Town Walls for Goalposts

To keep us with a post in each month, i'm just posting this piece i rattled off from a group on Facebook the other week, a group setup by David... a bit of a reminisence of primary school football on my behalf.

I think the "year 4 pitch" we used jumpers for goalposts (could include Campri Ski Jackets too - guilty as charged) for one goal, and the medieval town walls of a world heritage site as the other goal - ye, we were just that cool! The "town wall end" goal, as i remember, was roughly marked out by steps up to the archway leading to 'y canolfan' and some old signpost or something... crossbar, as always in such jumpers for goalposts situations was decided by the height of the keeper (sometimes by a certain stone in the medieval world heritage site town walls). Common sense amongst us to agree or disagree to calls of "POST!" or "BAR!" were always fun, and often ending in an agreeable 5 yard penalty, of which was probably going to be 'pelted' at the goalie full in the face. This situation could however end up in a call of "its my ball!" where a new rule is inserted: Agree with the ball owner. That, or simply kick the blue plastic fly-away ball into..whatever...that was... was it a garden? an orchard? overgrown wasteland with steps going down to 'the sports field' - deadly steps or what?! Many a ball met it's end in there, and so too the school roof. The demolition company must have had enough footballs to diversify their business entirely. Other situations saw you running out of the "bottom gate" (barging a dinner lady out of the way first) and running down Rosemary Lane chasing this thing, the punishment for leaving the premises forgotten about, retrieving that ball was all that mattered!

The wall of 2 goals side-by-side still stands, i think. 2 goals side by side and a 45 degree slope of a pitch (I say pitch, I mean tarmac with chippings to really graze your knees up) fantastic! A ball lost on this pitch was pretty much irretrivable... St Agnes Road, or over the wall/fence into "that guys" garden / plantation.

Not many people can describe their 'playtime' primary school football the way we could!