You support Brentford? Aren't they the team with a pub on every corner of the ground? I wouldn't mind being bought a beer for each time I've been asked that question. Anyway, yesterday I trekked up to West London and after a chinwag and a cup of tea with my Mum I headed off to Griffin Park with my cousins husband Tony, my regular footballing buddy and grumpy old man.
...for a couple of pints of Fullers London Pride and a Chilli. The Kings Arms is what I like to call a proper pub, there is nothing flashy or pretentious about it, just good beer, decent scran and Sky Sports on the telly. The landlady and her staff are friendly and efficient and if you want to sit quietly in the corner with a pint and the crossword its no problem. Best of all is that its not one of the 'pubs on the corner' so its not frequented by visiting football anoraks who want to boast that they did all four the day they came to Brentford. After the usual pee stops before leaving the pub and upon entering the ground the game beckoned.
And so to the match. Supporting The Bees can often feel like a penance. We do have the occasional moment a few times a season but yesterday was not one of those occasions. Chances were few and far between and although a great deal of huffing and puffing went on it was clear that Brentford were a mid-table team at best and the visitors Walsall would be lucky to finish in the top half. Still, you don't go to Griffin Park expecting to see silky skills and it wasn't the worst 0-0 draw that I've ever had the misfortune to witness. The referee was whistle happy and one of those men in black who want to eradicate any kind of physical contact from the game. Our only real chance to score fell to Clayton Donaldson who was put clean through by a defence splitting pass only to decide that it would be a good idea to stop and wait for some chums and the opposition defence to get back before trying to put the ball into the net.
It was nice to bump into some Bees supporting friends (hello Paul, Andrea & Ella-Bee) plus a few others that I'm on nodding terms with having seen them at home and away games over the years.
Just to show that we do have the aforementioned 'occasional moment' here is a link to a report of one that has a special place in my memory...
Doubtless I'll be returning to Griffin Park a couple more times this season and many more in seasons to come. You don't support a team like Brentford for the glory or the trophies, you do it because it has to be done. Football, beer, food, and mates, what better way is there to spend a freezing cold Saturday afternoon in January? Actually the older I get the more answers I can think of to that question!
The Kings Arms, Brentford
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