"THE BATTLE OF THE ALAMO!"
Mee day didn't start off well az a'd injured mee foot openin' a gate, to get mee lorry through it @ '4 bells' in the mornin', after de'in a neetshift run to Halesowen (Birmingham) from the Team Valley (Gatesheed) and back.
By the time 'Big Al' had picked me up @ '2 bells' in the afternoon to gan to St Mirren, mee foot waz 'up like a puddin'!
But 'duty caalled' az this groond waz a one aa HAD to de az a'd never been there before!
'Al' had been here before to watch a Scottish Leegue encoontaa and he parked hiz 'jam jar' aboot a hundred yards from the main stand's entrance meenin' aa didn't have far to waalk after the game!
He knew a good boozer az well and so 'off we set' doon this road away from the groond.
After an agonizin twenty minutes aa limped into the boozer caalled 'The Alamo', where the waalls were adorned with pictures from 'the wild west', complete with bull horns, tomahawks, cowboy hats and red Indians in their heedgear!
The locals were very friendly and thankfully welcomed us with open arms and NOT the tomahawks on the waall!
Mee foot waz achin' like mad after the torturous trek and aa 'mordered' the forst 'gargel' which went straight doon mee 'Gregory Peck' < (to help ease the pain, yoo understand!)
After several pints of Belhaven Best' it waz time for the dreaded 'battle' to 'limp' to the groond from 'The Alamo'!
'Sarnie Steve' accompanied me there and after wot seemed like 'six hours' we finally arrived at the tornstiles where we had purchased tickets for the main stand and not the away end, (just for a change!) Mee foot (and lower leg!) waz up like 'a balloon' by this time and aa plonked meesel into mee seat wonderin' just why a'd put meesel through aall this grief just for a friendly match! < (A'm NOT caalled 'The mad-sad groundhopper' for nothin'!)
Anyway!---the match kicked off with The Toon wearin' wor new 'dark blue number' az wor home strip obviously clashed with St Mirrens 'black n white stripes'!
We took the lead in the 20th minute when Papiss Cisse (wearin the new Wonga logo!) took a pass from Sammy Ameobi on the left to expertly place hiz shot past the St Mirren keeper to put us one-nil up, to very generous applause form the home fans!
Just six minutes later wor lead waz doubled when Debuchy met a Vernon Anita through baall to calmly place hiz shot beyond their keeper! (the full backs forst goal for the club!)
The Toon were 'on fire' at this point (just like mee foot!) and we were unlucky not to add to the score before the break and we went in 'two to the good'!
The 2nd half wasn't half az good az the forst and the game petered oot. The attendance waz given oot ower the loudhailer and the gadgie telt us that there were 709 Toon fans in the visitors end behind the far goal to wor reet. This again brought generous applause from the 'St Mirren faithful', which aa thought waz a very nice gesture!
At the end of match aa shook hands with one of their fans who waz behind me and he wished us good luck for the new season!
Who says the jocks hate the English?
There's one thing for certain, I really hope that they survive in the Scottish Premyaa this season. And az they play in the famed stripes like us, St Mirren will be 'adopted' az mee team north of the border for the forthcomin' season! (Quality fans and the best a'v come across for a very lang time!)
It waz then the '*lambastable limp' back to the jam jar for the three hour jorney back yem!
(*Aa havvent got a clue wot 'lambastible' meenz, but it soonds good!)
Once in the hoose aa got an 'ice-pack' oot the freezer to put on mee swollen foot and lower leg to try and tek the swellin' doon a bit! < ("Oh! the 'joys'? of followin' NUFC!")
Toon team: Elliot (Alnwick 65), Debuchy (Santon 46), Dummett, Anita, Coloccini (Streete 81), Yanga (Williamson 81), Tiote (Newton 75), Gosling (Gouffran 65), Cisse (Campbell 65), Ben Arfa (Vuckic 65, Sammy Ameobi
Attendance: 4,216 (709 Toon fans in the North Stand plus anothaa 100 or so like us dotted around the rest of the groond!)
pix from mine and 'mal the iglish skool teechaa'z phones