The ecstasy and the agony...of the Cup

By Bad Dad on Mar 20, 08 10:55 AM

He'd been back from Spain for 24 hours and Nick's school notified him of a County Cup semi-final football match.

Away from home miles away he told me, so I decided to give it a miss and wait for his side to reach the final - apparently due to be played at either The Hawthorns or Coventry's Ricoh Arena.

I played football and went for the ritual beer afterwards before ringing my wife to find the outcome - "they lost..oh, and can you get some milk on the way home? "

Devastated I drove back, naturally forgetting the milk because I'm a bloke and (sic) "nothing else really matters to you apart from football, does it?", to pick up the dejected teenager.

When I reached his mate's house he was all smiles.

"We won 4-3 and I got the winner in the last minute...with my right foot!" he beamed, although you never quite know how much of his Roy of the Rovers stuff is actually true.

When I asked how he had got back so quickly I was told the game was at home.

From joy to selfish despair for me - how could he not let me see his moment of glory, how could he deny me the right to see him reach a major final, why did he not ring me?

"You hadn't paid for any credit on my mobile," came the glib reply.

Yes, I knew it would be my fault.