Laird Sunk by Saints as My Support Scores First Victim

“The P is for the penalty shootout, great drama and no pressure on me.” (Half Man Half Biscuit in ‘The Referee’s Alphabet’)

There is something oddly dramatic about watching a penalty shootout unfold on Twitter. A bit like waiting for the scores page to roll around on Teletext (one for the teenagers there). Excitingly some spectators were able to see it live as extra preliminary games in the FA Cup have been allowed small crowds. It looked like the wonderfully named Sticky Wicket pub was the place to be pre-match, and those who were able to get their sanitised hands on tickets were rewarded for six months without football by an end-to-end game that included two goals, several more near-misses and a red card for Saints in the final few minutes.

Sadly for now the Half Man Half Biscuit references are done as Cammell Laird lost out 5-4, so my fickle, glory-hunting odyssey moves on to St Helens Town and a trip to Greater Manchester, specifically the foothills of the Pennines and a tie against Mossley.

One of the reasons I’m drawn to the early rounds of the FA Cup is to get more of an appreciation of just what it means to these clubs. The financial reward of £1125 Saints received (compared to just £375 to Cammell Laird) is clearly important, but this morning’s tweet from St Helens shows it’s about more than money: “So where do we start to reflect on that game last night? It was a big challenge just to get the game on but it was worth it. Thanks to all from both clubs who made last night possible. A really good, competitive footy match. For many, that was needed last night for many reasons.”