It was a spur of the moment decision. Because of ill health I haven't been to a game in a few seasons but lately I have been feeling better and more confident. I asked my two teenage foster girls if they would like to come with me as they had never been to a match before. "Yeeess!" they both screamed.
So we set off. My wife wanted dropping off at Tesco on the way and as I had no cash I asked her to get some cash back for me. She duly did her shopping, came back to the car, gave me a kiss, said bye to us all and set off for home. I pressed the start button in the car only for a display to show that the ignition fob was not in the car. Bggr- it was in the wife's handbag. One of the girls chased the missus and recovered said fob. As we drove off the other girl asked me if I had got any cash fom my my wife. Bggr-no I hadn't. An emergency stop, a 56 point turn, and a race to the cash machine in Tesco. Of course, there were a few people in front of me, I waited "patiently" for them to finish their business and managed to withdraw some cash.
Only a few yards up from Tesco car park is a small roadworks. The light was red-for ages-and ages. Finally it turned green and off we drove, just in time to see the barriers fall at the level crossing. Never has a train been so long and travelled so slowly.
We got going again and as the traffic was heavy and the slip road to the town centre was rammed, we carried on to North Ormesby and after cruising around for ages we found a parking spot behind the Crown and Mitre.
The last time I parked in North Ormesby was in 1997 so things have changed since then (I usually park near the Transporter). New houses and an unfamiliar layout but it was easy to navigate as we just followed the crowds. The underpass seemed much further away than I remember and there was no Argos or B&M when I last used it. This convinced me that this must be another underpass to the one that I remember. I made a mental note of trying to find the "original" underpass of my memory. It was far quicker than this one.
The queue at the ticket office went down fairly quickly (only a ten minute wait or so) and as we left we heard the crowd roar. Boro had scored and we missed it.
We found our turnstiles for the North West Upper. We presented out tickes to the scanner but to no avail. The bggrs refused to open for us. A nearby steward unlocked them for us so we were able to get into the ground. The younger girl desperately needed the toilet so we waited till she came back out before finding our seats fifteen minutes after kick off
We loved the atmosphere, the girls were excited, joined in the singing, clapping and screaming, and are now duly confirmed Boro fans, begging to go to the Blackburn game, wanting the shirts and season cards. The result didn't matter to them (it did to me)- they are now infected with Boro blood and have got the bug for life.
On leaving the ground I was determined to find the "other" underpass. Suffice to say, it was a huge fail as we ended up near Cineworld leaving us a bit of a walk to our car in Doggy. The girls didn't mind the walk. They positively floated down North Ormesby Road all the while asking when they can go back and who was the best looking player!
As for me. The reason I had not been able to attend matches was because of anxiety and panic in crowded places. I felt none of that last night, so will be going back again with the girls and if my condition stays the same I shall be asking my doctor about reducing or removing the medication I am on.
So despite the result, Dr Boro and Dr Boro Fans have improved the health of an old gadgy and made two lovely girls extremely happy.
So we set off. My wife wanted dropping off at Tesco on the way and as I had no cash I asked her to get some cash back for me. She duly did her shopping, came back to the car, gave me a kiss, said bye to us all and set off for home. I pressed the start button in the car only for a display to show that the ignition fob was not in the car. Bggr- it was in the wife's handbag. One of the girls chased the missus and recovered said fob. As we drove off the other girl asked me if I had got any cash fom my my wife. Bggr-no I hadn't. An emergency stop, a 56 point turn, and a race to the cash machine in Tesco. Of course, there were a few people in front of me, I waited "patiently" for them to finish their business and managed to withdraw some cash.
Only a few yards up from Tesco car park is a small roadworks. The light was red-for ages-and ages. Finally it turned green and off we drove, just in time to see the barriers fall at the level crossing. Never has a train been so long and travelled so slowly.
We got going again and as the traffic was heavy and the slip road to the town centre was rammed, we carried on to North Ormesby and after cruising around for ages we found a parking spot behind the Crown and Mitre.
The last time I parked in North Ormesby was in 1997 so things have changed since then (I usually park near the Transporter). New houses and an unfamiliar layout but it was easy to navigate as we just followed the crowds. The underpass seemed much further away than I remember and there was no Argos or B&M when I last used it. This convinced me that this must be another underpass to the one that I remember. I made a mental note of trying to find the "original" underpass of my memory. It was far quicker than this one.
The queue at the ticket office went down fairly quickly (only a ten minute wait or so) and as we left we heard the crowd roar. Boro had scored and we missed it.
We found our turnstiles for the North West Upper. We presented out tickes to the scanner but to no avail. The bggrs refused to open for us. A nearby steward unlocked them for us so we were able to get into the ground. The younger girl desperately needed the toilet so we waited till she came back out before finding our seats fifteen minutes after kick off
We loved the atmosphere, the girls were excited, joined in the singing, clapping and screaming, and are now duly confirmed Boro fans, begging to go to the Blackburn game, wanting the shirts and season cards. The result didn't matter to them (it did to me)- they are now infected with Boro blood and have got the bug for life.
On leaving the ground I was determined to find the "other" underpass. Suffice to say, it was a huge fail as we ended up near Cineworld leaving us a bit of a walk to our car in Doggy. The girls didn't mind the walk. They positively floated down North Ormesby Road all the while asking when they can go back and who was the best looking player!
As for me. The reason I had not been able to attend matches was because of anxiety and panic in crowded places. I felt none of that last night, so will be going back again with the girls and if my condition stays the same I shall be asking my doctor about reducing or removing the medication I am on.
So despite the result, Dr Boro and Dr Boro Fans have improved the health of an old gadgy and made two lovely girls extremely happy.
