Away Day Wiz Diaries #12 – WBA & Millwall

Another Wiz double header, as two Wiz away days deliver four invaluable points.

Alan Pickard

Here we go again then. Another doubleheader. And yes, I am going to moan about it. Frist, West Brom on a weekend. Second, and having to travel to London on the day after Tuesday. And someone has designed this? EFL decision-making for fixtures is absolutely bonkers.

Message received: "Storm Darragh has blown a tree over outside the yard mate, I'm struggling to get the coach out".

It’s always West Brom where something goes wrong. In 2022, while I was on holiday, there was the Cawthornes travel fiasco, where luckily we actually got a bus, whereas others were less fortunate and never got to the game.

In 2019, the rather fancy 80-seat double-decker broke down en route to us, with the only possible replacement being a bus that had been adapted to do short, school-run-jobs. No bog, no air con. This led to the rather famous picture below on the Dronfield bypass, and the birth of the quote "I'm cooking like a piece of fish" from everyone's favourite fruitbat, Jay.

So it's hardly a surprise that a trip to the Hawthorns is disrupted once again. By the time we picked the North Derbyshire lot up at J30 they looked like they'd been in the bath, fully dressed.

The conversation on the delayed Coach 2 was all about expectations for the coming week. Some people completely confident and nothing short of 9 points will do. Some people have been United fans for far too long and would be happy with 3 points. And I sat about in the middle thinking we'd get 5 points from the 3 fixtures.

We stop for a couple of hours in Wednesbury for light refreshments today, a nice little town by the looks of it with plenty of choice if you're thirsty, and then were back on the way to the Hawthorns. A nice ground, I like how they've developed it and not overdone it. They generate a good atmosphere, mainly from a singing section next to the away end. (This is where BL is going wrong btw — make the upper tier above the away fans safe standing, and get lads and lasses up there all stood together who want to make a racket).

The game itself probably warranted a draw, West Brom started the brighter, and got themselves ahead, in a pretty similar way that Leeds did at Elland Road from a front post corner. The Blades hit back with a quick-fire double from Callum O'Hare - he can't lie - and Tyrese Campbell. And but for a second-half equaliser that was deflected beyond the grasping hands of Super Cooper, we'd have walked off with all 3 points. However, on the balance of play, one point was fair.

Keeping up with the theme of it going wrong at West Brom. There was still time for Coach One to develop a flat tyre, with Coach Two having to drop us off in Sheffield and then head back to Tibshelf to retrieve the stranded travelling Blades. It's always West Brom.

However, the journey home did allow the presentation of the winning prize of a signed, match-worn Chris Basham shirt to Paul—£1300 raised for MIND. Thank you to everyone who had a go.

Onto Millwall then. A shared coach with the Handsworth Blades again for this one, and a 12:15 set off time, with an estimated getting home time of around 02:30 am. Thanks, Sky, EFL, and whoever else is involved…

NO BLOODY COACH ISSUES TO REPORT!!! Outrageous scenes. On time, bogs working, tyres inflated, taxed, insured, drivers got a Sat-nav and his eyes appear to work. All is good and we're headed to Greenwich for a few day-after-Tuesday Sherberts. And of course, the triple assault season on the TVs.

First port of call, The Spanish Galleon Followed by the Gypsy Moth, which both sit within a pig swing of The Cutty Sark. Beers flowing, expectations raised (I now think we need 6 points from this and Saturday). I'm not sure what it is about midweek games under the lights that brings out the optimist in me.

My spirits are somewhat dampened in the ground, however. I've only gone and got one standing next to me haven't I? Boy, can this bloke moan. Every backwards pass, close em dahn, quicker United, gerrit forrard, ahh ffs Rak Sakyi tek ‘im on. So I did the only reasonable thing possible when Rhian stuck the ball in the net and celebrated on top of him. Why are we the most negative fanbase on the planet? If you're in the stand your job is to lose your voice. That's how I see it any road.

In the end, a good, controlled performance in the capital and deservedly made our way home — via Battersea power station, Kensington and Wembley (I spoke too soon, the driver’s gone rogue) — with three points in the bag. Walked in the house at 3am. Smiling. Oh, what fun it is to see United win away.

Alternative man of the match, well, who else? Rhian Brewster.

See you at Cardiff Wiz.