The chaps thought I was mad going to Stoke. Several reasons. Number one was that the match was being shown live on telly and could be watched in the comfort of our local pub. Number two was the fact of our poor form. We’ve played four and lost four. And reason three was that it was a lunchtime kick-off on the advice of the police. A lunchtime kick-off is meant to act as a deterrent to visiting fans, as it means their having to rise before dawn for the long journey, and with little or no prospect of a decent pre-match drink on arrival to fortify themselves for the game. Even the manager and the centre-half weren’t going up, they said. They had decided instead to stay at home to fast and pray and observe the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur.
But I am an old disciple who delights in perversity.
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