Kingsland Codger

1) Gavin's goal at Preston. Given as an own goal but we know better. 2) Rothwell's screamer against Huddersfield (and KWP's reaction to it). Not just great shot but the timing of the goal so early in the second-half got us back in the game and put us on the front foot. 3) The arrival of the team bus at St Mary's ahead of the play-off semi-final

And remember to switch the phone on

So much good sense has already been written there is little I can add other than some observations of the day out. The climb up to Level 5 at Wembley was a Work Out I could have done without but if I felt my knees were in danger of seizing up then Armstrong's goal soon sorted that. I leapt from my seat like a gazelle (have you ever seen a gazelle leap from a seat at a sorts stadium) and any aches and pains were not even considered. At St Mary's my seat is in the Kingsland Stand and at 68 years old I am one of the younger fans in the block. Yesterday I was amongst some of the more youthful, vocal and boisterous of fans and I had a wonderful time - reminded me of my youth standing in the chocolate boxes at The Dell. One young lad was directly behind me and his enthusiasm for the Saints was only surpassed by his apparent lack of vocabulary. His lexicon seemed to be limited to about six words, with the letters 'f', 'c' and 'b' featuring prominently. Such passion!! Loved every minute of it and I would never be treated to such a display of raw hatred in the Kingsland. The journey back home via Waterloo was a bit tight but we managed to get the last ferry to Ryde. Physically I was exhausted but mentally I was buzzing far too much to sleep so I watched the highlights on tv and awoke this morning to find my self still sitting in my chair, an empty bottle of claret next to me and the tv still on. Perhaps the best way to finish one of life's more memorable days out. My only regret is not buying shares in 'The Extra Strong Throat Lozenge Company'. I suspect sales will be up strongly this morning.

There is a precedent. For those a bit too young to remember, in 1962 Peter Swan of Sheffield Wednesday was involved in a betting scandal and was banned for life in 1964. This was lifted in 1972. A couple of other players who were also involved received similar bans.

Fluttering through my letter-box has come an envelope with the tickets. Purchased on Monday at around 10.20am, arriving on the South Island at 14.00 Wednesday.

https://www.southamptonfc.com/en/southampton-vs-leeds?utm_source=dotmailer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=3374735_TIC - 23%2F24 Play-Off Final on sale criteria&utm_content=CTA Button - Ticket Info&dm_i=2HKL,20BYN,2DYRKZ,77CGU,1 in the section Seat Map … “following the advice from the EFL, the Club will be using an external 3rd party to dispatch our tickets. They have many years of experience in dispatching tickets for large venues such as Wembley Stadium in a short space of time, due to their staff resource.”

Logged in around 09.34 and told there was a 39 minute wait. In reality this was a but less - around 30 minutes. Clicked the ENTER button and sent to a page saying I was unauthorised to proceed. After what seemed like an eternity (but was probably only a few seconds) another page popped up and I could continue to purchase. Thereafter everything went smoothly but sometimes with a bit of a wait. Should others experience similar my message is ... don't worry, you'll get there eventually.

I need some help here, please. How can I buy tickets for myself and a couple of friends (all of us are season ticket holders) for the play-off final so that we can sit together? We used to go to away matches but that was years ago and looking at My Account on the SFC website there are no names on the Friends & Family page. Any help much appreciated.

I am watching on Sky with the red button and the picture has frozen. Does anyone have a similar problem?

And I suspect fans of all three of those sides wouldn't like to face us either.

Paul Dempsey?

VAR - the video assistant referee should have 15 seconds to decide on offside or handball or any other decision he (she) might be called upon to make. When 15 seonds are up you go with the on-field decision.

Qujte rght. Peter Bonetti 1970 World Cup v West Germany springs to mind

So many things to admire today but here’s one that wasn’t glamorous or spectacular but gave a clear indication of commitment… it was the 89th minute, we are 4-0 up and cruising when suddenly the ball breaks and Swansea make a counter-attack. 5, maybe 6, of our players rush back to help the defence and one of our centre-backs manages to force the attacker wide and the threat disappears. Fantastic effort by our boys to put in such a shift when the game is already won.

Thank you for this. I note the position of Reading. 6th, 11 points behind the leader (us) and with a vastly inferior goal difference. Whatever happened to them that season?

Am I alone in believing our unbeaten run will come to an end sometime in mid/late December 2026 when we lose the World Club Championship thanks to a congested fixture list and a very dodgy linesman?

We were holding on at 2-1 and only scored our third in the 86th minute - hardly a comfortable win

RM told us to be patient … I didn’t take that to mean we had to wait until the 95th minute but that’ll do

Maybe it’s because us fans have been told to be patient, that mastering a new style of play takes time and that it will come good eventually. This hardly suggests imminent success, does it?

Which then begs the queston ... how many games do they mean? Of the 12 games we have endured so far we have been dumped out of the league cup by a team from league two, comprehensively thrashed in 2 league games and in only 1 match have we had a comfortable lead. Given that RM asks for more time it sounds like we have more disappointments to be inflicted upon us before we can look forward to the promised sunlit uplands. It has been noted that Burnley had a similarly disappointing start last season but I see that from 22 October they played 31 league games, lost 2 of them, drew 6 and won 23. They were promoted with 7 games to spare. This is the sort of form now required for us to emulate them - yet it seems 'more time' is asked for. How much time? How many games? Swansea's had to wait until mid-March for their change of form!! I wish RM all the best and I shall be at St Mary's to cheer them all on but unless RM delivers and delivers quickly I can't see us being promoted this season.

It sounds as if we are being promised Jam Tomorrow. But let's accept the idea of "it takes time, be patient, it will come good" ... I read this to mean don't expect promotion this season. As a trade-off I expect us to run away with the title in the 2024/5 season. Over 100 points and promotion guaranteed way before the end of the season. Am I being unreasonable?

Our second penalty ... the ITV commentator said KWP "may have done his best to manufacure that" - yet it looked like a forearm to the back of KWP's neck and was correctly given.

Go to YouTube and search for music to send you to sleep. You will probably find something that works for you. A tip from me … I would give anything with the sound of running water a miss.

Both goalkeepers wearing more-or-less the same colour as Goztepe