July 24 2003

Crystal Palace

Still numb with shock, Jamesey was the recipient of some totally unexpected mail.

On the morning of July 21, I arose, thinking it would be just another day. At about 11.30am, what used to be the early morning post cascaded on to my front door mat.

Among the 15 communications trying to lure me into bank loans and mortgages (why waste postage on me, chums? I paid off my mortgage last year and, for the first time in 30 years, I owe nothing to anybody) was a bulky manila envelope.

Inside was a glossy CPFC folder containing all sort of corporate "bumf", selling conferences, banqueting, hospitality boxes, Christmas parties, replica kits, etc, etc. None of all this was of the remotest interest to me.

As I prepared to sling the lot into the ecologically-friendly, paper-recycling bin, I noticed, nestling like a nugget among the shale, my season ticket card for 03-04.

And so, for the first time in all the regimes since I first bought a season ticket in the late 70s, my passport to Selhurst Park had arrived nearly a month before I needed it (Aug 16, home to Watford).

We all know too well how CPFC box office seemed to delight in keeping us all on tenterhooks until the first home game was almost upon us.

Well, thank-you Simon Jordan. I personally don't want any of your commercial deals, but it's good to have my season card, safe and sound and early...

Email Jamesey with any of your comments to Jevans3704@aol.com

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