Match 15 - Preston North End

I've had this feeling for some time that we are on the verge of a turnaround in fortunes. Whenever I've told anyone about it they've looked at me as if I was bats! Now I've been looking for a sign for ages and it happened tonight. Just before the game started a bat appeared, yes a real bat with pointy ears and mouse-like facial features (any similarities with Mark Yeates are purely coincidental), from the dark regions under the roof of Block A. It darted back and forth a few times on its way to Terrace 2 (again - any similarities with a ball at Yeatesy's feet are not intended), where I guess it enjoyed an uninterrupted evening. Come to think of it - where was Mark Yeates this evening?

Fresh from the battle of Turf Moor where we shared the spoils for the thirteenth time this season there was an air of expectancy right from the off. Even the public announcements seemed clearer tonight - was it just the night air? Despite some rousing words from the stadium announcer and some extra noise from the batside (sorry - that's Barside) the first half was spectacularly uneventful. It was completely overshadowed by the junior penalty kick competition at half time where we won a thrilling encounter 3-2, despite some dodgy goalkeeping by Eddie the Eagle who seeemed to favour the away team this week.

In the second half it was an early bath for one of Preston's men after battering Doogie in the penalty area and Scott Vernon blasted the ball home for a deserved lead. We feared the worst after Preston equalised with about ten minutes left and prepared to batten down the hatches for a final onslaught.

But it was the superheroes of Layer Road who stepped up to the plate and sent in a battery of charges which resulted in a series of amazing events. I swear it all happened in slow motion . . . a cross from the right which found its way perfectly onto a blue and white head . . . a directed header down to the feet of a U's team-mate . . . and the ball struck first time with such sweetness . . . into the back of the net for what turned out to be the winner . . . but wait, the scorer was Jacko . . . and the shot came from his right boot! I'm sure he flew through the air during his celebration - the caped crusader. Three goals in three games - that's our first bat-trick this season.

Some frantic plays by the opposition couldn't breach our defensive battlements in the dying moments of the game and before we had filed out of the ground the announcement we had all been waiting for wafted through the airwaves - we are no longer bottom of the championship.

Onwards and upwards lads. Maybe we saw batman tonight, next up must be robin - which reminds me - Hull did a bit of that last summer, robbin' two of our players. Now it's our turn next Saturday.