TalkingBull - Issue 131 - Magazine - Page 8
Something in the
Air Tonight
O Lord! Simon witnessed what Graham Turner described
as the “one of the most freakish goals I’ve ever seen..”
Collins turned his head the other way to avoid
seeing his tormentors.
As the ball soared in the air more golf-like
than football, Hereford supporters howled in
derision. Notably the uber cynical, battlescarred veterans of B Block. In front of me,
Nick Brade and Talking Bill Thomas led the
loud ironic cheer. Behind, the pair of elderly
Gents known best as the Cynics, bawled “It’s a
moon-shot! “, “mind our floodlights…” and “if
we lose that ball, you’re paying for it.”
L
et me take you back to 29th March
2003. Promotion-chasing Hereford
United at home to Margate FC. The
Kent visitors had never beaten United and
never would again. The Conference was a big
ask for such a small club backed only by 21
supporters that afternoon.
Then the swirling wind intervened. The ball
descended like an express lift, twisting and
turning. From an utterly bizarre angle,
Collins’ round missile was down and past
astonished goalkeeper Matt Baker, before he
could react and nestling in the net. B Block
and others just gaped in shock, hands on
head, before collectively wailing as if in pain.
Meanwhile, Margate team-mates congregated
around a bewildered Collins, who didn’t see
his goal.
As young Terry Goodwin wearily observed for
Bulls News “it was then the vast majority of
the 1,959 crowd at Edgar Street felt it wasn’t
going to be their
day.” Indeed, it
wasn’t. Hereford
battled back
scoring twice only
Against the run of play, the Kent outfit were
already one nil up. In the 19th minute, striker for Margate to
pinch the game
Phil Collins received the ball. forty or fifty
yards (accounts vary) from the Hereford goal. 3-2 during injury
Instinctively, the veteran forward hooked the time. Despite
being refereed by
ball over his shoulder and hoisted it vaguely
towards the Hereford goal. It was, according Mr T. Kettle, the
game never came
to the Non-League paper “a speculative
to the boil.
punt.” Cursing his shortcomings to himself,
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