The story of the season - Preston (h)

2010/11 season v Preston in the league at Fratton, Friday 8th - Wednesday 13th April 2011.

Having stayed at my folks place overnight on the Thursday following work - with work, the other work (one day a week for that assured money) too far away from me to do in one day I crash overnight at theirs - it made sense to travel from Ivybridge, or as Richie would call it 'The Bridge', to Cosham as opposed to getting a train back to Dawlish just to get another from home.

18:02 - Exeter St Davids, a regular and familiar train to me, was caught. The change at Exeter was fine, the change at Salisbury not so smooth as it was delayed although I still managed to get to Scumhampton Central on time for a connecting 22:13 - Littlehampton via Cosham, or so I thought...

The Southern Service then decided to stay at the station and not go until 22:33, which was the next departure, so for whatever reason they just opted to cancel a train - so I had ran from one platform to another, expending unnecessary energy on Scum territory, for no reason. Still I managed to get to Cosham earlier than expected although still slightly later than I had hoped but hey ho.

Saturday was a glorious day, the weather was cracking and all seemed good in the world.

The end of season curry was planned after the game so this meant no pub today, before the game, for a number of reasons - mainly finances. My cousin Paul arrived at my Aunties for about 12.30, after a brief hello and seeing the kids, my other cousin Louise's kids who were round, we were dropped into Portsmouth by his other half Lynne, collecting Saunders on the way. After the walk to Fratton it was McDonald's time, made all the sweeter by the fact it was Paul's round!

2.15 would be the time we arrived into the ground, all fed and watered. This was probably the earliest time I had ever got into Fratton, well any ground to be honest and this probably included Wembley, which I had gone in early to previously soak up the pre-match atmosphere etc. Being in that early was a whole new world...

As for the game, well the less said about this 1-1 draw the better really!



Straight into town it was, a few beers and a few more cinnamon whisky fireballs later it was onto a most dodgy looking curry house. A place that is empty, bar the staff who looked amazed when we walked in, and has a crack in the window is not a good sign, although at £7.95 for an all you can eat buffet it would do...

Cheap was the order of the day and cheap is what we got, although to be fair the food was not too bad and I know that I had endured a bloody good day, if only we had cut out the football!

With the midweek game against Coventry to follow on the Tuesday it was a case of staying in Cosham and waiting for that at financially it made more sense to do that - looking forward would be the wrong word but it surely could not be as bad as the Preston one, right?

PLAY UP POMPEY!

Click here to make your prediction: Cardiff v Pompey.