Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Joining the Order- Watford 2 Millwall 1

As instructed I thought about Steve Brister as the teams came out.  I never actually met him but had read his name several times in fanzines and on the net and did appreciate the t-shirt he put together when GT retired.  Last year I got chatting to one of his mates who was collecting for BT buddies and was moved by their commitment and dedication to the charity that meant so much to Steve.  I love Z Cars and would usually never hope that it was replaced but I did wonder whether the teams might come out to 'Yellow' by Coldplay in tribute to him as had been kind of hinted at in the programme.  If you interested in finding out more about BT buddies click here.

A minutes silence was held before kick off in memory of Dennis Gibbs, Nigel's Dad, who passed away last Thursday.  An amazing jack of all trades for Watford Football club Dennis covered the jobs of coaching, match reporting, scouting and even maintenance manager in his years of service at the Vic.

It was a shame that at least one moronic creature situated in the away end decided to chant right at the beginning of the silence but a credit to those people around him who had the decency to tell him to shut up.  Thanks Millwall fans, that was appreciated.

I watched the first half from my usual vantage point in the Rous, but I was pleased to see that the Yellow Order had remained down in the south west corner of the Rookery and so at half time I made my way round to sit near enough to them to join in, but far enough away that I didn't have to stand up the whole time (I'm getting old, sorry I can't help it).

It was great to be able to sing out loud without feeling slightly self conscious (as anyone who has ever attempted to sing in the Rous will have felt) and once we went one down but kept on singing there was a satisfying feeling of having helped when first Dickinson and then Forsyth scored to secure the win.  If anyone is thinking of unofficially relocating, and the great thing about our stadium is unless you're in the Vic Rd end its very easy to do, then I'd recommend it.  I'm not saying I'll give up my Rous seat permanently but I'll give the order another try for the Palace game and see how the half where we aren't shooting towards the Rookery feels.

As for the game, it was yet another where we were in the ascendancy when we conceded but thank god this time we were able to come back and not just for a point.  However my first half vantage point did give me a very good view of Millwall's disallowed goal and bloody hell we were lucky and didn't actually deserve that luck.  Four of our defenders stood next to each other for their free kick, not marking the three Milwall players who sensibly chose to stand the other side of the little group of yellow shirts.  It was an easy decision where to put the free kick and no surprise that the ball ended up in the back of the net.  The offside was probably only by a fraction, but had it been given the lino wouldn't have been the one I'd have pointed the finger at.  I spend most Sunday mornings telling my son's team to mark up.  You don't expect to have to tell a bunch of Championship defenders.  I sincerely hope Dychy did.