By Nick Mabey. Saints’ inevitable and long-awaited relegation was confirmed on 6th April after another lacklustre performance at Spurs, where our fans yet again outperformed the team. At least we went down in style, beating the record for the earliest confirmed drop (seven games remaining). Fastest relegation can be...
Columns
Suburban Safari: Buds in the suburbs
By Katie Isham. It’s that foolish time of year again. The recent mild weather tricked us into thinking spring has sprung, but alas, the cold is persisting. It might be sunny, but we are in the grip of Fool’s Spring! Yet, there are signs of the promise of things...
View from The Kingsland: Reflective Ramblings
By Nick Mabey. With relegation pretty much assured (if not mathematically certain yet) I found myself in reflective mood when taking my seat for the recent home game with so-called local rivals AFC Bournemouth. Reflecting on the strange feeling of having no pressure and expecting to lose. Reflecting on...
Suburban Safari: Winter Sun on the Shore
By Katie Isham. In the midst of a cold, dark winter, any bright, sunny days are heralded like the returning hero after a battle; the second coming of a messiah. Any appearance of the sun from behind the great, grey shroud we currently live under, and we must make...
Suburban Safari: A tree is for life
By Katie Isham. There’s been so much tree exposure over the past few weeks. The shiny ones, the sparkly ones, the pink ones. But it’s all unearthed a deep-rooted need to commune with some more natural trees. Do you ever get the urge to walk among the trees? Drop...
View from the Kinsgland: Sad inevitability
By Nick Mabey. Russell Martin’s unsurprising sacking as our manager this week gave me no pleasure at all. Optimism has always been a superpower/Achilles heel for me and I really wanted Martin to turn things round at Saints. I’ve been fighting myself about this for most of the season,...
View from the Kingsland – How to feel about VAR?
By Nick Mabey. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR from here on) provokes some of the strongest feelings and opinions the average football fan can muster these days, so I thought it time I gave it some prolonged attention here. For those wondering why I’m distracting myself from Saints’ league...
Suburban Safari: Ladies Walk, Thornhill
By Katie Isham. Let’s go back in time a little, to the late 19th century. Thornhill Park was still an estate, but a sprawling parkland one of over 400 acres. It was initially formed by Michael Hoy, later passed to his widow, Elizabeth and then after her death, to...
View from the Kingsland: Harsh Reality
By Nick Mabey. It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted. Mostly because I’ve moved house and celebrated a significant birthday with a long holiday, but also because I thought I’d rest for as long as possible in the euphoria of that amazing Wembley day in May. The feel-good...
Suburban Safari: Minstead Meanderings
Words and pictures by Katie Isham. Someday, we’ll go on a walk that doesn’t involve consecrated ground, but that day is not today my friends. This walk meanders through a graveyard, past some of the greatest oaks known to exist and possibly the greatest country gate vista ever viewed. ...