It's a long long way

I’d still been trudging along my rut at the alarmingly, electrifying pace of a snail. I was drinking far too much, or up until the first week in October I had anyway. John had started school and Trelayne had a job that had led to her being on the opposite shift to mine. On the…… Continue reading 7/11/98 West Bromwich Albion v Blues, Stepping Off The Treadmill.

Since Francis’s first season, I’d gone ballistic on the jobs front. I’d gone from working at the same factory for 4 years, to working at 5 different ones in the space of 12 months. I suffer from itchy feet. By that, I don’t mean I don’t dry between my toes properly and end up with…… Continue reading 21/3/98 Blues v Nottingham Forest, Setting Mini Me On The Path To Indoctrination.

Me and Trelayne had got married. At the time, I couldn’t see a way out of the life I’d drifted into, and had just resigned myself to my fate. The domestic finances were sporadic. I was still working at the same place, and even Trelayne had gone back to work. However, things weren’t running smoothly.…… Continue reading 21/9/96 Manchester City v Blues, Sussed Out Worn Out.

I was finding domestic bliss a living Hell. My son John had by now turned one. He’d learnt to walk but hadn’t mastered the art of talking. Over 25 years later and although he’s graduated Uni, is now working and living with his girlfriend, he still hasn’t mastered the art of talking. In fairness to…… Continue reading 10/12/94 Chester City v Blues, The Fun of Playing Away.

Life never does though. Right, here goes. I’ll start with my life first, certainly different but no less complicated. The extra clinginess that had been wearing me down, had turned out to be pregnancy. I was now the proud but personally devastated and extremely tired father of a son. I was also a home owner…… Continue reading 27/4/94 West Bromwich Albion v Blues, The Boinging Stopped.

Life is forever changing, you can believe you’re in total charge of things, but you never truly are. The relationship I’d started out of sheer boredom, had taken over, I had fallen hard, things had moved on, I’d changed jobs but more importantly, my domestic situation had changed, I’d moved in with the girl that…… Continue reading 12/9/92 Millwall v Blues, A New Experience At The Old Den.

It was the last home game of the season. It had gone past first base with promotion, and was on the verge of sealing the deal on the fabled third date. Nervous excitement personified. By this time, Chris had been been joined by some of his closer mates who had been spellbound and enticed by…… Continue reading 25/4/92 Blues v Shrewsbury Town, Invisible Leapfrog.

Me and Chris met up, and got the train to Wolverhampton, where we were joined by Daz and Sid from Willenhall and then Spen and George from Wombourne. We boarded the Manchester train when it arrived, and found Walshy and Pughey on it. It had the feelings of a big day. Getting off in Macclesfield…… Continue reading 11/4/92 Chester City v Blues, Three Point Turn On The Road.

It was a normal home game. Of course it wasn’t, it was Stoke, it was Judus coming back with the Snake. It was going to be their last supper. Well that’s what we wanted and hoped for. We were up for it. I wasn’t expecting what actually happened though. I caught the usual time train…… Continue reading 29/2/92 Blues v Stoke City, Roger The Referee.

This was the away game everyone wanted to go to, obviously, it was made all ticket, and in those days, other than the few season ticket holders and the handful of shareholders we had back then, it was very much a free for all, first come, first served. Had it not been made all ticket,…… Continue reading 4/1/92 Stoke City v Blues, Stoking The Fire.