#28 - Pies, Pints and Play-Offs

What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago I'd visited what was to be the first of nine new football grounds. A trip to Brighton & Hove Albion's Amex Stadium saw my beloved Wolves relegated to the third tier of English football for the first time in my living memory.

The Molineux memories of beating Man City, Liverpool and Man Utd seemed like a distant memory as we braced ourselves for away days to Carlisle, Stevenage and Crawley. What's more, Yeovil Town were now higher in the football pyramid than Wolves. It was a dark day.

#1 - Brighton

But with Wolves' relegation came new opportunities. Opportunities to visit new grounds and watch new teams which I'd never seen before. 

And within twelve months I've seen promotions, relegations, been the half time entertainment and eaten my share of balti pies.

So my challenge to visit ten new football grounds began.

Here's my story of pies, pints and play-offs.

Brighton & Hove Albion vs Wolves - Amex Stadium

A lovely ground, friendly fans and a decent pie. 8/10.

Next up was Stafford Rangers

Stafford Rangers vs FC United of Manchester - Marston Road

My brothers and I made the short trip up the M6 to Marston Road, the home of Stafford Rangers. Wolves legend Andy Mutch became the latest in a long line of ex-Wolves players, including Mutch's strike partner and all-time Wolves top goalscorer Steve Bull, to take the managerial reigns at Stafford. It was Mutch's first game as caretaker boss. Without a win all season, Stafford entertained the highly publicised FC United of Manchester; the breakaway club from Manchester United who were flying high in the league. A last minute winner for Rangers topped off a great afternoon. For a non-league side, the pies were good. 7/10.

Chilly nights in Carlisle

Carlisle United vs Wolves - Brunton Park

My rite of passage as a football fan. A 400-mile round trip on a cold Tuesday night in November to one of England's furthest footballing outposts. A 2-2 draw and a rather long journey home in the early hours. Still, a nice pint of beer, a traditional ground and I managed to get a photo with the aforementioned Steve Bull, fulfilling a childhood dream. 8/10

Boxing Day in Burton

Burton Albion vs Northampton Town - Pirelli Stadium

A freezing cold Boxing Day afternoon in Burton. Full of stale turkey-induced farts and a cricked neck after watching the ball booted from one end of the pitch to the other for 90 very cold minutes. A nice little ground and a nice little club - but wouldn't come top of the list for things to do at Christmas next year. Although was the scene of my favourite footballing insult: "I've seen milk turn quicker than you". 6/10

#5 was middle class football at Fulham

Fulham vs Sunderland - Craven Cottage

A left-field choice of grounds to visit. I was in London for a friend's birthday and found myself at a loose end. It was a choice of sitting in the bookies then on to a stale beer-smelling Weatherspoons for the afternoon or take myself off for a lovely wander by the Thames to visit Engalnd's most middle class football club. Craven Cottage is a wonderful old ground. But, if I'm being picky, I want to have a dirty burger when I go to the football; one in a stale bun, with watered down vinegary-ketchup and where you can't be certain exactly what meat it is. Somehow the ostrich and buffallo burgers at Craven Cottage didn't quite seem right. That said, great game and a ground definitely worth visiting. 8/10.

A wee bit nippy north of the border

Arbroath vs East Fife - Gayfield Park

Having never been to Scotland, it seemed only right to take in a match at the seaside fortress which is Gayfield Park. Scrapping at the foot of Scottish League One, Arbroath's claim to footballing fame is that they hold the world record for the biggest ever win: a 36-0 hammering of Aberdeen Bon Accord in a cup tie in 1885. Their only other fact of note is that its ground is the closest to the sea in Britain and, according to Wikipedia, is "a traditional style ground exposed to the elements". They're not kidding. A woefully poor standard of football where the wind was more talented than most of the players on the pitch. Still, a 2-1 win to lift Arbroath off the foot of the table and probably the best pie of my travels. 8/10.

MK Dons vs Wolves - stadium:mk

The Moo Camp in Milton Keynes

A social media campaign to take 10K-2-MK saw Wolves take a huge following to one of the country's newest football clubs. With a very impressive new stadium which is barely a quarter full most week, Wolves fans descended upon the town of Milton Keynes in their thousands. Unable to get tickets with the Wolves fans, my friend Bordy and I hatched a plan to sit with the MK Dons fans courtesy of an MK-based friend of mine. To protect his anonymity, let's call him Ryan Donnell (they'll never crack that Rian). So, dressed in our most least threatening clothes or 'uncle attire' we made our way to the home end of stadium:mk. Despite media warnings, no one was asked to provide ID to get in to the ground and in we went. Three days earlier I'd watched Wolves play Colchester on a freezing cold mid-week evening game. So I went prepared in thermals and several layers to Milton Keynes on what turned out to be a uncharacteristically sunny and warm spring day. As I sweated my way through the first 45 minutes, Bordy asked me why I was wearing so many layers. I said that it might drop cold later on. A second half substitution saw Wolves striker Leon Clarke take to the field in a pair of gloves. "Why is he wearing gloves in this weather, idiot" I exclaimed. "He thought it might drop cold later on" Bordy smuggly retorted. Touché.

Decent pie and a stadium with the best nickname - 'The Moo Camp' in homage to the town's bizarre fascination with concrete cows. Worth a visit - but don't expect an atmosphere from the home crowd. 8/10.

Home United FC vs Tanjong Pagar - Bishan Stadium

Singapore has some wonderful places to visit. I dare say the Bishan Stadium, home of the unimaginatively named Home United, isn't one of them.

It's fair to say our host in Singapore, Garv, was taken aback by my suggestion that the Singapore S-League fixture could be a place to visit; "why do you want to go and watch a s**t pub team play?" It turned out to be a great night. Just £2.50 a ticket and they gave you 3 tubes of Mr Potato Head crisps each just to go in.

The visitors were the struggling Tanjong Pagar United.

Leading at the break by 3 goals to nil, Home United were cruising. At half time, the stadium announcer made a call out for volunteers from the crowd to take part in a half-time challenge. Up I jumped as a willing volunteer. I was picked from the crowd and joined 6 or 7 others on the pitch to take part in a goalscoring challenge. This was my moment. Or was it. There was no goalkeeper, you just had to score from distance. Firstly from the edge of the penalty area, secondly from about 20 yards out. I struck my first attempt with aplomb, safely making it's way high into the roof of the bulging net. I should explain at this point that the pitch was very bobbly and I was wearing inappropriate footwear for striking, what was a very heavy, ball. The children before me all scored, as did the guy who looked confused as to whether he should kick it with his right foot of left foot. Then up I stepped. Needless to say I became the but of endless jokes for the rest of the holiday as I hooked my shot wide of the near post. Still I was sure my friends would be there to support me in my moment of embarrassment; "You're s**t and you know you are!"

Of all the grounds I've been to - this was the only one where we failed to finish the game. In the 69th minute the game was abandoned after the lightning warning system kicked in. But I'd got what I'd come for. My 8th ground, a souvenir football and no doubt Youtube footage somewhere of my lowest footballing moment. Well, I say that, Dad, if you're reading this, bringing me on as a sub then hawling me off again was actually my lowest footballing moment. Just thought I'd mention that. 9/10.

#9 - highs and lows at Shrewsbury Town

Shrewsbury Town vs Peterborough United - Greenhous Meadow

Play-off celebrations with Peterborough's Peter Burrow

The final day of the footballing calendar saw me and my mate Mark Rogers make the short train trip to Shropshire's only football league club, Shrewsbury Town. With their relegation to League 2 all but sealed, Town needed to beat play-off chasing Peterborough and hope other results went their way. I wanted to sit with the Shrewsbury fans and be there to see the underdogs overcome adversity. Something Wolves had failed to do exactly twelve months earlier. But that plan was scuppered by Rogers whose only job that day was to queue up and get the tickets. Somehow he managed to get tickets with the away fans so we were forced to endure 90 minutes of mockney Posh fans jumping around and generally being irritating. It turned out to be a 6 goal thriller with Peterborough emerging 4-2 winners to condemn the Shrews to relegation and secure Posh a place in the League One play-offs. The joy and pain of football played out in one stadium. It's a nice ground albeit a new-build with a slightly soul-less feel. 7/10.

So, in twelve months I've visited nine new grounds, travelled to Carlisle and Singapore, froze my nuts off at Burton and Arbroath and sweated them off at MK Dons. I've seen champions made, play-offs reached, two relegations and a match abandoned in a tropical thunderstorm. It's been eventful - and lots of fun!

As for number 10, well, all being well, this will be it...

A forgotten World Cup classic

#21 - Mr Roy and Singapore Slings at Raffles

The white tiger is an incredible animal

If you ever spend time in Singapore there are two things you need to do. Firstly, go to the zoo and secondly, got to the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel; the home of the Singapore Sling.

The day after Dav's birthday, or 'Dav's Boxing Day' as he referred to it, we made our way to Singapore's zoo. As a general rule of thumb, caged animals and funny smells aren't normally my thing so I wasn't overly fussed about this excursion. I'd also been to that part of the island earlier in the week to see the Night Safari. That was the night I was one bite away from what I expect would have been bowel-exploding salmonella poisoning as I cut through a raw piece of chicken tikka. If you listened carefully I swear you could still hear the chicken clucking it was that raw.

One baboon...

Still, we arrived at the zoo and it turned out to be the best tourist attraction so far. Far from caged and smelly, it transpired to be a fascinating, cageless and odourless experience. There were lions, white tigers, elephants, giraffes, meerkats, ostriches - you name it - they had it. But for me it was the baboons which were the most fascinating. Granted, they have that weird bum thing going on which looks like they've got atomic hemorrhoids but their human-like features and mannerisms are intriguing. Another tick in the box for Darwinism without a doubt.

Me, Dav and Garv

We spent most of the day there before heading back for our final evening. This taxi driver was the friendliest driver we'd met so far; unlike the driver who'd taken us to the zoo. He had two speeds - 100mph or stop. One particular cutting-up manoeuvre left me desperately pushing on the imaginary passenger brakes in the footwell of the car. But on the way back we had Mr Roy. He was a chatty chap who told us about an English family whose children he used to drive to school every morning. They moved back to the UK but had kept in touch. Apparently the little girl had even named her cat after him. I loved the idea of a little girl in London calling out for 'Mr Roy' to come in for his din-dins every evening.

The world-famous Raffles Hotel

That evening we made our way to the world famous Raffles Hotel to do what I expect every tourist does; visits the Long Bar for a Singapore Sling. Invented in that hotel sometime around 1915, the Singapore Sling is one of the world's most iconic cocktails. This classy long drink has stood the test of time and of course, unlike many cocktails of today you don't feel like a lecherous predator when you order it. Not a 'Slippery Nipple' or 'Screaming Orgasm' in sight here.

The sling is a classic - and that's reflected in the price. For six cocktails we barely had change from £100.  Still - as we sat in the bar, listened to the live music, took in the history of this famous hotel and reflected on our break, the price become an irrelevance. We knew that the chances are we'd never get the opportunity to be here ever again.

So that was it; number 21 on my list is complete. The definition of a lads' holiday may have changed but given the choice of a week of hangovers in 'Shag-aluf' or the views overlooking Singapore from the Marina Bay Sands; I know which one I'd prefer.

Give me this over a Screaming Orgasm any day

All that was left was for the long journey home; which itself wasn't without its drama. Dav and Hannah at one stage weren't even booked on the flight and I had to endure a man with halitosis sleeping next to me with his mouth wide-open for three hours. As I gagged into my pillow, I finally snapped and went for an elbow jab into his ribs to wake him up. Aggressive yes, but it seemed to do the trick.

Still, we made it back in one piece, with a whole host of new new memories to cherish. And what did I learn? Well, Singaporean taxi drivers are bonkers, westerners sweat in places you didn't think could sweat, for a bloke from the arse-end of Basildon; Garv's done pretty well for himself and to get a hangover in Singapore you need to be earning a six-figure salary.

In homage to the Singapore Sling, I've taken this track from the 80s film Cocktail...fairly sensible advice too in fairness...

#21 - Singapore Stories Part 2 - Garv screams, Segways and Dav turns 30

Universal Studios. Authentically Singaporean

I've never particularly liked theme parks. I think it comes from the time I went green on the pirate ship at Drayton Manor after I'd eaten a tub of KP's white chocolate Choco Dips. Or perhaps the time I got travel sick on the school coach on my way to Alton Towers. Or maybe the time I had to sit down after going on the spinning tea cups in Telford. Either way - a fan of needless adrenalin and endless queuing I am not.

Still, on the island of Sentosa stands Universal Studios; the Hollywood-inspired theme park, boasting attractions themed by all the classics; Jurassic Park, The Mummy, Shrek and my personal favourite, Sesame Street.

Childish humour.

After queuing for an hour to go on what was effectively a Sesame Street ride for 5 year olds (yes, that was my idea) we dined in a 1950s-style diner before making our way towards The Mummy's indoor rollercoaster. Dav and Hannah were somewhat excited, I felt obliged as I'd traveled all that way and Garv, well, he turned out to be adept at looking after other people's stuff whilst they went on rides. Dav and Hannah loved every second, I however had my eyes ferociously shut desperately hoping not to see my burger and fries for a second time.

We eventually convinced Garv to join us on the family-friendly rapids water ride. After queuing for more than an hour in stifling humidity, the gentle splash of the choppy water was a welcome relief to us all...that was until an unexpected log-flume drop towards the very end. As the boat unexpectedly rose out of the water, the doors in front of us opened and over we tipped. Poor Garv however was looking straight down from the very top and let out what can only be described as a string of highly pitched expletives going along the lines of "f*****g hell, s**t, noooooo!!" It left Dav, Hannah and I in stitches - as indeed did it the two Japanese six year olds who were also in our boat. Not sure their parents were as impressed.

Marina Bay Sands at night. Wow.

The following day was Easter Sunday. I dragged the gang to the Botanical Gardens. The highlight for me being the wonderful lakes and orchid gardens; the highlight for Dav was being able to get a picture of Garv and his long-suffering wife, Hannah, next to a sign saying 'Ginger Garden'. Childish. Amusing but childish.

Our view from the top of the MBS

That evening we made our way to what has become the most dominant feature of the Singapore skyline; Marina Bay Sands. This goliath structure was funded by Vegas-cash and is a hugely impressive sight. Three skyscraper towers with a boat-like structure resting along its top. Inside is a very plush casino. Having never been in a casino, Dav wanted to sign of his 20s doing something new. So, in we went. We each placed a $10 (£5) bet on the roulette tables. We lost. We soon concluded that gambling was never likely to be our vice. Dav and I instead decided that a white bread addiction was more likely to do for us than a gambling habit.

Feeling wounded by our rush of blood that cost us £20, we made our way to the top of the Marina Bay Sands. The views from the top are simply sensational. The boats in the Singapore Straits and the lights of the city below are breathtaking. It was one of those 'how did I get here moments?'.

The southerly most point of Continental Asia

The next morning was Dav's 30th. Although not until 7am local time. Not to suggest he's a 'Little Englander' but he'd only recognise Greenwich Mean Time and, here's a fact, he never changes his wrist watch from GMT...he says he 'likes to have a bit of Blighty on his wrist'. Well in true British style it rained that day. And then it rained some more...then it drizzled...then it p****d it down. Still, in true Dunkirk-style, our spirit was not to be dampened. We made our way back to the island of Sentosa, or at least we tried to. The first taxi we flagged down claimed to not know where it was. The second taxi driver, when we said where we wanted to go simply said 'no'. Eventually we found a cab to take us the short 20 minute trip - although I soon wished we hadn't. He clearly wasn't the full ticket, driving bare feet and making an odd 'sniffing' sound every minute or so. It was, quite frankly, weird.

We spent the morning in the aquarium before the birthday boy was given free reign on his choice of lunch. So we finished our Big Mac and chips and headed to the beach. The words 'Brit abroad' spring to mind.

An artist's impression of how Dav may have looked

The beaches at Sentosa were beautiful as we stood at the most southerly point of Continental Asia overlooking the ocean. We didn't stay for long though - Dav had reluctantly been railroaded into riding a Segway for his birthday. Quite frankly, wild horses wouldn't have stopped me witnessing this. I love the guy to bits but nimble and agile aren't words I'd ever associate with Dav - although ironically it would be Hannah who almost went head first into a tree.

Later that night, Garv treated us to a meal at the exclusive Level 33 restaurant. It's also doubles up as a micro-brewery so it was ale all round for the birthday boy before we made our way on to the balcony of the restaurant and marveled at another glorious Singaporean evening.

Only one more Singapore-blog to go, I promise.

In the meantime, this is for Garv...

#21 - Have a lads holiday abroad - I head to the Far East

When I started this list, I was adamant that I'd missed out in my 20s. Amongst many things, I'd been deprived of a proper lads holiday abroad. You know, the sort of holiday where 'what happens in Benidorm, stays in Benidorm' which invariably means cheap cocktails, watered-down lager, sunburn and England football shirts.

Me, Hannah, Garv and Dav splash out
on one of the few beers of our holiday

If you've seen The Inbetweeners movie then you'll know what I mean. I'd had my post-A Level fortnight in Faliraki, but that was in my teens - and it was a holiday where the travel agents needed a signed letter from my mom saying I could travel.

As time's gone by though I've realised that partying late into the night, cocky holiday reps, third-division footballer haircuts and English fry-ups are my idea of a holiday from hell. That coupled with the fact that the 'lads' in question are all receding, nearly thirty-somethings now meant that I had to have a bit of a re-think on this one. 

Fortunately, with my friend Garv moving out to Singapore in January, a new opportunity presented itself. So, with my good friend Dav and his wife, and honorary 'lad' Hannah, we jetted out to see how our pal was getting on his new life in the Far East. The fact that that the trip promised free accommodation had no bearing on our decision to go there at all...honestly.

So we started our long journey to Singapore with a flight from Manchester to Zurich where we had an unenviable six hour turn around time before the second leg which would take us to Singapore. This lengthy wait in Toblerone-city which is also seemingly home to the world's most expensive Burger King, was courtesy of the over-cautious Dav who I think had secretly wanted us to be delayed in Manchester to prove his cautiousness correct. We weren't delayed, so six hours to wait it was.

We finally arrived in Singapore after a 13 hour flight and were greeted by two of the mainstays of Singaporean life; its schizophrenic-like weather conditions and its crazy taxi drivers.

Dav and Hannah from Garv's rooftop

As we stepped out of the airport, the wall of humid heat smacked you in the face like the opening of an oven door. You can't fail to sweat profusely in this sort of humidity; it is not a pretty sight. We made our way to our cab and the first character trait of Singaporean taxi drivers came to the fore; they expect you to know where you're going. We told the driver were we needed to go and he had no idea where it was. This apparently isn't an uncommon quirk as we were to find out later in our holiday. Secondly, they're nuts. As we left the airport, the heavens opened. I'd never quite seen rain like it before. This too is something you get used to in Singapore. At one point we drove through a puddle with such force that the car was completely submerged in water. I was convinced this was how it was going to end. I looked back at Dav and Hannah whose frozen expressions made me think they shared my fear...and the driver, he chuckled like a child riding through a puddle on his push bike. How reassuring.

"A kind heart is a fountain of gladness" - and a cool bear

We finally arrived at Garv's - and as far as views go - his is pretty incredible and certainly beats his last digs which was a wonderful view overlooking picturesque Brixton. He's on the 14th floor of an exclusive condo overlooking the Singapore skyline. The view from the top of his block is simply stunning. He's in the insurance game now. I asked him to explain to me in layman terms what exactly he does...ten minutes later when he'd finished explaining I was still none-the-wiser. Let's assume he's not working for Direct Line and leave it at that.

The first few days were taken up by the obligatory open-top tourist bus and ducking in and out of shopping malls to get a break from the stifling humidity and to let Dav dry-out in the heavenly air conditioning. It's fair to say Dav is a creature of cooler climates, proved by the walk on day three to Fort Canning - and former military base which is now a public park. Oh, and which, when we arrived, was shut. It's about a 25 minute walk from Garv's - or 45 minutes if Dav's in tow. It's fair to say humidity and walking don't mix with a man from Derbyshire whose ideal weather conditions are overcast, cool and with chances of a real ale later on.

Where modern Singapore meets Ye Olde Britain

Still, a quick stop off at the National Singapore Museum cheered him up (see how the definition of a lads holiday changes). The colonial past of this country is fascinating. The British influence here is still ingrained in the fabric of modern-day Singaporean society; from the language to the architecture. Lying beside the modern-day sky scrapers are the British-inspired village cricket pitches and the unmistakably British City Hall buildings. The Indian influence is really strong here too. Presumably shipped here by the British to police the island, Little India is a fascinating district. Garv took us there to dine al fresco. When I say al fresco, what I mean is outside, on plastic chairs, next to the over-spilling wheelie bins. It's the kind of place where you think you've got there a few minutes before the health inspector. But in Singapore, local is the way to eat...a bit like sausages, just try not think about how it's made. Plus, it's the cheapest way to eat. Food here is dirt cheap...unlike alcohol. A pint of beer can cost as much as £10 a pint. Suffice to say this 'lads holiday' was hangover-free!

Poolside at Garv's...scene of the mosquito feast

Weather-wise, barely a day went by without stormy rain. There was plenty of sunshine too - but mostly it was humid heat and rain. There was time to lounge by the pool...which we found out to our cost. A mosquito feast on Dav's legs poolside saw him wake up one morning with an infected bite on his shin which meant he spent most of the rest of the holiday having to wear trousers. The infected puss-filled blister was pretty disgusting. The child in me wanted him to pop it...I could see this being filmed and going viral on the internet, it was that gruesome. But Hannah said that probably wasn't very sensible. As we debated what to do with the patient, Garv helpfully consulted the world of Google to find a diagnosis; "according to the internet, if you're bitten by a mosquito and it fills with puss...it means your knob will drop off". So, chronic knob-rot was Garv's insightful diagnosis. Still, we had a Derbyshire man feeling sorry himself and a mosquito somewhere who now had Type 2 diabetes. To give you an idea as to how grim the blister was, we Skyped our friend Crewe back home. We showed him the wound and his response, in his monotone Manc accent was; "bloody hell, what were you bitten by, snake?".

Still, in fairness to him, he didn't go on about it *coughs*.

The first week was taken up by sightseeing, trips to a Night Safari, Universal Studios and taking in a local football match, which will be the feature of another blog later on.

Next up - Dav is 30, we visit the home of the Singapore sling and we meet Mr Roy the taxi driver.

In honour of the sweaty westerners in Singapore, I'll leave you with this...

Jack Whitehall, The Dixie Chicks and Sore Nipples

Well that was the weekend that was.

For the last few months this weekend has been penciled-in as D-day for my list. Poor planning on my part granted; but this was the weekend where I was set to complete numbers 22 and 27 from my list.

Number 22 was to take in at least ten new music or comedy gigs whilst Number 27, which for me was to be the toughest challenge yet, was to complete two half marathons...one of which had to be under 1 hour 55 minutes.

Chas 'n' Dave - not cool - but I clearly enjoyed it.

Let's start with #22. I wrote back in January 2013 about how music and comedy had played a big part in my life. Indoctrination by my father into 1950s rock 'n' roll as a child is something which, today I'm sure social services would step-in to save children from. But nonetheless, it had a big effect on me. As did endless hours in front of VHS tapes as a kid watching Only Fools and Horses, Porridge, Fawlty Towers and other classic BBC sitcoms.

So whilst my friends were taking in Backstreet Boys and the Fresh Prince of BelAir, I was listening to Eddie Cochran and soaking up the sarcasm and wit of Norman Stanley Fletcher.

So getting out to see live music and comedy was something I really wanted to do again. Well, this weekend, I've finally, completed my list of ten new gigs, and you can see that my dad's influence lingers on. The fact that I'd put Chas 'n' Dave in my top three gigs is testament to that.

Jack Whitehall

Jack Whitehall. Funny posh kid.

But whereas musically, I'm often drawn back to my childhood, my comedy tastes at least have moved on. On Friday night, I went to see Jack Whitehall - the new posh kid on the block - whose sitcom success with Fresh Meat and Bad Education has made him the freshest new comedy talent in the country. I went with my brother Ian, his friend Nick and my sister-in-law Sandi. Whitehall was very funny...perhaps not as funny as his debut stand-up tour - but funny nonetheless. His comedy clearly aimed at the BBC Three student generation, I did catch Ian and Nick glancing at each other on occasion with a rather confused look upon their brows. Sandi and I helped fill in the generational gaps which were clearly lost on these two mid-thirty somethings. Although I can understand why they'd be confused...this is the generation who held-up Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer as comedy geniuses...something which I've never been able to fathom.That was Friday night.

The Dixie Chicks

Saturday would see me do a 200+ mile round-trip to London to see a band which I've wanted to see for more than ten years. 

I should start this by apologising publicly to my friend Dav. I mocked him mercilessly a few years ago when he took himself off on his own to see Welsh opera-hotty Katherine Jenkins. Well, with no friends wanting to join me at the O2, I made my way to the UK's Country & Western Festival on my own. There's something inherently tragic about that, and if I'm honerst, a little bit of my died inside when I got there and sat on my own. But the self-loathing was ultimately worth it. It was also my first return to the O2 since (or the Millennium Dome as it was called back then) on Millennium Eve. As a family though we've taken a vow never to talk about that night again. 

This trip to the Dome wasn't as shameful as my first visit

More than ten years ago I stumbled, purely by chance, upon the music of the Dixie Chicks...and it was fitting that their performance marks the end of my quest to see more live gigs. 

They were sensational. The back-story to them is that ten years or so ago they were the biggest thing in country-rock music. Think the Spice Girls - but with talent. That's how big and game-changing they were for that genre. Girl power...with a stetson hat. But at their peak, at a concert in London, lead singer Natalie Maines dared, during a rendition of their Vietnam War-inspired hit 'Travelling Soldier', to openly say that she was ashamed that former-US President George W Bush was a fellow Texan. Her highly politicised jibe came at a huge cost. Radio stations stop playing their music, their records were destroyed in the streets and their career was in tatters. So, more than eight years after that night, they were back in London for the very first time. And I was there.

Over the finish line in 1hr 51m. Get in.

Sore Nipples

Then came Sunday. My second attempt at overcoming the mammoth challenge I'd set myself; to complete two half marathons...one of which had to be sub-1 hour 55 minutes.
The setting was Stafford. I was joined by my old school friend Amy and old school pals Becky and Kate. Today's weather was uncharacteristically spring-like for this early in March. In fact, today's practically been a mini-heatwave. One assumes the Daily Express will run with some weather-based front page story tomorrow telling us that we're set to fry this summer - or it'll be a washout. Either way, the lefty climate-change propagandists will be to blame I'm sure.

My mate Amy and I post-race

The heat didn't help - but as we pounded the rural country lanes of Stafford, something felt different this time. This was my fourth half marathon...none of the previous three have necessarily been great experiences if I'm honest. But today felt different - it felt as if this was one psychological barrier I could finally overcome. After running the Oldham half marathon in 2 hours and 1 minute back in October, I knew I had a lot to do. But, having abandoned the others earlier in the race (my second apology of this piece), it came to the ten mile mark, a glance at my watch, and I had a feeling that I might just do this. The hours of trudging up and down hills in Sedgley and Gornal may just have been worth it. As I ran into Stafford town centre after a grueling final two miles and saw the finish line, I knew I'd achieved the toughest challenge yet. I came in at 1 hour 51 minutes. A whole ten minutes shaved-off my last run and six minutes quicker than my personal best. And aside from a blister or two and  two very sore nipples, I survived to tell the story.

My biggest achievement to-date...and certainly the one I'm most proud of.

Before the race, Kate had suggested we think about this song if we were struggling...turns out it worked.