Left - and right - wing revolution

Can't believe what I saw in London.
It was just shocking.
A throwback to the 80s perhaps.
Or even to the late 70s at the time of the miners' strike, when police had to be drafted in from across the country to help out other forces.
Riots?
What riots?
I'm talking about watching a Bristol Rovers side play with wingers.
To be fair, we smashed Wimbledon.
The score may have finished AFC Wimbledon 2, Bristol Rovers 3 but we had 11 shots on target and a total of something like 18 overall. That is about the number we managed for the entirety of last season.
And the reason we are creating chances?
Because we are now playing with genuine width.
We have players like Joe Anyinsah and Mustapha Carayol - not household names at the moment, I grant you - but livewires who are prepared to take on their man, attempt a nifty trick or two and create panic in the opposition defence.
It was certainly panic on the fields of Kingsmeadow as we raced into a 2-0 lead, only to give it up through a brave Wimbledon fightback, finally stealing the points with a penalty from new vice-captain Adam Virgo five minutes from time.
A great start to the season and reason to be cheerful.
But back to the widemen.
I recall a time when Rovers ALWAYS sent their teams out with people capable of attacking on the flanks. Going back to the first time I saw them in the late 60s when Harold Jarman was patrolling the wing.
Harold was a great fans' favourite and even stepped in to manage the club for a time. I recall he also played cricket for Gloucestershire and his claim to fame was that he was a brilliant fielder. I once saw him throw down the stumps from the boundary, instigating an unthinkable run-out of a bemused opposition batsman.
The cry used to go up when Rovers were in full flow. "Ha-a-rold" "Ha-a-rold".
In fact it is making a comeback with our new centre forward Matt Harrold, as far removed from Mr Jarman as it is possible to imagine but a useful weapon with his 6ft 5ins frame up front.
Another lively winger who was always a Tote End favourite was Kenny Stephens who, on his day, could trouble even the best defences.
And after that we had a number of other options - some effective, others much less so - like Stewart Barrowclough, Miah Dennehy and Phil Purnell.
And when we were putting together a particularly young side of home-grown talent at the start of the 1980s I well remember the combination of Keith Curle and the legend that is Micky Barrett attacking from both sides of the field with their pace and speed.
Barrett played for five years for Rovers, scoring 18 goals in 129 appearances before sadly dying at the age of 24 with cancer when it seemed he had a really bright future ahead of him.
Curle went on to play in various positions for different teams, including centre back and full back, and was once classed as the fastest footballer in the country after winning an ITV sprint competition.
It's great to see Rovers playing with width again, something that Gasheads have been demanding for some time.
Next, a bigger test for our livewire wingers - home to Championship Watford in the Carling Cup tonight.
Our beloved neighbours Bristol City were supposed to play their game at home to Swindon last night but it was called off because of the current tension up and down the country.
Not surprised really. I hear Ipswich ran riot at Ashton Gate on Saturday.