HAPPY EASTER!
That was the best weekend of my life
I'VE just had the happiest Easter of my life - recalled to the starting eleven for the first time in 12 weeks; beating our big rivals Preston 1-0; and seeing the birth of my baby daughter Daisy.
It doesn't get much better than that. We took 5,000 fans to Preston for the big game and winning there was fantastic.
There was a great atmosphere in the stadium and it showed yet again that when we play on good surfaces we do better than at home, where our pitch is like a beach. I was surprised I managed to last 90 minutes, after such a long time out injured.
It's great that our fans finally have bragging rights again over Preston. I bumped into one of our supporters in the supermarket later in the week - all he said: "I usually slag you off, but well done against Preston." There's a compliment in there somewhere, I think!
Daisy arrived on Sunday and I've been walking around in a daze ever since - a combination of happiness and tiredness!
Business
I only had about 10 minutes' sleep on Sunday, so I decided to sit out the Reading game on Monday. Instead, I brought Kate and Daisy home.
We're now at the business end of the season and we can't afford to rest.
We thought the four points we earned over Easter would have pushed us to safety but, typically of this division, Norwich, Plymouth and Nottingham Forest picked up similar results. We've got Charlton tomorrow, which is a massive game for both clubs.
However well we do, we just don't seem to be able to pull away from the relegation zone, so it could well go to the final day of the season - just as it did last season.
We're also keeping an eye on the Premier League table because there's the prospect of playing some really big teams next season if we can stay up. I wonder what Obafemi Martins is like in gale force conditions?
This article has 2 comments
Congratulations on the new arrival! And nice to see you back, too. All the best.
By Simon. Posted April 18 2009 at 9:06 PM.
Fantastic stuff against PKE Ben. You ran you're heart out for the club and it didn't go unnoticed.
It must have been a tough week on you though, looking after a post-baby girlfriend, a new child, and carrying Youl Mawene in your pocket.
By Happy Pool Fan. Posted April 17 2009 at 10:17 PM.