It’s amazing what the Shaymen do to support their team on Boxing Day. With just over an hour to kick-off the phone was red hot. The Bookmaker and Estate Agent Matt were stuck on a side road trying to avoid the queues but managing to run into loads of Stoke City fans on their way to Huddersfield. Positive Shayman was at a standstill back on the M62 with the snow falling and Fair-weather Graham was on the phone in a blind panic asking for directions. Surely the sensible thing would be to turn around and give up? No chance, with Billy Heath’s team back in form nobody was going to miss this game….
It’s not often Tesco Pete and the Greetland Shayman come in handy but having set off early to drop Mrs B at her dad’s house on route, I was able to turn the invite in for a prolonged cup of tea and mince pie into a polite wave and shout of ‘Merry Christmas’. In a flash we were away, a close shave, I must take them again sometime….
Macclesfield Town has a brilliant set up pre-match; buy your ticket first and you can then access the hospitality area complete with excellent customer service. Top quality food, a panoramic view over the pitch, a bar with live football on the TV, you get to sit in the same area as the match-day diners and they serve real handmade burger and chips; wonderful stuff.
As the teams came out to start the game the fan’s coach pulled up, just in time and one by one the fans legged it round to the ticket office and back to the turnstiles. Positive Shayman was doing his best to remain positive, still miles away along with many other fans battling through the traffic. An early goal from Tom Denton must have had them banging their car horns with delight. The Shaymen started well and perhaps should have had a commanding lead by half time. Instead a deflected shot looped past Sam Johnson to give Macclesfield a lucky equaliser at half time.
At full time Macclesfield had won the game 2-1, a late goal scored despite loud shouts for hand ball in the build up that were ignored by the referee. A traditional last minute goal disallowed for the Shaymen with photographer Darren close to the action confirming that the keeper dropped the ball. It was a real decent display away from home perhaps summed up best by shouts from the most fierce of travelling fans, “Dick Turpin! You’ve nicked our points on the road again!” Gosh we were unlucky not to come away with something.
Driving back and Tesco Pete was delighted, he’d predicted the score correctly and won the mega rollover jackpot. The league table looks much more healthy than it did a few weeks ago and the team look a good match for anyone.
Next up it’s an early start, we’re off to Dover for the last game of the year and the next part of the Greetland Shayman’s great Harvester romance….It’s a bit like Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Total miles on the road this season: 4116, total goals on the road: 12.
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