A jaunt to the north east
I don't know what made me want to go to Arbroath, nearly two hours drive away and when I arrived there at six o'clock I still didn't. All I knew was that I hadn't been to a 'Well game for months and Arbroath was local compared to Southend and Baldock! We got our usual excellent coverage from the media. While there were reporters at the Old Firm games abroad I doubt they knew (or cared) about our games in England. At least the Sunday Mail said we were playing Arbroath ; the tele-text service on BBC, STV and Sky didn't even list it in the fixture list. At least Sky gave every Premier club its own page, giving details of friendlies but ours only included the game against Porto before the other games were played.
For some people the definition of hell might be having to kill and hour and a half in Arbroath but it has a couple of chippies and every second shop seems to sell smokies. The coast offers a very nice view, especially with dinner from one of the afore mentioned chippies. Gayfield Park is a very tidy ground with all four sides covered and the North Sea always provides a gentle sea breeze on those warm Arbroath days!
The game was a walkover as we were 5-0 up at half-time but we only added one more in the second half. The plus side was John Hendry, as he scored four goals in the first half. The best of which was a back heel flick over his head into the far corner. Maybe Klinsmann taught him something after all. Eddie May looked good in midfield and was rewarded with two well taken goals. Any programme collectors will want to know that no programme was issued for this game.
Stripped off Again
Another season and another new strip. A least the club have shown common sense recently and have kept the same shirts for two seasons. Lets hope that this one is the same. Many traditionalists are complaining about the lack of a claret band, but the last time it was cut out we won the cup. The home top is actually quite nice but the shorts! A few 'Well fans have said that we would look better with plain claret shorts but then the opposition wouldn't tire themselves out laughing. The shirt claims to be made of Setila Comforto, high tech blah blah with more blah blah for maximum comfort!! It seems pricey at nearly forty quid and I hope the new material didn't put the price up (knowing football clubs it won't have) as last years seemed to be fine. The away top is quite okay but looks plain and dull if you can't see the claret at the sides.
Derek Wilson
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