Two leads lost

Burnley v Watford

Saturday 1^st March

Tens of civilians are massacred by the Israeli war machine in Gaza the day after the country’s deputy defence minister threatens “a bigger shoah” and in a week that has already seen 33 Palestinians killed. The term “asymmetrical warfare” formalises the disparity highlighted by The Guardian that “80 Palestinians were killed and 82 injured by Israeli military strikes in Gaza in January alone. At the same time 267 rockets and 256 mortars were fired towards Israel, injuring nine Israelis.” The final score for the month, to recap: 80 Palestinian and no Israeli deaths, 82 Palestinian and 9 Israeli injuries. No wonder Matan Vilnai uses the word holocaust to describe the fate of the Palestinians.

Having gone to bed only after I’d stayed up all night and later read the threats in the paper that morning, I was up to watch the live text on the BBC website and see the Horns go from a goal up at Turf Moor (Darius Henderson) to conceding an equaliser before going ahead again through Jordan Stewart. Within a minute of that second goal, however, we’d let in another and the game finished 2-2. Stoke lost in midweek against Preston and play QPR away tomorrow. West Brom won today but so did Bristol City, who are now top of the league.