At last, Wales pitched up at the World Cup to take our team global after nearly six decades of pain.
Cymru kicked off on a damp, dreary November evening – a massive 64 years after their last appearance in the tournament.
And wasn’t our Anthem just before the memory-making match a spine-tingling special occasion too.
As a proud and patriotic Welsh woman, I loved seeing our lads do the business in Doha.
Call me controversial but it’s football all the way in our house as that oval shaped ball just doesn’t cut it for me.
Perhaps it’s all the naff Daffodil face wear, giant leeks, and all the other stereotypical stuff that puts me off.
Give me a classy bucket hat any day!
Mind you, rather like our current Rugger team, our national squad didn’t exactly start with a blaze of glory did they – we wait about 400 years and get that…for 45 minutes.
Football the first half, Pel Droed the second – thank God for brilliant Bale.
Pity that nerve and gutsy attitude didn’t extend to wearing the One Love armband eeh Gareth.
But I suppose that’s another story.
I loved soaking up the atmosphere in the pub sat amongst a sea of Yma O Hyd headwear and the hopes and dreams of a nation.
Surely the whole of of our town fell silent as nearly every home turned on the telly, pulled up a chair in the pub, or started streaming through the Socials.
Flicking through Facebook, it was great to see the Barry massive as part of the Red Wall flying our Dragon flag.
So good to see our residents lapping up the atmosphere – either in the popular Tenerife camp, or at the Stadium itself.
Team Barry were out in force too – well, with one notable exception.
I bet our football mad late Mike Whyman crossed your mind didn’t he – he did mine.
No doubt he would have been cheering right in the mix of the Middle East even as we clocked up a dismal performance, and a defeat, against Iran.
But by the time this Column rolls right off the Press, we will have smashed the Saes of course – I’m crossing absolutely everything.
All truly memorable occasions that will be fresh in our Footie mad minds long after the Panini Sticker Book has been put away.
Diolch Wales.
Yma O Hyd
Mrs SVJ
(c) mrssvj.co.uk
Sue Vincent-Jones, blogging as Mrs SVJ, is a Barry born journalist, editor, and activist. She writes about Barry – and her life in the wider world, through the eyes of a, quirky and queer, local girl done good.
Written exclusively for the Vale’s newest newspaper, and digital platform, The Glamorgan Star, her latest ‘Passing Comment’ column, an addition to the infamous Sue’s Views collection, can be found here.
Mrs SVJ, Barry’s Boldest Blogger, can be contacted here.