One more sleep ‘til it’s finally here,
Flags will wave and crowds will cheer,
England will gorge on barbeques and beer,
It’s the wonder of the great World Cup.

A few small hours ‘til the party starts,
There’ll be grown men roaring with all their hearts,
Wives and girlfriends and trophy tarts,
Supporting their boys at the great World Cup.

A matter of minutes ‘til the posturing stops,
Fabio can relent from busting their chops,
and go tell his lads to pull up their socks,
To go and fight for the great World Cup.

Just a few seconds ‘til we’re underway,
Bafana-Bafana and the Mexican wave,
There’ll be sizzling shots and stunning saves,
We can’t wait for the great World Cup.

World Cup fever is taking its hold over England, and I’ve been struck down by a particularly lethal dose. I’ve been unable to think of much else today – concentrating at work was somewhat of an issue. Luckily, my main task today was to make sure that the TV stream and projector in the staff room was all up and running in preparation for the big day. It was a duty I gladly accepted. One colleague innocently asked whether it would be all in place in time for Wimbledon. ‘How sweet’ I thought – and threw my head back to release a football-crazed cackle.

On my walk home my eye was constantly caught by glistening flags of St. George, fluttering in the summer breeze, and little scraps of material adorned with the famous three lions hanging on for dear life from countless car windows. My legs all wobbly from World Cup excitement, I staggered home and bounded up the stairs to whip out my England flag from the dusty wastelands on top of my cupboard. There’s only so long you put off decorating the front of your house to make it look like a National Front stronghold…

With the house appropriately decked-out I now feel ready to welcome the World Cup into my abode. For the next month this semi-detached in Hertfordshire will be a Mecca to all things football. I’ve got the flat-screen TV, I’ve got the barbeque, I’ve got the criminally-cheap beer from the supermarket, I’ve got the crisps, I’ve got the wall-chart, I’ve got the shirt and I’ve got nothing to distract me for the next four weeks. Utter bliss.

p.s. I’ve even bought myself a vuvuzela horn from ebay to join in with the South African fans. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!