The return of the prodigal pad

Yesterday’s draw with Malden Manor was, I suppose, ultimately disappointing. They’re a team we usually do reasonably well against, and this season’s good form might have led people to imagine the game would be a bit of a walkover.

However, this particular cloud carried one undoubted silver lining: the miraculous reappearance of my missing shinpad. Andy Moore returned the stayaway leg protector to me in the changing room before the game.

Now, I’m not going to say that the prodigal pad necessarily made any difference to the way I played on Sunday. That would be ridiculous. That would be like attributing my magnificent goal-poaching form this season to the purchase of a new pair of boots last autumn.

But it was undoubtedly the case that I could ride tackles and chase down opponents with greater confidence, knowing that both legs now enjoyed the full protection of Sondico’s world-famous fibreglasss shin sleeve.

I’ll wager that one particular tackle from behind that I suffered by the touchline in the first half would have left me carrying a serious injury but for the presence of my trusty bone protectors.

And by the way, do you know what a pair of greaves are? Look it up next time you’re by a dictionary. You’ll be amazed.

The accompanying photos are of my shinpads, returned from yesterday’s game and enjoying a celebratory meal together in the kitchen, accompanied by a bottle of Pouligny Montrachet.