Pride Park

A beautiful spring morning and a change of coach. No Lakeland 100 club ferry this time but a huge replacement with an upper deck, a bit 1970s in style but comfortable and it was almost full for our trip to Derby County. We were about to face the team managed by our ex First Team Coach John Eustace who had been deemed a snake in the grass by a lot of Rovers supporters. Of course revenge for him leaving just a couple of weeks ago leaving us in a play off position to go to bottom of the league Derby was high on the agenda and betting on the coach leaned to us winning. I bet heavily by placing the crown jewels £2:00 on Kargbo to rise to the occasion and score the goal to lead us to Wembley. We had our new 100 Club Honorary President David Dunn one of the most gifted players ever to trod the turf for Blackburn Rovers with us on the trip and surely his presence alone would inspire the team when they saw him in the stand. We ate lunch at The Farmhouse pub at Mackworth and it was here a sign of foreboding started to creep in. They didn't sell Benedictine !!!! and I suspect had never heard of it given the blank looks when asked. Would the Rovers now succeed with their main supporters not fueled on the WW1 staple? Another point was Mystic Dave even after staring at the dregs of his soup bowl for a magic sign didn't know the team until we were nearly at the ground. Some of the sell out Blackburn contingent waved plastic snakes in the direction of Mr Eustace before and after the kick off but were stunned into silence as we let Derby score two easy goals in the first ten minutes. Kargbo then went off injured leaving me destitute but then big Gueye got us one back just before half time. A roaring come back in the second half........well not so, we lost 1-2. I have noticed that our new Head Coach is called Valerien a name that is similar to Valerian a herbal medicine that makes people sleep, could the two have similarities ?

 

First Scorer: David Lenehan £14:00. Guess the gate (29,753) Colin Holden 3 off £15. David Walton 32 off £10. Cliff Yates 97 off £5. Takings £191 Payout £44, Profit £147.