Iron helps us play

By happy coincidence, I’ve discovered that you can’t actually spell Lincolnshire without ‘nil-nil’. This is, however, only a minor comfort when watching back the agonizing miss of Newcastle loanee Kelland Watts, who had the goal at his mercy. It's hard to watch. But if I had to, then so do you (see 1:21).

Add to that the realization that you can’t spell Lincolnshire without ‘one-nil’ either and it’s frustrating. Well, frustrating for weird people like me that actually care about that kind of nonsense.

My base of operations for this particular weekend is Stevenage, having made the wise (albeit unwitting) decision to book the weekend of the Scottish Cup Semis off work and head home. Given that I work near Hampden Park, this was a masterstroke. I’ll probably be working during the Old Firm final, but we’ll worry about that later.

Matchday begins as it means to go on; a trip to Biggleswade to watch the Rugby World Cup Final. Naturally I miss the train by seconds. A comprehensive defeat to a formidable South African side, however, means that we can stop pretending to care about rugby and leave for Scunthorpe earlier than we may have done otherwise. The trip is straightforward, and we’re treated to some of the most bizarre place names that almost make you proud to be English. Spital in the Street anyone? 

Having not been on a road trip for an away game since April, there was a sense of optimism. Stevenage won that game at Mansfield in a crucial victory that kept play-off hopes alive. A quick glance at the table alongside Scunthorpe’s home form quickly quashed any faint hopes. A lot of three-goal victories for Scunthorpe. This might not be pretty.

It was only my second competitive Stevenage game of the season, the first having been our woeful defeat to Salford that began this whole sorry saga of a season. I’ve not seen us score competitively. I’ve only seen one goal via Charlie Carter at Wingate and Finchley in July. Usually in two competitive games this kind of thing doesn’t reflect an entire season. Sadly in this instance, it does.

Driving into Scunthorpe, you can't help but feel awestruck at the huge steel and iron works as you enter the town. The adverts around the stadium bear similar reminders that this is a town built on these things. It's a town with an identity, which is more than can be said for some towns (naming no names). It has also given me a legitimate excuse to use a Simpsons reference in my first blog post in umpteen years. For that I thank them.

Following a ten-minute walk from the arbitrarily parked car, we arrive at Glanford Park, which admittedly didn’t look particularly appetizing in the grey Lincolnshire drizzle, surrounded by puddles. Iggy Pop’s ‘Lust for Life’ playing loudly on the stadium speakers seemed particularly ironic.

The game had been fairly underwhelming, with Stevenage carving out the better of the chances without dominating in the first half. The second half saw Stevenage begin to dominate, whilst remaining open to Scunthorpe’s occasional counter. The away side carved out chance after chance after chance to no avail. Heads were in hands on multiple occasions.

I’ve been a fairly stern critic of Mark Sampson since he took over. Having witnessed my first instance of Sampson in charge, I remain unconvinced. The lack of substitution may have hindered us. It may have helped us. It may have made little difference. But to me, the lack of even one change suggests a lack of bravery. How many times can our goal shy team be dismissed as unlucky before we’re playing outside of the EFL for the first time in a decade? Then again, what more can Sampson or anyone do?

On the journey home, I come to the realisation that I may not be able to make a single home game this season, with my next Stevenage game likely to be in March, away at Crewe Alexandra. The worst part is that I don’t feel like I’m missing out at all. I want the club to make me miss them again.

Currently listening to… King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Infest the Rat’s Nest
The hardest working band in psych-rock have released two albums this year, with Infest the Rat's Nest a remarkable exercise in thrash metal. Well worth a listen.

Currently reading… The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie.
One of those books that's rewarding yet dense. It's my first taste of Rushdie, and it's essentially an overwhelming foray into the spirituality of religion and postmodern civilization, but there is certainly enough to maintain my interest during the denser parts.


Where to next...? Dunipace v Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic in the South Challenge Cup on Saturday.