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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

IN FROM THE COLD...

In a weekend of fluctuating fortunes for Snopper Street`s footy fans, one performance stood out.   Whilst there was the euphoria of the Saints picking up three precious points away at Aston Villa and the dejection at Gillingham being beaten at home by promotion rivals Port Vale, it was our local hero Scott Wagstaff who scored the winner in Charlton`s 2-1 home win against Blackpool.

This was a fixture with a few curious twists. Speculation had been rife that former Charlton boss Phil Parkinson might be leaving Bradford to take over at Bloomfield Road.  There had also been talk of our street`s pacy flanker moving oop north to join Parky at Valley Parade, but neither of these rumours became reality.  Also, there`s an elderly gentleman living just round the corner who used to play for Blackpool, but it was Wagstaff`s return to the team after months on the sidelines that gave us most cause for celebration.

This might well have been Scott`s first start in the Championship, I`m not sure, but I do know that he has spent most of the season either honing his bench-warming skills or not being involved in Charlton`s games at all.   It has all been a bit baffling really, especially as, having been at the Valley since the age of nine, he has always given 110% and bleeds the red and white of the Addicks with a passion.   And he just wants to play.  For them.

No matter, he was given his chance on Saturday and took it with both hands (well, feet really) in a performance that demonstrated to manager Chrissy (The Leg End) Powell all his talents as a box-to-box midfield dynamic pacy flanker-cum-striker with a good engine, an eye for a pass and a lethal finish as he powered home the winning goal beyond the despairing clutches of the Seasiders` custodian to send the home fans into delerium.

Scott`s return from being an outcast to being brought back in from the cold has given him, his family and all of us in this soccer mad enclave much pleasure and encouragement.   Next stop Ewood Park, Blackburn?

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