View from the Cemetery

"Just like a river that don't know where it's going, I took a wrong turn and I just kept flowing...."

Well apart from the wrong turn bit, if it's good enough for the Boss it's good enough for me. Might not be a wrong turn, in fact it's turned out lovely, but we certainly don't know where it's going, or if it will ever end? A comprehensive dispatch of the Bishop's boys and another two solid wins on the road since my last communication, and we sail serenely on in untroubled waters, well clear of the chasing pack.

I always think the Northern League's Northern Ventures magazine is a good read, when that is it gets thrown over the fence, but for name dropping purposes the editor has surpassed himself this month. His Grace the Duke of Northumberland, The President of the Worldwide Methodist Conference and the MP for Guisborough. All in a few pages; a noble, holy and, almost certainly, honourable trio if ever I saw one. Counterbalanced of course by the usual stories, and sadly pictures, of blokes who look and sound demented in the extreme, and whose dress sense, if sense is the word, leaves quite a bit to be desired. Unless, in one spectacular and eye hurting case this month, you are about to mount a surf board in Hawaii. Which they weren't. I was once asked to leave the bar at Crook Golf Club because of my trousers, specifically the fact that I didn't have them on as it happens, but I won't bore you with sordid details. Much more importantly, there is no photographic evidence of the same, something some of the braver correspondents to Northern Ventures might care to ponder on. Still, makes for something to talk about during the boring bits. And were there boring bits in the 0-0 draw down at Bishops? Not really to judge by the reports, which either reckoned Bishops should have won comfy, or that RCA could have been five up by half time; funny how folks can see the same things different ways, no? And a quid for a cup of tea, no recession in the wild south west by the sounds of it.

Well clear at the top of the League, and a couple of cracking home wins against Coxhoe and Cleveland Bridge to enjoy. Hang on a minute, that doesn't sound quite right...

Yes, it's been a pleasure to watch the CW on tour, down here at Meadow Park, while the council wait for the nesting swallows to move on before they can finish the work up at the Welfare. And a couple of canny games as well, with some RCA old boys on show. They have been as good as gold so far, tidying after them and all that. Nice to see a spirit of neighbourliness here in Ryhope, normally the neighbours is just the first place you go when your telly goes missing in these parts; and even better to see both clubs going like trains. Been nearly as good as hearing about the RCA on their travels. Watching the CW over the fence has been fine, but I wish I could have been up at Benfield on Saturday.

Well, well, well, who would have believed it? Four games in and not beat yet, are we the Colliery in disguise, sneaking into the local league? Oh no, I don't think so, we are the Meadow Park boys, taking on the big names and getting results. Fair perked me up no end it has. But can it last? Will the cold chill of a Ryhope August Bank Holiday weekend bring it all to an end? Are the neighbours revolting? Will the council turf us out? Who is getting sent off this week? Has the Deft finally ordered enough beer and pies?