England's Euro2012 qualifying campaign is off to a good start. Two wins out of two and top of the group. I missed their opening match against Bulgaria as I was at Moseley but last night I sat down to watch them beat Switzerland 3-1.
Theo Walcott was injured in the move that lead to the first goal and had to be taken to hospital. Jermaine Defoe was also stretchered off as the game went on.
With England in the driving seat at 2-0 and Switzerland down to 10 men, after Lichtsteiner was sent off for a second bookable offence, a fantastic strike by Shaqiri gave Switzerland a fighting chance before Darren Bent sealed England's victory.
A good England performance but nothing more than what we should expect given the opposition.
After a short break it was time to settle down for This Is England 86. The new Channel 4 mini series that reintroduces us to the characters of the 2006 film This Is England.
If you've not seen the original film it centres around a young lad called Shaun who falls in with a group of skinheads. When an older skinhead, Combo, returns following a prison sentence he takes Shaun under his wing. Combo is a racist and eventually attacks the only black skinhead in the group. Shaun becomes disillusioned with Combo and walks away from the group following the attack.
It is here where last night started. The series catches up with Shaun and the group 3 years later. The first episode was mainly an introduction of the characters with Shaun running into his former friends and girlfriend following a trip to the hospital.
The show is what I would expect from Shane Meadows. The bleak Yorkshire landscape, the clothes and the music all blend to give a great snapshot of life in the mid 80s.
The hour flew by and the disappointment of having to wait a whole week before the next episode is something I haven't felt for a long time.
All in all a thoroughly enjoyable night in.
