Crusaders FC: The 2012/13 Season So Far

With the Danske Bank Premiership simmering away nicely and some important cup games approaching, it's time for me to serve up my Crusaders FC 2012-13 season half time report.

After the great cup successes of last season and all the distractions of sport during the summer, the beginning of this one was like someone unexpectedly speaking to you whilst you're day dreaming - that strange feeling of being pulled back to reality. The feeling didn’t hit immediately, I didn't expect the Crues to beat Rosenborg in the Europa League qualifier and though we lost 4-0 on aggregate it wasn’t disheartening. Only losing 1-0 in the away game to a brilliant long range strike was indeed encouraging. The worry came after being beaten 8-2 in a pre-season friendly at home to Harrogate Town, (and no disrespect to Harrogate Town) that was the ‘being dragged back to reality’ moment. Though it didn't mean too much as it was just a pre-season friendly, it did feel a little more ominous when we also lost the opening game of the season 3-1 away to Coleraine with a lackluster performance. That was soon followed by a disappointing scoreless draw at home to Ballymena.

Thankfully, it was just something of a hangover (given the celebrations after the Setanta Cup win, maybe an actual one!) and like all hangovers it eventually dissipated. Most of the side re-gained that extra yard they had seemed to lack (that we knew they had in them) and the 1st win soon followed with a 1-3 away victory against a poor Lisburn Distillery side, this being the first of 4 wins in a row in all competitions for us. It wasn’t a time to rest on laurels though. No sooner had form returned (and oddly after a victory away to Linfield), we went and lost all of our away games in September (to Glenavon, Portadown and Dungannon respectably). Of greater concern were some rather disjointed team performances at this time, for even when we were still winning games at home, a lot of the games saw us often giving up possession needlessly and playing exactly the wrong kind of ball for the skill set of the player being passed to..

I could be wrong but from my perspective a lot of this was due to players getting used to one another’s playing styles and strengths. With the likes of Paul Heatley, Gary McCutcheon and Josh Robinson arriving and being so pivotal, there were some new strengths to play to. In hindsight it just took a while for the side to get used to playing alongside one another and for it to click.

As soon as the dots were connected - that McCutcheon likes the ball played to feet, that Heatley can pick a cross field ball out of the air like a dolphin in a show then run at a defense with pace and that Robinson has the composure of a player twice his age and could be readily relied upon; things soon picked up!

Injuries also had their hand in each starting 11 finding it hard to set a mould that suited the squad. The Liverpool glamour friendly was a great occasion but it saw two of our side pick up injuries, Jordan Owens a calf strain and Colin Coates an ankle injury which kept him out for quite a while. When he did come back it turned out to be a little premature but he’s OK now. Chris Morrow was out for a long time but he too is back in action again now which is great news. The other long term absentee has been our former speedy winger who returned to us this season - Eamon McAllister, hopefully he'll be back and pushing for a place in the side soon.

The Liverpool game itself was an odd one, the score line was 3-1 to Liverpool and it was an entertaining game but that wasn't what intrigued.

As an Irish League football supporter, on one hand it was great to see the Crues play a young Liverpool side and it was brilliant to have a big crowd for a game, but on the other hand it was a sad reminder of the challenges the Irish League faces. I mean in how many other major cities in the UK and Ireland would more local people show up in the shirts of another city’s team to a friendly held there with a local team playing? Not many I’d assume. Well on this occasion more turned out in Liverpool shirts to a friendly than would show up to the entirety of the Irish League fixtures on most normal Saturday afternoons. There were probably twice as many there for a friendly than showed up for last season’s Irish Cup Final!

The good news is it reveals the demand is there for professional football here (if it can be achieved) but yet it tells us something else we already knew, that even with the advantage of geographical remoteness from the English Premier League, it's still a huge challenge to get people to come to watch a live football match in person locally without an established brand of another club from a bigger league involved. Going into all this in detail is something for another blog post but I do agree with the sentiment from this Belfast Telegraph piece in terms of us having “become a nation of event people” where people pay to attend a match primarily “to see and be seen, enjoy a refreshment or three, be entertained and to come away with a sense of occasion”. The pivotal thing being that getting people to attend a game is now less about the sport itself and following it through the season - “the game, any game, is no longer the sole attraction”. As a fanatical football fan it’s not a great thing to hear - supporting my teams through thick and thin, hell and high water, the good and the bad, is part of the camaraderie, integrity and appeal of football. It’s a bizarre thing though, this is nothing new, football grew to it’s current worldwide popularity out of the same attitudes we have today just at a different time in our recent history. The sport hasn't changed much but the average person’s expectations of what constitutes an event and how they access it has changed over that time. More on that in another post though, that’s a long term conundrum. In the meantime, lets get back to the season at hand.

Thankfully, even during that string of not so great performances back in September, there was enough cohesion and motivation left in the tank to collect enough points at home to keep us not too far off the leading 2. The teams at the top for the majority of the 1st half of the season were the early pacesetters in the form of surprise package - Ballinamallard United and our local rivals - Cliftonville. Thankfully that changed and the Crues worked their way into 2nd. Currently, the Reds are (at the current time – 11th January) in 1st place, 6 points ahead of the Crues and with a game in hand. Just a little further back, a resurgent Linfield ominously lurk in 3rd spot. Their poor season so far has been a refreshing demise for the rest of the league but everyone knew it was only a matter of time before they got going again. Squad depth will earn them the points they need to keep pace and they will be somewhere in the mix come the end of the season. Put it this way, if Linfield don't get a top 3 finish or win a couple of cups, it'll be the worst use of resources in football since Chelsea bought Fernando Torres. After Ballymena of all teams beat them in the final of the CAS Cup and we knocked them out of the IrnBru, hopefully the redistribution of prizes away Windsor, home of the IF… Linfield, continues!

It's certainly looking like an exciting few months ahead as it’s an intriguingly poised League campaign. So what about the cup competitions mentioned just now and those still to be played?

In the County Antrim Shield and IrnBru League Cup, Crusaders lost 0-1 at Seaview to Linfield in the semi-final of the CAS but got own back in the IrnBru League cup semi final with a 0-1 win at Windsor Park. Crusaders now meet Cliftonville at Windsor Park on the 26th January (Live on Sky with a 5.30pm Kick Off). It'll undoubtedly be the most watched North Belfast derby since the 2009 Irish Cup Final and one to look forward to even if due to league position and the last league meeting between the 2 sides, the Crues will go into it as underdogs. Before that though, there is an Irish Cup 3rd round tie against Linfield (yet again!) and a bit later in the season, around March, some Setanta Cup games.

Hopefully in all these games to come there will be less crazy (often laughable) refereeing decisions than some of those we've had so far - mainly in the league. From conceding a penalty (that late on pretty much cost 2 points) due to a linesman confusing the hell out of 22 players - to offside goals - getting booked for taking a free kick too quickly without being told you couldn't – getting booked for just lifting your shirt to your mouth in celebration - to having penalties given against you for... ermm… we still don't know even with video evidence! Don’t even get me started on the usual of being booked for everything and anything yet opposition players perform an identical foul in the same game and get away with it (which happens far too often seemingly because of our 'reputation' as a physical side). In fairness though there have been a few good refs who have let games flow and even made some right decisions in regards to big calls – some being calls against us – so there is a little hope on that front.

Despite this sprinkling of perplexing events, the Crues are still unbeaten in the League at home this season, Seaview has become a fortress once again. In recent past seasons, our team's counter attacking abilities tended to favour us in away games and our away form tended to be better than our home form. This season though it's been our home form that has been great and it seems to have come from a little bit of a shake up in the team. Players like Declan Caddell have also really come of age and are keeping much cooler heads in midfield and with that the core of the side seems sturdier. My guess is that it's either been a change of tactics given to the players, a growing maturity among the squad or just a differing playing style added to by the newer players to have been added to the side. Whatever the reason or if just down to chance, what it has resulted in is not being so gung-ho all the time. For the most part our goals against have been lower so far this season. The side has demonstrated much more composure in the bigger games (well apart from the little spell of being disjointed early on). It’s a nice change, a lot easier on the pulse. There have still been occasions when it's been heart in mouth time but thankfully Sean O'Neill has been a stand out player whenever he's been called upon.

Going forward we've also been pretty good, plenty of goals and we always look likely to score. Timmy Adamson has re-discovered his scoring mojo, David Rainey is still a handful for opposition defenses when he comes on and Gary McCutcheon has really been much better than his goal tally, his work off the ball as well as on it is as good as anyone in the league. Last but not least with our strikers, Jordan Owens has been excellent, sure, he’s still not mastered taking his chances but he’s always getting into good positions and putting his body on the line to win the ball. He’s still scoring his headers and he’s also showing signs that he’s found his shooting boots from further out but he just needs to keep working on his reactions, composure and technique to help him put away more close range chances, especially with his feet.

There have been plenty of midfield options too, Aidan Watson has done ok, he did have a bit of a bad patch but really it's only in relation to his form last season. He's still getting the tackles in and hopefully can be back to his best for the rest of the season. With so few places available for some very good players, some players are seemingly adapting from their favoured positions to another to better slot into the current side. Matthew Snoddy is one such player who has put in great shifts when he's played and has recently impressed with a transition to what I think would have be a right sided winger sort of role. Robinson being moved into Midfield has been another experiment and though I do think he's still better as a central defender, he's certainly taken to the role and has been mightily unlucky not to have scored a couple of goals (the woodwork is not being kind!).

In defense there has been a fair bit of rotation so it's hard to really pin down what's worked best. David Gibson and BigG at right back have both given a lot when they play and have been level pegging in terms of their defensive work. Going forward though, Gareth McKeown just has more strings to his bow and can sit deeper to deliver his long-cross field balls, deep crosses, shots and long throws. So for me, he's probably added that little bit more when he has played as he doesn't need to be in the box to do damage. In the center it's been a case of musical chairs - mainly due to injuries and suspensions, personally I think David Magowan and Robinson have been our sturdiest pairing but Colin Coates (when fit) hasn't done too badly either and again offers another goal threat as well as a pretty formidable aerial defense. At left back it's been a shame we haven't seen more of Stephen McBride this season but Craig McClean just hasn't really put a foot wrong. He's been solid and with probably our stand out player of the season so far - Paul Heatley - in-front of him, he's been a great partner in crime along that wing. Paul Leeman hasn't played much but he's not looked out of place when he has. In midfield the same goes for David McMaster who has featured in a lot of games but hasn't had a huge amount of game time. In net, I haven't seen much of Wayne Drummond to really get to know his strengths and weaknesses.

In the January transfer window I'd be more than happy to see no one leave and no one else come in as I feel the squad we have has it in them to achieve whatever they put their minds to at this level if we get lucky with injuries and suspensions. The worry is we have some very talented players who might have a good chance of following Stuart Dallas across the water and to turn fully pro. Denying these guys that opportunity is silly so it's not out of the realms of possibility that it's an active transfer window but my gut feeling is it'll probably be fairly quiet.

Just before I stop writing this now essay length report. Another great game of note in the last few months was Colin Coates’ testimonial when Huddersfield Town came to play in an exhibition match at Seaview.

It was a really good night… the crowd was not very big which was a shame but for anyone who showed up it was a treat, good natured and some great goals. Plenty of highlights including Stuart Dallas showing us all how he’s progressed with some fine goals and lots of old faces on show… not only from the Crues side but as a Leeds fan also some from the Huddersfield Town side.

For as well as Jermaine Beckford and Adam Clayton there was also a cameo appearance towards the end from none other than Simon Grayson!

That was just the icing on the cake. I just wish those players and manager were still at Leeds and it had been a team in white shirts coming to play. Huddersfield were great though and really put on a good show. I used to end up watching Huddersfield Town or Rotherham games with friends who supported those clubs on the weeks when Leeds were away from home so although rivals with Leeds I still have a soft spot for those clubs. Hopefully there will be more great occasions ahead against fully pro teams from over the water. Sure, it can’t be long now until Chris Morrow’s testimonial and who knows if there might be another ‘big event’ friendly game in the pipe work, fingers crossed!

So that’s pretty much where I think we’re at right now. A solid enough start to 2012/13 with plenty still to strive for.

Leeds United 2012/13 Mid Season Review

A lot has happened in half a season at Elland Road so I'm going to take a quick look at Leeds United's 2012-13 season so far.

In my 2011-12 end of season review I ended by saying that: "Even inaction will lead to something giving way. It's building up to be an intriguing summer ahead."
And it was an intriguing summer, one that didn't really end for the regular Leeds fan like me until late November when something finally gave way!

After yet another summer of sales, secrets and silence, the start to the 2012-13 season in August was depressingly filled with yet more uncertainty and worry about what was to come of the club, both on and off the pitch. Ken Bates was still in charge, sticking to what I'd call his 'tell 'em nothing' customer relations technique. Everyone was in the dark, even the press. The proposed takeover was shrouded in mystery and dragged on like an NHL lockout.

Thankfully, the new owners were persistent and patient. The news we'd been waiting to hear since the 'Show Bates the Red Card' campaign back in 2007 broke in November, Bates was being bought out. Over 7 years since he first took a bite of Leeds, there was finally hope of some form of liberation for our club as a large sum of money finally relaxed a metaphorical sphincter that was keeping the football side of the club trapped in an ever constricting colon. GFH Capital, an entity involved in private equity, finalised a deal on the 21st November and completed the takeover on the 21st December.

Looking back at how Ken Bates treated supporters it brings out a lot of negative emotions. No matter what parasitic relationship to Leeds United he may keep from here on in - no matter how much we'd be better off without his presence and for all the facts of his reign to emerge - at least he's (hopefully) no longer pulling the strings - and that's the most important thing - as long as the new owners have a better idea of what a football club is supposed to be.

Though off the pitch issues dominated my focus and probably many other Leeds supporters, on the pitch, Neil Warnock put together a side of what we could see would be hard working individuals but we didn't really know what to expect from them as (per Neil Warnocks comments at the time) the squad wasn't the finished article.

The issue, as with football in general, was tied to finance. Neil Warnock prepared the base of a squad with the hopes of adding a creative flair - if and when funds were released. With some of the value of the squad being used to subsidise other aspects of Bates' plans, we sold our most creative player (Snodgrass) and the necessary funds for Warnock to complete the side further never surfaced. During the saga of the protracted takeover, it was reported that the new owners even had to dip into their pockets to keep things ticking over before they'd even bought the club.

Against all odds the side got off to a reasonable start but the problems of only having a thin squad soon surfaced. Just 7 points from a possible 27 between October to mid-November, including a 1-6 home defeat at the hands of Watford brought that home to anyone hiding their heads in the sand. Frustrations on the pitch pretty much reflected frustrations at the continued silence from the club around that time. If Ken Bates was ever going to sell up (and rhumor as to why he wasn't) became running jokes on fan sites. Holding our breath was officially abandoned. Thankfully, results picked up again in December in huge part thanks to some emergency loans - again funded by our owners to be.

Statistically, since the start of this season we've not been great. We've conceded too many goals for our league position and we have the joint 6th worst defensive record in the league, however, Leeds sit in 8th place, unsurprisingly we have the dis-honour of owning the only negative goal difference in the top half of the table. For the most part, the points on the board have been accumulated through tight wins, in the league we are yet to win a game by a margin of more than 2 goals.

In terms of going forward, in Championship games, shots and shots on goal have far fewer than the teams around us in the league table. Possession during games hasn't been great either. So how are we in 8th position?

One big positive from the first half of this season on the pitch has been effort. For the most part, the determination to somewhat punch above our weight has been excellent and results have been ground out. What has also made up for both the goals conceded and the lack of attempts on goal has been some clinical finishing from the awesome Luciano Becchio; prior to the Birmingham game (in which he scored) in 28 games in all competitions this season, ESPNsoccernet stats say he's had 25 shots yet scored 18 goals.

So what needs to change for this Leeds side to create more chances and concede less? The simple answer must be to complete the squad. To add the play-makers and creative passers that we're lacking which Neil Warnock hoped to bring in originally.

Digging into the positions we might look to improve:

Up front, we actually look pretty good right now but it wasn't that way earlier in the season due to injuries. Forwards like Ross McCormack and Davide Somma now back in action after being out injured for a while. Adding to the equation our current life-line – the brilliant Becchio and also the reformed Diouf too, up front we seem quite well covered.

In defense there is still much room for improvement; stability and cohesion are needed. Alan Tate was brought in from Swansea after it became apparent that our central defense lacked leadership and he's done well but sadly we've still leaked goals. I really don't think our defense is as bad as some of the results like the Notts Forest match (a 4-2 loss) might suggest. We have plenty of good players and a couple of great young players who in a couple of years will be the finished article, but for the moment there is still work needed and we're a bit short for pace in the center.

Another glaring issue for this part of the squad is that Alan Tate is currently only on short term loan from Swansea. If Leeds aren't planning to sign Tate up longer term (beyond the 26th January anyway), we have to be in the market for a central defender during this month or we're back to square one on that front. With that leading central defensive role hopefully addressed before the end of the month, we could probably make do with the defense we have if we can get a better balance in midfield to help shield them and allow our talented younger players to get forward in support more often.

From what I've seen, our midfield is the area that most urgently needs improvement with some creative qualities. When facing sides with a hard working midfield, we've struggle to put the ball to good or even safe use when we finally get possession. To compensate we end up playing the long ball far too often and giving up possession far too easily. In games like in the league cup run, it's been a case of just determination and hard work getting the job done, but when that underdog motivation hasn't been there (against the likes of Derby, Notts Forest, Watford etc) we've been rolled over. Our midfield has a lot of hard grafters but too few with the creativity and quality. Without an extra edge and re-organisation in midfield it'll probably be another mid-table finish.

Sadly there are likely to be very few players available who fit the bill required during the January transfer window and those there are will no doubt be in high demand and go to the highest bidder (which I hope we're not if the likes of Leicester are involved as the price is likely inflated and too high). Still, you never know what strings Neil Warnock might be able to pull if resources are made available to him.

Another thing that has to change for us to progress is to stop selling our best talents - the likes of Becchio, Byram, White and Lees in this transfer window. If Becchio is sold and it's for less than the cost of purchasing a new midfield and another talented striker or 2 (who each have good-great potential) then it would be a major folly because we're just not going to be able to replace his goals within the side we currently have. His goals have literally been the difference between being in touch of the playoffs and fighting relegation. Not only that but he's a fans favourite, yet another sale of our prized assets would just further demoralise the fan base and that's the complete opposite of what needs to happen for the new owners to get the club moving forward.

Almost everything really does hang on what the new owners plan to do. The good news is that they do seem to understand that there has to be some investment in the playing squad if the club as a whole is to succeed and give a reasonable return on their investment. Obviously no silly risks! We've had our fair share of Ridsdale-like gambles, but owners and fans can generally all be on the same side and push the club forwards together and I very much hope that is now the case with Leeds again. With David Haigh stating recently "It will take investment; we are ready to make that investment. We won’t spend crazy money, but we will make the investment sustainable and make the club successful.", it's looking reasonable to cautiously hope for the best.

Though I don't really know anything about GFH Capital and don't know what to expect from their ownership, it's still early days and so far they seem to be going about things the right way. For instance, the clubs' communication with it's fans has improved greatly. The new board members and club use of social media exists (unlike with the last regime) and is being done well. Their willingness to have 2 way communication with supporters has been a breath of fresh air after the suffocating silence of our club president to be. A reintroduction of half season tickets and rebuilding of burnt bridges with supporters groups have also been a great welcome to what we can only hope is a new era for the club. I have to admit I don't dare to build my hopes up, probably a symptom of once twice bitten, twice always shy. Saying that I never had any confidence in Ken Bates except to do what is best for Ken Bates so that wasn't exactly a shock.

In terms of expectations for the rest of the season, although I'm not expecting great things like promotion to the Premier League, progress is a must. Getting fans back in the stands and re-engaged with the club has to be the first thing. That, and if possible, improving the squad so that the hard work given by a lot of the current squad (to stay in touching distance of the play-offs whilst also going on an unexpected cup run) may have a chance to lead to something more. Hopefully their hard work will continue and a little sprinkling of skills we are currently missing can be added to give the side a realistic opportunity of making the play-offs at the end of the season.

The big difference I see between where the club was at the start of the season to where it is now is the realistic hope of improvements to come (both on and off the pitch). We'll not know where we are until after the transfer (and then emergency loan) window closes, so in more ways than one, the rest of this season is a case of wait and see.

MOT

Crusaders F.C. 2011/12 A Season to Remember

What an end to last season it was for Crusaders. To put it in as few words as possible, Crusaders FC won the Setanta Sports Cup - only the 2nd Irish League side to do so and what a day it was, as I mentioned when we were looking forward to the two cup finals, winning one really did turn out to be the icing on the cake. It was probably the biggest achievement (outside of winning the domestic league) in the clubs history and combined with the Irn Bru League Cup win from earlier in the season, one of the most successful seasons for silverware the club has known. I think it put everyone in such a happy place especially considering the disappointment of the Crues losing the Irish Cup final in such a disappointingly foundering manner just 7 days before. The contrast of our experience between those two Saturdays in May was quite extreme.

The Irish Cup final was one to forget, a day where the usual depressing experience of watching a football match at Windsor Park was reflected by our own team's abject performance and we were deservedly beaten 4-1.

I'm not even going to get into the issues and arrangements inside the ground that helped make it even more of a poor occasion but suffice to say, Linfield and the IFA have plenty to improve if they really want to provide a space and environment where people from all sections of society will want to attend football matches.

The positive from that day apart from the goal after half time was the huddle in front of the Crues fans that Stephen Baxter and the team formed. It looked from where we were sitting to be a motivational speech of sorts. I'm guessing the words that were said were somewhere along the lines of 'take this all in, how this feels, how it hurts and remember it when you're walking out at the Oval next week, give your all to make sure you don't have to feel that way again!'. After waving our black and red flags and clapping the players off as they picked up their medals, we headed back to Seaview to drown our sorrows.

The week flew by and we were soon waking up and getting dressed up once again in club colours to head to the Oval (Glentoran's ground) for the Setanta Sports Cup Final.

Compared to how I'd woken up with apprehension and apathy the week before, this time it felt exciting, even though we were probably playing tougher opposition, it felt like we had a chance, it felt like the bigger occasion, the anticipation a cup final should have.

We walked from the Newtownards road across to the Oval - a neutral venue for both sides - in the sunshine, our heads and black and red chequered flags held high and billowing in the breeze. Again we were underdogs for the game, our opponents for the day, Derry City who play in the League of Ireland, the team who had knocked Linfield out at the quarter final stage of the same competition.

After getting some food and taking in a bit of the atmosphere we headed up into the stand. I always forget how small the leg room can be on some of those wooden seats in the main stand at the Oval and with my long legs we had to move seats. A stand which was made in an age when people were smaller aside, there was a more relaxed atmosphere at the Oval than at Windsor the week before. Both sides had fans behind the goals, both had a covered stand, both really seemed to be enjoying the day.

As it got closer to kick off the tension and atmosphere built, there were plenty of club colours around the ground, both sets of fans were in good voice and it was all set for a great game. It was the build up to the game similar to that we experienced at the Ballymena Showgrounds with the CIS League Cup final earlier in the year, the buzz that just never materialised for me when we were stuck up on the Windsor meatpacking shelf the week before.

The teams came out and lined up and once the formalities were out of the way the game began.

Though the game was goalless for 80 minutes there were plenty of chances. Just a few minutes in, Derry keeper Gerard Doherty was able to keep out Timmy Adamson as he raced through. Not long after, Chris Morrow was denied by the post from a free kick.

There were more opportunities for both sides before half time but we felt more than a little unlucky not to have gone in at half time ahead and the thought that it wasn't going to be our day did cross my mind.

The 2nd half is when it really got going. In the same way the Crues had gone close early in the first, now it was Derry's turn as a header from a free-kick crashed off the bar and out. Not to be bettered, Chris Morrow was again soon to go agonisingly close, his volley somehow kept out by the Derry keeper at close range. Then with just a third of the game to play, Timmy Adamson almost broke the deadlock but his header from a corner became the 3rd time the woodwork was wobbled.

For the next 20 minutes there were chances at both ends before our fears came true as Derry went 1-0 with only 10 minutes left to play. It was, of all people, former Irish League player Rory Patterson with the goal, a good finish after a great set up deep inside the box, but you know what, as bad as it felt to go behind so close to the end, we could feel and see from the players reactions that we were not out of it yet.

The Crues restarted and continued to keep up the pressure. It paid off, with just 4 minutes to play, Captain fantastic - Colin Coates, got on the end of a Brentford bound Stuart Dallas' cross from a free kick and as it went in we were up on our feet cheering like crazy.

There was still time for more drama before the 90 minutes were up. We hadn't even settled down from the goal when David Rainey almost won it in normal time but unfortunately for us his shot went agonisingly wide.

Then the excitement turned to disbelief as a slide tackle out along the far touchline saw Crues defender Stephen McBride sent off after receiving a 2nd yellow card.

The 2012 Setanta Sports Cup final was going to extra time but the odds had swung in Derry's favour with their numerical advantage.

Over the last couple of seasons we've seen our team reduced to 10 men maybe a bit more regularly than we'd hope but if there was one thing we knew they could do well was to still be effective on the offensive whilst being a player short, we knew they'd give their all, the question was, with it being extra time in the final game of a very long season, how much more was there to give?

The answer was they had plenty left to give. Derry had plenty of possession but it was the Crues who almost scored through Declan Cadell as the Derry defence could only watch as he raced through but put his shot wide.

Then came a huge goal. Colin Coates again connecting with a Stuart Dallas delivery, this time from a comer. As that goal went in I felt a mixture of elation, disbelief and pride. With so much going wrong in the game the week before and the team not putting away the chances we'd had in this game, it seemed to be so much like one of those days but that goal blew those thoughts away. Against the odds we had the advantage for the first time.

Could the 10 men hang on? Well sadly no. It was a staunch effort mind you, each and every player did their utmost to keep Derry at bay and it wasn't through our defensive wall being breached that Derry scored, it was from a slightly harsh penalty call for a handball in the box. Up stepped that guy Rory Patterson again to take the spot kick and he made no mistake. So close but yet the pendulum had swung agonisingly away again. Thankfully that was the only Derry goal in extra time, Sean O'Neill denying McEleney's long shot and taking the game to the dreaded lottery of a penalty shoot-out.

The blind hope was still there but it was tempered by experience, technically it could still be my team's day but past events have led me to despair the existence of a  penalty shoot-out in football. It's not that I don't enjoy watching them (if it's not my team) but I can't remember seeing a team I support (the Crues, Leeds or England) win one. I only remember them losing. Like Pavlov's dogs, I've been conditioned over time - but instead of salivating when the bell rings in anticipation of food, when the whistle sounds to end extra time, I resign myself to seeing my team losing. I doubt I'm alone.

So what happened next was the most magnificent penalty shoot-out I'd ever seen. Coates blasted his penalty home, Morrow bounced his off the keeper, Gargan had his saved but Morrison had missed his penalty for Derry the kick before so at 2-2 after 3 penalties each it was already going to be a case of one mistake. The next Derry player scored then up stepped Matthew Snoddy, even at the young age of 18 had all the composure of a seasoned professional and tucked it away, as cool as you like, sending the keeper the wrong way. It was now sudden death, Derry scored their 5h and then it was down to Stuart Dallas, his last competitive kick of the ball before a move to full time football in England, miss and we would have lost. He made no mistake.

The 6th spot kick for Derry was taken by McCaffrey, his shot, to our delight, was well saved by the stretching Sean O'Neill who got enough on the shot to snuff out it's path towards the goal. With that penalty saved it all came down to the unmistakeable figure of Gareth McKeown. The affectionate shouts of 'G, G, G, G, G, G, G, G' rang out from everyone in the stand as he made his way to the penalty box. He took his few steps back, the whistle blew, there was a moment of silence from the Crues fans and boo's from the Derry City supporters as everyone focused on the one kick that could decide it.

The ball was kicked, the keeper guessed the right way but the ball beat his dive, the back of the net rippled. Crusaders had not only demonstrated it was possible to win a penalty shoot out, the team had only gone and won the Setanta Cup!

Here is a video someone called Matthew Moore took from the Derry City end as the penalty was taken.

Crusaders F.C were the 2012 Setanta Sports Cup Winners - All Ireland Champions.

We were elated, exstatic, arms in the air, cheering and in awe. Gareth McKeown ran towards the stand in celebration as did the rest of the team and all the players and club officials down at pitch level.

We stayed in the stand well after the awarding of the cup which was a great moment (video taken by the same guy as above).

The players were all celebrating like mad and we marvelled at the trophy being paraded around the pitch. All the familiar faces we see in the stands each week through rain and shine were overwhelmed with happiness, there were even a few tears of joy sneaking through along side the manic grins and black and red chequered flags being waved - this time in celebration!

The players were all joined by their kids on the pitch and it was the start of the great party to come.

I can't remember it dying down so much as the celebrating just moved on, down the stairs, down the road, on the bus (where even fans of other clubs were asking the score and congratulating us) and back to Seaview. I was hyper and I don't think I managed to stop chattering manically until my mouth was being used to drink a celebratory pint of Guinness or 6 back at Crusaders Social Club.

Everyone, as usual, win or lose was back at the club and it was a brilliant night. The players came back a little later on after heading out for a celebratory meal and arrived in style on top of an open top bus waving the trophy in the air. The police had to close off the road for a while as the street filled and the fans sang.

We stayed down at the club til very late, after a short speech about the success of the day and the season (not forgetting that this was a cup double, the club having won the Irn Bru League Cup back in January) from our manager Stephen Baxter...

...there was plenty of dancing to the usual songs like the Killers - 'Are we human, or are we Dancer Crusaders'. it was a great day, a great game, a great atmosphere, a great night and even more importantly a great season.

Though the Crues hadn't done as well as we'd have hoped in the league, personally I think the Cup runs more than made up for it. It was an amazing achievement for a semi-pro side like ours to not only to play so many games (starting the season in the Europa Cup Qualifying back in June 2011 and playing in 4 more cup competitions) but to get to 3 cup finals in the process and grasp so much success from them. Meatloaf once said, '2 out of 3 ain't bad', I'd like to let him know, 2 out of 3 is brilliant! Here is a photo of the league cup again for good measure :)

This seasons European games against Rosenborg BK have since been and gone, the Crues came out of the home tie with a 0-3 deficit but defended brilliantly in the 2nd leg only losing 1-0 to a long distance goal that no keeper was stopping.

Which brings us nicely into the bread and butter of the new season when who knows what will happen, especially with the new sigings like Paul Heatley and Gary McCutcheon! Now I've seen the Crues win a penalty shoot-out, it's almost like the fear of daring to dream is gone - though I'll keep my feet firmly on the ground, it's a better place to launch from!

Bring on 2012/13!

Leeds United 2011/12 End of Season Review

Leeds United's 2011/12 season was one to forget. I'd even go so far as to say that the season was a total wash out.

At the end of 2010/11 it was fairly obvious that the squad needed a few additions and to keep or replace what we had. Sadly, quite the opposite happened - rather than improving the squad over the last 12 months, it ended up being thinned out. Away went 3 of our best players - Johnson, Gradel and Howson, and in came short term free agents and a swathe of loanees (7 free agents and 9 loanees in total). Sadly, a lot of those free agents and loan players were either not up to scratch or were not playing in the shirt long enough to make a difference. There was no stability and that reflected in the teams' results.

Ultimately it cost Simon Grayson his job and Neil Warnock was brought in by Bates to try and resurrect the season. The problem being, Simon Grayson is a very good manager and seemingly, to me anyway, it appears he was actually acting as the glue keeping the side together - doing a very good job in a very difficult situation. Though he may have made a few mistakes and some poor signings, I really think this was mainly due to the scenario he found himself in.

Nay matter, however it came to be, the season was a mess and though I hoped Neil Warnock could somehow instil a siege mentality into the players, it never materialised and results got even worse... the worst of the worse, a 3-7 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest in March. The season was over well before it actually finished. Our haphazard squad of players finished the season in a mediocre 14th place. Though poor, it would be somewhat unfair to blame either manager, that's the sort of season we'd had, many of the players just didn't show up a lot of the time.

There were very few positives to take from the season but the main one would be the continued development of some of the players who came through the clubs' youth academy - players like Tom Lees and Aidan White. Another was the form of Ross McCormack and Robert Snodgrass who were the stand out performers over the season and Andy Lonergan did pretty well too. Last but not least, a statue of Don Revie was unveiled outside the East Stand. I'd say that those 3 things were pretty much about as good as it got.

But anyway, I best not to dwell too much. Once the season was over, Neil Warnock summed it all up well by placing 6 players on the transfer list and releasing 5 more. Compared to this time last season when we needed a few players in key positions, now the entire squad has to be rebuilt brick by brick since the wall was allowed to fall down. One thing that isn't falling down mind you are the corporate facilities in the East Stand. The stand has had 7 million spent redeveloping it.

For most clubs this could have been a wise move but it is a little disturbing when you hear the club are spending this on infrastructure it doesn't own rather than a playing squad it does - the question has to be - why? To put it another way; if you were a tenant renting a house, would you take out a loan secured against your car to pay to have a conservatory built that you might use to host an Ann Summers party once a fortnight? (Btw, this is why I chose Ann Summers as part of the metaphor - offering a "long, drawn-out affair with plenty of foreplay and slow arousal"  – sounds kinky to me)

And that's the thing I dislike most of all about Ken Bates' and Shaun Harvey's reign at Leeds:
The secrecy, the seemingly strange decisions, the unaccountability and a total lack of transparency.
These issues that have helped to alienate supporters have been prevalent from the start; from the saga regarding the ownership of the club, the use of corporate anonymity through offshore companies to the unprofessional comments published through the clubs own media. For a more in-depth read here is a great article on the Leeds United situation from The Swiss Ramble including a fair bit of background and plenty of figures - well worth a read for any football supporter!

Who knows what the next chapter will be in the Leeds story or even what happens at the end of this one? Your guess is as good as mine!

Recently it was revealed that there is investment being sought. Whether potentially a partnership investment or take over, it hasn't been revealed yet. As Blackburn and Portsmouth have found to their detriment in recent years, sometimes it's a case of better the devil you know and although we long for a knight in shining armour, since that's sadly the way English football has fallen, I know it's best not to get carried away with the chance of being bought out unless it is by someone who will care for the whole of the club.

From a fans perspective, the Leeds United Supporters Trust (LUST) has laid out it's vision - and it sounds sensible to me. So much so, I joined – why I hadn't before now I'm really not sure!

Neil Warnock and the players have also been quite vocal recently about their ambitions.

The only people we haven't heard much from are the board but right now, it's action rather than words that will tell us as supporters all we need to know and if they are working hard to do the best by Leeds United Football Club then I'm happy for them to be as silent as they like.

Even inaction will lead to something giving way. It's building up to be an intriguing summer ahead.

Cup Crazy Crusaders FC

Back in January, before Crusaders had played in the League Cup final I gave a quick half time report on how I felt the season had gone so far. At the time, I was optimistic about there being plenty to look forward to even though the club's league position was decidedly mid-table. Now that it's the end of the season and although our league position stayed the same, that optimism about plenty to look forward to wasn't misplaced.

I've already mentioned it, but lets get the minor negative out of the way first - as things panned out, we didn't make it any further up the league table in order to claim a guaranteed Europa League qualifying place. It just didn't come to fruition but Crusaders did end the season in a respectable 5th place. After such a successful league campaign the year before - which raised expectations a little - it was a little disappointing when league form didn't go well, but it's hard to be critical because there wasn't much wrong, the team was almost the same side and in some respects we improved (defensively especially). It's hard to pin down what went wrong with some of the performances in the league but I'd say what cost us most was the early season form and the bad luck of not getting the rub of the green at key times when we had passages of play where the team just didn't quite click as they knew they could. I'd almost go so far to say that it was almost as if the side were frustrated when their play didn't match up to the high standards they knew they could reach.

That all seemed to change going into the 2nd half of the season, and especially in cup competition where there was still all to play for, the confidence and feel good factor began to rise again.

As I posted at the time, the season was already a success for the Crues after a great day on the 28th January when the Crues lifted the Irn Bru League Cup, beating Coleraine 1-0 at the Ballymena Showgrounds. At that point the Irish Cup had only just started a couple of weeks before and the Setanta Cup games were a couple of months away.

The games quickly rolled by and the team beat Warrenpoint Town, Glenavon, Coleraine and Dungannon Swifts to reach our 3rd Irish Cup final in 4 years. Again a meeting with Linfield at their home ground - Windsor Park - looms, and will be played on Saturday 5th May.

Intertwined between the Irish Cup games and the league games there was also the Setanta Cup - an All-Ireland cup competition featuring the top sides from the Irish League in N.I and the League of Ireland. This was only the 2nd season we've featured in this competition. Last season was the first but it was a very brief and strange introduction as we were drawn to play our North Belfast neighbours Cliftonville. In those games we rested some key players to focus on the league and unfortunately lost the tie.

This season was completely different. All cup competitions have been the priority given our league position and we were drawn in both the 1/4 and Semi finals against League of Ireland opposition. The first 2 legged tie was against Bohemians, in the home leg the Crues dominated the game and it's fair to say we should have got at least one or two that night if not more but it just wouldn't go in and it finished 0-0.

In Dublin the goals finally came and a 2-0 aggregate scoreline saw Crusaders pick up a first win in the competition. The draw for the semi-final was about as tricky as they come, from playing the side bottom of the LOI we were now going to face the team at the top. We were drawn to play Sligo Rovers - unbeaten in 10 games in all competitions going into the first leg.

Sligo are a good team this season and like Bohemians are a professional team, and if rumour is to be believed, a side with a wage bill even Linfield couldn't get close to - but our semi-pro players were more than a match for them on the day, limiting Sligo to the odd pot shot and creating the best of the chances.

Unlike the Bohs match, the goals arrived at Seaview, both from David Rainey in a 2-0 victory. Very importantly, a clean sheet was kept (the away goals rules counts in this competition). It was a deserved lead to take into the away leg. That game was played on a wet Monday night but it was a great game. We all knew Sligo would be out to make amends in the 2nd leg.

In Sligo, the Crues had a couple of great opportunities to put the game out of reach but they weren't taken and though there was also a blatant hand ball decision that would have given us a penalty, it wasn't to be. Unfortunately, Sligo were very much in the game in that return leg, and before half time, Sligo went 1-0 up. The 2nd half began and it became apparent that Sligo had made it out of their shell. Before we knew it, it was 2-0 on the night and 2-2 on aggregate. That set the scene for an fast paced and open cup tie, both keepers keeping busy and lots of incident. As well as goal mouth action, somehow there were also 12 yellow cards, 6 for each side, it was played at a high intensity though like in all of the ties, some of the refereeing decisions had to be seen to be believed (for both teams in both games). However, neither team could find that deciding goal and so the game went into extra time. Again there were chances but the one that made the difference came from the penalty spot at the end of the 1st half of extra time. It was a little controversial as the contact for the foul appeared to begin outside the box and finish inside it but to be honest we were due that penalty from the first half that was never given. Up stepped our Captain Fantastic - Colin Coates, who smashed it just under the bar.

The Crues led 3-2 and after some resolute defending, the final whistle went and we were in the final. It was a very proud day to be a Crues fan.

The Setanta Sports Cup final on Saturday 12th May will be a rare meeting between Crusaders and the re-incarnated Derry City, the venue will be the Oval - Glentoran's ground. Personally I think it's a shame they couldn't do that for the Irish Cup final and use Windsor Park for the Setanta so that they're neutral venues but what can you do? No matter who we play and where we play, I can't see it dampening my spirits or the rest of the Crues support or the passion of the team to overcome the odds. Both games will undoubtedly be very competitive and, hopefully, another great advert for football on this island.

I'm really just over the moon that the club are doing so well and making these finals, it's quite the achievement for our club to be looking forward to 2 cup finals in the space of a week - on top of already having a trophy sitting in the trophy cabinet.

Winning either of the other two cups would just be the icing on the cake of what has already been a successful season. It's a tough ask given we've to play Linfield and Derry City to try and win these cups but if we can beat Sligo, on our day I think we can be more than a match for any team on this island.

The team are playing for each other and have the confidence and skill. It's just a question of what happens on the day. If the squad can play like they have to get to these finals then we've a decent chance and though we will be the underdogs in both finals, all being well our players will pretend they're playing Fulham at Seaview and show no fear because that will be the mentality that might see us make some history.

The other reason that this season has been such a great success is the brilliant news that in the end we didn't need to come 2nd or 3rd in to get a Europa League qualifying place. Because we have ended up playing against the League Champions in the Irish Cup Final, win or lose, the European adventure will continue this July. So who knows, perhaps there is another memory to be made like Timmy Adamson's goal against Fulham at the start of this season?

Huge credit has to go to everyone at Crusaders FC, especially the players and staff - a club for the fans, run by the fans!

Just in case anyone is interested in coming along to either of the finals or watching the games on TV, the Irish Cup Final at Windsor Park this Saturday kicks off at 2.30pm and is an all ticket match (locations of ticket outlets can be found here - for the Crues end and here for the Linfield end). The game will also be televised on BBC Northern Ireland. The Setanta Sports Cup final is scheduled for 4pm on the 12th May and tickets go on sale Sunday. The game will also be televised on Setanta Ireland.

Crusaders FC: A 2011/12 Season Half Time Report.

It is January 2012 and that means we are mid-way through the football season in the IFA Premiership (The top flight of Irish League football) and as always, this is where the roller-coaster ride for supporters gathers pace. If you have checked the league table recently, you may have noticed that the team I support - Crusaders FC, haven't reached the heights of their potential in the league this year, but not to worry, following the Crues is never dull and there is still very much to play for.

Back in August my hopes were high that the Crues would push towards giving Linfield a run for their money at the top of the league this season. Unfortunately, we just haven't been able to set the league alight this time around; be it improved opposition, players not clicking as well as last season or, as on a few occasions, just sods law and plain old bad luck. This is football, these things happen. As it is, and as many predicted, it's looking quite likely now that a Linfield side playing steady but unexciting football and not performing as well as their fans would expect, will win the league. As the season progresses and other sides start to pick up the inevitable fatigue and injuries to key players, Linfield's strength in depth will very likely pull them increasingly quickly towards yet another Gibson Cup, I hope it doesn't happen but it's likely it will. Fine for those who can afford it.

So for Crusaders, who were sitting in 6th place in a 12 team league at Christmas and 5th after the New Years games,it might seem like there wasn't much left to play for... That isn't the case - indeed it's very much the opposite, there is still very much to play for, including plenty of silverware.

Thanks to plenty of hard work and a bit of luck, the club sits in the best position it has done off the pitch for over a decade, with great facilities and a continued drive to sort out the finances once and for all - though obviously there is still much work to be done as there is at many Irish League clubs. On the pitch, although not in the form we got used to seeing the team last season, the side can still beat anyone on their day - as the recent games against high flying Cliftonville and Portadown have reminded us. We're perhaps a few too many points out of touch of the leaders but the season can still be a huge success. The good news is that there are still 3 cup competitions to play for and in the league there are still places in the qualifying rounds of European football to try and secure. Beyond that, there is also a good chance of more North Belfast derbies. The media might currently focus heavily on the 'Belclasico' between Linfield and Glentoran but if you want passion and goals it's to North Belfast you should head.

So what are Crusaders chances of staying above those behind us and catching any of the 4 above to be in with a chance of a European qualifying place?

First thing's first - the split. This is where after 33 games, the Irish League splits into two sections. The top 6 and the bottom 6 then play each of the teams in their section once more to complete the last 5 games and the 38 game league season.

The way things have gone so far it seems almost like the league has split in two, with any of the top 6 capable of beating each other on their day and the remaining 6 sides being much less likely to get a result against the top 6 but all are capable of a surprise on their day. The only perceivable changes before the split would be if, against current form, Donegal Celtic or Ballymena suddenly started to pick up a freakish run of results to reel between an 8 to 12 point gap and were able to catch Glentoran, Crusaders or Coleraine. However, given both DC and Ballymena's string of fixtures (each play against current top half sides in 6 of their remaining games) and the potential of the sides they would have to catch, I'd say it was very likely that the top 6 now will be the top 6 at the spilt.

Hopefully that is the case and the Crues will end the regular season on a high. Securing a better placed finish in the league will be a tricky task – finishing the season in front of Glentoran and Coleraine this year would be a good achievement given some of the results from the first half of the season. Like the Crues, the Glens haven't been playing their best. Indeed Glentoran have probably been the worst of the top 6 so it's likely that Scott Young will try to strengthen in the current transfer window. Coleraine have improved a lot from last season as most expected they would with the players brought in. The thing being, Coleraine have been playing well for good spells of the season, as have Cliftonville, the question is can these sides get a second wind given that their runs of good form were contributed to by players like Leon Knight for Coleraine looking likely to move on and Rory Donnelly for Cliftonville having signed for Swansea. It's likely they can, but without these potential match winners, if adequate replacements aren't brought in to help turn tight games, it could potentially open things up a little more over the course of the rest of the season.

A little bit of quality in the Irish League can make all the difference. That quality up front is what Portadown have largely depended on so far this season and they are somewhat surprisingly the most consistent challengers to Linfield in the first 5 months. The issue being, with such dependency on their forwards Matthew Tipton and Kevin Braniff for the goals, it seems a fine line to tread, great if they stay fit but there is a lot of season left.

What I'm trying to say is that the potential is there for the Crues; the door may just be left open enough to get through. The quality to put a run or two together is in the squad and we're still in touching distance of those above even whilst not playing as well as a team as we know this very same side can. I think a higher placed finish than 6th or 5th is a real possibility because the team will click as before, it's just a matter of time and circumstance. The confidence is coming back :)

Currently the Crues are a point behind Coleraine so 4th is all to play for but 4th doesn't guarantee a Europa League Qualifying tie. The big prize would be 2nd or 3rd. Portadown are 2nd and 9 points ahead of the Crues and Cliftonville 3rd and 8 points ahead. It's technically out of our hands and it'll be hard given that the sides around us will also be trying to do the same, but with little to lose in the league and a bit of momentum in our favour at the moment, it'll be intriguing to see how it pans out over the next few months.

The league aside, there is still a decent chance of silverware in the cup competitions.

The 1st is the IRN-BRU League Cup. After winning a tight game against Ballymena back in December, The Crues booked their place in the final and will face Coleraine at the Ballymena Showgrounds for the chance to lift the trophy. The game is on Saturday January 28th at 2.30pm. The atmosphere on a cup final day with the Crues involved is always electric, fingers crossed for a good result but it should be a great away day.

The 2nd is the Irish Cup. For the Crues it begins on Saturday 14th with a home tie against Warrenpoint.

Last but not least is the All Ireland Setanta Cup that kicks off for the Crues in March.

With all that to look forward to it's easy to forget some of the action that has already happened this season. The highs and lows.

The biggest disappointment of the season so far for me was probably the Donegal Celtic game at Seaview that was live on Sky TV. We had gone one nil up in that game but after that it was just one of those days which somehow depressingly ended with a 1-2 loss.

The highlight of the season so far has to be Timmy Adamson's goal against Fulham and the very recent 3-2 win over our local rivals Cliftonville on boxing day. Both will live long in the memory. Our most important signing of the season so far has to be Sean O'Neill, a better goalkeeper I don't think we've had in our goal since Neil Armstrong.

Off the pitch, I'm in love with our two new end stands. When I think of a football ground seat I think of my knees pressed up against the chair in front. However, not at the ends at Seaview. There is no uncomfortable kneecap scraping, quite the opposite, it's leg room heaven. I'm 6ft tall and have relatively long legs. I can happily say that the seats, as well as having a great view, give a brilliant amount of leg room - I can slouch all I like! Compared to the numerous English grounds I've been to, I imagine it'd be like getting an upgrade on a plane. They're just awesome seats for 'real sized' people.

Undoubtedly there will be more highs and lows to come, hopefully more highs than lows, but as long as the team give their all we won't be disappointed, no matter how the season pans out.

I'll try to post more about the Crues and Irish league football this year but if you'd like to follow the action yourself from afar, here are a few Crusaders FC related links:

Crusaders FC Official Website
Crusaders FC Official Twitter page
Crusaders FC Official Facebook page

What a Mad Couple of Months

Like all the busy times (OK, and lazy times too) when I fail to write here regularly, I feel compelled to apologise for not sharing more with the world. But that's crazy, right? It's like going down the pub and apologising to random strangers for not being down there the day before sharing with them the story of how your day went. So as it is, this time I'll just slide past all that and onto another topic.

Which leads me to ask the question - Do I share too much online? - My thrush cream says I don't. The fungal infection on my back said I did... but the cream won the battle! I'm now 'period of low immune system fungal free', good times! and now you know.

That's just the last week or so, before the application of feminine orientated pharmaceuticals to my torso, there was already plenty going on. Here is a quick summary of what Norngirl and I have been up to besides having too much to eat...

And too much to drink...

Back on the 23rd October we headed along to the Waterfront Studio to see Tony Hawks - the Author and Comedian. It was a fun night, the crowd wasn't huge but most of the audience was up for a laugh and that we did. Obviously with Tony Hawks it's going to be a little more gentle than a Jimmy Carr or Dara Ó Briain or an all out stand up of that nature. Tony tells a few jokes through stories, much like his books, and adds in some silly stuff and music for good measure. It was a fun night and well worth the entrance fee.

Talking of Jimmy Carr, a couple of weeks later we also went to see him perform his 'Laughter Therapy' at the Waterfront Hall. Prior to it we had the most deliciously affordable meal at The Northern Whig. I'd never been there for anything other than drinks, so I wasn't expecting anything amazing and the portions aren't huge but dude was it yummy. I usually hate batter on a fish but it was delicious, as were the potatoes and buttery saffron sauce that came with it. After Made In Belfast started putting their prices up, I was missing an amazingly yummy meal at a cheap enough price for me to afford it, and it turns out, it was hiding in the Northern Whig. We since went back on the day we substituted for our wedding anniversary, more on that later, and it was just as yummy the 2nd time with different meals on their 2 for 10 offer. So anyway, yes, Jimmy Carr. he talked about brownies too but his variety were scouts without nuts. As always, Jimmy Carr was excellent, crude and rude but politely so and brilliantly funny. Some of the audience interaction parts were a little bit of a let down but that was due to the audience not having any stand out characters. The picture part was the best yet, so wrong but yet hilarious. As Jimmy mentioned in the show, its about laughing before your conscious catches up to question it. As always, I can't wait until he's back to do another show.

The football has been keeping us busy too in more ways than one but it'll all be worth it in the end. C'mon Crues! Wooo! From watching games, to fundraising and from attending a testimonial dinner to playing 5-a-side in a charity competition at work, that game of kicking a bag of wind about sure has kept me busy.

In the last few weeks we also headed away for a few days, a trip to Rochdale for a wedding of one of Norngirl's relatives at Rochdale Town Hall.

The wedding was nice and the Greek night we went to was great fun, great food too and plenty of dancing and plate smashing. If you're looking for a good place for a party in Littleborough in the outskirts of Rochdale, you probably couldn't go too far wrong at Demetris that's for sure.

I wasn't very impressed by Rochdale though, the town hall was lovely but there is not a great deal to see in the town to be honest.

In the short time we were there it reminded me of Bradford but even more in need of regeneration. In the end on Saturday when we had some down time from the festivities, we went to see what the Trafford Centre was all about. I didn't really think it had much choice compared to the likes of Meadowhall, and with no Greggs, I was highly disapointed. Manchester was looking all cosmopolitan in the evening light though (see photo at the start of this post), a nice city to visit.

I mentioned before about our anniversary - it just so happened that 2 days before our actual anniversary we were both off work anyway, so we decided to celebrate early. As well as the meal at The Northern Whig, we headed along to Belfast Zoo. I know, maybe not a regular first choice for a romantic occasion but one I would recommend never the less. Though maybe not ideally on a cold November day if you can help it. We had a picnic with us and ate it by the lake before wandering around the animal enclosures.

Inside the reptile house was either a very lucky lost Peacock or, as I'd like to imagine, an evolutionary advanced Peacock with a heightened sense of common sense.

The Peacocks wander the grounds freely but not usually indoors. I like to think he must have snook in to enjoy the warmth. I think he did as he wasn't going to move from his warm spot by the heated tanks, he was guarding his sauna space whilst being watched by the other residents like this Chameleon.

Around the zoo, the Elephants, Giraffes and Zebra were out and about, as were the awesome Lions but most of the apes and bears were tucked up in the warmth of their burrows and heated rooms.

Sadly, the Malaysian Sunbears, the very animals that my blogger screen name is in homage to, were amongst those out of sight. I don't blame them mind you. The only animal at the top of the zoo brave enough to be out and about in the cold and with all the noise of the construction work (they're rebuilding the zoo's coffee shop at the top of the hill) was a lone hog that was frolicking in it's private mud-bath.

There were plenty of highlights in our 2nd wedding anniversary winter Belfast Zoo trip:

- Seeing a sleepy bat go to the toilet whilst hanging from a branch - which answered a great unanswered question! The trick is it wakes up enough to hang by it's 'hands' the right way around and then like a gymnast swings back into position once it's fertilised the floor below. Gravity 0 - 1 Bat.

- A giant Rabbit that made other species of rabbit look like mice in comparison.

- Elephant feeding time, turns out we might not have been the first species to find it fun to throw our food into the air and catch it in our mouths.

- Lions - RAWRRRRRRR. For a few minutes the Lionesses were just playing like my dads kittens, was hard to believe they could eat your hand off. Then the lady came to feed them and it was a quick reminder to resist the urge to take one home. Kittehs are powerful!

- Things that swim - specifically the Sea-lions and Smooth-coated otters. The Sea-lions are always a great sight, looking at them sitting still, I'd think they'd be slow and clumsy but they have more grace and agility then anyone human I know. The way they can turn and speed through the water and then leap like a penguin to clear a good few feet of rock and land perfectly, the Simpson's had the Dolphins take over but I reckon in reality it'd be the Sea-lion that took to land, it's always those you least expect and I reckon they're cleverer than they look.

Has anyone ever seen the Smooth-coated Otters out and about before? I hadn't until this time, I just assumed they were shy and retiring types, but nope, this time they were up close and personal.

They'd been playing in the water as we approached them but then a group of birds came close to the end of their fence behind some bushes. The Otters sprang into action as if they were Meerkats, like this actual Meerkat...

They were overly curious about the white feathery bird things lurking behind the fence, I'm not sure if they were on alert or just thought dinner was approaching but they were largely oblivious to two humans stood literally a couple of feet from where they had come to nosey from. Obviously we're just not a priority or deemed as food or scary to a captive Otter. Amazing creatures though, their tails and coats are something else, so sleek and shiny. Norngirl learnt a neat trick too. If an Otter is on the look out and if you raise your hand up in the air like you're doing a Mexican wave, they're distracted by it for a moment until they realise you're just a stupid human and will sit upright on their tails in a true Meerkat like pose.

- There were also some fun birds who seemed as inquisitive about us as we were of them. Maybe they're plotting their take over of the world with the Sea Lions.

So that was our Wedding Anniversary Belfast Zoo trip. In more recent days, we had a hectic week of preparation and local football fund-raising and since then we've been trying to prepare for Christmas.

We just had a great weekend - well, apart from the very sad news about Gary Speed – my favourite Leeds United player when I was a kid, but on the Saturday before all that happened we really had a great time at the Odyssey Arena where the Belfast Giants took on Braehead Clan (from Glasgow). It was a game packed with highlights and a nail-biting finish which saw the Giants take a penalty, ride it out then out of the penalty box flew Jon Pelle, a long cross ice pass set him on his way and he slammed the puck into the net to tie the game up at 4-4 with about 5 minutes to go, two late goals sealed a win.

If you weren't at the game on Saturday night, courtesy of UTV, this is what you missed... well this and the great company, a good atmosphere and some beer - hockey rocks!

December is looking like another mad month, this time though scattered with visits from family, Christmas parties, some more football, preparing some more for Santa and getting the house decorated, but it'll be worth it in the end. Although I'm not a fan of the whole 5 month build up to the day, I really do like Christmas. I even bought a battery powered £5.99 plastic toy train to put around the base of our tree. Hopefully, if we have enough time and I can find some model paint, it shall become a small project to Christmas it up and I'll be sure to share it with you. Maybe even a video :)

Two days in London

Last month we were on our travels to London. The main event that led us to getting a plane to Heathrow was Fulham Vs Crusaders at Craven Cottage but we decided to make a little bit of a holiday around it. So here are some photos from the couple of days we visited the capital of England at the end of July.

After our flight to Heathrow we bought an Oyster card each and topped then up before taking the tube into the centre of London. After getting off at Covent Garden tube station, without realising it at the time (and unfortunately for me, as it was my idea - I honestly thought I could hear the street above) we took the stairs... all 193 of them. It turns out it's one of the deepest London Underground stations... and unsurprisingly, it has many stairs to climb - only really beaten by Hampstead Tube station having over 320. With bags on our backs that contained clothes for 4 days, it wasn't the easiest climb. Half way up I think I may have sold it to Norngirl as an alternative gym workout, she wasn't impressed.

Once we'd had breakfast in a cafe opposite Drury Lane Theatre and had a look around some shops we got some cupcakes and headed back on the tube to the V&A Museum of Childhood. Before we went in we sat in the park next to it and ate our goodies. Mine being a nommy chocolate number that didn't taste as much of glitter as it looked, indeed it was quite delicious.

It was then into the museum which was free and we headed to a section that had games you can play. We rewrote the rules for snakes and ladders but had fun playing anyway before looking around the rest of the various toys, games, activities and displays.

Most of the toys were in glass cases but it was fun to see some toys we'd forgotten existed from our childhoods though I was disappointed after seeing things like the Turtles and Sooty that there were no Manta Force toys, I used to love those! The mechanical toys section was pretty cool though and I finally got to see the boxes/put names to some of the toys and bits of plastic we used to get given to play with at primary school.

Once we'd relived some of our childhood it was then back on the tube to go take a look at the already famous construction site of the Shard, one of the new skyscrapers to have popped up around London.

From the bus station at the base of the Shard, we went for a walk down past the Scoop at MoreLondon. Personally I thought it seemed like quite a depressingly corporate part of town given the cultural highlights of a performance going on in the Scoop and the River with HMS Belfast floating not so far away from Tower Bridge.

The buildings, as shiny as they are, each looked quite dark and cold, reflecting the overcast day above them. It was also hard to miss the depressed looking office workers walking out of them with sullen looks on their faces trying to find a spot to sit to eat their lunch.

To be honest the Tower of London looked more inviting.

We were soon at Tower Bridge and I was competing with the other tourists in taking some pictures of the Bridge and the skyline.

Lunch was a trip to a Mexican fast food place for Burritos and Tacos. It was then on to Fulham to the hotel before heading out to sample what the Fulham and Putney Bridge areas had to offer. After a drink on Fulham's North End Road, we headed down to Putney Bridge itself.

A meal south of the river in a Weatherspoons, we headed on to the football match.

The next day we woke up to a brighter Friday morning. First port of call was a tour of BBC television centre.

There we got a great insight into how things like the news and weather are produced, the layout of the building and where the guest stars of BBC shows get to stay. The best bit for me was seeing one of Kryton's heads from Red Dwarf and a Tardis from Dr Who.

After the tour we headed down to St Paul's Cathedral where we had a walk around the building.

It was then time to head to One New Change a relatively new shopping centre that opened in October 2010.

The thing that took us there, other than it appearing on 'The Apprentice' TV show, was the roof terrace that is open to the public which gives a great view of the surrounding area.

We had some nice pies from the fast food place 'Eat' and sat in the sun eating them and trying to find on our phones a new plan for the afternoon.

We didn't really have one when we headed to get some essentials like a razor (the problem of only having hand luggage on a plane), after that little bit of shopping we just headed west, the plan was to find a pub and work from there. Instead I found a sign for the Museum of London. Wires slightly crossed, I ended up leading us towards the Museum. Norngirl realised this before me and so we stood debating what the heck we were doing next. As it became clear a pub indeed was a priority I got rather lucky in that when we turned around we'd been stood right outside a bar - the Lord Raglan. We went inside and I bought Norngirl a London Pride as a peace offering.

In the end we decided to give the Museum of London a try, after all it was free. It turned out to be an enjoyable visit and I learnt a lot about London, especially how the settlement developed and how the various parts of London merged to be the megacity it is.

Another tube ride and we were back in Fulham getting dolled up for the night. We'd booked some tickets to go to see the musical Wicked as Norngirl really wanted to see it and I was curious as to what the hype was all about. We headed to the theatre and picked up our tickets before a quick visit to a supermarket to pick up some snacks and sandwiches to eat before we headed to the show. A pint of ale in a nearby pub later and we headed back to find our seats.

Little mini binoculars purchased we watched the show, and you know what, quite a show it was! There aren't as many individually great stand alone songs as you'd get in something like Les Misérables but in terms of a spectacle it was brilliant. It had a great use of the stage and stage effects and some really strong voices. Oddly the peak of the show came with 'Defying Gravity' which is sung as the pre interval crescendo. It was a great plot and show and if you get chance to see it, I have to warn you that you'll never watch The Wizard of Oz in the same way again... in a good way though!

A slight mishap with tube stops resolved by a short walk and we'd got back to Fulham a little late for a meal in a restaurant so we headed out for what turned out to be a Subway and Dominos.

We had a great time in London but it was bedtime and we got some rest to be ready to travel to Cardiff the next day... though we didn't set off the next day until we took a slight detour to take a look at Stamford Bridge.