Friday December 26th

Got up late – everyone was up. The morning went pleasantly enough talking and reading in the dining room with everyone else. Dad is off for four days so he was in a really jovial mood.

As Mum and Carol prepared the dinner, Robert and Dad went out for a walk by the canal – I didn’t want to go, I don’t really know why. After they had gone the weather, which had been quite sunny, turned and it began first to hail and sleet heavily and then to snow. They came back after about an hour and after dinner we (Robert, Andrew and I) left everyone else watching “Zulu Dawn” and went to Cardigan Park.

We parked the car down Arkley Villas and walked on to the ground. We got quite a surprise when we got there because there were enormous queues into the stand and shed – we got in just as the whistle went. Moorwood Town were playing in blue and yellow and were really sharp; much quicker and seemingly more alert than Easterby. The pitch was muddy in the middle and soon it became a quagmire, catching players out as the ball got stuck in it. Moorwood had the better of the first half and several times Hudson had to save well.

Then, just before half-time, McArdle had a really good run up the middle eventually sliding over with a defender in the penalty area – a penalty! Garside rammed it home to the goalies right.

In the second half Athletic started better but soon things decayed again. The match was really hot-headed, many bookings and fouls and as we were stood amid loads of Town supporters it was almost like an away match. In the 61st minute Broome was sent off for kicking another player (Darren Ward) and that signaled the end of Easterby’s attacks.

From then on it was all Moorwood, virtual siege conditions which evoked memories of the Sheffield match. All around us stood Town fans and it was desperate to watch the huge melees of players falling over each other in Athletic’s half and shots whizzing in. Hudson was Athletic’s hero, and our other best players were Goldman and Redman.

Moorwood eventually (inevitably) equalised after 82 minutes through Miller, and the siege continued until the end. I remember hearing someone saying, in desperation that, “It’s like bloody Mafeking.” They were lucky to get a point.

I spent my evening in the dining room reading “Extraterrestrial Civilisations” by Isaac Asimov and watching a bit of television. I watched a brilliant programme about Falkland Island Rock Hopper penguins at teatime.

Next week I’ll have to make a start on my homework – Deborah and Lee Hoy come home tomorrow.