What a day

By the end of the day on Saturday I was absolutely knackered. A combination of a sleepless night (I would love to say it was due to a dodgy baked potato, or something, instead of pre match nerves, but who am I kidding), a nerve jangling 120 minutes (I kept finding myself literally on the edge of my seat during the match), the drama of the penalty shoot-out (which seemed to fly past) and then the sprint from my seat on to the pitch and then back again (I almost felt as if it was me who had won promotion when I ended up giving Kevin Motion a hug in the middle of the pitch) meant I was done in by the end of the day. And all for promotion to the 2nd division! For once I fancied getting to the match earlier than my usual 2.55 on the basis, that (1) it would be good to sample the pre match atmosphere and (2) I didn’t fancy having to debate with some glory hunter (ha) who had managed to perch themselves in my seat that it would be a good idea if they moved – this was going to be a day of celebration, not confrontation, I told myself. Best laid plans and all that – I left my wallet at home and had to dash back to get it. This was not good for the blood pressure that was about to be pushed to it’s limit. Fortunately I had left myself some wriggle room so that I still got to the ground in good time. I even managed to secure 2 seats next to me for my friends / glory hunters! The match itself was a tense affair. What did I expect? Ovenstone had slotted in to the back line as if had never been away. He had had an excellent season for us (well, three quarters of one) and it was good that he got the chance to be part of the promotion winning team, as he deserved it. My guess is that he won’t be with us again next season, but he will be fondly remembered. Otherwise the team was pretty much as expected. Of course Scott Bennett took all the plaudits for his penalty save but his performances, not just in the last match, but in the period after the Montrose debacle were superb. Having pencilled him down as one of the players who wouldn’t feature next season, all of a sudden he has made himself irreplaceable. And at the same time gone down in Stenhousemuir folklore. I had made arrangements to be collected after the match, not really considering what might happen in the event of Extra Time and even Penalties. However, it worked out nicely, as my 3 year old daughter arrived just in time to witness her first ever penalty shoot out. Fortunately, her mum was with her which meant that when I was leaping about like a buffoon on the pitch she was in safe hands. Safer than mine, obviously. She now has a new song to sing (which is great because it means I don’t have to listen to her repertoire of Grease songs quite as much) – “Stenny for ever, Cowden in the river” – I presume she means the Firth of Forth. As for next season, well we’ll enjoy the feeling for now before starting to worry about what might happen next. Personally, I would just like to thank the players and management for providing such a great day as Saturday.