Non City - It's with a 'g' not a 'f'

Listening to the guys on the View to the Ninian podcast struggle with pronouncement of my surname 'Ugarte' I found myself transported back to 1982 and that dreadful day when my proud surname brought me just a shed loads of grief.

There I was happily walking into pub to watch the Northern Ireland v Spain World Cup game with the lads on the TV they were just finishing naming the Spanish team "finally Roberto Lopez-Ufarte" I could have died has the chant 'Ufarte' filled the pub.

It had until then passed under the radar of my mates I had always known about the 'f' word, but would never willingly shared it. Has a kid I would from time to time be called 'Garty Farty', but it doesn't bare thinking about if my surname was Ufarte.

I can take a joke, but all the 'It's your round Ufarte' and Ufarte this and Ufarte that I was forced to the bogs just for a bit of peace and quiet. I missed the goal well I was in the same room as the TV, but there were no big screens just the landlords TV he brought down from his flat upstairs. Although there was someone in our group in a t-shirt with Spain across his chest and he was supporting Spain it was me getting most of agro.

My protest that I was Basque not Spanish cut no ice so there was little I could do, but take the abuse. That the end of the day I'm glad the family came from the valley of the Ugarte's and not the valley of the Ufarte's.