“My optimism wears heavy boots and is loud.”
I’ve never subscribed to the idea that it is lucky in some way to play badly in your opening game. I was particularly keen to beat the Franchise Boys because in four previous meetings we had lost four times. Last season at home we certainly deserved more. I am happy to accept a deserved defeat but their gamesmanship and dirty tactics spoiled what might have been a good game. Harry Darling was lucky to stay on the pitch, clearly trying too hard to impress us. He didn’t. No real football fan will ever quite forgive them for stealing Wimbledon’s identity and not having the good grace to come up through the leagues like we did and like the real Dons did. However, that was just background.
It was great to get to the stadium, to visit the new quarters purchased by CFU to replace our venerable but rather battered caravan and to see the Community Trust and Junior U’s in action. There was a huge queue for the club show and inside the ground a colourful and very large crowd maintained a great atmosphere throughout. Even the Habbin was buoyant and supportive throughout. And we needed to be. Milton Keynes started well and tested our defence severely for ten minutes or so. Then we began to trouble their defence. Astonishingly an experienced referee decided to book Harvey Knibbs for being fouled, one of those decisions which everyone in the ground could see was unfair. No matter. Harvey got ample revenge later by cruising through their defence to score an excellent goal. He has improved beyond belief. I loved his rather naughty celebrations in front of the MK fans. Perhaps they should have stayed quiet about the booking.
We had a couple of half chances and felt that really we would need to score again in the second half to secure victory. Surely the expensively assembled men in white had a goal in them? They are the bookies’ choice to win the league and I did wonder if the referee had a bob or two on them as he seemed to favour them very obviously. Ironic cheers rang out whenever the U’s gained a freekick. It was easy enough to con the ref. Joe Ironside conned him into booking the centre half but made up for it minutes later when Joe was penalised for being fouled. It doesn’t help refs that so many players are adept at cheating these days. Some are obviously trained in how to do it. Others just make themselves look ridiculous by diving or pretending to be hurt. They should have more pride. In past decades players hated the very idea of people seeing that they were hurt. Now we almost need counselling for a mistimed challenge. But I digress.
The away team had most of the ball in the second half but never really threatened. Our defence was masterful and for me Okedina or Jones could have been Man of the Match. Of course the scorer always gets it. If you could give it for a ten minute cameo, Janneh would have been in with a shout. Gasps of admiration were heard from the Habbin. No really. He frightened the life out of some tired and oddly lumbering defenders. Don’t tell anyone but he is a real find. We are in for many more exciting games this season. One thing is for sure, this team fears no one. Neither should we.
Andrew Stephen