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An incident occurred during last Saturday’s football game – and it was far from funny. My team, West Bromwich Albion, were outplaying Derby County without succeeding to score a point. Ordinarily, during the latter part progressed, I would have given in to gloom, assuming that despite our dominance, they’d not score, whereas Derby somehow would, leaving me miserable. However on this occasion, I truly thought the match would be ours. That was until this thing happened.

A Strange Interruption in the Game

Play suddenly came to a halt, due to causes that were at first uncertain. Several players peered an object lying on the field. Cautiously, squeamishly, they edged closer to whatever lay there. Strange. Since opera glasses are not available in the stands at football grounds, it was impossible to make out the object. In time, a member from the stadium team appeared, equipped with rubber gloves. He walked out to the middle of the pitch, collected the object , and returned to the sidelines carrying half a pigeon – dead, obviously.

Yes, half a dead pigeon dropped from above onto the field. My first thought wasn’t to the bird’s condition, or even where it had fallen from. All I could think of concerned how the game had turned against us. There isn’t a football team anywhere able to overcome this clear omen of doom. Half a deceased creature falling from the heavens? Ye gods, I’ve witnessed plenty of awful things supporting my team, yet none as bad as this. I’ve not watched Game of Thrones, but I assume that’s exactly what that goes on in it all the time.

A Bird of Prey Explanation

I asked a team representative about the incident. It turns out we’ve long had a peregrine falcon nesting high up in our stadium. They explained it often feeds on pigeon and drops the remains on the pitch. But never, until now, during games. A world of dark ideas flooded my thoughts. Why not coach it to drop its dinner onto rival attackers when they approach our goal? Or perhaps, in extremis, have a little peck the players? It’s the least the falcon can do for us following that disaster.

An Predictable Conclusion

Indeed, I should have said, the bird remnant of misfortune saw to it that Derby did indeed triumph, via their sole successful attempt all game. And I left dejected.