I didn’t know when the season ended or even started but with the Euros and Copa America now over we are perhaps there although there are some players still on duty for their countries at the Tokyo Olympics.
England’s achievement to reach their first final in 55 years captivated a country and the team brought us together as we continue to struggle on the journey to defeat Covid.
To lose on penalties is heart breaking as it is for all teams losing in this way. On balance the Italian team were in control from the start of the second half and the momentum was with them into the penalties.
Missing penalties haunts all who play the game. Italy’s Jorginho, perhaps thought of as the best penalty taker in Europe, even missed his and over at The Copa America with ten minutes to go Argentina were leading 1nil against Brazil and Lionel Messi had the ball at his feet with the goalkeeper to beat but fluffed it in the way you would expect a child to do the same. The miss luckily for Messi was not punished by Brasil and he was able to win his first ever Cooa America winners medal.
The ups, downs, extacy and disappointments is what makes following football so emotionally taxing and enjoyable.
Well back to the disjointed season of 2020/21 was it all a dream or perhaps a nightmare.
With the season start not clear at all levels of football I started with a 90 day Now TV pass to watch Aston Villa games which included their amazing 7-2 demolition of Liverpool.
It seems so long ago, September 12th 2020 that my real season started with a trip to Frickley Athletic in the F.A. Cup.
With family visits restricted it was a memorable vist to Sielby Rangers to see a game with a grandson for the first ever time that was the stand out moment.
I managed games at Selby, Ilkeston (for the best chips of the season), Loughborough Dynamo’s, Clipston, a Miners Welfare derby, Handsworth and what I thought would be my last game of the season at Coalville. The Coaville game at home to Matlock was the last day before another Lockdown and football again brought family together as I was able to see them again. It was also an exciting 4-4 F.A. Cup draw with Matlock going through on penalties with further rounds played behind locked doors.
I now turned to watching St Albans City through their pay per view games and found that they were playing exciting winning football. This too however did not last and the National League North and South ground to a halt in some acrimony after a disputed vote to carry on and some bad feeling over Government/League U turns. I was impressed by the quality of televised coverage at this level of Football home and away and hope to be able to use this to keep in touch with my home team from afar in the future.
To keep me topped up I watched a few F.A. Cup games on the BBC, a live stream of an FA Vase game and a final 3 months of the Premier League through a 3 month Sky package.
So thinking the season over, particularly for Non League football, I was pleased to find that although the season had been abandoned at most levels some of the lower leagues wanted to complete their outstanding fixtures. This allowed me to see some live football again and realy enthused me to go back and watch some more in the future.
A season like no other that hopefully will not be repeated but which has highlighted some incredible work by some dedicated people to keep local clubs alive and importantly at the centre of their local communities.
Payonthegate 