TOTAL shock – that was my reaction when I heard Ady Pennock had been dismissed by Forest Green Rovers.

Second in the league, a record season and the play-offs looming seemed so many good reasons for keeping him. To dismiss a man three games from leading a team out at Wembley seemed cruel and wrong.

Now after time for reflection I can see reasons for the brave deed.

Form lately has been declining at a rapid rate. Just one goal at home has been scored since Saturday, February 20. The last two home games have been disastrous defeats. The same faults were reoccurring week after week.

It is the chairman’s job to make tough decisions – Dale Vince has certainly made one.

Academy director Scott Bartlett (formerly of the Wilts & Glos Standard) is caretaker manager. He has been successful in this role before. Good luck, Scott, all of us are behind you.

For four years I lied, consistently. As a Birmingham City supporter, (not one of my better decisions), I followed them home and away. If when arriving at away matches I admitted this I was locked in a metal pen. By lying I escaped from being treated as a sub-human and could sit in the stand.

Something had to be done about football hooliganism but these pens were a recipe for disaster and so it proved. Shame on the football authorities for allowing this to happen. To make matters worse, when the inevitable tragedy occurred at Hillsborough the cover-up compounded matters. MP Andy Burnham used his position to support the bereaved families whose perseverance and dignity are an example to us all.

It is not just the police that are to blame but the lily-livered Football Association and the Hillsborough ground authorities.

Subsequent improvements allow Penny and I to go to football safely and with dignity but for too many it is too late.

Tom Graveney’s memorial service in Worcester Cathedral reflected all that was memorable in the master batsman’s cricket.

Elegant tributes by friends and family captured both the nature of the cricketer and the man. No wonder he was such a respected president of the MCC.

Tom would have been so proud of the readings we heard delivered by his grandchildren Holly and Monty. There is no doubt that his enchanting style is being passed on to future generations.

I was far from proud of the actions of the Gloucestershire committee that drove him out of the county and then compounded it by making sure he was banned for a complete season but all that was 55 years ago.

The strong Gloucestershire contingent in the cathedral all wondered how our club could have acted so crassly but at the same time we knew that Tom came through this ill treatment and became the best batsman in England and the worldwide cricket community loved him. The MCC honour capped it all.

There are several local honours to mention. Fairford Town FC ventured deep into Buckinghamshire and came back victorious. A fine 5-0 victory earned them the Bluefin Supplementary Cup. Jack Ellis scored a hat-trick and Danny Hale netted twice. Fairford have had a good season and congratulations to all concerned.

Cirencester RFC also had a good weekend; playing in North Somerset they beat Winscombe 22-21 to ensure promotion to the Western Counties North league.

I think this means we will see Cirencester v Stroud matches again. It is always good to put the Fromehall Park team in their place. I have played in a winning team at Fromehall Park but the game was cricket. At Rodmarton we had regular games against Rodborough who played home matches on the rugby ground for a couple of seasons in the 1950s.

Seeing retired secondary head teachers doing well is a delight. We are a breed that is both resilient and distinguished and it was a pleasure to see one such gentleman receiving a tankard on the occasion of his 80th birthday.

A few months ago Keith Greenwood's photograph appeared in the Nostalgia pages of this newspaper as he had previously starred as Fagin in a production of Oliver.

Cirencester Golf Club presented him with the tankard. Is there no limit to his talents? I am sure he will tell me there is not.

There was a rare sight at cricket in Bristol on Tuesday. Former England supremo Andy Flower was there checking on emerging players. His attention centred on Chris Dent, Liam Norwell and Jack Taylor. Chris has already scored 500 championship runs this season and Worcestershire coach ‘Dusty’ Rhodes tells me he has never seen him play better. Is the target of 1,000 runs before the end of May possible? With wickets being far too good it may be.

I will be in Dover on Wednesday evening watching Forest Green play in the first leg of the National League play-offs.

Approach me with caution afterwards as it will have been a close game. It is also a long coach ride. My forecast is a 0-0 draw. Mrs Light is more optimistic, 0-2 being her hopeful suggestion. I hope it is fun finding out.