Cardiff City, Tuesday 22^nd August

[PHOTOS COMING SOON! FOUR VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE, SCROLL DOWN FOR LINKS]

YES!

Personally, one of the best away games that I have ever been to. To go to the team joint top of the Championship and do them 2-0 at their place is quite something and for me personally, the fact it was Cardiff City was even better!

Being ‘Welshbee’ I have something of a soft spot for Cardiff City, having regularly attended their home games when I was very young and have since always looked out for their scores. When the Carling Cup draw was made and I heard we had them, I was over the moon and on the day was probably one of the few people absolutely buzzing with excitement!

For me this was a home game away from home, as I was staying with family about ten miles from Cardiff. As a result this will no doubt be the cheapest away game for me this season at a total cost of just £15!

I got on the train with two Cardiff supporting mates in the nearby town of Caerphilly at 6:40pm and arrived at Grangetown station, about ten minutes from the ground just after 7pm. Walking to Ninian Park from the ground I was bursting with excitement, pathetic as that may sound, but I was just so up for it!

Walking into the away end was something of a strange experience for me. Having been to Ninian Park many times before, it was strange coming to support the opposition and stand in that part of the ground. However, from the area allocated to us it gave a completely different view of the ground to the one I have been used to and reminded me just why it is one of my favourite stadiums. Ninian Park is a superb mix of character with some well built stands and they’ve kept a fair bit of terracing too. A quality ground.

As the teams ran out it was notable that both sides had rested first team players, though Cardiff to a greater extent. Nonetheless, they still had players such as ex-Arsenal and Forest striker Kevin Campbell lining up for them. The Bees in their smart white strip, being cheered on by just 86 travelling fans!

The early stages of the game Barnet did come under a fair bit of pressure and it was looking like a heavy defeat could happen. Yet after a while the Bees settled down and started to knock the ball about quite well. Then, midway through the first half a goalkeeping error allowed Tresor Kandol to lob the Bees into a shock lead. With the keeper on the edge of his area following a poor kick, Kandol coolly knocked it over him and the defenders and it looped in, sending us wild behind the goal.

The rest of the half was not too eventful, but Barnet carried on playing some nice football and were not afraid to push for a second. However, at half time the Bees went off 1-0 up and doing very well.

Half time featured a rather funny moment on the pitch. Two young Bees fans were invited to take part in the crossbar challenge. One was successful with his attempts and celebrated in front of the Cardiff fans, really winding them up, they were not best pleased! I went down by the snack bar, only open at half time bizarrely and had a £2.60 can of Fosters in a plastic glass. It was a bit of an odd set up in that they didn’t even open to sell soft drinks and food during the match. Oh and why cans!?

The second half began with Barnet still playing very much the sort of football they had in the first. Playing with real confidence, it wasn’t long before the Bees were in dreamland…2-0 up. A good cross by Cogan from the right was met by the head of Tresor Kandol to make it two for him and the Bees. Cue more terrace madness, as the home fans stood there stunned in silence.

The rest of the game the 86 of us there made some fantastic noise. Cardiff fans I spoke to after the game said they were impressed with how loud so few of us had been. Cardiff put Barnet under a fair bit of pressure, but the Bees generally weathered the storm. A superb clearance by debutant Joe Devera, who was immense at right back, saved the Bees at one stage, but otherwise they battled bravely to hold onto their lead.

All through the second half Flitney kept turning round and encouraging us to keep the volume up and we did duly oblige. I even started the twist, successfully, to my surprise. The atmosphere was really good all night, the Cardiff lot adding to it too. Mind you, some of their songs were not the best, such as: “Outside, it’s a massacre!” That one wasn’t exactly music to my ears seeing as I had to get the train back!

Full time came then and the scenes at the end were great, something I’ve missed given our poor away record in general over the last year. All the players, subs, Fairclough etc all came over and gave us a good applause. Some Cardiff fans in their bit of The Grange End also clapped our boys off, prompting Fairclough and co to applaud them back. Shows not all Cardiff fans are morons! It really was great to be celebrating a rare away win, especially there.

Thankfully my trip home went fine, my two Cardiff supporting mates the only one’s who wanted to hit me! I’m writing this having not long got in and I’m still beaming. My friend’s Dad pulled off a cracking gag in the car back from the train station too. Saying to him “you’ve got something in your hair, look in the mirror.” So my mate pulled the flap with the mirror down and on it was a piece of paper with “HOW’S YOUR BARNET!!!” written on it in marker pen. Well, made me laugh anyway, maybe you had to be there.

Phew! What a night. I didn’t make the win at Bristol City at this stage last year, but this more than made up for it. Cardiff City 0 Barnet 2. Fantastic.

Videos: Players At The End, '2-0 To The Barnet Boys!', Teams Come Out, 'EASY! EASY!'

Accrington Stanley, Saturday 12^th August

Pics: 'Welcome To Accy', Ground, Local Radio

Nightmare!

This was my first trip on “officially the worst away day ever” (quote, JamesBFC) and, well, it largely lived up to its billing.

Myself and Craig got to Barnet at about quarter to eight and had some breakfast in Café Jose, before assuring we got our back row seats on the coach when it arrived shortly after eight.

We set off at nine, myself, James, Craig, Ryan and Deed at the back, old school! Quite some time since I’d been on the coach with the likes of James and we generally had a good laugh on the journey up. Everyone got the piss taken out of them and it was generally quite a funny trip up.

We stopped off at 1pm in the small town of Hislingden, just south of Accrington. I have to say, not the nicest of places. All a bit run down and everyone there was either a chav or an elderly Muslim bloke! Myself and Ryan got some food from “Mel’s Café”, which was quite tasty, but we had to wait ages for it to come. Then we nipped across the road into a pub with Craig, James and Deed with a pool table and had a quick pint in there and a few games of pool before returning to the coach at 2pm.

We got to the Stanley ground at about 2:20pm. Most people went into the ground straight away, but myself and Ryan took a stroll and went into some pub called the Greyhound Inn, about a five minute walk away from the ground. Odd in there. Asked for a Strongbow and a Foster’s, but all they did was Samuel Smith Lager, or some locally brewed cider, that was their only beer! All the same, at £1.96 a pint it seemed worth a try and as it turned out that lager was superb, better than most! So after a swift one there we went up to the ground.

Wow, it really is a bad ground, isn’t it? SO very non-league, it must be smaller than Underhill. Still, at least we had some shelter if a downpour did occur and also they did have probably the most friendly stewards I’ve come across on my travels, which was good.

Anyway, the game…not too keen to go into detail. The start wasn’t too bad, then it went flat, then Warhurst cocked up and they scored, then it was half time, then we started the second half badly, then they scored again, then it went flat again, then we made the odd change, then with five to go we started to play, then Vieira had a goal ruled offside, then King scored, then we pushed to no avail, then the game ended. That’s all there is to say really and also that Nicolau did well on his debut.

That was generally rubbish then and then came the journey home…Four hours, but it seemed like double that. It was just an absolute nightmare. The coach seemed to be full of fourteen year olds today and all playing their (rubbish) music out loudly and running around all excited. At the age of seventeen I felt really old on there today!

So yeah, the legend that is the nightmare of Accy did indeed pretty much live up to its billing today! Can’t see myself going there again…

Swindon Town, Tuesday 8 August 2006

Scroll down for some (albiet poor) crowd videos.

Proper away day’s are back then and it was with a pretty good one we started the season, Swindon Town. Dennis Wise’s new team at the County Ground was going to be a tough one on the pitch, of course, but you have to enjoy the day too!

Despite it being an evening game, the day started out for me much like a home game. I got the bus up to Barnet and met an already slightly worse for wear James in the Weaver, not long after 1pm. We had a few drinks in there whilst watching England bowl Pakistan out easily in the cricket and after a while BBF, Gerry, Rich and their other mate (whose name escapes me!) came in, but not for long as they were setting off early. James and I then had two ‘games’ of pool. I say games with the inverted commas due to the fact that James is so much better than me it wasn’t much of a competition!

So about 3pm, we left the Weaver and were shortly after met by Ryan outside the Queens. We quickly went down to his while he got himself sorted and then picked up Grinty outside the Five Bells (pub) in East Finchley. This was via Ryan’s local off licence as myself and James went half each on a £5 for promotion of big Smirnoff ice bottles, just to keep us going for the trip!

The journey to Swindon itself wasn’t bad. It didn’t take much over an hour and a half and we had some decent music on in the car most of the way as well. Having got there about 6pm we parked at the ground before going on something of a trek to find the others who’d come by train in one of the pubs in the town centre.

After going the wrong way a couple of times we eventually found ‘The Broadwalk’ pub where a fair few Bees were. A rather flash bar right in the new looking town centre, aptly named ‘New Swindon.’ In fairness, Swindon has a reputation of being somewhat boring, but the modern bits of the town are quite nice.

So anyway, a few pints in the pub and about quarter past seven we set off for the ground. Upon arrival we were told we had to get a ticket from the ticket office, then go to the turnstile with the ticket, like you do at Northampton, among other places. Bit of a nightmare when I was charged full whack, £20. I initially decided to be honest and ask for a student price, but no, they don’t do them on the day I was told. Bit gutted really as I’d generally try and get away with juniors (£9 at Swindon) but decided to be honest. Disappointing.

All the same, once in the ground it wasn’t bad. 309 Bees had made the trip and we were in good voice in the upper corner of the Arkells Stand. We were in even better voice when in the eighteenth minute Nicky Bailey put Barnet into a surprise 1-0 lead. Being in the upper part of the stand a run down the steps was the best I managed in terms of goal celebrating, but oh well.

Half time came, 1-0 up, so far so good. I was with Kieren just finishing a drink just as the second half began, down in the concourse when a bloke came out their snack bar and gave us each a free burger, nothing wrong with them, just generous. It paid to be slightly late going back up for the second half.

However, as we were coming up the steps we heard a roar and sure enough, Town had equalised through Trinidad international, Ricky Shakes. After that they were on top and Barnet did seem to drop a level. The way defeat eventually came was really gutting though. ANOTHER stoppage time goal, this time a wonder strike, put paid to any hope of a very good away point. It was gutting, especially having to just sit there and take it as Swindon’s chav army to our right went barmy. Gutting.

Once the whistle went it was a get out sharpish job. You don’t want to hang around after such disappointments. We got back on the road quite quickly, having initially expected a lengthy wait in the club car park. We did take a wrong turning though coming out of Swindon and then hit a very slight bit of traffic in the latter stages of our journey. We dropped James in Potters Bar and I got out in Barnet at twenty to twelve, just after people were getting off the coaches. Waiting for a 34 then was fun. After waiting a good fifteen or so we began walking and it wasn’t until Whetstone and half twelve that I got on the bus home. Got in about 1am, still gutted and for some reason extremely tired. Straight to bed job. Woke up this morning just feeling pissed off. How can a team lose two games in a row in the last minute!? The twenty quid ticket annoyed me too, that’s more than some Premiership grounds. Oh well, I’m getting bored of writing this and if you’ve read this far, I’m sure you’re fed up to.

‘til Accrington…

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Videos From Swindon: Physco gets excited / Back up the steps after Bailey's goal / General shot of the fans in the first half

As you can see, I didn't do all that many Pre-Season games, but the one's I did, are 'reviewed' here....

Farnborough Town, Saturday 22^nd July 2006

A pre-season game being postponed, you what!?

Unbelievable. Having negotiated the traffic and taken ‘the scenic route’ via Wycombe and Maidenhead we got to Farnborough with a bit of time to spare before kick off and were just having a quiet Coca-Cola in the bar when some woman who works for Farnborough Town FC came out and said “the game’s is off.”

This was a shame, not really due to any want I had to watch us play Farnborough, but it was very frustrating to have made the journey for nothing. It had taken a while to get there and as we arrived it had started to piss down.

The women on the players gate let us go in the ground though, to have a look at the pitch for ourselves and as annoying as it was that Fairclough had refused to play, the pitch looked very dodgy. There was the odd dip in it and it looked as hard as Enfield. Fairclough did apologise to us and Lee Harrison and Ian Hendon both said “Hi” and I think could see our frustrations!

In the end we just went and got some chips from their snack bar, one gorgeous bird working in there, and just stood by the edge of the pitch whilst the Farnborough players had a light training session, before leaving just before 3:30 for home.

The car journey was alright though, Ben’s Dad very kindly again had driven me, James and Olly without asking for any petrol money and had negotiated the roads well with the Farnborough Air Show traffic about. All the same, we had a laugh. “Jackie Chan, the golfer years” or “Farnborough Air Show, the Heathrow years” were both rather funny, though I guess you had to be there.

So there you go, an away review of a game that never happened - in pre-season!!