Alright so yesterday I got this itch to properly document a football match for once. You know how it goes – you watch a game, scream at the TV, forget half the important bits by morning. Figured Southampton versus Brentford deserved better. Grabbed my beat-up notebook and a pen that only works half the time. Old school? Maybe. But screens distract me.
The Whole Setup Thing
First thing – cleared the coffee table. Seriously, those empty mugs and crisp packets weren’t helping anyone. Charged my phone just in case the pen gave up entirely, though I kinda hate typing notes during a match. Distracts from the actual football. Made simple columns in the notebook:
- Minute
- What Actually Happened
- Big Deal? (My Gut Feeling)
Didn’t overcomplicate it. Football’s messy enough without fancy note systems.
Kickoff & The First Half Mess
Right from the whistle, Brentford came out swinging like they owned the place. My pen kept skipping. Annoying. Managed to scribble down:
- Min 12: Brentford hit the woodwork! Proper heart attack moment. Saints keeper looked shaky. (Big Deal? YES)
- Min 28: Saints finally had a shot. Aimed roughly near row Z. Terrible. You could feel the groans through the telly. Wrote “Saints attack = ??” with a question mark circled twice.
- Min 45+1: Brentford scored right before half time. Obvious defensive mistake from Saints. Felt inevitable. Noted down “Saints defending like training cones.” Felt harsh, but true.
Half time whistle blew and my hand was already cramping. Went to refill my tea, tripped over the dog. Spilled some. Typical.
Second Half Chaos
Second half started, Saints looked different. More fight. Or maybe just desperate.
- Min 57: Saints equalizer! Scrappy goal, bit of a scramble in the box. My notebook says “GOAL!!! (How??)” because honestly it was a blur.
- Min 65: Brentford player goes down clutching his ankle. Looked bad. Wrote “Sub incoming probs.” Brentford boss did exactly that two minutes later.
- Min 79: Big VAR check. Everyone hates waiting. Stared at the ref’s stupid little earpiece thing. Felt like ages. Wrote “VAR = Buzzkill.” Stuck with “No Penalty” when the decision finally came.
- Min 87: Absolute gift of a chance for Saints! Clean through and… skies it over the bar. Couldn’t believe it. Just wrote “NOOOOOOO” in big letters. Felt right.
Full Time & The Scrawl Decoding
Finished 1-1. Fair result probably. Now came the messy part – making sense of my notes. Some bits were clear, others looked like a doctor’s prescription. Had to remember what “WTF ref?” at minute 34 meant (apparently a soft free kick against Saints). Pieced together the key moments:
1. Brentford hitting the post early.
2. Their first-half goal exposing Saints’ defence.
3. Saints’ messy equalizer showing some fight.
4. The agonizing missed chance near the end.
Tried typing it up later. My back hurt, and I kept mixing up the minutes. Had to double-check the actual match stats online to fix my mistakes. So much for just relying on my scribbles! Ended up adding brief bits explaining WHY each moment shifted the game – like Brentford’s pressure early, Saints falling asleep just before half time.
Biggest takeaway? Doing this properly takes effort. Makes you watch differently, though. You notice patterns. Like Saints always seem to switch off right before a break. Not something you always spot when just shouting at the screen. My notes are still chaotic, but hey, it’s honest work. More tea needed next time. Stronger stuff.
