Going radio ga ga at the Recreation Ground
Thursday 11 September 2008 10:00
Fan Nick Judd swaps the terraces for the commentary box for the Robins' Johnstone's Paint Trophy tie at Aldershot...
"Heartbreaks and promises,
I’ve had more than my share…"
It hasn’t been confirmed whether Robin S - who sang You’ve Got to Show Me Love
in 1993 (a good year for the Robins) - is a Swindon fan, but her lyrics
certainly sum up my 29-year existence as a Robin.
I’ve seen four
promotions and as many relegations. We’ve gone up, down and then down
again in one go (and without even kicking a ball) and that’s just on
the field!
Swindon fans brace themselves at MK Dons
One game away at Bolton in 1997 was too much for one fan. Sadly, the
fan in question also happened to be commentating for the BBC at a game
in which Swindon found themselves 7-0 down. Stuart Mac did what any
discerning commentator would do; he started crying!
I’ve not followed suit (only tears of joy), but I can now empathise having been lucky enough to do some co-commentating myself.
I was first asked to help BBC Radio Swindon in 2002 for Swindon’s U18s FA Youth Cup tie against Spurs at White Hart Lane. The BBC has
always invited guest co-commentators to join Ed Hadwin – Swindon’s
answer to Jonathan Ledgard – but the Spurs game was perfect for my
debut on the airwaves.
I had more knowledge than most on our youth
players and I was on my best behaviour. It was like meeting the
girlfriend’s parents for the first time, only without the footsie.
Not quite so easy were games that followed. Bournemouth in 2004 (lost
2-1), MK Dons hungover on New Year’s Day, Stockport 2003 (won 5-2)… I’m
yet to swear** but I wonder how many radio bods kick the chair in front
in anger, punch the air in delight or mockingly smack the mic over
their own heads in despair?
"Just hit the &^%$&£@ thing you useless sack of..."
It’s not just what’s happening on the pitch, either. Sporting a
sizeable pair of headphones Avid Merrion would kill for, you have
commentary in one ear and the studio presenter talking in the other.
Hearing voices is disconcerting when you’re trying to concentrate on
what’s going on in front of you. Ask Andy Goram.
Particularly challenging was our recent 7-6 penalty shoot-out drubbing
of Aldershot in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. My least favourite player
stepped up to take a decisive penalty (a miss would have seen us
eliminated).
I’m not lying when I say I had my head in my hands. My
trepidation soon made way for elation when he scored a beauty, but I
nearly pulled the mic from its socket as I leaped in the air!
This radio lark is harder than it looks and I have a lot of respect for
our Ed. It hasn’t altered my opinion on Alan Green’s ‘wretched’ and
biased diatribes, but ol’ Stuart Mac has a huge place in my heart…
Alan Green enjoying himself at the football, as usual...
**I didn’t swear, which is a first while watching Town. I read with
interest Dimitar Berbatov’s interview in The Sun, where he claimed
he never swears. “This is a matter of good upbringing,” he says.
I
challenge Berba to watch Town and say that!
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