As I said last week, perhaps we will get a final day flourish. Well, what a weekend!!
On Friday night I witnessed South Bank lad and Boro fan Paul Truscott battle through twelve pulsating rounds to bring the Commonwealth Featherweight Boxing title home to Teesside.
The crowd was full of his supporters and they roared him on to a memorable victory. He entered the ring to “Pig Bag” and the Boro flag was held high during the victory celebrations.
The Sky TV audience saw the passion of Teesside as a son of the region brought glory and pride to the town.
Fast forward less than forty-eight hours and to the fore in Boro’s magnificent drubbing of Sven’s boys was Stewie Downing scoring his nineth and tenth goals of the season.
Like at the boxing, the fans had something to be proud of and the good old “Holgate” atmosphere was back. The excellent “David Wheater, he’s one of our own” is a chant that showed this local pride.
Brilliant as it was on Sunday, we still conceded another late goal at home!!
Did that performance paper over a few cracks or make the fact that we are not going to Wembley tomorrow all the more frustrating?
I know that players will wait until the last minute before signing new contracts or deciding to move and that the column inches will be filled with rumour and counter-rumour on who is coming and who is going.
Let’s hope that the Boro can get their signings made before the season starts for once so that we can hit the ground running.
I know that midfield is a major concern but we need to get the goalkeeper situation sorted out quickly. Schwarzer may well decide to play the Viduka card and wait until the last minute but by then what other goalkeepers will be available?
I hope we hear announcements this week on who is leaving. I also hope that any new signings are made before the players report back for training.
Throughout the season there have been many occasions when football fans have castigated refeering decisions. Sometimes, they have been right to do so.
Some say that in league matches these decisions even themselves out. This season, I have been writing a weekly article for Zoo Magazine called the League Of Injustice. In it, I correct the results of games based on my opinion of decisions.
You might find it interesting that Boro finish on forty-two points, exactly what they did achieve.
The same three clubs - Derby, Birmingham and Reading - would have been relegated and Manchester United would still have been champions, albeit on goal difference from Arsenal (you see, Arsene Whinger did have a point).
The only other significant alteration is that Everton would have got the fourth Champions League place instead of Liverpool.
So for all the conspiracy theorists out there (unless you support Everton or Arsenal), then perhaps decisions do even themselves out.
One thing is for sure, it will all happen again starting in August.
I hope that Sunday’s display prompts more fans into getting a season ticket. Come on, watching an attacking entertaining team score eight every week has to be worth it!! It must be the white band effect as that was the last time we scored eight I believe. For the next couple of months we can dream.
It’s my last chance to make some money for TFM Radio’s newly named charity “Cash for Kids”. Darlo obliged last weekend with a 2-1 victory, although I have to be honest and admit that I did not see the 8-1 to the Boro coming.
Thanks to our friends at William Hill, I have made around £2,500 this season and I am hoping for a little bit more this weekend. This week I have backed Darlington to draw 2-2 and win through to Wembley and for Pompey to beat “That Team from Wales” 3-1.
Tune in tomorrow for the final Soccer Saturday of the season from 12 until 2. There will be another chance for Boro fans to win home shirts for the 2008/09 season, white band and all.
We will also have a special guest appearance from Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and an exclusive interview with Cup Final ref Mike Dean.
