Cod Almighty | Diary

I get my gloves from Norris the Rubberman

11 December 2013

It's your London Diary here folks, on this wintry Wednesday. For me, this is the best time of year to be a football supporter. I love everything about it; most of the competitions are in full flow, you have to put two pairs of socks on to go to the football, the introduction of a funny coloured ball, justification that the pie you just bought is helping you keep warm, and don't get me started on the Bovril. There's a certain romance about lower-league football that I adore and I think the winter months only amplify that love.

Take last night: a 1-1 draw at BP on a bitter Tuesday night against the A12's latest Conference club. The south-east Londoners came to the north-east(ish) estuary with six of their fans in tow. They came with a game plan and played a game they planned, scoring an absolute beaut on the way.

As Middle-Aged Diary pointed out yesterday, there is no easy game in the conference. We've all known that since joining this betting-sponsored league, and Welling are a good team who play decent football when they want to. We saw that last year, when they were in the league below us with their well organised team and home-brewed lager. Doing well in this league is not just about getting a win game after game, and it's a bloody good job too. There's no denying that we didn't play our best last night but against all odds we rescued a precious point.

And getting out of this league is as much about getting a point when we don't deserve it as getting three when we do. It's about not complaining about a ref who we know is bloody awful and getting on with it. There will be worse refs and worse performances. It's about getting on with the job, pulling up your gloves and sifting through the shit. James McKeown going up for a throw-in when we're in the 94th minute and throwing the cat among the pigeons is what it's all about. Romance. What's not to love?

We've got a few games in hand with a decent run in a couple of cups, and we have a nice little unbeaten streak. It's time to put on some late 90s garage music and dance like you don't care. See you all Saturday yeah?