I am not sure why I booked a holiday for
Bank Holiday weekend. I could claim that when the deal was booked in March I was so
confident that the Clarets would already be promoted, but alas being an honest sort of
person I have to confess that I got the play off dates wrong!
Needless to say the last week of the season caused me (along with
many others) a few very uneasy moments - not least when Gillingham beat Cardiff 4-1 at The
Priestfield to move us out of the automatic promotion spot and back in to the realms of
play off agony/ecstasy. The next day at work I appeared to be the most popular employee of
the firm as I received countless e-mails from people I had never spoken to. The theme
generally was of a pro Gillingham nature. They were all very quickly deleted but from
memory they said such things as "We are the mighty, the mighty, mighty
Gillingham," "Pride of Kent," "We’re going up, we’re going
up, the Gills are going up" and "We won’t be playing you next year." I
politely replied to a few by just stating the facts as I saw them: Burnley were playing
already relegated Scunthorpe who were managed by Brian Laws, a player that had started his
career at Burnley, Gillingham were playing Wrexham who were managed by Brian Flynn who had
carved out his career at Burnley. I deliberately wasn’t too cocky as I didn’t
want to put a jinx on the Clarets. As all Burnley fans will appreciate there is a fine
line between agony and ecstasy and I certainly didn’t want to move the boundary.
As the week dragged on I actually became more optimistic. Meridian
(the local television company) were obsessed with the fact that Gillingham would gain
automatic promotion; the players believed it, the fans believed it and even the local
radio station were taking the view that next season Gillingham could look forward to a
higher class of football. The vibes were definitely improving, as such hysteria from the
Men of Kent (or are they Kentish Men?) could only improve our chances, couldn’t they?
On Friday I was listening to an article on Radio Five Live which
suggested that if we behaved well towards others then we would reap the benefits of our
actions… mumbo jumbo or what? Well, maybe it was worth a try. So on Saturday morning
I was extremely courteous to everyone that I encountered. Even the people who cross the
road five yards from zebra crossings received a smile and I allowed everyone out of side
streets. In the whole scheme of things I’m not sure if it actually had any bearing on
the results that afternoon, but I will try to continue this practice on match days from
now on!
I won’t dwell on the joys of Saturday evening. Suffice to say
that my wife and I visited friends in Southend and enjoyed a glass or two of red wine
whilst soaking in a spa bath!
Sunday was spent composing e-mails to my work colleagues. The gist
of my messages was to congratulate them on their honesty in acknowledging that we
wouldn’t be playing them next year and also thanking them for realising that they
would not gain promotion via the play offs. Again, I chose not to gloat too much as it was
merely enough that the Clarets had been promoted whilst Gillingham had to endure the play
offs! Oh and I could now go on holiday without thinking about football!
Having arrived in Tenerife I did have a serious problem to contend
with: who did I want to win in the play off final? As Burnley generally struggle against
the Kent side, would it be right for Wigan to triumph, or should the vast sums of money
spent by Messrs. Benson and Bond prove to be ultimately wasted? Did I really care? If
Gillingham did win I would at least be spared all the euphoria by way of being in
Tenerife, so I maybe had a sneaking hope that the Gills would triumph. Having said that,
the nasty demonic side of me said Wigan, so that I would no longer have to suffer the
jibes about Bob Taylor and Gillingham wanting to play at Turf Moor every week.
Interesting to note that John Benson had announced before the game
that he would be quitting come what may - once a loser, always a loser! The game itself
was a strange affair, as I gave up an afternoon of 'all inclusive' delights to sit in a
tiny bar and pay for copious amounts of San Miguel. I found myself cheering when
Gillingham scored and then hoping that Wigan would equalise. When they did I again cheered
which totally confused a fellow watcher. "Who do you support?" he asked,-and
when I replied "Burnley," his eyes glazed over in total bewilderment. I briefly
explained my interest in the game and then he told me that he was a Scarborough supporter
(then it was my turn to be confused!). He gave a glowing account of how wonderful George
Oghani was, although he left Scarborough in suspicious circumstances (surprise surprise).
He also told me that the games with Burnley were always well supported by away fans and
had a special atmosphere. Finally we shared opinions on Liam Robinson: not the most gifted
player but whole hearted, and didn’t we pay money for him!
As the alcohol consumption increased so the tempo of the game did
too and there was an almost ironic sting in the tail, but this time Gillingham emerged
victorious, so I suppose the London Clarets can at least look forward to another trip on
the Gravesend ferry. Although, as the game is on 13 January, it may be advisable not to
have a cooked breakfast. Maybe next season will be the one for the Clarets to finally beat
the Gills in Kent?
Finally, whilst Tenerife may not be the football capital of the
world I did manage to spot a few football shirts - 2 Barcelona, 1 Man Utd, 1 Liverpool, 1
Newcastle and of course a lovely Claret and Blue one with P3 emblazoned across it! And as
a final, final comment I just had to buy a badge that I found in Los Gigantes. I
don’t want to court controversy by revealing the wording but have decided to donate
it to Firmo to use as he wishes!
Andrew Nutter
September 2000
(Suffice to say that as this occasionally purports to be a
family magazine, the badge has been deemed unsuitable for viewing. We'll just add that it
contains more than a passing reference to our dear rivals. The badge was donated as a
raffle prize at this year's AGM, and I believe Mr Richard Fleming now possesses the item,
although I don't know if he's ever worn it - Ed.)
