Enough is enough. For the first time in more years than I care to remember, I watched a Sunderland game live on the telly, and I didn’t like it one little bit. Pre-season, standing in The Station, watching the usual suspects in the Albuferian sunshine, enjoying themselves and supporting the Lads. I enjoyed it so much that I left near the end, missing two sendings off and two goals, including a first for the Noz. I stayed to the end of the next game, which we didn’t win, and did the same for the Cobh Ramblers match. There was a much smaller, but no less vociferous, turnout of Sunderland fans than normal for an Irish game, presumably because the club had already booked a game at Forest as well as the Athlone and Shamrock games before the Cork trip was announced. Still, we stuck in four goals without reply, Richardson, with his new go-faster footballer’s physique, looked keen and sharp, new boy Tainio calm and collected, and fellow new starter Meyler, back on home ground after a whole week on Wearside, a decent prospect.

New signings have been the talk of the summer, as is usual, and, as is becoming usual, thick on the ground at SAFC. Tainio and Meyler I’ve mentioned, the much-travelled Nick Colgan is presumably to make up the Premiership quota of at least four keepers, and then there’s Chimbonda, all I’ll say is that he’s got to lose the gloves, and generate a desire to play every week rather than just when he fancies and if I spot a piece of paper down his sock towards the end of the season, I’ll pull his lugs off. Likewise Diouf, he can be a tremendous player when he wants to, but he needs to learn that every matchday is when he needs to produce. Let’s hope he lives up to his footballing expectations rather than his temperamental expectorations. The way things have been going, Malbranque could well have signed by the time you read this, and Kaboul might have decided that Roker Beach is preferable to Southsea Beach after all. Who knows.

Anyhow, my first real match of the season (no TV) was Bishop SAFC fans against Barnard Castle SAFC supporters at West Auckland, in memory of Egghead. In a tight-fought game of 30 minutes each way (it was hot, man), Barney edged out 1-0 winners despite a goalkeeping performance by Bertie in the Bishop goal that would have had Capello making notes. Along came a trip to Forest, and I was on my way, going to see the Lads in the flesh for the first time since May. Back on the Durham bus (a new, to us at least, vehicle) and almost a bit of a disaster as a large trunk fell off a preceding vehicle and we only just avoided it. Cheers, driver. Boo to whoever loaded up the offending vehicle and failed to notice when the load fell off. Cheers to Anne and Claire for dishing the dirt on SAFC travel as far as the Portugal trip was concerned, and for giving us the real Albufeira story.

All in one piece, we broke the rules and missed out on Alan Whicker’s pub in Retford, instead heading into Newark (first time for the Durham Branch). Really, nothing changes, bus, near miss, beer stop, noisier journey to stadium of the day, and away we went. But Newark was all different, on the minus side. All of the old pubs that I’d remembered form my youth were now of the type I wouldn’t normally frequent. Even the Old King’s Head was a haven of “sorry it’s off” so I managed to get by with couple of pool victories over Anne. How times change.

Then it was a swift trip into Nottingham, and we were in town before half six. So, shat to do? Well, I tried the South Bank Bar, where they decided that we’d put in enough away supporters and we had to go to another bar that was full of our lads. There I met up with a few folks who had helped me make a mess of Wensleydale a few weeks ago, had a nice pint, and arrived bang on kick off. There was Gordon, then Chimbonda, Noz (back in the middle), Higgi, Diouf (haaaaak ptui), Tainio, Leadbittier, Richardson, Reid, and Murphy, so that was a decent start. Anyhow, as many basked in the sun on the banks of the Trent, the game set away,

We played a lot of what you get used to in pre-season, lots of lovely one-twos, lots of lovely touch and go stuff, and we were by far he better side without ever really killing off the opposition. Keano had received a good reception from the home crowd, while the visiting crowd lived up to the reputation built up pre-match “Why are there so may of you, and why are you so mad?” asked a Forest fan of me at about six. “cos there’s a game on and Sunderland are there” I telt them. As in came news that Kaboul was still touting himself to the highest wage bidder, so did that of Malbranque’s signature on the red and white line. Go on, son. Chimbo (as he is now known) looked lively up and down the right, playing the sort of game we expect of him, and Tainio did the calm, collected bit, while Diouf did almost exactly what he’d done for Bolton against us in May. Very controlled, very clever, very good. Keep the hockle in yer pocket and the football on the field and we’ll all be happy, son.

There were a plethora of changes in the second half, amongst which we saw Ward, Whitehead, Chops, Murphy, Bardsley, Luscombe (continuing a good pre-season) Stokes, and Edwards get a run-out. Just as the game looked like ending in something like a draw, there was a super interchange of passing and Stokes decided that twenty minutes was too long to wait, cut the ball back to Richardson, and the ball was buried. Lovely. After all of the substitutions, Higgi came off with no apparent injury and we played out the last eight minutes or so with only ten men. Roy making a point or what?

All in all, a very satisfactory win, with more than decent debuts for Chimbonda and Diouf. If that’s how you’re going to play, boys, I’m very happy. Also another very good contribution again from Luscombe, and a lot players realising that everyone at SAFC is no more than a squad man.. Which is how it should be.

1-0 to the Lads, the fans in fine travelling form (are there any better?), and the new season just around the corner.

Oh, and Malbranque signed. Nice night all round.

Man of the Match? Probably Reid, captain on the night, and stubbornly showing that you don’t have to be as svelte as Richardson to command a game – in fact, a bit of beef comes in handy when holding off the opposition. Bring it on!

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