April Fool's day. I really am not a fan of practical jokes, as I think they are just getting enjoyment out of someone's misery. It is certainly no April Fool's joke to find ourselves in the home stretch for the season and pushing for a play-off place. Safe from relegation was going to be enough for me this season, so entering April needing only one point to guarantee we don't get relegated is a joy to behold! There was uncertainty at the start of the season, with a new manager and concerns that players and staff were zooming down the M6 after Paul Simpson.
Last month I attended both of the County Cup semi-finals, first watching Workington Reds beat Gilford Park 1-0, and then watching Carlisle beat Wetherigg 5-0. The latter game saw Richard Prokas return competitively to Brunton Park as an opposition player. I always liked Richard, and felt that he was overly punished following the infamous Arsenal cup game. I personally felt that Wenger made as much as possible of the incident to cover the fact that his team were dirtier and only just beat a team 90 places below them. I still do not forgive Wenger for that.
OK, so this is a fanzine about an Association Football team, but a part of my heart will forever be given over to Rugby Football, of the Union variety. Every year I watch the 6 nations (or 5, as it used to be) and this year's was an enthralling tournament. I watched every game and enjoyed them all, but the finale Saturday was mind blowing! Ireland were up first, away to Italy, and knowing they had to rack up the points pushed for one more try, only to concede a try in the 83rd minute. France came next and scored a try in the 81st minute to squeeze above Ireland. England were last to go, playing away at Wales. A massive win would see England crowned champions. Er, they got beat, so that left the French as champions. Still, all great games, and well worth sacrificing a Brunton Park visit that afternoon (I listened to the CUFC match on the radio, as I watched the rugby).
This month also sees me transfer my goalkeeping skills to a new soccer-6 team. I have been playing for The Crown Corkers for the last year (which was three seasons), but will now be playing play for a team made up primarily of NHS IT staff. There were several suggestions for a name for this new team, and these were put to the vote by all the Regular Players. The winning name was The Separatists, with 'Nuclear Holocaust Survivors' coming a close second!
The Separatists team name suggestion came from my recent comedic exploration of Cumbrian Separatism, including one of my Message Board identities, which itself was a springboard for an article by Tino in the CUFC matchday programme!
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