Away Day Diary: Harrogate Town 1-0 Maidenhead United (04/01/20)

Hadn't for one moment expected a GMOSC tweet about Notts County fans to blow up quite as much as it did; the fact that I was still receiving notifications concerning yet more incredulous replies as the MurdoMobile left Maidenhead at 08:30 on Saturday morning only hammered home the general point about BELTs

After a clear run on the motorways - and finally getting the ticket machine to work in the car park next to our accommodation - we were supping our first pints of the day, in the excellent Coach & Horses, before 12:30

Rather than get a taxi to the football club from there, as planned, we decided to walk - via a cash point - to the Harrogate Tap; Tiny Rebel's Stay Puft one of twelve (!) changing ales

Redeeming features? The ground has very few, IMO, so it wasn't the end of the world that, due to 'police intelligence' (*cough* oxymoron *cough*), the match was segregated. (However, spare a thought for those who spent hours on the Supporters' Coach only to find out, upon arrival, that they weren't allowed in the bar for a drink!)

One defensive lapse cost us a deserved share of the spoils last season and the same again this, with the only new wrinkle being two debatable red cards late on, which reduced the Magpies to nine men and left Dev absolutely FEWMIN at full-time; they're a good side, with Chief Midget capable of out-Comley'ing Comley, but their style of play - on their plastic pitch, at least - can best be described as 'functional' … basically, they're a better, more expensively-assembled version of us!

Games in 2020 have so far yielded us one point out of six when it really should've been four; a testament to the fact that, despite remaining five points clear of the relegation zone, no one in the division has lost more times than us (15) and only table-toppers Barrow - 7-0 winners over Ebbsfleet - have drawn fewer matches (four vs five)

An awful round of drinks in the Empress did little to lift the mood (Macleod [M] was almost as exasperated as Dev had been), but it did break up the walk back to the Travelodge, and there were plenty of decent watering holes to come: Disappearing Chin ('long, narrow bar' is right), North Bar (pints of mango & guava pale ale really hit the spot; tasting, as they did, like an alcoholic Um Bongo), the Little Ale House (Macleod [M] chatted with a bearded home fan, while Macleod [C] and I noticed two brunettes drinking - one very quickly, the other very slowly - gigantic goblets of gin & tonic), Cold Bath Brewing (some confusion about whether I ordered two *thirds* or one *two-thirds*; however, both the sour cherry ale and the pork pies were delicious), the Winter Gardens (an ale selection to match the surroundings, unlike last time), Montey's Rock Café (meh), and Manahatta (some reasonably decent sing-along tunes, but no ales or alcopops and the clientele more Stacy than Stacy's Mom; most of those on the makeshift dance floor were twenty years younger than me, and so it was perfectly understandable that Macleod [M] 'Grandad' was the first to depart)

The time it took for my meat and chips to arrive, in the Harrogate equivalent of Kebab Elite, suggested that they'd journeyed by foot to a nearby farm to capture and slaughter the unfortunate lamb animal before cooking; TBF, our walk back to the hotel was similarly lethargic

End of the holidays - both Macleod (M) and I would be back to work on the Monday, having been off since Christmas Eve - lent a melancholy feel to the drive home … that, my hangover, and the dawning realisation our next liver and wallet zapping away day extravaganza would be on Saturday, vs Halesowen Town in the Trophy, rather than next month (or beyond) #marriedwithchildren, #gettingtoooldforthis

(BBC report; match highlights)

Do.
Fuck.
Off.

You edged a poor game. Just.

Have a word with your Dad, who I presume Reffed the game.#yougoteverything

— Murdo Macleod (@MurdoMacleod6) January 4, 2020