Sheffield United v Middlesbrough

Sorry to bring football on to the blog again as I know some of our readers would sooner read about the world tiddly-winks championship rather than tonight's Championship game between Sheffield United and Middlesbrough.

However, both towns/cities do have impeccable jazz credentials. Sheffield's Jazz at the Lescar is one of the top provincial jazz venues in the UK whilst Middlesbrough, back in 1978, hosted the greatest ever jazz festival outside of London.

My interest goes further back. During WWII my dad was stationed at a POW camp at Lodge Moor just on the outskirts of Sheffield where his contribution to the war effort consisted of playing piano in the NAAFI accompanying the Italian tenors and baritones who were interned there. 

He also made friends with the locals and, after the war was over, my ma, pa and tiny me, would for several years return for holidays.

As I grew my dad would take me to matches at Bramall Lane and Hillsborough, the home of Sheffield Wednesday although their games weren't usually played on that day of the week. Back then there weren't floodlights and afternoon games were out as everyone was at work making knives.

My memory may be playing tricks here but I seem to remember that, in those days, because Hillsborough also hosted games by Yorkshire Cricket Club you could only watch soccer from three of the four sides. Correct me if I'm wrong.

My love affair with 'Boro began when, at school, I opted out of the Sunderland/Newcastle scenario by adopting Middlesbrough as 'my team'.

The higher profile clubs such as Newcastle and Sunderland tend to look down their nose at their Teesside neighbours conveniently ignoring the fact that the 'Boro are the only north east team to have reached a EUFA cup final and the last one to bring home any silverware when they won the League Cup in 2004. At the time fans of NUFC and SAFC sneered that it was a tinpot trophy but now that the former club are in the renamed Carabao Cup final the 'tinpot trophy' has suddenly become the football equivalent of the Oscars, Grammys and Golden Globes combined!

So who will I be shouting for? I think I'll be happy with a draw although, as Sheffield are more or less home and dried in the Championship, I'll not be too hurt if  'Boro edge it! Lance