It’s not often you get the chance to quote a Norwegian football commentator but this week a cast iron opportunity to do just that has presented itself.
So, with apologies to Bjørge Lillelien, who famously came up with one of the greatest bits of commentary ever after England’s ignominious defeat to Norway in 1981 (I urge you to catch it on YouTube if you don’t have a clue what I’m banging on about), here it goes...
Philip Larkin, William Wilberforce, John Prescott, Maureen Lipman, that bloke from The Beautiful South and all other residents of Hull, can you hear me? Your boys took one hell of a beating, your boys took one hell of a beating!
I’m sorry to get overexcited but our victory over Hull City on Tuesday night was a blessed relief. After a stumbling start in the league that has seen the Bees pick up only one point from a possible nine, to finally get our season up and running with a well deserved victory over a Championship side is something worth revelling in.
I am perfectly aware that we shouldn’t get too carried away with one result but, after the doom, gloom and general frustration that has spread among the Brentford support over the past couple of weeks, it is nice to finally put in a performance that suggests that things might not turn out too badly this season after all.
Stand-out performers from Tuesday night include Robbie Simpson, who scored a magnificent free-kick and carried a real attacking threat throughout the game, while frontman Gary Alexander put in a good shift – I’m convinced he is going to be a real asset to us as the season unfolds.
Goalkeeper Richard Lee made his debut and also did well. His lack of height means that at times he struggles to take crosses – on Tuesday he did more Superman impressions than a Fathers for Justice campaigner – but a solid performance should give his confidence a much-needed boost.
We have had to wait 19 years to reach the third round of the League Cup and, now that we have finally made it, I am just praying the wait proves worth it and we get a decent draw.
Premiership giants such as Manchester United, Arsenal and, er, Wigan await and it would be great for the team, the supporters and our bank balance if we got a big one.
Without wishing to winge (really? - Ed), we rarely seem to be blessed with much luck when it comes to cup draws, but perhaps things are about to change?
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