PREMIER LEAGUE NUGGETS – MatchWeek 24
Only one Premier League match this week but there was enough incident in those 98+ minutes to satiate the appetite of the hungriest football fan. Fittingly for the last Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, James Tarkowski’s late equaliser ensured that Everton and Liverpool had won the same number of matches at the venerable ground. The kerfuffle after the final whistle between Curtis Jones and Abdoulaye Doucoure added a degree of spice to sprinkle over proceedings.
It Started With a Kick – Episode 44
Don McRae is one of the most highly respected sports writers of recent times. Growing up in apartheid South Africa, Don developed a love of Arsenal even though the first time he saw them was watching a Pathe News reel highlights when they lost to a Don Rogers-inspired Swindon Town in 1969 League Cup Final. Through a combination of listening to BBC World Service, picking up the Sunday papers and 6 week-old copies of Shoot magazine, Don was immersed in Arsenal even though they were 5,500 miles away.
When he made it over to UK in 1984, Don’s first match at Highbury was against a Chelsea side featuring Pat Nevin who he had heard about when working for NME because he was not archetypal footballer with his love of music, books and astute political stance. Another man who impressed Don was Arsene Wenger who he initially treated with a degree of scepticism when he arrived but grew to appreciate the impact he had on the club.
Don’s love of Arsenal has now turned full circle as he not only managed to sway his son to follow his lead but also inspired his father to become a die hard Gooner. Don’s son now lives a matter of seconds away from The Emirates so he does not have to feed off the scraps that Don was accustomed to in South Africa.
Part 1 – https://bit.ly/4gCsNFl
Part 2 – https://bit.ly/41echqs
The Football Mine 