Cod Almighty | Diary

Wayne is Wonderful

19 April 2023

Miss Guest Diary writes: I didn't expect to be here again this week but as some of our diarists actually work for a living, their time is not always their own. As a retiree I can't claim that excuse. That's not to say I don't have things to do, but it's easier to be flexible when there's no money involved.

Firstly, let me get last night out of the way. Another home win, another three points, top half of the table, a very good performance by Evan Khouri, a first league goal for Danilo Orsi, etc, etc. All good, but I have never felt so detached from a football match in my life. There have been times in the past when I have wanted to be detached, reading a book or doing a puzzle in an attempt to distance myself from the on field dross. Last night was different.

On my left were a couple of friends who spent their time reminiscing about old TV programmes, sparked I think by one of the Barrow players looking like a soap character, and treated us to impressions of Monty Python and Coronation Street characters. "I say, I say". The folks on my right were turning everything that was said into a potential musical with songs to be sung by Barbra Streisand. A higher quality game might have changed this but I doubt it. Even when Town scored we barely halted our merriment or gave much thought to the outcome.

The term which springs to mind to describe what was happening to us is punch-drunk – not from having too many actual blows to the head but from getting our heads around too many similar performances from the team, from individual players, from the opposition and from the officials. The end of the season can't come soon enough, I feel.

Getting called into CA Towers today has given me the privilege of marking the 25th anniversary of Wayne Burnett Day. That was not my first trip to a big occasion at Wembley – I grew up a mile from the stadium and in 1972 was part of a 75,000 crowd at the World Speedway Finals – but it was my first experience of a massive Town crowd. As a knock-out competition there was little weight or pressure to the game, no hopes or fears for the following season – nothing at stake but the trophy – and when Wayne, my all-time favourite Town player, scored that golden goal it was pure magic.

Watching this clip had me pondering about the history of the 'golden goal', which apparently dates back 1867 and was also used in America in the 1970s. The rule was introduced by FIFA in 1993 and Town's game against Bournemouth was one of only a handful of major games to be decided that way before the rule was abolished in 2004. I'm not sorry it's gone – it must be devastating to be on the losing end of such an abrupt conclusion to the game. Though we'd still have been alright last season with the golden goal rule in place as Town were the only scorers in each of the extra time periods of the play-off games.

Just four more games to go before we can all put our feet up and gather our strength for next season. See you on The Wirral.

UTM