In The Cold Light of Day

The month of June was only four days away but the curtains were drawn to shut out the thunderstorm outside. I didn’t care. As long as I could watch the European Cup Final, I was happy. I watched Barca beat Sampdoria in last season’s final in my bedroom, but had decided that this season’s big game deserved a showing in the lounge. Marseille were still a goal up after eighty minutes, but I knew Milan would score. It was going to happen any minute, I was certain of it. Jean Pierre-Papin would arrive at the back post and AC Milan would be level, but they never did. So it was Marseille who won the 1993 European Cup Final, which just so happened to be twenty-eight year old Marco Van Basten’s last ever game, showing not only that playing careers can be very short, but even the best teams can lose in the biggest games.

Now the dust has settled on Burridge’s three-zip defeat to Freemantle, we can look to the future. Burridge have to play AFC Hop, Durley and Michelmarsh at home , as well as going to Comrades and Bishopstoke, and it's only really they who can offer a genuine threat, with former Tranmere goal bodger Stuart Barlow up front. With the kind of centre-halfs turning out in this league, I'll give him five years before he's been hacked to death and living on yesterday's reputation. Nothing wrong with that though, many an England player over the years has made a decent career out of that.