Not the words of a Watford supporter, but actually the turnstile operator in mid conversation with his colleague as I happened to hand over my ticket. I grinned and realising the irony he said ‘You heard it hear first’. I was too polite to point out that actually I’d heard it 100 times from a 100 different people and had already been once before so I didn’t need telling. I’m sure Simon Jordan would be chuffed to bits to know that is how his staff greet the away fans.
Actually I think its a little unfair. I like old fashioned football grounds and Selhurst certainly is that. Just as with the East Stand, wandering around the Arthur Wait Stand you kind of feel like there’s a chance you might end up somewhere you’re not meant to. No chance of such a thing happening at Stadium:MK or even the Rous Stand.
Getting to and from Selhurst is another matter entirely and for its sheer impossibility deserves the tag shit hole. On Google Maps and my TomTom it looks like a pleasant hours drive. I left home (High Wycombe, if you are wondering) at about 12.40pm went down the M40 and was quickly in West London. The slog round to South East London then took forever, eventually getting me to a parking space about a mile away from Selhurst at 2.25pm. Coming back I decided to go round the M25 but sat in a traffic jam south of Coulsdon for a good half an hour getting home at 7.15pm. I’ve got to and from Leicester quicker.
Judging by todays performance in previous posts I may have been a bit harsh on the ‘Orns. Maybe I went with very low expectations but we were fantastic. All the fight, passion and desire that had been lacking in pre-season and, I guess, in the last 9 or so miserable months was back and flowing through the whole team.
I’m not wanting to get carried away so I will temper this by saying I’m not now expecting a promotion push or anything similar, but this will do. Even had we lost today I would’ve come away happy because they all showed how much they care. Top marks to everyone. I can’t think of one player that I could say had a bad game.
I was delighted to be proved wrong in that we did start a Priskin chant, and I’d forgotten when I wrote the chants posting that Lloyd Doyley is now the beneficiary of the Ngonge chant.
A good day all round. Great atmosphere from the away support, great passion on the pitch, just a shame about the weather and location of the ground. But I guess I was warned.
Another scrap against Palace. Aidy wasn’t involved for once.
