The hazards of supporting Nottingham Forest

You might imagine the hazards might be stress-related. (A one-goal lead being, in my experience, the most intensely stressful situation this side of wisdom teeth removal, the anxiety increasing with each decreasing minute left of the 90.) Or perhaps a stroke resulting from acute distemper following taints from the away supporters following their goal. (Yes, Coventry, you are a bunch of rude arseholes.) Or associated with physical injury due to crowd behaviour or hooliganism. Or clinical depression from the repeated disappointments over the years.

But no - it turns out the risks are much more mundane.

In the autumn of 2009,on her way back from a Forest match C slipped on a ripe pear which had fallen from a garden tree overhanging the pavement. You couldn't make up up, could you?! The result was an ankle sprain which put her out of serious walking and tennis for  months.

Then last Saturday, on the way to the home game against Birmingham, C turned her left ankle and ended up face down in the road. Ben phoned for help and I had to take the car out to bring her home. This time she also badly grazed her elbow and bruised the opposite wrist, smashing her watch in the process.

The next day (Easter Day) she knew it was not like a normal sprain so off we went to the Queens Medical Centre Accident and Emergency: result a broken bone in her ankle, a temporary plaster, and advice to rest.

The irony: she missed the first win in 14 matches. Perhaps they'll do better without her there!