Crunch?

That (Being business minded) gives security to the players and fans. I'm also hoping that many local businesses who know me will be able to join me and support the team as well." - New Basingstoke Bison Owner Harry Robinson.

Why does an exciting sport that sells out 30 arenas, with an average capacity of 20,000, in the USA fail to attract more than 10,000 people a week in this country?

I've witnessed over a hundred MK Lightning games, all as exciting as the next. A glutton for the goal-fest, I've enjoyed every one. There's just as much of the violence as in the equivalent across the pond to please the masses, and there's the hospitality and fan accountability factor to appease higher class crowds.

Basingstoke Bison, a top division team, regularly got 2,000 fans in the door but a decade ago. They now struggle to get half that, which is resulting in them slowly go bust, a fate which has felled many a club already. They've got a new owner with local business links, so they've got a chance to reverse their fate, but the worrying thing is those dwindling figures.

The most expensive ticket is less than fifteen pounds, so it's no necessarily price that's fending off the punters, and if there's one thing that "Sociology of Sport" lessons have taught me, it's that Sport is pretty much immune to the Credit Crunch (Proven in the Great Depression - and I'm not talking about Henmania).

It's not that they're all going to the football either. Basingstoke FC fail to get more than 500 through the gate on a saturday at the Camrose, and besides, the dwindling attendance applies to Sunday Fixtures just as vociferously.

Let's hope it begins to turn around, results certainly are since coach Ryan Aldridge left under acrimonious circumstances but two weeks ago, slagging of the club and players. I might be going to see the Bison next weekend. Maybe you could too?

Punch 'n Jude Inspire Dons to Victory Over Tranmere

Supersub Kevin Gallen made the difference in a drab 1-0 affair at Stadium:MK yesterday.

In a game with few clear cut chance, but fouls aplenty, the only sparks were MK wingers Jason Puncheon and Luke Chadwick.

Both sides back lines were particularly stingy, Tranmere's Ben Chorley bossing the Dons attack and his opposite number Jude Stirling intercepting everything thrown at the Dons box.

The game started terribly for MK Dons, as Tranmere found their way through a lacklustre defence clearly reeling from the absence of Willy Gueret.

One cross in from the left hand side caused a particularly problem, stand-in goalie Lewis Price caught it, but spilled it after a collision with Sean O' Hanlon. The ball fell to Gareth Edds, who from six yards out, blazed it over when in all honesty it would have been easier to score.

A wake up call for the Dons, they recouped some confidence and started to get at the Rovers defence. Two efforts to feed Sam Baldock had some success, one drawing a terrible tackle from Chorley, the other seeing a great shot from the edge of the area draw a fine save.

The second half followed the dull suit the first played out. An uneventful quarter of an hour was finished by a terrible blunder by Tranmere right-back Ryan Shotton, which saw the ball land to the electric Puncheon. Shotton wasn't done however, and deemed it fit to horrendously tug on Puncheon's shirt and yank him to the ground.

Not five minutes later, Baldock, now on the left, ran at Shotton, and drew a mistimed tackle in the area. Nearly 8,000 fans screamed penalty, but the ref, no more than two yards away, shook his head.

This served as a catalyst though, the driving Belson taken off for Alan Navarro, and the Dons had more of a license to attack. Puncheon and Chadwick exploiting more alleys, and the best chance came from a corner delivered by Puncheon.

O' Hanlon towered above the rest of the mass in the box, and slammed a header down in to the ground. Ali Gerba, in front of the goalie but just two yards out, just had to divert the ball in, but managed to take too long on the ball and squander the shot.

With just ten minutes to go, Puncheon won another corner, and moved to take it. Gerba was taken off for Kevin Gallen, and barely breaking stride, Gallen diverted the low corner in to the net, via a cheeky deflection off the shin of Chorley.

Gallen, barely on the pitch for ten seconds, had give the Dons the lead and Tranmere were reeling.

As they allocated men forward, Chadwick exploited the low numbers in the Tranmere half to break through on goal. He forced a great save from John Achterberg, and from the rebound Baldock hit the bar from twelve yards out.

Time was served up however, and the final whistle hailed a hard-fought three points for the ever-impressive MK Dons, to make it four wins out of five games against Tranmere in their short history.