Blackett, My Wife & That Red Card!

It`s not often, well from my neck of the woods anyway, we get local youngsters that manage to make a career out of professional football.

Whilst accepting there is an abundance of young talent playing in the many playing fields littered around the town the natural progression to ‘star` status never quite materialises. Indeed, the last hero this town of ours produced was a certain Kerry Dixon. Therefore, imagine our pride when another youngster has managed to force his way into professional football and imagine the look of shock on my face when my wife actually tells me – she knows him!

Now this youngster still lives just a hefty stones throw away from our house and his family live close by. Indeed, my wife tells me he even worked in the local supermarket, alongside her, before progressing in life and signing a contract with Conference side, Dagenham and Redbridge. Since then, he`s climbed another rung up the football ladder and now plays for Peterborough United.

Shamefully, I have to admit to being a little sceptical to my wife`s claims that she knows him. However, these were firmly put to bed when, on going shopping on Friday night, she casually bumped into him and his WAG as they purchased their weekly groceries and pleasantries were exchanged.

Moving swiftly onto Saturday, I was sat in my favourite chair watching the excellent – Soccer Saturday – hosted by Jeff Stelling, when I thought I`d play a trick on the beloved. As the scores scrolled up the screen accompanied by those who had sinned, I shouted out, as she prepared probably the tenth meal of the day for our growing lad; that Shane Blackett had been sent off.

She raced swiftly from the kitchen into the lounge only to give me one of those scowls when she realises she has been conned. Ducking the inevitable slap I grinned like a Cheshire cat knowing I`d fooled her again. Unfortunately, as time slipped by and she returned to the settee to read her book, something strange did happen.

Slowly but surely, the name of Shane Blackett came up on the bottom of the screen, dismissed for Violent Conduct. I could hardly get the words out of my mouth fast enough before the wife gasped in disbelief. For the next hour or so we debated just what sort of violent conduct had he been guilty of? Was it a punch, a kick or anything else equally as sinister?

The next morning, I settled down to watch the local sports show and there, before my very eyes, was action showing the highlights of the Peterborough v Milton Keynes Dons fixture. Peterborough duly took the lead and then we awaited; eyes on stalks for that incident. What happened next simply defied belief.

As Shane innocently walked past a MK Dons player, the player lashed out and tried to trip him. Shane, laughingly, cuffed him around the head and walked off only to be accosted by a referee brandishing a red card. By now, the wife had raised her voice considerably, disgusted by the ineptitude of an over-officious referee.

Trying to reduce the noise levels a little, for fear of disturbing those several streets away, the wife contemplated how she`d console him.

All I’ll say is that it could be pretty interesting if she bumps into him down the local supermarket this weekend!

By Lancelot

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