when i was a kid i was in the local boys brigade band, we used to do half time displays..mostly at the rugby, sint ellins, warrint'n, wigin, leigh, swinton,salford most of the north west teams. one day we got a gig at old trafford for the 100th manc derby, when we did our display i was in the middle and every one took their mark fronm me and the place i had to aim for was the penalty spot in front of the stretford end. now if you know anything about bugles and trumpets you will be aware that they fill up with spit when played, they have a little valve to drain them. i decided that i would save my spit up for about a fortnight before the game, as we marched out for the pre match display my trumpet would've gurgled if i'd played it, so i approached an already full stretford end (att: about 68,000 i think) and as i got to the penalty spot released about 5 pints of gob before marking time on the spot and stamping it into the ground forever, muttering jinx,jinx,jinx,jinx in time to my feet. the spot is jinxed forever for any ushited player who takes a pen there at that end. a young ryan giggs cockilly juggled a ball from the 1/2 way line towards the stretford end, as he approached i was saying he's missed already i've jinxed it, it was ushiteds last pen in a european game against either honved or videoton, he placed it on the spot and blazed it right into row z, i rose in triumph and announced to the pub (which is always full of mancs) my part in knocking the bastards out, 1/2 the pub (blues and r.s.) wanted to buy me a pint , the other 1/2 knock me out. from that day in ...1980 i think... forth the spot is cursed, ushited friends say whenever they get a pen at that end they struggle to watch as it seems like they miss more than score and my name is mentioned every time, in a non too flattering way.
after the 1/2 time display we went back up the tunnel where skip to the lou macari was in the players lounge watching the nags and bought us all a glass of pop, me and a couple of the lads hung around outside the united door opened and this huge guy with a big toothless grin emerged...big joe jordan....followed by a bigger guy, gordon mcqueen...and then emerged a behemoth of a thing his shoulders were level with top of the door frame, possibly the biggest bloke i've met even to this day( and i used to work with an all black prop forward) feet about size 20, studs about 4" long, nicky jovanovich, i wanted so much to kick all 3 in the knackers and go and hide behind 'big' lou.
so lets hear some of your tales and later i'll tell you my other fantastic moment that you yourself may have been a part of.
