Diary of a Sky Sports Reporter

Following two consecutive postponements due to the snow, it was nice to be offered a choice of three matches for my return to Sky Sports Soccer Saturday.

The options were; watching the League One leaders, seeing a new manager take charge of a League Two team for the first time or taking in a League One game between two mid-table sides. A tough decision between the first two, you might think?

Well actually, I went for the latter for one simple reason - it gave me the chance to report on Jeff Stelling's beloved Hartlepool! It's no exaggeration to say that Soccer Saturday without Jeff wouldn't be anywhere near as good as it is and for a reporter it's great fun to join in with his studio banter. It can be embarrassing though, for example when I mispronounced Evan Horwood's name when he set up the opening Pools goal, he was quick to take the Mickey. But when Jeff does it, you don't mind because it's like having a chat with a friend. And when Hartlepool scored their second and I blurted out 'you're alright, I think you've got this won now mate' it didn't feel out of place on TV.

The match ended 3-0 and although visiting Notts County boss Martin Allen was surprisingly sacked within an hour, it was an email on my return home which capped a memorable day as I received a first ever request for an autograph. Very humbling indeed. It just goes to show that sometimes you don't need to be the best... just be associated with the best!

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