You mean some of you actually missed me last week?

Well, after giving consideration to the events at Barrow and then the Wednesday reverse at The Lane, I felt that to write a blog after two defeats would quite simply have been pointless (clever football reference there, in case you missed it!).

Beep beep, beep beep.... 2nd half has just kicked off... More of that later.

There has been quite a bit of discussion regarding the music the teams have been walking on to the pitch to lately. Sussex by the Sea seemed to have made way for some cheesy popcorn ditty by the name of Red River Rock. Quite why, how, or who made the change is still a mystery but last weekend there sure was only one tune to use ... The Colonel Bogey March.

Minstermen York came to the Lane in search of their first victory over Eastbourne and at 4.45pm they headed back north with their hunt for points bearing no fruits. Yes, we are finally someone’s bogey side! The fact that it is an ex-league club that we thwart time after time makes it oh so much sweeter. Maybe we should begin a chart list for our visitors and add “Thorn in my side” for Dean Saunders!

Of course the term bogey is widely associated with not only the lack of spherical objects possessed by a certain former leader of the Third Reich but also up and down the fairways of golf courses around the world. In fact, Colonel Bogey’s March was supposedly written in 1914 by Lieutenant FJ Ricketts when he heard a golfer whistle a two note warning rather that shout ‘Fore’ (and you lot thought there was no background work to this rubbish each week!).

I refer to the golfing connection as our midweek jaunt saw us ventured over The Second Severn Crossing to the green green valleys of South Wales. With the Ryder Cup having been secured by the Europeans the day before, we drove along the M4 in to the shadow of Celtic Manor Resort, a huge hotel complex on top of a hillside that bears a striking resemblance to Colditz Castle.

Our Welsh hosts have been flying high since their return to the top flight of non-league and under the guidance of Dean Holdsworth, Septembers manager of the month, look a very good bet for back-to-back promotions (that’s a kiss of death, if ever I saw one).

Spytty Park hadn’t changed a bit when we rolled into the car park and were greeted by a huge smiling steward. I was a tad concerned when the PA guy announced the line ups ... it was the bit when he said, “The Eastbourne teams lines up as, in goal, number 5, Ben Austin”. Now I know Smarty keeps trying to lay claim to the gloves but does the entire midfield want a go at it? Relief set in, when Rikki was named!

There is always a cracking atmosphere at Newport and I for one would love to hear that amount of noise at our home games. The roar made itself heard in two minutes when the Amber and Black took the lead. The faithful nine from the South Coast looked at each other as if to say ‘Here comes a battering’. In a game that had everything, it was the actions of Matt Langston in the 90th minute that not only silenced the home crowd but sent a very happy bunch of fans back over the River Severn with a big smile!

Beep beep ... Text alert! Maybe I ought to explain. There is a new text service now set up to give Boro fans updates on matchdays. Now, far be it from me to criticise, as any service that keeps fans informed has to be praised, but a small group of us at a recent reserve game when the first team were away at Barrow were left bemused but also laughing when the alerts arrived.

With 20 minutes of the second half under way, we were told the second period had just kicked off at Holker Street. Now I know it’s a long way to Priory Lane and Sussex but it’s not in a different time zone! The service is a great idea but I still have visions of one man with a list of mobile numbers and he texts each one in turn.

Twerton Park is our destination this weekend and a day out in Bath. A proper old fashioned ground with raised terracing, it’s well worth a visit. I have my hard hat packed just in case. If you need that explaining, then you don’t follow non-league football close enough. Till next week, keep the faith and let’s keep the goals coming! Life isn’t dull as a Boro fan!

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