After the game the London Branch met up at the Fox in Sandford-on-Thames (walking distance from the Kassam Stadium) to indulge in a few pints of Greene King before witnessing the entertaining if disappointing senior game. Can we please have a referee who at least has seen a football match before? Unbowed by the result the London Branch went into the centre of Oxford to celebrate an early Christmas with an excellent meal at The Next Door (a restaurant run by Youngs Brewery) – beer is rarely too far away from any London Branch event! The next big occasion for the London Branch is the meeting of the Yorkshire Twig at York in the New Year. Everyone is praying that the game isn’t called off, (it is nearly always scheduled at this time of year and nearly always fall foul of the weather accordingly), so that we can meet up with the Carlisle exiles living in Yorkshire. It seems a strange thing, but speaks volumes for the doggedness and determination of Cumbrians, that the membership of the London Branch seems to go up when United are doing badly. This does not mean that we sit around plotting for United to fail, but the truth is that when the going gets tough you find that Cumbrians get going. Our membership is on the increase this year and we have been able to field an eleven-a-side soccer team as well as a regular darts team in the six-a-side league. There is even talk of our pool team reforming. It seems that when United are struggling the camaraderie amongst Cumbrians increases and our meetings have certainly become livelier as members desperately debate ways of improving things at Brunton Park. Whilst everyone has opinions, the key is to turn those thoughts and ideas into actions that can help. In this regard is brilliant to see the work being done by Kate Rowley in Carlisle, her unerring enthusiasm is a shining example to everyone. Here in London we have been inundating colleagues at work and friends and family at home with CUOSCs Grand Draw tickets and we ensured that we did our bit to help Kate sell some of those brilliant enamelled badges which you can see on CUOSCs website (only £1.50 a bargain for Christmas stockings). Every little helps and the more we can all do the better it is for the club. And whilst we’re advertising, why not buy a copy of The Fan by London Branch Vice-President, Hunter Davies? (Buy it from Amazon through the CCUIST website and you make money for CUFC). Because he’s a Tottenham fan who watches Arsenal, I hear you say, well true, but the book does show that he is still a Carlisle fan at heart with a collection of his articles about football taken from the New Statesman over the years, many of which mention or are about Carlisle United. And I don’t just say this because he mentions me in one of them! Have a brilliant Christmas and lets all hope for a Happier New Year! Malcolm Fawcett Press and Publicity Officer, London Branch Carlisle United Supporters' Club |
