Wombling Free

Writing this on a plane, high up in the sky, not knowing what happened in our match today after the 38th minute. That was when the plane took off and I had to put my phone into airplane mode. At that point it was 0-0. 

It says a great deal about our current fortunes that I was excited about a goalless score line. How unambitious have my hopes for Rovers become? It’s akin to being in debt and celebrating that a final demand or court summons hasn’t landed on the doormat when you collect the  morning post. Survival is all that matters.

A fertile imagination means that I am wondering if we came out for the 2nd half and tore Wimbledon to shreds. Maybe Harvey Saunders bagged a hat-trick, with Connor Jennings adding a couple more? Or, possibly a better scenario. It stayed 0-0 until the 8th minute of extra time when Sol Solomon, having been brought on 2 minutes earlier, swivelled on a sixpence and banged a clearly offside goal into the back of the net. The sweetest of victories in an afternoon of hard graft.

There have been games like that in past seasons. Games when all seemed lost only for the Gods of football to play a trick and allow us to snatch victory from the bowels of defeat. Over the years you only have to think of our victory over Southampton in the FA Cup, Barrow away in the National League, the moments when it all comes together. Then supporting Tranmere is not the preserve of the mad and unhinged but the natural territory of the rational being.

I’m wondering if the darkest hours this season are behind us? Have we emerged from a tempest, stronger, united and only looking upwards? There are 60 points left to play for. Another 30 would put us on the edge of the playoffs. Another 50 and we could start dreaming of Wembley. Anything beyond that and you’re into the realms of automatic promotion, something we haven’t achieved since our ‘trip to the moon’ a lifetime ago. Could it be? Is it possible? 

We are not a bunch of glory hunters. We are not people who demand trophies or prizes. We are just supporters, we know that we have hope, optimism or delusion, but beyond all of this we have faith. Faith in the name, faith that each time players pull on the shirt they understand what it means to us, faith that our support will drive our team forward. That’s why we are ‘Tranmere ‘til I die’. 

I’m not going to cheapen this contribution by giving the actual score. I just want the faith we all have to be rewarded. It might not have happened today, but it has to start happening soon. Keep the faith, the future is bright, the future is Super White.