Take good care of your young un Lexy.

I was born and bred in the industrial north east and as a teenager I worked at Ayresome Park  on match days, home of Middlesbrough FC.

I was 19 when I landed at the Palace of Peace in 74 and for 4 years after that I was well under the influence of the Lard of the Yooniverse. For many years after exing I was still rather detatched from competitive `worldly` pursuits. I don`t blame M for all of my delusions of course, I`d been well indoctrinated by the Roman Catholics as a kid and I was a sucker for a guru. I also take full responsibility for my experimentation with psycadelics along the way.

My interest in footie did not return until the mid 90s when Boro began to make an impression under Brian Robson and my head was clearing a bit.

It took another decade for them to win a trophy, but it was worth waiting for.

Funny though, I`m only just now getting into cricket for the first time in my life! I find myself fascinated by the `ashes` and watch the test match on channel 4.

Dave