"You'll get no sympathy from me." Those words must have been uttered thousands of times by sporting widows up and down the land.
"It's your own fault," continued Mrs C, adding, excuse the pun, insult to injury after I limped through the front door following my latest football comeback.
Old age is a bit of a nuisance, you see. I don’t want to get old gracefully. That’s the problem. Having missed several years through injury, I’d rather live each day as though it’s my last – in sporting terms.
It didn’t need much for Faithfold manager David Garson to talk me out of retirement, in a year where I’ve played at a Maccabiah Games, returned to action on the cricket field and the gym has turned into my second home. We agreed terms over a mojito or two at Philip Levinson’s 40th birthday bash and I felt like a 17-year-old getting ready for my first 11-a-side match in four years.
Many of us take our bodies and health for granted. Not me, though. I’ve managed to steer clear of the honey cake, fishballs, bread and chocolate for well over a year now, so the odd knock here and there, or stud mark as was the case against Boca Jewniors, certainly won’t hold me back.
However, I got that look from Mrs C on Sunday afternoon that was scarier than doing 10 rounds with Mike Tyson. She’s just about started talking to me again on the agreement that I adopt a softly, softly approach, as she reminded me I have three kids to father, and we’ve agreed to limit appearances to no more than two games a month … at least, that's the plan!
* Quote of the week goes to Norstar London Raiders boss Phil Peters. Speaking after the win over LML, he said: “Who knows when this winning run will end? We’re enjoying it while it lasts and are delighted to be top of the tree at Succot – hopefully our results will continue to be just as fruitful."
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