Match Report 2002-2003 | The Roland Harris Column
Thursday 01 August, 2002, Friendly
Bradford Park Avenue away
"Football?" He said
Andy Gray 0-2
Michael Standing 0-5
Eoin Jess 0-7
This morning as with many City fans I emerged from under my duvet with a single thought in my head: Welcome Roland Harris, to the worst day of your life.
I pictured myself in tears at work at eleven o'clock trying to explain the unexplainable to a bunch of people who probably wouldn't care anyway. This was going to be the end.
New dawn breaks.
The CVA was passed and the rest is not history, it is the future. I guess Bradford Park Avenue show the irony of what we worried about at City. That this would be our last day on Earth. They are the resurrection.
But so are we. This is a second chance. This is walking away from the plane crash. We have to do things differently from now on because otherwise why did we go through the summer of 2002? You can't tell me that all that pain was about making sure that we had enough money to pay the likes Juanjo and Ashley Ward. Please God lets not let it be for that.
It's only now that I see the faces of City fans that I notice the difference. We look different. Like a weight has been lifted off us. We have all worn worry for three months. We don't anymore.
Football can do this? Why do we give it the power? What is it to do this to a City full of people? "Football?" He said...
City murdered Park Avenue but that was not the point. Andy Tod got a four, Andy Gray looks like becoming a proper favourite once he gets to Valley Parade, his desire to play for the club when the likes of Eoin Jess would not erasing his Leedsness. Michael Standing scored, his Gran will be chuffed, and even Eoin Jess nabbed a goal.
Park Avenue don't look that bad for a non-league side. The move the ball well and had they not tired next to the six second half goals of the professionals they would have been closer. Lets hope that if we ever meet in a proper game they come up to us and we don't go down to here as it looked like we might.
I saw Michael and a guy I assumed to be Jacko falling out of a pub looking like they didn't have a care in the whole world. I'm guessing that many City fans will greet Friday moaning with a groan, but a good one, a hungover one.
"Football?", he said, "Bloody Hell!"