They are playing at New Wembley (it's two years old - are we still supposed to call it that?) on Saturday in the FA Trophy Final, and I'm going.
Some may know I'm a London-dwelling Aston Villa fan and wonder why. So ten quick points on my football lineage.
1) I was born in Leeds*
2) I moved to the Midlands, just south of Birmingham^ aged 6
3) I credit Grandma Dob with kindling my interest, as she watched Final Score every Saturday to check her pools coupon. Then I had to find out what the words & numbers meant.
4) I got into football properly aged about 10
5) Italia 90 hooked me for good
6) The local big club was Aston Villa, and I went to my first game was in 91. That was just after we lost David Platt to Bari, and Big Ron Atkinson took over from Dr Jo Venglos (yeah, remember him now don't you!)
7) Well, the really local club was Kidderminster Harriers, so they're my second team
(Don't ask about my brief "career" as a sub for Harriers Ladies under-15s. I was useless!!)
8) I generally love football, and will happily go to games as a neutral. Even alone.
9) Orient is my nearest team these days...
10)...but I have several close friends from York, some living nearby, hence being asked to swell the crowd on Saturday.
And that reminded me of the old Lee & Herring 'York City Are Magic' sketch. See You Tube clip below.
Over and out.
x
Footnotes:
*All my Dad's side of the family are from Leeds, but there's little footballing love. Dad went to Leeds United occasionally in the Revie years, but only cos his mates did. In the same was that he was a bit of a mod cos his mates were, had a Vespa, but never bought the records for me to inherit. Honestly, some people...!
^All my Mum's side of the family are from Birmingham. East side, so there's a couple of dark dark stories of Blues-supporting great Uncles (a greengrocer in Sparkbrook springs to mind) and a parrot trained to say a pro-Blues statement I cannot bring myself to type here. I try not to think about that. Dark days...
