Forty-eight long hours have passed since the debacle on Boxing Day. A day that hurt me, my son and everyone of the 34,000 that witnessed the piss poor effort before us.
The fact I pulled onto my drive back in Peterlee before the final whistle even blew pretty much sums it up. The dulcet tones of Nick Barnes on the radio, gently glided me down the A19, as my son and I sat silent and in total disbelief.
Last season we did 57 out of the possible 61 games following our beloved club across the whole of the country. We love our football and love our club.
But as the scoreboard hit 55 minutes on Boxing Day, my son turned to me and uttered the words “It’s crap dad, can we just go home.” This actually brought a tear to my eye as it rammed home how low we have fallen in the last five months. Like many teenage fans, my boy’s bedroom is decked out in red and white, from curtains to quilt covers, from framed red and white shirts to the SAFC lampshade. This lampshade now barely lights up the room as it did previously. It’s so sad.
The euphoria and excitement of three Wembley trips seems a long distant memory right now. “That” Defoe moment against the Mags may never be experienced ever again. These were our thoughts as we meandered home. A home that lives and breathes football.
As a father and son, going to the match together is something we’ve always cherished. From going to the games at the SOL, to dragging ourselves out of bed at 4am on a morning, making the 800-mile round trip to Plymouth, it was always magical and bonding.
Having discussed the current situation in some detail with my son over the last 24 hours, it’s clear the buzz of matchday is dwindling at an alarming rate. His youthful but very adult view of things concerns me slightly.
These children are the future of our great club. We need kids like my son to keep going, however their enthusiasm and drive is at breaking point and also for us dads.
It’s completely heart-breaking that our days out together have merely turned into a chore. It’s a big pull to actually get into the car and head to the SOL right now. Our father and son time, the enjoyment, the buzz of cheering on the lads is now at breaking point.
Stewart Donald appointed the current manager and the football is so dire it’s ripped the heart out of us. We absolutely love our matchdays, home and away.
My son I want our mojo back. We want our club back. We want our father and son time back.
Stewart, over to you.
Gutted
