Come the day, I thought to myself that if I left at around 12:15pm I could get there in about half an hour, and because the route appeared pretty straightforward on Google Maps, I decided against bringing a satnav or even a map.
So, it’s 1:30pm, and after having driven into Bulwell, Aspley and possibly Arnold, and of course having had Notts Joe be the Kit to my David Hasselhoff and guide me by phone – with mixed results – I parked up by this pub called The Mill, which happened to be close enough to BUFC’s ground that NJ could come and pick me up! Note to self – make sure you know in future how to actually get to a destination instead of somewhere in the vicinity before hoping for the best!
So anyway, once parked up at the ground, a quick chip cob to replenish the hunger built up by over an hour of useless driving, and we were on our way. We spent the following half hour or so taking pictures of the ground, the pitch, the fans and the players, who were warming up on the pitch.
It mattered little that I arrived with little time to spare, because kickoff ended up being delayed by about 25 minutes. The honest assessment of the announcer: “We’re still waiting for some players to show up!” Clearly I’m not the only one who failed to pack a satnav.
Eventually, it was time for business, and once both teams were fully on the pitch, including the likes of Jason Lee, Mark Stallard and Nigel Jemson, the referee kicked off the game.
The match began in a somewhat cagey manner, with the Magpies on the front foot, getting several chances in early on against Forest Legends keeper Darren Heyes, which is just as well because his Notts counterpart didn’t have any gloves at this stage. Attempts were made to lend him a pair of gardening gloves and some marigolds, before eventually deciding on a pair of motorcycle gloves.
It wasn’t long before the Magpies broke the deadlock, but Forest countered in spectacular fashion, a 30-yard howitzer bursting the Notts net just a minute later. Little matter, because Chris Freestone struck midway through the first half to give us the lead again, with another goal being added before half time. At the break, it was Forest 1 – 3 Notts.
The second half then became a bit of a free-for-all, as goals kept flying in every which way, to the point that Notts were leading 6-2. When I say a free-for-all, I’m not referring just to goals, but also to the amount of players on the pitch, as Notts saw two men sent off, while the Reds had 12 men on the pitch at one point!
With the odds ever so slightly weighed in Forest’s favour, they were able to come back to within a goal of Notts, but some stout defending by the Black and Whites right at the death proved enough to end the match with an impressive 6-5 win!
Once the match was over - and bragging rights were secured - the PoN Squad then proceeded to interview a myriad of people at the ground, including ex-players Jason Lee and Mark Stallard, cricketer Luke Fletcher, the match co-commentator, and Basford United owner Chris Munroe.
All those interviewed had great things to say about the event, the planning, the turnout, the game itself, and of course, the charitable element, with a view to more similar events taking place in the future at Greenwich Avenue.
All in all, a fantastic day, and before I forget, I'd like to give a shoutout to the Curry Lounge, who donated vast amounts of curry, rice and naan breads, and made for a marvellous slap-up post-match (and post-press duties) meal!
Thank you to all involved for such a brilliant occasion, and long may it continue - looking forward to more events in the future!
