Northampton Town(H).F.A .Cup First Round.23/11/74.

A reference to ex-Cobbler Phil Neal having just made his debut for Liverpool at Everton. Good grief, I was there. And at Barnsley too on 7 December to see Torquay United. Early signs of a misspent late youth which was to develop into a fully-fledged misspent lifetime.

Taking the bus to Barnsley that December day in 1974 was a cultural adventure having read all about it in books by Michael Parkinson. Oddly, just for a while anyway, I'm working there every Friday and am increasingly seeing the place in a far more familiar light.

Malcolm Musgrove busily talking about FA Cup ties being "special" and how he's hopeful of a large crowd. Meanwhile a correspondent from Paignton is urging a return to regionalised football before the little clubs go under. That's something you heard at least once-a-week in those days from somebody or the other. And, in my case, I probably relayed the argument to all and sundry on a similarly-frequent basis.

Interesting points comparing the FA Cup with the League Cup. But it's funny how so many of those "To Get You Talking" articles in football programmes - ours and practically every other club - could easily be called "To Send You Asleep". The "filler", it appears, has always been with us. And I should know.