Six months. Half a year. One hundred and eighty two days.
That is how long, roughly, it has been since the whimsical and scarcely read periodical that is the Manx Football Blog last graced the iomtoday.co.im/football mothership.
Rumours have been circulating among the three regular readers of the MFB for the reason behind the pro-longed absence. Sadly theories of a cyberspace touchline suspension and/or the acceptance of an offer from a website offering Champions’ League blogging are not true.
To use a crude metaphor, I simply took my eye off the ball (or blog in this case), my attentions distracted by the 140-character mistress that is Twitter.
However, a timely Tweet from @DouglasDistrict and the misty eyed nostalgia that swept over me as I packed sports desk colleague Disco Dave on his way to Hull, made me spring forth to the keyboard with a zest I haven’t felt since Football Focus’s Dan Walker acknowledged my disdain for him on the BBC Sport website.
A lot has happened since the last time I tried to find some logic in Manx football through the medium of 80s TV and movie references.
As so not to bore you too much, I will spare you a Dallas dream sequence-esque re-cap, but purely focus on the matters at hand. The FA Inter-League Cup semi-finals.
You may have already read my preview of the game that ordained the back of this week’s Examiner.
What I failed to mention in that, however, is the travelling party have with them a secret weapon. One that I am sure will guarantee them passage through to a Bowl final next month against either the Hertfordshire Senior County League or the Dorset Premier League.
Manager Steve Burns has spoken about the side’s experience (431 caps between them) and their ability to mentally handle the pressure of a last-four tie.
However, I think the key to success lies in the stands.
Roving reporter Disco ‘Rabbit’s Foot’ Dave will be making the trip to North Ferriby with a 100 per cent win record under his belt when covering island fixtures.
On the one occasion he has travelled away with the squad to the Monte Carlo of the north, Ellesmere Port, the IoM overcame West Cheshire 5-0.
His record at the Bowl is just as impressive, Burns’s charges winning all the home games he has reported on.
What about the 2012 final defeat I hear you cry! I took up the pen for that one prompting Burnsy to email this week: ‘Thank goodness you’re not coming.’
Footballers are a suspicious bunch, just ask Laurent Blanc, so maybe the presence of a man who played football for Laxey 15-17s with Mark Cavendish may give the side that crucial extra lift.
Another of the not unsubstantial travelling party heading to Humberside this weekend is Isle of Man FA fixture computer and Manx Radio football correspondent Tony Mepham.
Those of you who listened into the station’s classified sports programme a couple of weeks ago may remember Meps rather hurriedly going off air midway through his usual round-up of the day’s goings on.
Like any below-par journalist I sort the story behind Meps’ sudden departure from the airwaves so when I bumped into him at last week’s Premier League 12-pointer between Castletown and RYCOB at the Stadium I asked for an explanation.
Meps had been away on said weekend scouting out potential universities for his daughter, but such is the dedication of the man he had made sure he was back in the airport in good time to file his usual report while he waited for his flight back to the island.
However, a delay meant he was still going through security when stand in anchor Ed Oldham rang him just after 5pm.
Ever the professional, Meps answered the call. All seemed to be going swimmingly, until a group of agitated security staff descended on Meps pointing vigorously at the ‘No mobile phones allowed in this area’ sign. Meps tried to reason with them saying he was about to read out the combination scorers, but this fell on deaf ears and the threat of arrest forced Meps to hang up in a hurry.
I think this makes Meps a shoe in for the ‘Putting ones liberty at risk in the name of Manx football’ accolade at May’s inaugural FA awards dinner.
Right that’s it for this week’s comeback special. Hopefully Disco won’t follow Meps’ protocol for airport security and will make it to Hull tomorrow.
If he does, he’ll be Tweeting match updates from the big semi-final @manxfootyblog before filing a top-notch match report and reaction in time for Tuesday’s Examiner.
If that’s not enough excitement for you, I’ll be Tweeting from Douglas Royal and Marown’s Woods Cup semi. I’m sure it will knock events in Hull into a cocked hat.
TTFN