football
WEM-bluE
as Cardiff City prepare for the Fa Cup taking pictures, making memories. the battle, not the station), “i don’t know what they
final against portsmouth this month, memories of this day start with the eight o’clock do to the enemy, but by god, they terrify me!”
they can look to build on the joy meet in a pub car park to pick up our transport, in a nice way, of course.
from the 1-0 semi-final victory over a very large, very long car, max boyce it isn’t..
barnsley at Wembley. itv Wales’s “We went up by train and ….stretch-limo” Safely cocooned once more, we survive a
rob king joined the hordes heading doesn’t really ring true, but honestly that was good-natured snowballing from people travelling
East on a special day out for the the only thing left. We would have preferred in mere coaches, and set off again. oh yes,
fans. a minibus, although then again, needs must. the snow. in april. on the m4. Where we
my daughter angharad would be extremely are overtaken by a cardiff double-decker bus
“We’re the famous cardiff city and we’ve won impressed. even rhydian is, if slightly confused with “Wembley” showing as its destination.
at Wem-ber-ley! when told to park himself in the back where it all adds to the general sense of the surreal
the lap dancer usually sits. the boys are joking. which colours most of the day. We discuss the
Wem-ber-ley! Wem-ber…” i hope. prospects for the afternoon. i am actually more
optimistic than usual, which admittedly isn’t
they say you should never, ever, dance in front “Cardiff City ... in the difficult, but try to convince my mates.
of your kids. probably, you shouldn’t sing in front
of them either. this particular kid, rhydian, my Fa Cup Final. Can you “look,” i say.”i interviewed all the players in
son, 14 years old and cool as they come, clearly the week. they’re not cocky at all, but quietly
not impressed. i stop singing and attempt the believe it?” confident. And anyway, people always claim class
calm, considered comment. tells at Wembley.”
So, thirteen of us head off to london in style,
“cardiff city,” i tell him, measured, mature, but although the number immediately panics one my real hopes, however, are based on the
actually still manic, “in the fa cup final. can you of the party, even more superstitious and essential unfairness of football. Since barnsley
believe it?” pessimistic than the average city fan. far too beat both liverpool and chelsea, they obviously
unlucky, he announces. Someone must get out deserve to reach the final, at least. So, football
“of course,” he says, glancing at our players, (no chance) or someone else must get in ( even being football, they won’t. This also reflects my
our wonderful, marvellous players, going quietly less chance.) convinced of failure, he consoles whole theory on knock-out sport in general. it’s
crazy down on the pitch. “they won.” himself with a pre-breakfast chablis. simply not true to say you have to beat the best
to win. you hope someone else beats the best,
this, for me, is obviously not enough. far too early for the rest of us, though – four and you can then beat them. managers never
years too early for rhydian – so we’re all sober admit this, which again proves it must be so.
“and…” i prompt. to take in the sights at membury Services, which
has turned into a nest of bluebirds. the cardiff rhydian shakes his head sadly, and returns to
“and i’m glad they won,” he admits. “but it army has stopped for supplies. i am reminded his nintendo, while i stop talking and work
wasn’t a very good game.” of Wellington’s remarks before Waterloo (the my way through the twenty-five sections of
it wasn’t a very good….Where’s my dad when
i need him? of course, i know where he is,
back in llandaff watching on ceefax, listening
on the radio - we are not a Sky family - and
remembering what he told me he remembered.
Six years old, sitting with his father, listening to
the wireless, which was what they called it back
in 1927. listening to that goal go in – good
old hughie ferguson, poor old dan lewis – and
then, after that amazing april day, joining the
thousands outside the city hall to watch fred
Keenor bring the cup back to Wales. he’s
always said he never expected to see us in the
final again in his lifetime. be honest, i never
expected to see us there in my lifetime. but now
we’ve made it, and this time the pictures will be
in colour….
sportingwales
maytwothousand&eight
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