My Secret Passion

I will confess that I have one weird passion … despite being crap at any form of sport and not really interested in it either, I have supported my home town soccer team for decades. Hull City AFC - The Tigers or just …. City.

These days, I pay to watch them online and I try to watch every game that isn’t blacked out and even then I try to find them on the internet. It’s the one bit of ‘Normie’ behavior (Thomas Sheridan Terminology) I allow myself… It is rooted in my childhood though…

I grew up in west Hull. We lived in a terraced house with a three bedrooms up and two rooms down. It was small - like a rabbit hutch. Next door were my Mum’s parents so I got well looked after. It had a ‘tenfoot’ at the back - a small unpaved road that allowed you to get a car in and a garage - ten foot wide. Two doors the other way was a family - the Frenches I called them. Bob French was a lovely man and he and his son went to see City every home game at Boothferry Park. Back then, they would let kids in anyway free at half time so often he would invite me and take me… sometimes at half time and sometimes for the full game.

Bob had a large Ford car - top of the range and quite luxurious in its day and sometimes, he would sit me on his knee and let me steer…. sort of. He would often combine this with a trip to the ferry dock in Hull where we would visit the corner sweet store and grab a Beezer comic and some sweets. He was a wonderful man and popular with all the kids because of his kindness.

I recall so many games with heroes like Ken Wagstaff, Ian Butler, Chris Chilton and so many more. Wonderful memories.

Bob’s daughter was called Kay and she would babysit for my parents. Once she accidentally dropped me on my head and claimed credit her entire life for any intelligence I may possess because of it. As a teen I would visit Kay and her family taking chocolates for her kids… we remained friends up until her passing several years ago… She always made such amazing sandwiches and was what we might call rough and ready - there were no P’s and Q’s and lots of swear words but she was the salt of the earth and as kind as anyone could possibly be. She was always up for a laugh, smoked more cigs than I have ever seen anyone smoke and could drink like a fish…. but she will forever be in my heart.

Anyway - I digress… Hull City.

I followed them through college and went to watch them play away games if I could when at Aston University in Birmingham. Later, I would go with a friend or a brother when home. I followed them avidly even when living in Texas…

I never really expected Hull to do well. They had played in the three lower divisions and never really won anything much. But in 2007 all that changed and City made the Premier league for the first time. An FA cup final followed and for a while we bounced between the premier league and Championship… I sometimes wish Bob could have seen that… and my Uncle Jim who also loved City but never saw them play in the Premier league.

These days, I can watch on the internet and so tomorrow night I will be sat here at my desk kicking balls under my desk and shouting out YES if the score… my daughter finds this all very funny.

Its strange because I havent lived in Hull since 1981. I havent lived in the UK since 1992. But Bob and his family somehow created a bond for me with the Tigers that will only die when I do.

Now - that first Premier League qualification was won after a trip to Wembley to play Bristol City for the third and last promotion place. It was dubbed the one million pound game…. I listened on the radio here in Brno as it wasn’t on TV or the internet back then… and wouldn’t you know it when a Hull born veteran approaching the end of his career stepped up and score a wonder strike…. it was fate. And my YESSSSSSS could be heard in Hull……