Two Hours in the Life of a Fan

Saturday 29th April 2006
Time 3pm at Wigan 12 Midnight Sydney.

I arrived home late approx. 11.50 pm with enough relaxing pills to mark the big occasion. I had chosen Soccer Saturday on the net ahead of live coverage, so I could see the stream of goals coming in and not have to hear balls cleared off the line, or ruing missed chances, thus adding to the agony of the occasion.

It was not going to be a good night I felt, particularly as my mouse had died on me. No, not the family pet but the cordless one with batteries. It must be the batteries I thought and so zipped out around the corner to the all nighter to revitalise poor mousie. Alas he was dead alright, not working, not functioning, in fact an Ex Mouse. Blast and Double blast, I nearly through it at the wall. Could I simply log on and do everything via the keyboard? If so was I able to concentrate my efforts on that or simply go to bed 20 mins into the game. An untimely SMX message broke the nights silence, WIGAN had scored. This was all too much to take. A nervous visit to the bathroom soon followed, thoughts of Championship football
crept into my brain, into the cells that had survived after a long day at the club.

It was now half-time and no futher SMX had arrived except to mention that Brum were scoreless with the Toon. I began stalking up and down like an expectant father in the waiting room. My carpet had a track created from many moments like this, as you can imagine with so many crucial games we have had in distant seasons. And so the night started to pass faster, as it does when your side is losing. I kept asking myself 'maybe Brum will lose anyway' and 'we can still grab an equaliser'. I kept up the pacing, opening up another beer bottle is not going to help, or will it. 2 more beers consumed and DING DONG the phone received another message. POMPEY had equalised. Come on Pompey I can't sleep now, damn computer, why can't I find out what's going on. After a nervous pee, and more contemplation about what may or may not happen....think of last week Dave and the Taylor
penalty....the phone went mad again. Please God I pray the boys in blue have hit the front, and they had. I yelled with delight, 1.30am in the still of night, but who cares POMPEY HAD GRABBED ANOTHER GOAL!!!

No time for beer now, for starters there was none left, so onto the plonk, a veritable drop from South Aussie. Guzzling it like water, punching the air...no more updates please I need everything to stay as is, and that is a silent phone. We were in the lead now so seconds seemed like minutes...I can't handle this. Torture springs to mind, perhaps a bit of S and M would be somewhat more bearable. I wonder if the Pompey fans at the JJB are as anxious as me, could that be possible. Sooner or later there will be a knock at my door and 2 men in white coats will drag me away.

Oh No the phone is going beserk, first one message then another. I am not game to pick it up, will it be jubilation or downright misery. Have Brum scored a late goal. Did we hold on to win. These questions race across my mind. Will I get to sleep tonight, and if I do , will I wake up and think I've dreampt it all......

YES, YES WE ARE SAFE !! Like a little kid I prance around the make believe Xmas Tree, 'YES' I scream 'WE STAY UP'. The neighbours must have thought there was a threesome having a session !!
Finally I got some well earned sleep, safe in the knowledge that we had achieved the impossible....or was it the rest of that wine that did it. Who cares we don't have to go to St.Marys now.

Fantastic article by pompeygray!

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