Cod Almighty | Diary

As if by magic

24 March 2025

Miss Guest Diary writes: More than once I have made fun in this diary of Mr B's insistence on choosing a 'lucky' shirt for the season and wearing it every time he attends a game. It's also a source of much derision at home. But…but…with Town's loss of two home games in a row I decided to put my prejudice aside and join in with the magical thinking. On Saturday I brought out my own big gun in the form of a pair of trousers which I wore to both the play-off semi-final at Wrexham and the play-off final at the London Stadium. After all, it couldn't do any harm.

And it worked! I concede Town's victory over Newport on Saturday might have also been down to the players working hard, constantly scrapping for the ball, a flukey deflection for the goal and the fact that Newport were the worst team I've seen at BP all season. But I'm claiming an assist for the trousers. My quandary now is whether to deploy them at Colchester on Friday or whether to save them in case their magic is needed for another play-off campaign.

Life is all about decisions isn't it. Little did I know when I decided to trade in my husband of 13 years for a (much) younger model that I'd spend the 35th anniversary of that decision sat on the back row of the Pontoon listening to a bunch of men in their 50s reminiscing about kids' TV from the 1970s. I couldn't even join in as my days of watching children's TV were in the 1960s – had I introduced Sarah & Hoppity or Torchy the Battery Boy into the conversation they would have been mystified.

In footballing terms it's been an interesting time, with plenty of lows mostly balanced by the highs. There aren't many fourth division football fans who can say they've seen their team beat Premier League opposition to reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup or play at Wembley seven times. Admittedly four out of those seven games were lost but that can't detract from the excitement of the build up and the sheer achievement of getting there. And two of my all-time favourite experiences had nothing to do with winning or losing but were all about the fans themselves. I'm talking of course about the 'inflatables' and the 'Mariachi band' games at Barnet – Town fans are simply the best.

I spend quite a bit of time with people who have no interest in and know nothing about football and I have tried more than once to explain how it feels to be part of a crowd who are all desperately focused on the same thing; what it feels like when that thing – whether it's a goal, or a penalty, or magnificent save by your keeper – suddenly happens. The shared euphoria, the urge to jump around and scream, what these days is referred to as "limbs". I have concluded, though, that it's simply not possible to describe; you have to be there to experience it for yourself, and not as a casual observer but as someone whose life feels all wrapped up with the fate of the football club. I certainly couldn't have imagined being part of it myself all those years ago.

Only time will tell if Town make the play offs this season. The factors affecting it are many: the coaching staff's abilities and tactical nous, the skills and fitness of the players, the foibles of referees and the form of Town's play-off rivals to name but a few. Whatever happens, though, if we do make it I'll be there, and I'll be sure to wear my lucky trousers.

UTM