LIKE WATCHING PAINT DRY-JOHNSTONES, OF COURSE.

Not too many shocks in the FA Cup today and there was great coverage by the BBC, from the well lubricated clubhouse at Eastleigh FC, where the first tension of the day was whether the ball would bounce on the pitch, after the referee had dropped it from about 5 foot. In some cases it did (not a lot) and in some cases it flopped. The three officials, during their pitch inspection, looked very earnest in their quest for solid turf and one of them was, seemingly, not very fit. He lolloped around the pitch with a noticeable limp and looked a little out of shape. Bless him.

However, common sense prevailed and the local dignitaries, who were being lunched in the Spitfire bar and diner, were not disappointed about just being on telly- they had a game to watch as well. BBC got to the heart of the matter, with Dion Dublin (fresh from that house buying programme on daytime TV, that I don't watch in the gym), Michael Appleton (recently mentioned in a previous blog) and Graham Le Saux (the educated one from the Channel Islands-no, not Le Tissier) as pundits. Will he or won't he? He didn't-call off the game. There would have been a riot.

So, the battle reactment in the trenches, that the Spitfires would have flown over in 1940, took place and Eastleigh almost beat the foe. Poor Bolton, on a hiding to nothing, dug in and saved their bacon with a last minute draw. You can't hold a good pro down.
The Spitfires have the honour of playing away now, on a more level playground. Eastleigh go into the draw as the only non-league side left.

Elsewhere, Bristol City nearly upset the Baggies, Wycombe held Villa, Daggers just lost to the Toffees and Donny gave the Potters a fright. There's more to come this weekend, but I suspect not many shocks.

Meanwhile, I sat through the big Northern Final, first leg of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, between Barnsley and Fleetwood-the Cod Men. I have done a blog on them before, so look it up!
http://baileyfootballblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/millers-revell-and-cod-army-float-to-top.html

The Bard of Barnsley, Ian McMillan ( you may hear him occasionally on Radio 4) wittered in the match day programme, about how he might travel to Wembley when the time comes, by coach, or train, sedan chair...etc. Quite funny?!

Well done to Johnstones for sponsoring this tournament and for getting the rites to advertise at the national stadium. Money well spent and it still may happen for the Tykes, one away leg to go.

The above average crowd at Oakwell (11,000+) included a few hundred Cods from Lancashire and both teams played out a moderate display for a 1-1 draw, that will suit the visitors rather the home supporters. The Barnsley folk wandered back, in driving rain and the dark night, with street lamps glinting, to their terraced houses on the hills around the ground, Lowry style (though he did his painting before the game).
Barnsley had very little to show for themselves and they made some terrible errors all over the pitch but Fleetwood had Eggert Jonsson, an Iceland international, who had spells at Wolves and Charlton, but mostly at Hearts, where he captained the Scottish side and played over 100 times in 7 years. He, no doubt, was attracted by the cod industry to Fleetwood and he didn't look out of plaice. Boom, boom.