Magilton needs to start flying!

YOU will no doubt be having sleepless nights wondering how Her Majesty’s Press (Ipswich branch) has been faring on their most recent manoeuvres.

Well – all good really.

Okay the last three journeys – into deepest London, deepest Yorkshire and then deepest Wales – have produced mixed results, but the trips have been top-notch.

Holding a navigator’s licence can be a perilous occupation when negotiating the streets of the capital and I stuck to my told and trusted methods to locate Stamford Bridge.

But there were no problems, and I felt like a tour guide as we swept along the embankment with the London Eye, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben among the attractions.

A car park was located on the map and this was situated near Earls Court. All well and good - until I had to dip into my pocket for the £20 parking fee.

And although the stadium looked a couple of hundred yards away it still involved a walk between terrace houses and along cobbled streets before Stamford Bridge appeared.

Barnsley is a good trip as the Ram Jam Inn is just over half-way in as you journey up the A1. The meal was splendid as usual, and we found the ground without any problems going in off the A1 and progressing along some country-type roads.

Full marks for the navigator yet again, who could stand down for the long haul to Swansea.

The train took the strain – and how marvellous it all was.

While the snow and ice played havoc with the M4 the journey through the west country went as smoothly as you can imagine with Bristol appearing to be under six inches of snow one side of the Severn tunnel and Wales having no snow at all on the other side. Amazing.

A rickety little train took us onward from Cardiff Central to Swansea where we arrived in time to buy ITFC player liaison officer Wolf Powell an early Friday evening gin and tonic.

A tasty meal and good company at a hotel - situated beside a wide sandy beach and near Vetch Field and the local jailhouse - followed before a filling all-English breakfast in the morning.

A bracing walk along the front followed – and then the game.

And then a trip home in the dark that was only hindered by a delay at Paddington Tube Station and at Colchester Station where a dozen police were called to deal with troublemakers and led to a 30 minute delay on the 11.30pm back to Ipswich.

Life was certainly seen in those three trips, and the next sortie is to Loftus Road. With the trains playing up and road transport necessary it will be another torturous London journey most probably around the north circular and in off the A 40.

But the navigator is in good spirits – we are really flying. And for Jim Magilton’s sake hopefully he will be as well.