A DAY TO REMEMBER..

I feel a bit nervous of sharing personal photographs, but this one was taken five years ago almost to the day when Southampton won the Johnstone`s Paint Trophy at Wembley.  And Bristol City`s win last weekend has rekindled memories of that day in 2010 which was the culmination of something of a struggle in earlier rounds to reach Wembley. 

I had the pleasure of being at Wembley back in 1976 when Southampton beat Manchester United to win the FA Cup thanks to the late Bobby Stokes`s decisive strike so I was determined to make the 2010 JPT Final.  The `group` in the photo are the Southampton Codgers - an exclusive collection of the more mature, discerning Saints fans, whose slogan, emblazoned on their flags, is `Have Some Tea and Cake,` which sums up their attitude to football and life in general - nothing too serious, all about enjoyment and good company.  We even had our very own calling cards, to be left in strategic locations or handed to deserving acquaintances as we pass through life`s journey:- 

As the years have gone by, I have become less enamoured at the prospect of driving through London, so my journey to Wembley took the form of a drive up the M25 to Watford, where after some excursions up and down cul-de-sacs and asking directions a few times, I found the station, bought my ticket and took the train to Wembley in the company of some amiable Carlisle fans who had travelled down for the day.

Getting off the train, I found Greggs, sat in a park and ate my `lunch` and made my way to The Green Man, the pub designated as the Codgers meeting place.   With one of the younger Codgerettes nominated as my carer, we made our way the to Stadium and  with the other 55,000 Saints fans there that day, we revelled in the 4-1 victory, courtesy of goals from Michail Antonio, Adam Lallana, Papa Waigo and Rickie Lambert, shown left to right.  (Of the team that day, only Jose Fonte and Kelvin Davis are still at the club, so does life move on.)

Back to the Green Man, more restrained revels, a brief tour of the sights of down town Wembley and then the return journey home, groping my way out of Watford but feeling like a kid again, like 1976 all over again, despite my septuagenarian status as one of the more senior Codgers (my silver locks and wizened features giving away my identity in the photo above?)   And so the memories of that big day out are still remembered, cherished even, as one of almost juvenile excitement in the company of like minded  devotees of the south coast`s finest.

And strange to say that, although winning the trophy that day marked a milestone in the extraordinary rise of the club from those League One days to the heights of the Premier League, I suspect we Codgers got as much pleasure from that day to remember as we do from the dizzy heights to which the Saints have now ascended, however long that may last.   Maybe we`re just easily pleased?

WANNA BE IN MY GANG?

Police and local councils gained new powers yesterday to deal with gang-related violence and crime.  The new ‘gang injunctions’, or “gangbos”, which can be sought in the county courts against suspected  gang involvement, function in a similar way to ASBOs. The injunctions are tailored to individuals and can involve being banned from entering certain areas, owning certain animals (such as dangerous dogs), wearing gang ‘colours’, or even using the internet.

Sounds like good news and bad news.  The good news is that the illustrated cognicenti of places like Portsmouth, whilst they may see it as yet another badge of honour to be won, might now find themselves banned from the environs of Fratton Park (kraP nottarF), having to leave their bull terriers at home whilst Portsmouth Football Club can expect to see a dramatic slump in the sale of replica shirts.  

These prospects seem particularly apt on a day when official Home Office figures show details of anti-social crimes committed in individual areas of the country.

 Unsurprisingly, our friends from Portsmouth come top of the list for violence, with no less than 38 violent attacks carried out in just one street - Guildhall Walk -in December alone.  Surrey Street in Portsmouth only managed to come third in the country for overall crime, however,  behind streets in Preston and Swansea, so they`ll doubtless be working hard to improve on that performance from now on.

The bad news is that my crew and I seem not to feature at all and I suppose all the time we meet in M. Hulot`s French Patisserie for our pre-match coffee and croissants, dressed in our Blue Harbour designer gear and behaving in a manner befitting devotees of a family-friendly football club, the  much prized Gangbos will continue to elude us.

We may have to resort to extreme measures such as dropping crumbs on the floor and spilling coffee down our Blue Harbours but I think it will be a while before we can up our gangbo game enough for Southampton`s Town Quay to make the national list.