Wheelchair Supporter

Hello, dear reader!


It’s coming home!

Well, probably not. I mean, as a Leeds United (I know) and England fan, I’m not un-used to disappointment, so it’s probably best not to get my hopes up too far.

Still.

For those of you that haven’t got a Scooby, what I’m talking about, I refer to the upcoming UEFA Euro 2024 football championships.

I’ll pause here for the customary wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Open Goals
Yes for the next month your telly box will be taken over with football games aplenty. This will no doubt shock and appal those who will have their regular schedule interrupted or delayed but I, for one will be in hogs heaven, which raises, I think, a very valid point of enquiry

You see, I’ve, perhaps understandably, never played the game. Not even in the street as a kid. Not even in the playground at school. I’ve never so much as kicked a ball in anger,

Actually, that’s a lie. I do have a vague memory of coming on as a sub for all of 5 minutes at PHAB club (that’s Physically Handicapped & Able Bodied) and scoring a tap-in against a goalie with no legs and one arm. I also remember coming back off after ten minutes with a pulled will to live.

The point is, I’m not one for a kickabout in the park, so why am I, to quote the song ‘football crazy’?

And to be honest, I don’t know.

Home Advantage
I suppose it could be argued that there’s a lot of fans, disability to one side, that are swept up by the beautiful game without really having played it. It could be the almost tribal sense of belonging that goes with following ‘your team’, it could be the ups and downs (and we’ve had our ups and downs) that come with every new season and championship. It could be the release of endorphins as that 92nd minute winner flies in.

Whatever it is, ever since I started to pay attention to the results on Grandstand and ceefax (way to age yourself, there Mark) I was hooked. Nowadays it doesn’t really matter what the game is. It could be Cray Paper Mills in the second round of The FA Cup, or The lionesses in the Women’s world cup. It could be Leeds at Wembley (sob) or Scotland v Germany in Friday’s Euro’s opener. If it’s on and I’m free, I’ll watch it

Referee
In fact, being a medically retired gentleman of leisure (read: feckless drain on the economy) I’ll try to catch at least some of each game played in the forthcoming tournament as I do with every televised event. Of course having a team to support helps, but I’ll go with the tried and trusted method of plumping for the underdog if no other reason rears its head. (Thanks to the influence of a certain Glaswegian friend, I’m probably going to shout for the fourth official on Friday)

So sorry if ‘Stenders or Corrie get cancelled or shifted to another night, but this is only every other year and I for one intend to enjoy it as much as Gareth and the boys let me.

Come on England!!


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Hey, there! If you enjoyed reading any of the above, why not take a look at some of my published work? Below you’ll find links to a number of short stories I’m lucky enough to have included in anthologies. I’d love to know what you think.


New Tales Of Old


Death Ship


Pestilence: Drabbles 1


Reaperman: Drabbles 3


The Musketeers Vs Cthulhu


Eldritch Investigations