The One I Rushed A Bit

Bright lights

There is a widely held belief that football is a passionate game. Played, managed and supported by people teetering on the brink of sanity. Certainly, there are individuals out there, and we all know them, who put great store in the game, and for whom performances and results can dictate the mood for days ahead.

No game is supposed to raise the heart beat and ignite the soul more than a game against the bitterest of local rivals, and whilst Matlock v Buxton may not have the romance of United v Liverpool or Real Madrid v Barcelona, it sure as hell mattered to the 477 who gathered at Causeway Lane last night.

Or so the locals told me. The truth is that for all the hyperbole, you'd have been hard pressed to guess that this game meant more than any other run-of-the-mill league game. Yes, the crowd was a huge improvement on Matlock's usual sub 200. And yes, the visitors came equipped with their own stewards. But that aside, I have heard more commotion in the queue at the supermarket.

Feel safer now?

Insert pithy caption here

The first half was an abomination of a game. The visitors took a scruffy lead, and astoundingly little else happened. I suppose you could say Matlock shaded it on pure chances, but it matters little. I caught myself wishing I had stayed at home to watch Lambing Live.

The second was better, but that's akin to saying you like Lady Gaga on the basis that she is better than Geri Haliwell. Matlock deserved the equaliser they ground out, but for either side to leave with more than one point would have been unjust.

Walking out, I overheard the natives bemoaning the game as a typical end-of-season stroll. It's bloody March. And it was a derby!
If you must suffer as I did, this is the Matlock equaliser. Other videos of the night, and other trips, can be found on the Beat The First Man channel (no, really)