The F.A. Cup Final

When I was a kid it was a very big day

a Saturday to beat all others - except for Christmas and birthdays of course 

I wasn't that fussed about the world cup

we were never the same since 1966

especially after we had a West Ham man as captain.

Both channels showed the whole match live

you could flick between channels if you could be bothered to get up to push the button!

At our house

Mum scheduled meals around it 

even though no-one really followed football 

it was about the only time we got to see live footy on the telly

Both channels went mad with the coverage

they were at the team hotels

on the coaches to Wembley - which was quite a technical feet in those days!

It was; 

"what the teams ate"

and 

"what the teams wore"

there were crowds waving flags along the route 

and interviews with family members - it was a very big day!

Coverage started in the morning!

Now, 

even if your team hadn't made it to the final

even if you didn't have a team

or even, 

even if you didn't care about football

or even if your team was West Ham like me

and as such a final didn't happen very often

everyone had an opinion on the outcome!

Of course as a West Ham fan

which I became after 

Kevin "Benny the" Ball 

came to our primary school from London

and he supported West Ham

and I being a very impressionable ten year old

what better team for me to follow!

So the 1975 F.A. cup final was simply too much!

We were in it

and we won!

2 - 0 against Fulham 

Alan Taylor's two goals

Trevor Brooking and all

I was on cloud nine!

Nowadays

I'm not so fussed about it

I'm not really fussed about football truth be told 

I'm too old to even understand the modern style of the game

why they play the way they do

why they fall down so easily after the slightest touch

and their Oscar winning performances on the ground

and quite what is going on with players hair cuts!

and the top players - for it is usually the top teams that make the final 

earn a fortune every month!

It doesn't do it for me anymore 

I don't get it!

I don't understand - but I do still support West Ham!

"Come on you irons!"

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