking - let's see what the weekend brings ... I'll be back before Sunday night - promise !!
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Painlessly "induced" yesterday - now off to the "real thing" ...
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... but not too far !!! Got some foundations in this morning - and in a slight change of plan, another slab (in the bottom left-hand corner if you check out the previous "message") - and then off to Top Mossley to get tonight's tea (which will be Baked White Fish in a Tomato Rarebit Sauce) - nipped into Seel Park on the way round to check out stuff - new sponsor signs are up - but no Evo-Stik hoardings have arrived yet - plenty of painting has occured - mostly down to the "Community Payback" guys - and it's looking well tidy ! Check out
Seel Park - 24 Jun 10
I could have took these piccies yesterday as I was "up there" for the Slovenia game, but I didn't. In fact I left the football club at half-time and watched the second half in a nearby pub. Reasons ?? The Social Club has gone for the "family atmosphere" type thing for the England games. This - to me - means some tidy money for the club - which is great ...... but ...... as someone who wants to actually watch a football game, it roughly equates to - small kids running around in an uncontrolled manner, whilst parents mostly drink with little interest in what's going on football-wise (and even less interest in controlling their "brats" !) - groups of 14/15/16 year olds hoping to "get served" (you know what I mean), again with less than 99.9% interest in the football - people turning up at half-time because someone has told them "free food" - so, while it's a great money-spinner for the football club, it's not the atmosphere in which I/Me wants to watch a football game. Don't get me wrong - I'm not knocking it, but it's just not for me ... Sunday afternoon will probably be a pub job as well (but I must be good as I've got work on Monday morning - huzzah yet aaarrrgh !)
So - today - after the shopping, a quick "nip in" to a handy pub (should I advertise the "Highland Laddie" - why not !!!!!!) to watch Italy go down the same route/toilet pan as France - a truly awful display by the Azzuri which left me thinking "There for the grace of God could have gone Ingerrrlund" - yet a further blow to my Fantasy league team - Zambrotta - grrr !) which has seen me plummet to 4th place in the "League of Nailers" - looking forward to a revamp once this round is over ("au revoir" to Gallas as well !). Unlucky for New Zealand as well today - three games unbeaten, yet "out" - certainly no disgrace there.
Anyway - off to cook tea - and then to watch the "Oranje" boys tonight (and hoping that Dennmark make it as well )...
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