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       #Post#: 81437--------------------------------------------------
       Pyramid Patrol 2024/25
   DIR By: JCFC
       Date: July 21, 2024, 4:56 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       In honour of JCFC'S birthday, or just conceivably by pure
       coincidence, the NWCFL had thoughtfully arranged a competitive
       fixture for Saturday. A 14.00 kick-off meant an early departure
       - well, 9.25 anyway. The train to Hebden  Bridge was on time,
       but Northern Rail made no birthday concessions and the
       connection to Burnley was cancelled. No problem, the next train
       to Todmorden would leave time to catch the Blackburn service
       from there. Or it would have done, had a check not revealed that
       the Blackburn train was also cancelled. The result was a 90
       minute wait, but there are worse stations than Hebden Bridge and
       the bacon sandwich from its little cafe went down well. The walk
       down from Manchester Road station fortunately ended just as the
       M6 bus was about to leave for Barnoldswick, whence it was a
       relatively easy matter to negotiate the Victory Park gala, kite
       fliers, birds of prey, juggling unicyclists et al, to arrive in
       good time for
       Saturday 20th July 2024
       NWCFL Reusch Champions Cup
       Barnoldswick Town 1   v   2 Wythenshawe
       Ben Cotton (Manchester FA); Hadley Warhurst, Haydn Astley.
       It soon became clear that Wythenshawe's pre-season training had
       been devoted to chuntering, as every decision against them met
       with a strenuous burst of chirruping. Mr Cotton was tolerant,
       but fortunately not cowed and eventually the visiting number 10
       and his skipper were summoned to listen to Mr Cotton's words of
       wisdom. On 33 minutes the Barlick number 10 looked to shrug off
       an opponent behind him. This must have involved a greater degree
       of violence than was apparent from a distance, as the opponent
       fell to the ground clutching his face and Mr Cotton arrived
       clutching his red card. In a major breakthrough for medical
       science, this had an immediate curative effect. As there was
       little protest from Barlick players, it was probably the correct
       decision. In added time, the yellow card was shown to the
       Wythenshawe number 7 for a postumous challenge.
       On 54 minutes a foul by the visiting number 8 led to Barlick
       appeals and a reappearance of the yellow card. In the next
       Barlick attack, the Wythenshawe keeper had to handle outside the
       area and out came the red card once more. An outfield player
       donned the goalie's top, but could do nothing to keep the
       free-kick from giving the home side the lead. His subsequent
       performance was somewhat eccentric, but Barlick were unable to
       take advantage and instead Wythenshawe mounted a succession of
       dangerous attacks, drawing level from a header on 77 minutes and
       firing home the winner just four minutes later. There was a late
       yellow for the Barlick number 6, who let frustration get the
       better of him.
       All three officials were unfamiliar to JCFC. Mr Warhurst was
       very young, with a youthful build. He did not have to flag for
       offences very often, but was very emphatic when he did. Mr
       Astley was a few years older, with a more mature physique and a
       beard. He incurred the displeasure of local fans early on, not
       flagging for prolonged holding, but as there was still a good
       chance that the attacker could get clear, he was correct to
       wait. Mr Cotton - JCFC'S unreliable guess would put him just on
       the downward slope of his twenties - did not radiate bonhomie
       and joie de vivre in his onfield manner, not surprisingly when
       he had to issue two red cards to start the season, but grasped
       the nettle when required. All three officials performed well and
       deserved their mementos.
       There was not long to wait for an M5 bus back to Burnley, but as
       it would mean a long wait for a train, JCFC eschewed the trek
       back up to Manchester Road and settled for the bus to Hebden
       Bridge and an easier connection there. This time Northern
       obliged. Home by 19.55.
       #Post#: 81445--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Pyramid Patrol 2024/25
   DIR By: Microscopist
       Date: July 22, 2024, 9:55 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Many happy returns for yesterday.
       Saw this and thought of you!
       [url]
  HTML https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122187334634017583&set=a.122118395510017583&__cft__[0]=AZU48kXaKpgvahxcNQP2H8I0enfE1kisXHeQsaBjPFQgO88gQc2LiD-_6EXWpnocRTpdHD3YuZwiZaNXyfFKXx1UfKREVR8D8DnXIeWq1RsEPJT-c6ALF950K6t2z50UIRZ71aoyYb79d8xqsqe6javTgfaWJ3uVSHL77JY37FK5_2KdcV32dfX53alofLiZ84U&__tn__=EH-R[/url]
       #Post#: 81447--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Pyramid Patrol 2024/25
   DIR By: JCFC
       Date: July 22, 2024, 11:01 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       How interesting. I might have been tempted if I had been in the
       vicinity. Gran would certainly have been interested. Is this an
       annual event or a one-off, I wonder. I recall that a number of
       graves in Fenwick churchyard were marked with small posts with
       the sign "Covenanter."
       #Post#: 81452--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Pyramid Patrol 2024/25
   DIR By: Microscopist
       Date: July 23, 2024, 6:06 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       I think that this is a one off, perhaps every 10 years.  24th
       July 1664 the minister was ejected from his pulpit -
       --- Quote ---
       > Guthrie was a popular Preacher and a caring Pastor and soon he
       built the new Church up. It is claimed that people moved house
       and job, just to be a part of his congregation. For over 20
       years he taught the people of Fenwick about the love of God.
       Then in 1664 things changed.  Charles II began a campaign of
       enforcing an Episcopal form of Church Government on to the
       Church of Scotland, just as his father Charles I had done.
       Guthrie was a Presbyterian at heart and supported the National
       Covenant of 1638, which rejected any such moves. On the morning
       of 24th July 1664, the King’s Curate ejected him from his
       Pulpit. He treated the Curate with courtesy and even gave him
       lunch in the Manse before he left for his native Elgin; where he
       was to die just one year later.
       --- End Quote ---
       I took part in a conventicle in 2010 to celebrate the 450
       anniversary of the Scottish Reformation.  We visited Airds Moss
       near Muirkirk, Peden's Grave at Auchinleck and then went on to
       the conventicle at St John's Tower in Ayr.  Fortunately the
       Dragoon's didn't get wind of what we were doing!
       #Post#: 81507--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Pyramid Patrol 2024/25
   DIR By: JCFC
       Date: July 27, 2024, 4:51 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       The league season got under way on a pleasant evening at
       Friday 26th July 3024
       NCEFL Premier
       Golcar United   4   v   1   Penistone Church
       Nicholas Greenwood (W. Riding FA); Kerion Moore, Joe
       Wink-Simmonds.
       Entering the ground, JCFC immediately spotted the familiar
       figure of National League North referee Darius Bradley. This
       despite the fact that he had come in disguise - in dark glasses
       to appear cool and as Tango Man, which rather had the opposite
       effect. He was there to support his colleague. Spotting JCFC, he
       gleefully told Mr Greenwood "You are going to get battered,"
       which can not have improved his morale. Still, that's what mates
       are for. He, like all three officials, was bearded. In the case
       of AR2, it was not an improvement. It is not known whether such
       adornments have been made compulsory for referees, but those in
       the WSL are obviously exempt.
       The long wait for kick-off time was accompanied by what seems to
       pass as music, but there was no mention of teams and no
       explanation of the minute's applause. Mr Greenwood quickly
       showed that he could side-skip and engage reverse gear, but
       having ticked those boxes, he reverted to simpler forms of
       movement. On 10 minutes the Golcar number 9 caught an opponent
       with an over-enthusiastic challenge. Penistone thought a card
       was required, but Mr Greenwood settled for a lecture with
       captain. Fair enough, but as on a few occasions, his timing
       created a sense of indecision. It was clear, too, that players
       were still willing to gather to give their opinions. Shortly
       afterwards number 9 was again involved in a coming together
       which brought down an opponent. Mr Greenwood initially let play
       continue, but then gave the free-kick, which to JCFC appeared
       correct. This time it was Golcar who were not happy, their
       manager making Mr Moore all too aware of this, receiving a laugh
       in response. On 27 minutes the busy 9 received a touch in the
       back and went to ground, but rather than demanding a penalty, he
       bounced to his feet, won back the ball and threaded it into the
       corner of the net to give Golcar a deserved lead. A minute later
       another Golcar attack ended with the winger being fouled just
       outside the area, the free-kick being correctly awarded, though
       the Golcar boss again gave Mr Moore his opinion. Golcar were
       looking impressive and quicker in every way than a disappointing
       Church side, who, however, continued to hold their own in the
       protest stakes, when a player was penalised. They had offered
       little and things got worse on 36 minutes. The Penistone keeper,
       running out with the ball, aimed a sneaky little kick at an
       opponent before putting the ball into play. Mr Greenwood did not
       react, maybe not having seen it (reverse gear had not been
       engaged) but blew after a few seconds, as Mr Moore had seen it.
       A discussion in two stages followed, with Mr Greenwood then
       talking to the gathering of players before finally showing the
       keeper the red card. It is not certain whether the kick made
       contact, but the idea of "attempting to" certainly used to be
       important in the laws. As an offence it was as idiotic as the
       Beckham tap on Simeone in St Etienne. The Church number 11 was
       replaced by a new keeper, who was not able to keep out the
       well-struck penalty. Penistone soon lost number 2 to the sin
       bin, playing out the rest of the half with nine men.
       The second half produced an obvious early yellow for the
       visiting number 6, for walking away with the ball from a throw
       in and then tossing it further away. Penistone did soon get a
       goal back, their striker latching on to a long clearance and
       deftly turning it into the net. In  fairness were better in the
       second half, but Golcar were still the more dangerous. The home
       number 8 received a yellow card for a silly late challenge and a
       Church defender "cleared" way over his own goal before Golcar
       added their third on 68 minutes. A yellow card was shown to a
       Penistone defender, but it was withdrawn when Mr Greenwood
       spotted that Mr Wink-Simmonds had flagged for offside. Things
       proceeded to a relatively tranquil conclusion, with Golcar's
       fourth coming from an own goal some eight minutes into added
       time.
       If memory serves, from his pen picture in a Brighouse Town
       programme last season, Mr Greenwood came into refereeing almost
       by default, through involvement in his son's junior team, but
       has progressed well since getting the bug. He is not, therefore,
       an up and coming youngster. He was happy to allow some strong
       challenges, with the inevitable result than there would be
       claims of inconsistency. He did use his smile and seemed willing
       to communicate. He saw the game through well enough - no
       battering required - though it would be good to rid himself of
       the occasional appearance of hesitation, which is probably not
       the actual case.
       Mr Greenwood had the added pressure  of the expert gaze of
       President Hackett,  seated prominently on the front row, but
       invisible  in the second. Was this a reflection of his side's
       first  half showing? Or did his absence from sight contribute to
       their improved second half?
       #Post#: 81533--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Pyramid Patrol 2024/25
   DIR By: JCFC
       Date: July 28, 2024, 8:51 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Things can sometimes turn out well when they don't go to plan.
       On Friday night, the intention for Saturday was to catch the
       train to Barnsley and take the X19 bus to Goldthorpe. A further
       check on Saturday morning showed that the return timings were
       more convenient via Doncaster, so on arrival at Brighouse
       station a ticket to Donny was purchased. On the train to Leeds,
       a further check revealed that buses were unable to reach
       relevant stops in Goldthorpe, which scuppered the return plans.
       There remained three possibilities in the Doncaster area - two
       with unknown referees at previously visited ground and one at an
       unknown ground with a familiar referee. The choice was for the
       latter, with the 387 bus to Moorends leaving a short stroll to
       Saturday 27th July 2024
       NCEFL Division 1
       Club Thorne Colliery   3   v   1   Wakefield
       Ellis Douglas (West Riding FA); Andrew Farr, Christopher
       Hodgkinson.
       Breakfast having been confined to a glass of fruit juice, it was
       a relief to be able to enjoy a fine pie, peas and gravy, served
       in a cardboard box. There were already quite a lot of spectators
       present at 14.15, but plenty of seats in the large stand, with
       an agreeable background of trees. In the end, the referee was
       not as familiar as expected: only ten weeks have passed since I
       enjoyed his work at Wyke, but the effort involved in growing the
       obligatory beard had aged him by a decade. It was a decent
       beard, but as beards go, it should!
       Mr Hodgkinson created confusion and merriment after the toss by
       heading over to the touchline and taking up position alongside
       the Wakefield right back, who may have been wearing an alluring
       aftershave. When Mr Farr spotted him and waved him to the other
       end, he initially ran towards the centre circle, before turning
       sharp right to find his right place.
       Thorne looked to have drawn a tough introductory fixture on
       their return to the NCEFL after 38 years, with Wakefield being
       one of the division's fancied sides, and sure enough from the
       start Wakefield looked the stronger unit. After just 3 minutes a
       foul by the Thorne number 3 saw Mr Douglas call him for a long
       walk, a short word and a big smile. It was no surprise when
       Wakefield went ahead through a 13th minute header. Thorne were
       awarded a free-kick near the corner of the penalty area.
       Wakefield saw fit to differ and had to be walked back the
       requisite distance. As Mr Douglas trotted off to his position,
       though, he turned his back and they stepped forward a couple of
       paces, with a further rush between whistle and kick not being
       picked up. On 37 minutes a rash challenge by a Thorne defender
       saw the well-placed Mr Douglas promptly award a penalty. This
       was not struck particularly hard, but still passed yards over
       the crossbar.
       Half-time thoughts were of a plucky effort by the "minnows" and
       continued when the Thorne keeper blocked an effort with his
       legs. On 51 minutes, however, a Thorne shot against the post
       gave them some encouragement. From this point they assumed the
       role of David with enthusiasm, though fortunately not with sling
       and pebbles. On 57 minutes they broke and sent an attacker free,
       with the Wakefield number 3 hauling him down. The penalty and
       red card were automatic and immediately administered. A couple
       of visiting players pleaded the case for the defence, but
       without conviction.The penalty was well struck to level the
       scores. Thorne came close, forcing the keeper to parry the ball
       away and continued to press. The visiting number 2 was called to
       receive a very clear " any more and you'll be in the sin-bin"
       warning. On 69 minutes the Thorne number 9 was perhaps fortunate
       to escape with a warning for a foul and from the free-kick a
       Thorne defender managed to clear off the line. Thorne were then
       dispossessed in the Wakefield half, Wakefield broke into the
       Thorne half as defenders retreated, a Thorne player recovered to
       effect a crucial tackle, setting a team-mate away to give the
       home side the lead. This was soon extended when the Wakefield
       defence was stretched by a crossfield ball, an excellent cross
       back and a simple header completed the job. There was a late
       yellow card for Thorne for timewasting, as a player diverted the
       ball away from the keeper about to take a kick.
       It had been a most enjoyable game, with Mr Douglas contributing
       significantly. Referees almost always get decisions correct, but
       some have an extra something about them. Mr Douglas was
       immensely impressive with his personal qualities and his
       effective communication with players. Perhaps just a shade too
       much physical contact, but he seemed able to get his message
       across with regular smiles. JCFC was reminded of Number 1 Tom at
       a similar point in his career. Whether Mr Douglas will go on to
       make similar progress remains to be seen, but if this was his
       first NCEFL middle, he should be very pleased indeed with his
       performance.
       The match finished in comfortable time to catch the bus - just
       as well as the next was not for an hour. It arrives back in
       Doncaster three minutes too late for the direct Brighouse train,
       which was annoyingly on time, but even by way of Leeds, JCFC was
       home by 20.05.
       #Post#: 81575--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Pyramid Patrol 2024/25
   DIR By: bmb
       Date: August 1, 2024, 12:31 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Delighted to see the first derailing of this thread happened on
       page 1! It's the little things... Happy Missy bmb!
       #Post#: 81597--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Pyramid Patrol 2024/25
   DIR By: JCFC
       Date: August 3, 2024, 6:21 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       On the whole, not an evening to remember. The bus journey to
       Kingston was fine and the connection going well, until shortly
       before Sunbury, when four teenagers bent on a night out boarded.
       They were loud in there conversation, the girl behind me
       painfully so.  We were then caught up in a traffic jam and one
       of her more edifying utterances was "I need a wee." This was
       worrying several minutes later, when JCFC found himself sprayed
       with liquid. The girl did not actually apologise, but pointed to
       her drinks container. JCFC wiped the liquid away, but did not
       taste it, just in case. His gentle suggestion that she might do
       penance by trying to talk more quietly did at least have some
       effect. One of her friends, a budding saleswoman, decided to
       guess JCFC'S age, starting, unbelievably flatteringly, in the
       low fifties, eventually rising to 65, before expressing
       disbelief at the answer 76. She probably changed her mind on
       seeing this old codger rising awkwardly to disembark at
       Friday 2nd August 2024
       FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round
       Spelthorne Sports   0   v   1   Burgess Hill Town
       Matthew Leaning; Paul Isles, Samuel Gregory.
       The ground had little to commend it, though the natives were
       friendly. The toilets were located in the clubhouse, 100 yards
       away, the stand had too shallow a rake and after trying a couple
       of seats that were clearly broken, JCFC found one that was
       serviceable, just, with a forward slope that made it difficult
       to stay upright. Just before the start, a group of visiting
       supporters appeared, including one very loud lady who proceeded
       to hold long-range conversations on various topics. After a
       quarter of an hour of this, the gentleman next to me declared
       that he had had enough of this and departed to pastures new.
       The programme was a thing of wonder, with pages in apparently
       random order, some appearing twice, others not at all. Still,
       they tried. The referee looked nothing like the photos produced
       by googling "Oliver Hind referee" but in the absence of any
       indication to the contrary, JCFC is happy to assume that there
       are two officials with that name. Amendments show that the
       referee was in fact Matthew Leaning. This one was very young,,
       with a slightly foppish appearance due to a floppy hairstyle.
       After half an hour JCFC'S notepad was blank, except for a
       comment that Mr Leaning was proving brisk and decisive
       Otherwise the only event of note came on 35 minutes, the
       visitors taking the lead with an excellent acrobatic finish from
       a mid-air horizontal position. The second half was even more
       dreary, with play largely at the opposite end, but with little
       in the way of goal threats.  The loud lady had moved away, but
       the baton was picked up by her friend, whose speciality seemed
       to be extracting discounts from the young boys selling Spelly
       wares. It is to be hoped they did not make too big a loss.
       Spelthorne offered no threat until the 88tth minute, when they
       suddenly unleashed a powerful shot which the keeper just managed
       to tip over the bar.
       Mr Leaning issued two yellows to Spelthorne - one on 48 minutes
       for bringing down a winger in full flow and one in added time to
       a player previously spoken to - but in a rather soulless
       encounter, there was little for him to do. That said, like
       Gilbert's House of Peers, he "did nothing in particular and did
       it very well." A promising evening's work.
       At least the return journey went well.
       #Post#: 81619--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Pyramid Patrol 2024/25
   DIR By: JCFC
       Date: August 3, 2024, 3:48 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Saturday 3rd August 2024
       FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round
       Epsom & Ewell   0   v   0   Phoenix Sports
       Owen Lawrence (Sussex FA); Sidiru Idris, Joshua Pereira.
       Was it in Epsom? Or Ewell? No and no. Had it been switched to
       Kent or even Arizona? Again, no. So JCFC caught the super loop
       to Worcester Park station, train one stop to Motspur Park,
       changing for a two stop journey to Tolworth. A reasonable walk
       then led to Corinthian Casuals' ground. The time before the
       start was passed in the agreeable company of a Pilcrow from
       Dorking.
       As Mr Lawrence waited to lead the teams out, JCFC noted his
       swept back hair (not the fully fledged DA, but heading in that
       direction) and a rather pugnacious-looking expression. Mr Idris
       looked more jovial, but his hair had been swept not back but
       away. Mr Pereira seemed pretty normal on both scores.
       Phoenix applied all the pressure in the first quarter, without
       threatening greatly. Mr Lawrence is a young man of medium
       height, so when he summoned the giant Phoenix number 9 at an
       early free-kick, the rebuke was delivered to somewhere below his
       collarbone. It was a rather stop start affair, with numerous
       petty offences and a number of knocks. The home side did offer a
       little more in the second quarter, but not a great deal. Mr
       Lawrence's involvement included a yellow for Epsom, for an
       attack stopper,  a warning for their number 9 and his captain, a
       yellow for Phoenix after advantage and a clear "no more" for the
       Phoenix number 8. Towards the end of the half, Mr Pereira flag
       drew Mr Lawrence across for a conversation, the referee
       returning to show his yellow card to the Epsom number 3.
       The second half followed in similar fashion, with an early
       opportunity for each side failing to find the target. The fare
       was pretty poor, with no real intensity apart from a couple of
       minor squabbles in added time, with a final yellow card for
       Phoenix. Sadly, a dull affair - may those attending Tuesday's
       replay have better entertainment.
       Mr Lawrence has a bouncy walk, which looks combative initially,
       but on the whole, with minor reservations, he did little wrong
       and saw things to a satisfactory conclusion. A decent effort
       then, but the only smile or sign of enjoyment came just after he
       (rightly) rejected Phoenix penalty claims. As usual, JCFC will
       continue to watch his development with interest, but not quite
       the same hopes and expectations that will be the case for last
       night's referee.
       As an aside, this traditionalist laments the decline in the
       wearing of County badges for Cup competitions.
       #Post#: 81680--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Pyramid Patrol 2024/25
   DIR By: JCFC
       Date: August 5, 2024, 4:55 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       For Sunday three ties were within reach, all at grounds
       previously visited, one of them with a referee seen in the past.
       The eventual choice was
       Sunday 4th August 2024
       FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round
       Littlehampton Town   1   v   0   Tooting and Mitcham United
       Jack Hussey (Hampshire); Reuben Honeychurch-Turner, Oscar
       Cotton.
       The outward trip involved changes at Selhurst and East Croydon
       and the ground was reached with nearly two hours to spare.
       Googling "Jack Hussey referee" produced countless references to
       an apparently controversial American Football official, with no
       images of the correct one. The reason for the absence of
       pictures, he subsequently joked, was to give folks a pleasant
       surprise when they saw him appear. AR1's distinctive name made
       it easy to find a photo of a smart young fellow on the
       Portsmouth Referees Development Group's site. An Oscar Cotton,
       bearded, was found in Sussex. In the old days, with the dress
       code, officials were easily identifiable, but on this occasion a
       strange Rag, Tag and Bobtail emerged for a walk around. The
       tallest of the three actually looked quite impressive in smart
       black training gear. He was accompanied by a small man, who from
       a distance looked rather old - though when seen rather closer,
       this proved an optical illusion, with his short back and sides
       to blame. Initial thoughts were that he might be an Observer,
       but his black top with lime green sleeves marked him out as
       either a referee or an employee of Asda. This was Mr Cotton. The
       third member, in blue sweatshirt, was a bespectacled
       hippy-looking type, with scraggy beard and copious locks held
       roughly in place with a headband. How wise of the Development
       Group not to have updated his photo.
       Littlehampton made the early running, with one close call in the
       visitors' goalmouth and took the lead on 8 minutes, with a shot,
       or more probably a cross, seeming to pass through the keeper.
       Tooting soon came close as an interesting encounter developed:
       the visitors putting together some good moves, the home side
       preferring a more direct approach. Midway through the half, a
       reckless challenge by the Tooting number 4 saw Mr Hussey
       immediately extract his card, but the offender walked.away,
       deliberately ignoring Mr Hussey. Half a century ago, it used to
       be that referees could not tell a player to come to him, but
       could tell him not to move away. Number 4 was not for
       cooperating either way, but Mr Hussey was finally able to show
       the card. The visiting number 7, meanwhile, had too much to say
       for himself. Littlehampton survived a couple of shaky moments
       late in the half.
       Around the hour mark, a throw from the keeper and a quick flick
       on sent the home striker clear, but he could not keep his shot
       down. There was a warning with captain for the Tooting number
       10. Another decent Tooting attack saw the ball tipped over for a
       corner. As so often nowadays, there was a lot of holding,
       leading to frequent stoppages in play. On 81 minutes a free-kick
       to Littlehampton drew protests from their players and a yellow
       card for their boss, for what appeared to be at the lower end of
       the scale of managerial outbursts. On 85 minutes the visitors
       had a shot rebound off the inside of the post back across the
       face of the goal, but nobody was there to touch it in. The
       Tooting skipper was invited again, this time to quell his number
       17's moaning. As the game reached 90 minutes it became rather
       messy. A Littlehampton player on the far side of the pitch had
       gone to ground and looked to leg up an opponent. As he regained
       his feet, he was barged over by the Tooting man. JCFC 's
       immediate reaction was a yellow apiece, a view seemingly shared
       by Mr Hussey, who raised ta yellow, though it was not clear who
       the recipient was. Players converged to display their handbags,
       at the end of which another yellow was shown, with a red for the
       Tooting number 7, which did not displease JCFC. Littlehampton
       received two yellows in added time, both for timewasting, in one
       way or another.
       It was a shame that the final ten minutes proved so fractious.
       Mr Hussey had a pleasant manner and otherwise had things under
       control. He is not yet a replacement for the sadly departed
       number one Jack, but on the whole did a good job - as did his
       assistants!
       There was a change of trains at Ford on the way back, but on
       arrival at East Croydon, the desired connection to Selhurst was
       shown as cancelled because of passenger misbehaviour. This had
       one positive side, as JCFC discovered that the Superloop 7 bus
       from West Croydon surprisingly calls at East Croydon before
       heading West again. This knowledge may be useful in three weeks,
       when JCFC will be returning in search of FA Vase matches.
       *****************************************************
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