WHEN THE BRAGGING HAS TO STOP...

I guess it`s now.

For some time now, there has been a kind of grudgingly mutual respect amongst the footy followers of Snopper Street, but there has also been a kind of benign feeling of `supportive competitiveness` involving my own devotion to Southampton, Mr. Slightly`s marriage to Gillingham and also involving Charlton FC, for whom our street`s industrious wideman, Scott Wagstaff, plies his trade as their buzzin` pacy flanker.

It`s all been good knockabout stuff and, of course, our longstanding quest has been to have a weekend when all three teams win their matches and garner nine points out of nine.  I honestly can`t recall when, if ever, it last happened, but hope has sprung eternal up to now.  A few weeks ago, it seemed possible, but the sudden dramatic collapse of Charlton`s form has seen them lose their last six games and so make their chances of reaching even the play-offs now seem a distant dream.

In the meantime, both high riding Southampton and the  Gills recorded impressive 3-1 wins on Saturday, but Charlton were undone by a late goal by lowly Brentford to extend their winless run under new(ish) manager, Chrissy (The Legend?) Powell.   Now normally, Mr. Slightly and I would be inwardly smirking to ourselves, but in truth I can`t bring myself to feel anything other than sympathy for Scotty, his sixpack, his battling chums on the pitch, his supportive family and the rest of the Charlton fans.   Indeed, having had our teams in similarly dire straits, we may just confine ourselves to accepting that, once more, our elusive nine out of nine quest has been thwarted.

As for me, I wish Gillingham well in their own push for promotion, I hope the Saints manage to secure theirs too, but I think most of all I hope Scotty and his mates can come through this slough of despond and regroup ready for next season, when it is still entirely possible that all three teams will again be in the same division.

At which point, you can be assured that bragging rights will be resumed.  With a vengeance!