"Real football" at Edgar Street

Glynis Wright reveals that her better half might become more than a part-time Hereford United supporter:

After United's exploits against Vale, I could only hope they didn't suffer for it this weekend, what with high-flying Exeter being the visitors to Edgar Street, and everything. But they did. They looked a jaded lot this afternoon, but despite all that, they still managed to create some nailed-on scoring chances; had they taken them, as per the script, they would have notched up a notable victory against a very determined adversary, but instead, the spoils went to the Devon side. A goal, very much against the run of play, midway through the second portion, closely followed by yet another, just minutes later, was enough to seal The Bulls' fate.

Unfortunate, that; immediately prior to the visitors' strike, I'd been likening this bad-tempered affair to a spat between a couple of pensioners fighting for use of the same Zimmer frame, and forecasting a bloodless (metaphorically speaking, but most certainly not in practice!) draw. It was too easy to imagine that United were competing against Birmingham City - same strip, same sponsors, same unruly supporters. From there, it's only one step to the fearsome, ugly but briefly successful Ron Saunders' Blues outfit, which even had the local Police worried. I even imagined I could see the ten celebrating outfield Exeter players bellowing "Mean Machine... Mean Machine" at their supporters.

When you're desperate, any kind of success will do, regardless of the style will do but I hope for the City supporters long-term sake, they will modify the Route One football. It does become highly tedious to watch. I never thought anything or anybody would ever deter my Other Half from being at every Albion game anywhere until the long-term damage of a Route One game got to him. After 500 consecutive games, he chose to miss a game, then another and now rarely travels to away matches. Reserves are out, so are the watching the Youth team. I can see a day when he might consider missing a home game to watch the Bulls instead. "Real football" he calls it.. and I can see what he means.

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