Review
'.Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully Blue., the title of Dr John Haworth.s book about a season with Carlisle United, is a quotation from Don Juan by Lord Byron. Don Juan.s passion was women, Dr John.s is Carlisle United. He has followed them through thick and thin. He became assistant club doctor thirty-six years ago in 1969 and took over the full role as honorary club doctor in 1991. That was the year Carlisle finished bottom of the Fourth Division and yet remained in the league because of Aldershot.s misfortunes. John Haworth.s tenancy has witnessed the see-saw of the Knighton years and he continues to care for the lads as they struggle to return to the Football League. These have been years to test the most stalwart of supporters. He makes little mention of the Knighton years and the way they ended, but he does refer to John Courtenay as the saviour of the club, and says, somewhat enigmatically, .However, without the takeover of John Courtenay it would have been impossible to have any material upon which to base this diary.. The book is the diary of the season 2002-3. There is a short account of each match as viewed from the medical bench and a brief resume of the statistics . team sheet, score and attendance. The match against Swansea on March 15th was more eventful than most. The Vetch Field Stadium looked as though it had seen better days but the pitch was firm and flat and well suited to Carlisle.s style of play. The first half was .instantly forgettable. but the .second half turned out to be more memorable than we had anticipated.. Carlisle earned a penalty in the last quarter of an hour after a goal-mouth scramble. The referee confused everyone, teams and supporters, with his uncertain decision and then consulted the linesmen. John Hawarth has little time for football officials. He has seen too many games ruined by over-officious refereeing or inept decision .making. But the confusion at the Swansea match had dire consequences. Craig Farrell scored on his second attempt. The penalty had to be repeated after Richie Foran strayed into the box, but it was towards the end of the match, that the unsettled crowd became restive. An advertising hoarding was demolished and the crowd started to throw bits of it at Stuart Green who was about to take a corner. The mayhem continued despite play being delayed for eight minutes. Then .the crowd in the main stand started to throw coins, first at our bench, and then at us in the director.s box, and shouted what can only be called racial abuse, in which the word .Irish. was used as an insult. The main problem was that the money being thrown was of low denomination . we would have preferred it if they had hurled £2 pieces rather than 2p coins. All in all the scenes were a disgrace, and for the first time since I started to watch football over fifty years ago, I feared for my safety.. Away from the field there are the usual problems. An unnamed player, after a very convivial night is unable to pour his coffee on target into his cup, and John Courtenay spills a glass of port over Doctor John.s new white shirt and a player has to be treated for a fractured cheekbone. The season begins with a cup-tie atmosphere at Brunton Park . there was a gate of 11, 041. But a hastily assembled Blues team was no match for a hardened and experienced squad from Hartlepool and Carlisle lost by three goals to one. John Hawarth reflects that .The saddest sight of the afternoon was seeing large sections of the home crowd streaming through the exits well before full time. John.s last match of the season is against Shrewsbury Town. A Brian Wake hat-trick gives Carlisle a 3-2 victory, and after a tumultuous season, the Blues are .Safe at last.. His final reflection is .We have said .never again. after several of our recent seasons, but this time we must mean it.. Few people can have been so intimately acquinted with the fortunes and misfortunes of Carlisle United over so many years. This is the diary of a true Carlisle United supporter . utterly loyal and ever optimistic.' - Steve Matthews, Bookcase.
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