Last Saturday started in standard fashion. Up at 6, make mossiv mug of tea then back to bed to listen to Tony Blackburn’s Sounds Of The 60s on Radio 2. The 7am listener request was Rainbow Valley by Love Affair. I knew at this point that a class day was incoming. 

Villa Chris had been on and we’d arranged a day out. I say we’d arranged but in truth he had. I had no knowledge of destination, just that I neded to be at Walsall Railway Station at 1pm with a bus, train and tram daysaver. I’d not seen Chris since he’d turned up in Katz on Christmas Day but it had been a year since our last trip out, the magnificent Sophie B. Hawkins gig which you can catch up on here.

The trains were being grumpy due to the heat, I could relate – I had been like it at work too. They were being cancelled and there were only two trains an hour to Birmingham so we liaised and arranged to meet ten minutes early to catch the “fast” one.

It was busy and at the end of the carriage were 8 ladies, clearly out for a good day. Chris mentioned “imagine if the world ends while we’re on this train and only the folk on here survive. It would be down to us and them to repopulate the world.” I replied that it sounded quite 28 Days Later but with shagging and that I might start writing it. Netflix would snap it up. I didn’t mention the obvious flaw to his plan, the fact that other men were on the train. 

As the train hurtled towards Birmingham thete was a strange incident. One of the women did a shimmy up to me and then turned around and headed back. It was filmed and I mentioned to Chris that it would be on TikTok in minutes and it was about time that I made it on there.

At New Street the escalator was working. Hope you were sitting down for that bombshell. For a dose of normality though, the lift wasn’t. 

The 3 of us, sorry – not mentioned James yet, headed to the Bull Ring, don’t think I’ve been in there since the 80’s when it was a totally different building. Straight away we heard the beep beep of someone forgetting to pay before leaving a store. 

As we past the North Face store I saw a great slogan on the wall. “Never stop exploring.” That’s my new mission statement. Chris pointed out that there is an Aston Villa shop downstairs. I pointed out that I may not pop in. 

An escalator was broken. With a Birmingham broken escalator now under my belt I could relax and enjoy the day.

As we left the centre we saw we’d just missed a 35 bus. My fault for fannying around at New Streer. Only 10 minutes until the next one so no bother. Chris showed me his bus daysaver. They have a unique word each day so the driver knows it’s valid. Todays was “Flop” I said “hope that’s not an omen for the England match later.”

If you need a break from the hectic modern life, just catch a bus in Birmingham. You’ll have ample time to catch your breath while it sits in traffic. To liven things up, 3 passengers changed seats. I didn’t know bus Musical Chairs was a thing. Chris had brief chats with one of them but despite me being closest to the guy, I didn’t join in. Making friends isn’t for me.

We passed some closed pubs including The Lamp Tavern which is just the best pub in Digbeth. Please, someone take it on. We were heading to the Sir Charles Napier. I said I may have been in on Pub Challenge 3 but couldn’t remember it. I’ve since checked my notes and yes, I ticked it off in 2017 when it was called The Fountain. I loved it that day.

It was windy while I took pictures and the breeze was amazing. I nearly stayed outside. However inside big ceiling fans were in operation which were very welcome. The locals were friendly and one of them hit the jukebox and put some corkers on. We had ac/dc for starters and Song Of The Day contender Bankrobber by The Clash although The Strokes rocked up next with Last Night to stake their own claim for the title.

No World Cup paraphernalia was evident save for a sweepstake poster. I’ll drop them an England flag in if we make the final. 

I had a message from my mate Mark Egan – the video of the lady on the train had already made it to Facebook.

En route to the next pub we incured the wrath of a bloke cycling on the pavement who gave us an angry hand gesture as he negotiated his bike around us. I was always told as a kid that cycling on the pavement was illegal but appreciate it’s seemingly allowed nowadays like a lot of crime. 

We headed to The Twelfth Man, a new one on me. A pub handily placed to refresh Cricket fans who have been to Warwickshire’s Edgbaston Stadium.

What the last place was lacking in England flags, was made up for it here. They were everywhere. Even on the toilet doors.

Chris won the £100 jackpot on the fruit machine making me wonder if we were getting out of there alive. He joined me and opened a discussion. “I had the Cricket Curry in here once.” I was peckish and wondering if they did food “Really?” I asked. “Yeah. It gave me the runs.” “I can’t believe I walked into that.”

We headed to the nearby chippy The Island House. I really don’t do fish and chip shops anymore so was was all over that. No cricket puns on the menu. Surely the jumbo and regular sausages could have been called stumps and bails. I meant to try and think of some cricket based chip shop puns but forgot. Feel free to put your own in the comments. I dived straight on the small mixed meat and chips. Normally it’s large as standard with me but I’m on an economy drive and trying to be more healthy nowadays so I got Chris to have most of the chips and some meat.

Next up, after a very welcome bottle of water and an Uber – both courtesy of Chris’s winnings we arrived at The Vine, close to Five Ways and Broad Street but just about in Ladywood apparently. Traditional, back street and It just hit me as a great pub on entry They were just putting out a buffet which was very decent of them. We’ve just eaten but thanks. If pub love at first sight is a thing then this was it. Apparently it’s threatened with redevelopment. It needs saving. It’s a gem. 

The pub was already busy with people in England shirts ready for the Panama match but the big screen was not showing sport. I had to Google the ITV1 schedule as I didn’t know what it was. Downton Abbey. I gather it’s a popular show but I’ve never seem it and despite having a great view, it didn’t grab me.

The music did though and it was all 80s as was the feel of the commercial break in Downton. I wasn’t paying attention and maybe I had a bit of sunstroke as I’m sure I caught out the corner of my eye the words Renault 5 on screen. This was my joint favourite car as a kid along with the 4 and the Feugo. Wasn’t the slogan “what’s yours called?” Mine would have bern called Chloe. Thanks for asking. 

Pub had great retro signs, there was a bonus point for the shade of purple that the toilet doors are and the World Cup food menu was amazing. £3.50 for a double cheeseburger in Birmingham, that close to Broad Street? It’s £6.50 for one of those at my beloved Walsall FC. Had England v Democratic Republic Of Congo not kicked off half an hour after I finished work, I’d have been heading there. But I will be back. This place needs a revisit.

Next was Peg & Grill on Bishopgate Street. Certainly not a new tick this one as I went in numerous times when it was a Highgate pub called The City Tavern and also once as The Bulls Head in 2021 when it was trying to be Peaky Blinders themed. Now a desi pub and it’s not really a stroll in for a pint place, you have to book a table but they let us have a reserved one for half an hour. 

It’s so different to it’s former self. I startled a waitress in the back room when I was having a nose. Meekley explained that we used to have meet ups in thete in the 90s. She didn’t seem convinced.

There is a 5% discount for paying cash. I’m all over that. Kimbo who is on a mission to tick off all the Midlands desi pubs has been summonsed to join me. Dunno what was to die for in here the most, food or air con? Food. Just. Smelt amazing. One mixed grill was piled so high that James said you’d need a ladder to get on top of it.

Next up was Snobs. Retick as I went in about 10 years ago when it was called Oh Velvet. Maybe it was a bit early for trendy bars as there weren’t many in but the barmaid was decent.

On Broad Street is a branch of Lee Longlands. Chris asked if I remembered the 80’s advert. We both belted out the jingle “leave it, leave it, leave it to Lee. Leave it to Lee Longlands.” I’ll be wanting to go to Barretts Of Feckenham next.

We popped to Eimear’s next, another new one for me. An Irish bar with two lads on drums and a guitar respectively. They were decent and there was a good amount of people in. Chris shouted the Tayto crisps which he said was compulsory in an Irish bar.

Enjoyable as it was in there, time was getting on. We’d said we’d be back in Walsall for the England game. Since the London trip I’ve been on self administered austerity measures again, have barely been out and for the first time since Italia 90 when I was too young to drink – I’d watched England tournament games at home. So I wanted England v Panama action in the Walsall Arms. I’m under austerity until August but on this day the purse strings were being relaxed and I wanted to show me face in the Arms as it had been a while.

Chris and James were enjoying Brum so I told them to stay put but I’d make my excuses and leave. I just missed a tram outside and the next one wasn’t for another 16 minutes so I opted to walk, thinking I’d just beat it to New Street. It was a very pleasant walk with a buzz in the air as many folk in England shirts mingled about.

There is normally a train back to Walsall at 20.45, 21.00 and 21.15. I got to New Street at 20.40 and there was no sign of the first two on the departure board so I hung around. The 21.15 rocked up at 21.21 and finally departed at 21.31. The train was busy due to previous cancellations and a group that boarded that would have been nowhere near it had it departed on time played very loud music for the whole journey. 

I knew that due to the delay I was now missing kick off. Standard for me me at Walsall games but hey, I was now doing it on the world stage.

Being late allowed me time to get into disappointed mode. As a Walsall and England fan I am used to this mode so do it early nowadays to save time at the final whistle.

I made it to the Walsall Arms about 12 minutes in and we were on the attack. It wasn’t until about 5 minutes after sitting down did I realise that Panama were in white.

You don’t need a match report. Most folk have probably already forgotten it but it was nice to finally get the win although I’ll admit I was looking at a dating app when the first goal went in, my focus on the game just waning a little. It was free shots every time England scored but I was a good boy and turned them both down. 

The same offer had been in place for the previous match. The Ghanaian witch doctor who put a curse on Harry Kane (and seemingly the whole England team) to stop him scoring must have saved the pub a fortune. He should have bookings going through the roof after that sucess. Get it on your business cards fella.

I had one more pint after the final whistle then headed home, casting a wishful glance en route to the closed for the night Danny’s Chicken.

Epic day. Great to see James again as I hadn’t had a day out with him since the December 2024 wander around Pelsall and Shelfield, which you can read about here. I found out later that they’d had one pint in The Craven Arms and got a taxi back. They’d have been back in Walsall while I was still at New Street. Oh well, it all worked out.

Right, thanks for reading but I gotta go. Still got those 80’s advert in my head. Craving some Um Bongo. You know they drink it in the actual Democratic Republic Of Congo? Fair play to em.