As you can no doubt see from the date of this latest blog, we are approaching the tail-end of April. Easter has been and gone, chocolate eggs have been scoffed, the kids are back at school. Bulbs are sprouting from the ground and looking wonderful in all their varied colours. And the month of May is just days away.

And, as May readies itself to make an entrance, we enter the final weeks of the 2024-2025 football season. Promotions and relegations will be decided over this weekend. Indeed, Leeds United and Burnley both secured their return to the Premier League last weekend and their fans, no doubt, gorged themselves with a feast of cream eggs in celebration. These two northern sides will now battle over the remaining two games to see who ends up as champions.

My own men’s team are currently in the last automatic promotion slot, with a play-off place – should we mess up the last two games – already assured. But who really wants to drop into the lottery of the play-offs after being in the automatics over recent weeks? It’s my (probably misguided) belief that teams that drop into the play-offs fare worse than the sides that grab a spot at the last moment. So, today’s 12.30 kick-off away at a side competing for one of those three precious places, will be a tense and nervous affair. I am not certain I have the mental strength to watch the game*.

(* Sidenote….I sat to watch the opening 30 minutes but, with our opposition in full flow and my boys on the rearguard, I did find it too stressful. Just as we conceded a goal, I switched the TV off and returned to this blog. See what I sacrifice for you, my lovely readers?) 

(** Additional sidenote…we are now down to ten men. As I mentioned, at least we have the play-offs.)

As with the men, the WSL season is down to just a few games. My girls, Manchester United, sit just a few points above rivals City in the table. The London duo of Chelsea and Arsenal occupy the top two positions.

As it currently stands, all the WSL teams have three games remaining. Manchester United, in third place – the final European place – have 43 points. Manchester City are fourth with 36. We both have nine points to play for. All we need is two points from our remaining matches to claim that third spot and secure Champions league football for next season.

Guess which sides we still have to play? Yep. Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea. That’s a mighty tough run in for any team.

We don’t play this weekend as our scheduled opponents, Chelsea, play tomorrow in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Barcelona. The Blues trail 1-4 and face a very difficult game against the Spanish giants and current cup holders. Hopefully, Chelsea will be shattered after the game and their players will be off-form for our WSL encounter which has been moved to this coming Wednesday evening. Even if that is the case, Chelsea have such a large squad filled with talent and experience they can call on, that any side they field will be a considerable challenge.

WSL matters aside, United are off to Wembley!

A third consecutive Wembley appearance beckons for the current FA Cup holders. Our opponents in the final on May 18^th? You guessed it. The juggernaut that is Chelsea stand between us and our second cup win. Let’s hope that Sonia Bompastor is able to work some magic to overturn that first leg deficit and get her charges to their first Champions League final. Maybe Chelsea will then focus on grabbing that first, elusive, European title and neglect the WSL and cup games in favour of euro glory.

United Women are also off to Portugal.

We are set to compete in the inaugural Women’s World Sevens between 21^st and 23^rd of May.

This new seven-a-side tournament is expected to take place up to five times each year in cities across the world. As the name suggests, games will comprise seven players per side with unlimited substitutions allowed. The matches will be 15 minutes duration in each half and on a pitch half the size of a standard one. Extra-time will decide drawn games.

It takes place just days after the FA Cup final and only three days before the Champions League final. With the start of EURO 2025 coming only six weeks later, it is to be hoped that the players welfare is given priority.

However, a sizeable pot of money is available to the participants…$5 million (£3.76m). Money always seems to dictate football so, who knows, player welfare may take a back seat to cash concerns.

No one wants to see players sustain injuries of any type at any time, certainly now with a major tournament on the horizon. I do worry that some top players will miss EURO 25 as a result of this new tournament. Especially when you consider that Ajax, Benfica and Bayern Munich, alongside United, are four of the eight teams announced so far. A great many of these club’s players will be in contention for their respective nations this summer. Hopefully, any Lionesses taking part will be carefully managed and protected from harm and make it safely to Switzerland.

Speaking of EURO 2025 – which, after all, is the focus of this blog! –  I searched the UEFA app to see if I could find two tickets for England versus Wales on Sunday 13^th July. Surprisingly, I found two! I was amazed as these are like hen’s teeth. At only 25 Swiss francs each, they were an absolute bargain!

I put them into my basket. Just for rebel kicks, you understand.

As is the case with these type of transactions, the app gave me 15 minutes to complete my purchase.

Tick, tock.

What did I do during that quarter-of-an-hour? Well, I gave some thought to how easy, and affordable, it would be to change my homebound Saturday flight to, probably, the Monday. Then I considered getting accommodation at this late stage for those extra two nights. I also wondered what my beloved would have to say. I could imagine her response to my cherry, “Hello dear, I’m staying two extra nights in Switzerland. Hang the additional expense!”

Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

I mused on this for a short while.

Tick. Tick.

My musings continued.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

And I let the clock run down.

Almost immediately I regretted this.

The next day I opened the app and searched again for tickets for England’s final Group D match. This time, as I expected, I couldn’t find any.

It’s probably for the best. I’m sure that Sarah, my dearly beloved sweetheart, would have had something to say about it. I recall her previous remarks…I can feel it still.

Somehow, I doubt her response would be anything repeatable in polite company.