Smethwick

Malcolm X visited Britain on four separate occasions.

When he visited Smethwick after the worst racist election in British history, the Indian Workers Association described it as a shot in the arm of the anti-racist struggle.

Many of us learned from the Irish struggle, and we adopted the tactics of the home rule movements.

And so I think that's an interesting story there about solidarity and building bridges between other communities as well.

What a brilliant save that he made, I think, from Burrell.

Brilliant save diving down to his left in front of the Smethwick end.

And yeah, it wasn't for me a great performance against QPR, but it was a decent performance against a good side.

So I'll take that.

So yeah, it's been fun.

And then Smethwick was a bit harder.

But yeah, no, I am...

I can't really put my finger on it.

You get to the national stages and you end up playing last year's national champions, Ormskirk.

Woodlands, who the rivalry between you two this year is bigger than ever, and they've pipped you in the Bradford League this year.

And then you've got to go to Smethwick, the Birmingham champions from last year.

And they only had one mission this year, which was A, retain their title and win the national on the back of it, to say the least.

Some of our most successful nights were German oom-pah bands.

The one we used, they were from Smethwick or Birmingham or something.

So they used to come with all the lederhosen on, get everyone...

Everyone got drunk as a skunk.

The wonderful vocal range of Sylvia Stripling.

When I worked years ago in Smethwick in Birmingham in the UK, I used to work with this guy.

I've always used to say, he turned around and said.

He'd be telling me a story about something that had gone on and he'd say, he turned around and said.

And there'll be some real squeaky bums going on down there in East Anglia at the weekend.

I think the other place there's going to be some real squeaky mums over the next couple of weeks is back to the Midlands, where Nolan, Dorridge and Smethwick have just got two points between them going into the last couple of rounds of games.

But then going up to Bradford, you've got the last game of the season Woodlands and Townville, three points between them.

And without a shadow, Hugh, of all the games to actually get finished at the weekend and cause carnage, not only was the Bristol game, but the game that Woodlands managed to get finished up in the Bradford League, they were chasing 180...

That's going to be really interesting when the Blues change the stadium and move to the new stadium.

And then, yeah, the Baggies, so the Hawthorns within kind of West Brom, Smethwick area, and how embedded these stadiums are within their current community.

So, yeah, it'll be...

I mean, there's pros and cons to that.

And I think, um, the...

Their oppo beat Smethwick in, uh, the other semifinal.

Smethwick are a decent outfit.

I'm not as up to speed with the Birmingham League as, uh, as I have been.

Um, but, um, certainly Smethwick, they went from a club that 20 years ago was a bit of a basket case, quite frankly.

They were nowhere near the top flight, let alone winning it.

They're now really strong.

So if they've beaten Smethwick, they ain't gonna be bad.

And what made you fascinated?

I grew up in an area in the city of Birmingham called Smethwick.

Very proud of my upbringing, very diverse, a very poor and humble upbringing.

It taught me a lot because you had nothing.