Brentford v Scunthorpe United

Saturday, March 3, 2007

Football League One

Brentford :
Abbey, O'Connor, Richards, Frampton, Tillen, Leary, Mousinho, Brooker, Ide, Willock (Peters 75), Shipperley
Subs not used:
Nelson, Pinault, Heywood, Montague

Scunthorpe United :
Murphy, Mulligan, Butler, Foster, Ridley (Williams 61), Taylor, Hinds, Goodwin, Hurst (MacKenzie 68), Sharp, Beckford
Subs not used:
Lillis, Torpey, Baraclough

SULSESC REPORT

by Steve Edwards at Griffin Park

I’M always considered quite sad at work, being a Scunny fan, a sort of novelty really, so this year I’m walking round like a peacock.

I harp on to anyone who will listen about what a great little club we are, and after this match some understand what it’s like being in our select little club.

At the start of the season, I had a whip round at work and got some dosh out of my Chelsea and Fulham workmates (Paul and Paul) to sponsor Steve Foster’s shorts and socks. Now it was time to see the ‘shorts’ in action, a long standing commitment which went with the sponsorship.

I duly decked out my Premiership diehards in claret and blue and we arrived just in time to see the team bus pull up.

The door opened and we waited for the League One table toppers to alight… but the first thing to come off the coach was a set of crutches! Gulp. Anyway, the boys were keen to see ‘The Shorts’ in the flesh so when Fozzie stepped off the bus, they approached him for an autograph on their programme. I’m pleased to report Steve did us proud. When informed we sponsored some of his kit and wasn’t it about time he scored in it, he replied the ‘gaffer’ had said the very same thing on the journey down!

“What a nice bloke,” they said…and they were right. Hey, I think little Scunny is growing on them.

Onward to the allotted watering hole in Brentford High Street where a few of pints of local ale went down. This rocket fuel was recommended by a couple of Bees supporters at the bar and only after I’d ordered did they say it was 5 per cent strength. They advised that if they drank enough of it, they could be temporarily blinded by half-time which helped no end when watching the Bees this season!

I only know Andy Skeels in SULSESC, and, thanks to him, I now have a weird affliction to Kingstonian FC. He’s the only person I know, probably in the world, who still drinks light and bitter. I thought that went out with Watney’s Red Barrel. Andy was kind enough to take a break from his socialising and took a commemorative picture of the three of us in claret and blue for the wall at work and then it was onward to Griffin Park.

Brentford looked kindly on us by whacking their early penalty into Kew Gardens, while we returned the favour by rattling their crossbar twice.

Fozzie and Butts were having a wrestling match with the ample frame of the Bees’ Neil Shipperley, who appears to have been super-sized since I last saw him play.

As the game ebbed and flowed, Mr. Beckford eased the nerves by coolly slotting home after a mistake in the home defence. I’m beginning to warm to him…

The second-half started with the Bees in full flow and they should have equalised after a few minutes but the shot whipped round the outside of the post. It’s difficult being objective when you’re as biased as I am, but to be fair the Bees should have had a couple, and we probably should have had more.

We always looked dangerous on the break with Cleveland shading my vote as man of the match. Indeed, playing directly in front of the away faithful in the second-half, he weaved inside and out at pace, causing panic in the red and white back line. The ‘Shorts’ didn’t score, but Cleveland did, ensuring my share of the sweep in a 2-0 forecast win.

I left the ground regretting the choice of a Chicken Balti pie from the Bees naff grub shop, which was still repeating on me well into the evening.

I think we are going up, and I’m going to enjoy every minute as I’ve suffered since my first United match in 1979. I hope every one of you gets to GP for the last home match to see the celebrations. It could be like Hayley’s Comet…seen once every 70 odd years!

I don’t envy Nigel Adkins in deciding who to keep and who to let go for a Championship voyage into the unknown. What I do know is that we owe every one of these players a debt for playing out of their skins this season. And me, I’m still under the doctor for this weird obsession of continually staring at Page 325 of Ceefax.