The Diary

Cod Almighty | Diary

It's a dirty job but someone's gotta do it

1 December 2021

Daubney Diary writes: Town's announcement on Sunday regarding our Boxing Day visit to Halifax would suggest West Yorkshire Plod are up to their old tricks. 1,200 tickets? Boo, they've got it in for us loveable rogues.  

They should be able to do their job and manage 4000 of us. They could, but you can see why they can't be arsed. Putting aside that the increased gate would perhaps be offset by the additional policing costs, it's Christmas, who wants to be at work. Particularily when work is stood in the cold, herding football fans about. 

There's no point in burying our head in the sand either. Following Town away can be a right embarrassment. Recent "cup finals" are a case in point: Bradford 2020 featured racism and a smashed-up boozer whilst the Doncaster 2016 trip was greeted as a success by the police as it only involved the latter.

This isn't stated as a self-hating Town thing, just acknowledging the numbers. You get enough people together, then mix in alcohol and whatever else, chances are someone is going to end up making a Class A tit of themselves. If you've been stuck in a train wedged with pissed up fans or you're not the type to sing songs about a serial killer and the IRA, you'll know the score. The rigorous police planning for big fixtures is only in ha'penny place compared to the military grade precision that goes into some diarists' away days to ensure they avoid exposure to the above. 

WYP's lack of willingness to forego their leftover turkey sandwiches is unfortunate for the rest of us. As Jason Stockwood's message after the Aldershot game shows, we're not all wrong 'uns: 

WYP obviously don't follow our leader. The net result is disappointing and unfair for many. They could cater for more, but if anyone is surprised they won't, let us know why. Better still, let us know what the long term answer is as Daubney hasn't got one, beyond "don't be a dick at the football".