Although I admire my son's enthusiasm - and I actually
i do
take an interest when Liverpool are playing an important match - I can't pretend to be anything close to what you might call a football fanatic.
Fifteen years ago my interest in the game was - on a scale of 1 to 10 - about minus five!
I was a press photographer for the Wrexham Evening Leader in those days. Mainly features, so I didn't have to cover the local matches.
Then a change of editor brought a change of policy: Every staffer would take his turn to cover the matches!
I kicked, complained, whinged and whined about it; until eventually I was given an ultimatum.
So off I went to a damp and dismal Leighton Orient, where I stood on the touchline for a goal-less first half. Then again through most of the second half where I got one or two shots in the bag, but nothing you could call "action" because the Wrexham forwards hardly got anywhere near the opposition's goal.
Ten minutes before the end - wet, pissed off, and far from home - I packed my (t)rusty Nikon back into my bag and headed for the car park, determined not to have my weekend spoiled even more by sitting in a traffic jam for hours.
Yes, you've guessed it: In the dying minutes Wrexham Scored!
But it was worse than that. Much worse. For before this winning goal, the TV cameras picked up this sodden photographer forlornly abandoning his post, and the commentator remarked on how boring the match must be for the visiting team's local press photographer to be leaving early!
I narrowly escaped the "sack". But looking on the bright side - they never sent me to cover another match again!
Chris.
Although I admire my son's enthusiasm - and I actually
The Wizards of Aus!
