Across the season I attended 65 games, 44 of which were with Dover (36 league, 3 fa cup, 3 trophy and 2 pre-season friendlies). 23 of those games were at previously unvisited grounds; thus in addition to my 21 neutral games, over half of this season's tally has ticked off new stadia to the ever expanding list. Assessing my favourite grounds that this season has encompassed is therefore probably a solid process to kickstart this abject blog post.
FAVOURITE GROUNDS VISITED WITH DOVER IN 2014/2015
5) AFC Telford United - The New Buck's Head.
I know that it's fashionable to knock contemporary football grounds, however, I offer no condolences for enjoying the smart and functional surroundings of the West Midlands cannon fodder outfit.
4) Lincoln City - Sincil Bank.
Lincoln's ground is very disproportionate in it's layout with the contrasting sizes of each individual stand - particularly the odd two-blocked Lincolnshire Echo end. However, the vastly impressive main stand is the main factor in why it ranks highly on the "this ground is a million miles adrift of having to visit Boreham bleeding Wood again" scale. Fortunately we get to do both next season.
3) FC Halifax Town - The Shay.
This beauty of a ground manages to fuse state-of-the-art facilities, monstrous terracing behind either goal and the aesthetics of a huge, rustic seated stand built onto the back of a grass-bank. Unfortunately, it's deducted points on the sterility of the place. You can't help but envisage what The Shay would be like if it were used by a more suitably sized fanbase.
2) Wrexham - The Racecourse Ground
As with Halifax, there's a real sense of squandered opportunity with this behemoth, and it's unused, enormous, largest-remaining terrace in British football. Wrexham will no doubt restore themselves to the level that they should be playing at in a few years down the line,
1) Grimsby Town - Blundell Park
Our inaugural Saturday away fixture back in the top flight of non-league, this truly was a 'welcome to the Conference' experience. Quite simply an awesome ground, one that is quintessentially a definition of the term 'PROPER' when the phrase is used in football language. Set upon in the middle of a terraced housing estate; this was our first taster of segregation and being sectioned into an isolated corner of the ground. And I fucking loved it. Great venue. That they're trying to push forward plans of a new ground saddens me deeply; these are the sort of a dying breed.
FAVOURITE FOOTBALL LEAGUE GROUNDS VISITED IN 2014/15
5) Sheffield United, Brammall Lane.
I'd probably have enjoyed the red half of the steel city even greater had the ground not been so sparsely populated on this occasion, and had they not made such light work of knocking my7th favourite team (Plymouth Argyle) out of the FA Cup while here. Regardless though, a thoroughly decent stadium, situated right within the heart of the city n'all.
4) Luton Town - Kenilworth Road.
There often a question posed in that "when does 'character' start to actually mean "a completely rundown shithole desperately in need of modernization"? Kenilworth Road certainly teeters on the brink of that line. It's not one for the pursuers of comfort and aesthetically maintained architecture. However, and more importantly, it is a bloody good footballing venue, with steeped, enclosed roofing ideal for making a racket. Even the odd, capacity-restrictive, executive 'beach huts' enclosed down one width of the ground just add to its quirky character.
3) Portsmouth - Fratton Park
In similar vein to Luton, you'll be hard pressed to combat anyone purveying the need of renovation for this tired, worn and uncomfortable theatre. Those same characteristics make it the same brilliant ground that it is though. I loved Fratton Park, and am even willing to overlook the blatant restricted view that my seat in the main stand left with me.
2) Brentford - Griffin Park.
My previous attempts to watch football at Griffin Park were prevented by the elements of nature. Now playing Championship football and winning plaudits for their high-pressing, attack-minded mindset under Mark Warburton, this was an even more ideal time to tick it off. It didn't disappoint. The high regard GP is held in by pretty much the majority of away fans that visit there just stresses how ingrained and important terracing is to British football culture. Make sure you squeeze a visit in before they flee to the latest nondescript bore ground.
1) Sheffield Wednesday - Hillsborough.
One of those grounds that just evokes a magical feeling being inside. A true classic; nothing which I can pour enough lexicon upon to succinctly articulate its beauty and grandeur.
FAVOURITE FOREIGN GROUNDS VISITED 2014/2015
I achieved a total of 13 grounds on foreign waters, excluding the several I trespassed upon without seeing a game at. 7 of this haul were across German land; the rest solitary visits from Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia and Turkey.
Here is a selection of the best;
I achieved a total of 13 grounds on foreign waters, excluding the several I trespassed upon without seeing a game at. 7 of this haul were across German land; the rest solitary visits from Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia and Turkey.
Here is a selection of the best;
5) FC Dinamo Bucharesti, Stadionul Dinamo.
I'm a sucker for ugly, communist-era, decrepit stadiums complete with a running track, thus meaning you're a million miles away from viewing what's happening on pitch. Dinamo did not disappoint meeting this criteria, and had it not, I'd hardly have had grounds to complain having only parted with the equivalent of £0.87 for my match ticket.
4) Cercle Brugge, Jay Breydel Stadion.
I can't actually quite put my pulse on what it actually is I liked about this stadium. The ground was only renovated as recently as 1998 in time for Belgium to host the Euros, but it doesn't retain either a modernized or traditional feel to it. The ground is only filled to around a quarter of its capacity when the green jerseyed tenants are played, and the game I saw there was a mind-numbingly dull goalless draw. And I'm sure I'm not just shallow enough to include it on the premise of being able to drink glasses of beer for €2 inside the ground. Whatever the unexplainable element to it, I really enjoyed the experience here.
3) FC Koln, Rhein-Energie Stadion.
Like most other ground-lusting nerds, as a rule I prefer older, historic and indivualistic venues to watch football in. But I'm not blind or averse to seeing that (au contraire to many an opinion) that state-of-the-art new builds can be equally as homely or idealistic as the romanticized old ones. FC Koln have the best contemporary stadium I have been inside, to this date. So steeped, enclosed, and each of the 51,000 persons in audience are so close to the pitch.
2) Slovan Bratislava, Stadion Pasiensky.
My earliest experience of an Eastern (well, yeah, I know Slovakia is more central but you get my drift) European football, this was a thoroughly good laugh. €4 for a match ticket, €1.50 for a beer, a quite brilliant football ground, complete with idiosyncratic coca-cola sponsored floodlights, an ancient scoreboard, and bird-shit clad decaying seats. That the standard of football wouldn't have seemed too dissimilar to Conference South, and given just how poorly attended this fixture was ( only 2000 odd to see the previous season's champions' in the country's capital city), I couldn't have cared less.
1) KFC Uerdingen 05, Grotenburg Stadion.
A testament to just how sad I am a character is this; on my 23rd birthday I spent the milestone by watching fourth tier German football all on my tod. And I have absolutely #noregrets. Quite simply this stunningly preserved monster is very much now my most favourite ground I have ever been to. An awe-inspiring relic; very much symbolic of the fall of grace of a club whom were playing in the Bundesliga as recently as the mid nineties. Amid financial meltdown, now they ply their trade in the regionalised fourth leagues, playing against reserve clubs of those they used to pit their wits against.
WORST GROUND VISITED IN 2014/2015
I'd like to nominate outside mentions for Nuneaton's Liberty Way - an ugly, cold and unpractable breezeblock ground situated on the arse end of an industrial estate. While in terms of proper stadia, Southampton's St Mary's is as dull and identikit as they come, without having the comfortable seating facilities to redeem for its blandness. However, there can only be one undisputed winner....
Braintree Town - Cressing Road.
Possibly one of the few grounds in history that has regressed and worsened to coincide with its club's rise up the pyramid. They genuinely have removed the cover behind the goal to compensate an extra step of terracing; even though nobody goes to watch them. A truly horrible place, made that much worse by watching their team comprised of antifootball cloggers embarrassing your club on the field.
BEST DRINKING AWAY DAYS IN 2014/2015
As an unashamedly borderline alcoholic with a perchance for drinking that dishwasher-esque liquid otherwise colloquially known as "real ale shite", this has undoubtedly been the most testing season so far for the integrity of my liver. This is the toughest category to choose from yet; such is the excellence of good drinking environments in this swish, big-boys division. I'm going to be brave enough to evaluate my favourites though....
5. Torquay.
In terms of actual good beer pubs, the whole Torbay area wouldn't feature too highly on my list. Though it's a lovely drop, you don't really tend to find many places selling much other than St Austells' Tribute. It's a brilliant night out though, and a surprisingly pleasant area by the harbour, if somewhat tacky come evening time. A prime location for footballing weekenders though, particularly in the warmer seasons.
4. Macclesfield.
The most pleasant surprise of the season was just how brilliant the high street in Macclesfield was for acquiring a brilliant pint. The triumvirate of pubs, centred by the brilliant Snow & Goose, make it an impossible away fixture to turn up sober at.
3. Halifax.
Actually being able to venture out of the dull and unfriendly Southeast for the first time inside my DAFC supporting career opened up a world of unseen opportunities. The notion of the north being cheap for drinking often elapses into a myth, but not in this West Yorkshire town. It's littered with hearty real ale pubs, seldom ever approaching over the £3 mark for a pint. The highlight was getting smashed in a nightclub; a minefield for ensnaring crumpet, in an establishment where jaigerbombs were only 75 pence.
2. Chester.
I've alluded to Chester's glory in a fairly recent blog post so I needn't reiterate how good the pubs are there. You'll be harder pressed to find a shit pub there.
1. Lincoln.
Just eclipsing the Cheshire town IMO is this wonderful fellow ancient cathedral city. It's difficult to cram enough time in to frequent all the best pubs there within train arrival to kick-off, but if you stretch yourselves you can conjure up one hell of a crawl. Most away fans head to the excellent Golden Eagle pub nearby Sincil Bank; but most of the real gems are further adrift and nearby the cathedral. It also helps massively that both local breweries; Castle Rock & Bateman's, are bloody excellent.
BEST INDIVIDUAL PUBS VISITED IN 2014/2015.
An even greater task is to pick out individual watering holes, which must have totalled into three figures from across the season! But I'll give it a go, and will no doubt regret missing off a few glaring omissions.
5. Magpie & Crown, Brentford.
Brentford FC are synonymously known for being the club that have a pub situated on each corner of their ground. Do your research and reading, however, and you'll gather that none are meant to be much cop. Instead we ventured a small distance in towards their high street, and came across this absolute gem. At least 6 cask ales were available, with also an extensive American/Belgian bottle list, plus fancy craft stuff, to choose from. More pleasant than anything was just how affordable it were for West London standards and most amazingly of all, it seems to avoid the hordes of matchday-going fans, despite it's reasonable proximity to Griffin Park.
4. The Cock & Hotel, Telford.
Only a few minutes walk from The New Bucks Head, this wonderful traditional boozer is home to eight hand-pumps, mainly providing a selection of Salopian Brewery beers.
3. Stanford Arms, Lowestoft.
Literally a stone's throw away from Crown Meadow, this CAMRA award winning pub even provides an ale to brandish exclusively to the football club, from its linked in brewery Green Jack. Wonderful choice of beer in here, with superb hospitality to match.
2. The Strugglers Inn, Lincoln.
OK, so this is absolutely nowhere near the football ground, being situated right up by the castle, it's certainly a taxi-ride job. However, it's simply a brilliant pub and should feature on any itinerary. A cosy, old-fashioned 'locals pub', with real character and history, it is supposedly haunted. The landlord was a great bloke. Oh, and I probably needn't bother mentioning it has a varied cask ale choice, do I?
1. The Kemble Brewery Inn, Cheltenham.
Surprisingly enough, my plaudit stealer here isn't selected on the grounds of a super extensive beer choice. To be honest, beyond the immaculately conditioned 6 rotating cask ales, there wasn't an awful lot to choose from. However, when you've cooked up a vat of jerk chicken soup for customers to freely enjoy, and provide such wonderful and warmly service, you needn't worry about stocking fancy overpriced craft beers. I could even stomach the company of the local eccentric nutjob. Truly a great pub, and what similar struggling smaller and cozy pubs should strive to be like.
BEST MATCHES SEEN IN 2014/2015.
Oh yeah, I've actually fleetingly watched a few football matches amidst the endless drunken shenanigans. Let's talk you through some of the better ones that I can successfully recall.
5. Woking 3-3 Dover Athletic, FA Trophy 3rd Round.
Preceding games against Woking up until this point had seldom provided anything other than simple, straightforward wins for the self-proclaimed Surrey Barcelona. This end-to-end, goal-glutted trophy tie initiated the turning of the tide (we subsequently squeezed past them in replay, then ended their play-off hopes over Easter). All three Dover strikes were aesthetically pleasing too; a diving header from Connor Essam, a side-footed top corner finish from Nicholas Deverdics and the best was reserved by Stefan Payne; an angled, vicious half-volley that almost busted the net open.
Woking's late equaliser earned them a replay they probably warranted.
4. Lowestoft 1-3 Dover Athletic, FA Trophy 1st Round.
Ok, this game was hardly a classic in terms of quality. What made it notable was that we saw through this tie, in spite of Lowestoft equalising before half-time with a penalty that earnt our keeper his marching orders. His replacement between the sticks? Our long-serving, cult-status'd, 5ft 8 full-back. Ok, so what that our lower league opponents never forced him into a committing meaningful save? He still commanded the area when called upon! Our success in overturning the numerical disadvantage in the second half was a testament to our team's professionalism and will-to-win throughout the season.
3. Dartford 2-1 Dover Athletic, Conference Premier.
It seems strange to select a game in which you've cruelly, unjustly, been beaten near the death by your biggest rivals in your division, isn't it? But if you reflect back on this defeat, and look at the picture, it was a thoroughly intense and emotionally charged game. Leading at the break through a Ricky Miller deflected free-kick, we rejoined the second half with a mindset to kill off the game with a killer goal. We threw everything at them, hit the post, squandered several glitzed edged opportunities, then looked on in horror as Dartford scored twice within the final 20 minutes; converting the very few chances they produced. The winner was scored past another defender covering goalkeeper duties, following Mitch Walker's hand injury, with Sean Raggett unable to see out Tom Bradbrook's header.
Into injury time though, we appeared on course to reap the very least of which we should have sowed; whence we were awarded a penalty. Inevitably though, Jason Brown kept out Miller's spot-kick; thus leaving us Whites to rue what for me personally, at this point, was one of the biggest footballing gut-wrenching travesties in history; in terms of having gained nothing out of the game. You need these ultra-frustrating, mindfuck producing games to appreciate the fruitful times that follow.
2. Dover Athletic 3-3 Bath City, FA Trophy Quarter Final.
That pesky FA Trophy competition, eh? This certainly trumped the 3 games and 3 goals I saw in Frankfurt, Cologne and Amsterdam in the midweek preceding this fixture. On entertainment levels at least.
Our advance towards Wembley appeared to be a straight forward formality in first half proceedings. Stefan Payne gave us our customary home lead to establish a comfortable lead. Then he decided to 'turn villain' (as the inevitable cliches go) by receiving his marching orders on the stroke of half-time; punching resident shithouse and all-round cunt; Bath goalkeeper Jason Mellor, after provocation.
His red mist appeared to savage our dreams of playing at the national stadium. When they raced into a 3-1 lead ten minutes from time; few could have complaints on the basis of their adventurous, swift, counter-attacking. Then out of nowhere, Ricky Modeste angled one in from a close scramble, three minutes from time.
Setting up a tense finale, Chris Kinnear threw on the much maligned Jake Reid, a slow, plodding, stiff forward formerly on the books of our opponents. He hadn't scored since early September.
One of his first actions was to completely miscontrol a simple touch in the dying stages. This prompted me to launch a rather polite tirade consisting of the words similar to "Jake Reid you are an absolute fucking disgrace to your profession, hand your notice in now you fucking useless waste of space".
60 seconds later, he put the ball into the net. A tame header, directed straight into the path of the toad inhabiting their goal, somehow squeezing through the grasp of his hands. Cue absolute bedlam with the bodies congregated on the Dover Port End.
What subsequently happened, or didn't happen, in our unlikely lifeline in the replay, isn't up for discussion.
1. Luton Town 2-3 Exeter City, League Two.
It's always an oddity when I actually manage to witness an exciting, open, end-to-end game as a neutral. A particularly unlikely way to end my drought of witnessing drag encounters would be to be sourced from the basement division.
However, this was a truly compelling and fantastic game, wide-open and ridden with chances galore,. Luton went into the interval with a perhaps slightly unwarranted two goal lead, thanks to the openness and gaps left in Exeter's back-line due to their adventurous style. They oversaw the deficit though, thanks in part due to Luton squandering a couple of notable glorious chances, and they duly punished them in the cruelest of circumstances. 95 minutes had surpassed when Dave Wheeler prodded home the loose rebound into an unguarded goal. It proved to be a fitting finale for what had quite simply been one of those awesome games of football, actually leaving me with a real buzz when I left the stadium.
BEST MOMENTS IN 2014/2015.
5. Dartford Sent Home With Their Tails Between Their Legs.
If there was one way to avenge that aforementioned cruel and undeserving loss at Princes Park, then smashing them 6-1 in the reverse at Crabble was certainly one way of going about it. Admittedly the scoreline was probably a tad flattering on our behalf, but who cares? Dartford's misery was compounded by this loss, signifying their descent back towards the horrible M4 league, consigning them to a consecutive bottom four finish.
4. Telford Ravaged & Savaged.
Our away fixture at Telford, only six games into the season, already appeared destined to be one of the earlier six-pointers of the campaign. The scoreline was level at half-time with a goal apiece; both strikes that were so embarrassingly preventable that both sides felt ashamed to have scored a goal out of their paralleling situations.
With the introduction of one of the most exciting loanees the club has ever had, Ricky Miller inspired a late vicious onslaught that saw us emerge comfortable 4-1 victors. His strike, couple with a Jake Reid brace (yes, Jake Reid! a brace! Jake Reid!) earned us a memorable first away win back at national level. Needless to say the journey back towards Kent was a drunkenly chaotic one.
3. Racing Into A Two Goal Lead At Barnet.
On September 10th 2014, Dover hosted Barnet live on BT Sport, a game which saw them brush aside with barnstorming conviction; a 3-0 scoreline that flattered us more than anything.
Three and a half months later, in the synchronized fixture at their gaff; we found ourselves holding a 2 goal advantage against them, the champions elect, and by far away the best team we faced in our division. That Barnet fought back in the second half to salvage a late draw wasn't too great a cause of concern; that we fought and took the game to them landmarked the transformation and evolvement of a placid, timid team heading straight back down without a whimper, to a fearless, lioness side willing and striving to overcome any hurdle.
2. Essam Sends Us In Round Three At Cheltenham.
I have to admit that, for the first time in yonks, the FA Cup didn't feature as too much of a priority with this new, exciting division to focus on. It was however a rather pleasant surprise when we found ourselves within the hat for the third round of the draw for only the second time in our history. This came courtesy of a superb, late sweeping finish from defender Connor Essam in the closing stages of our tie at Whaddon Road, prompting a bit of bump and grind with those of us gathered in the away end.
1. Murphy's Late Mentaller At Bristol Rovers.
Let's be honest, last minute winners or equalizers are always good fun, aren't they? There's seldom a time where in that concise moment they don't provide sheer adrenaline rush and pandemonium with you and your peers around you.
When that late, unexpected, moment of glory comes at the Memorial Ground, to silence the bodies of 6,000 Gasheads expecting to steamroll to comfortable victory, it really is something else. That day and occasion felt a million light years away from the defeats at places like Metropolitan Police and Cheshunt; thus prompting some absolute LIMBS in the away end from the 194 of us who made the trip into Somerset.
BEST GOALS WITNESSED IN 2014/2015.
5)Stefan Payne (Gateshead v Dover Athletic)
Man likes Stefan. Man likes Stefan very much; his adoption of being the spearhead of our attacking system has in my opinion been the main catalyst for our unexpected surge into the top half. While this strike has probably been bettered on a technical level than many others I have seen this season, it is one of my favourites, that set us towards a hugely satisfying away day success. His glancing finish with the outside of his boot was both intelligent and pleasing on the eye. Viewable here.
4)James Armson (Nuneaton Town v Dover Athletic)
How sporting of me to nominate an opposition player in my prestigious awards.
If you're going to suffer the indignity of losing away to the worst team in the division, on a freezing cold Tuesday night, then it's more comforting to do so when one of the netbusters that consigned you to misery was of undisputed phenomenal quality. This 30 yard half-volley wouldn't have looked out of place in an Eredivisie match. There's no video evidence to supplement my claim, so it's down to your trustworthy instincts if you weren't part of our 55-strong away following.
3)Jonjo Shelvey (Southampton v Swansea).
The solitary Premier League match I attended this season was certainly not one to live up to the whole bullshit 'best league in the world' mantra. Well, apart from the individual goal to settle the contest!
The extremely unique and endlessly talented trequartista, Jonjo Shelvey, ran the entire show with a performance level that suggests that if he didn't look like a bloke working for his Dad's removal vans company, he'd be an England regular. His jinking side-step and ferocious drive from a distance of 25 yards was fit to win any game.
2) Bjorn Jopek (Union Berlin v FC Ingolstadt).
This was one of the cleanest, quickest and crispest long-range strikes I've ever had the privilege of watching live. Please skip to 2:36 onwards of this link to let me know your thoughts. I loved how sudden and out of nowhere it came from in real time. The ball isn't even hit adrift or either side of the goalkeeper, but it's hit so hard and so true, with just enough dip on the trajectory, that it brilliantly evades him despite his best acrobatic efforts. His free-kick moments later on that vid weren't bad either.
1) Matt Lock (Grimsby Town v Dover Athletic).
Those of you who know me, or know Dover Athletic, or were in attendance at Blundell Park on that famous afternoon, could always sense that there were to be any other winner. Dover's first goal at Conference premier level is still yet to be bettered, even in spite of the 68 efforts that have followed suit.
Those of you who are excited by the vision of direct, fast and skillful running at speed will have flashbacks of Diego Maradona in Mexico, 1986 by watching this video. OK, so the poor pixelated quality of the video won't serve it justice. It's still quite hard to explain though how Christian Nanetti went from being circled by three men on the byline with nowhere to go, to engineering an escape from all of their advances and leaving them for dead, advancing all the way into the area and then laying the ball perfectly on a plate for the advancing Matt Lock to finish first time with aplomb. Quite simply a stunning example of a breakaway goal, only bettered by the feeling of seeing it go in in real time.
BEST ATMOSPHERES WITNESSED IN 2014/2015.
5) Torquay United v Dover Athletic, Conference Premier.
This game were the origins of where the humble phrase "we may not win many games, but we're winning people's hearts" enveloped from. That would of course later alter into "Dover Athletic - now winning games, not just people's hearts".
But on this sunny September afternoon, our 96 travellers in the Plainmoor away section were remarked upon by many home fans as the best they had seen in years. Why? Probably the 30 minute, nonstop chorus of "Chris Kinnear's Black & White Army" in the second half, despite losing, a strenuous effort, designated as our famous manager's swansong and send off before his imminent departure. Chris Kinnear remained in the hotseat though, things slightly improved hereafter and I have since then gone hiding into my shell.
4. Eintracht Frankfurt v Wolfsburg, Bundesliga.
If I were to select one of the German games I have been to this season over each other, I would probably just slightly give the nod to Eintracht Frankfurt over Borussia Monchengladbach, although I thoroughly enjoyed both and thought they were both good value, despite being lower-key midweek affairs. Eintracht are widely known as having one of the best and loudest fan scenes on the Fatherland, and while this wasn't the craziest night known at Walderstadion, they were bloody loud and constant throughout. Check out some of their displays on youtube.
3) Austria Vienna v SC Rheindorf Altach, Austrian Bundesliga.
Buckets of ticker tape, small doses of pyro, various cool, colourful and artistic cartooned flags, fans conga'ing across the stand and a nonstop, constant racket. You don't know what to expect sometimes when you turned up to a game in a league you admittedly know little about, so the vibrant atmosphere created inside the otherwise nondescript Generali Arena was somewhat of a pleasant surprise. It needed to be too as the game was predictably shite, racking up as yet another goalless draw bore on my travels.
2) Cheltenham Town v Dover Athletic, FA Cup 2nd Round.
To use one of the most horrific cliches repeated in football, this is one of the occasions where that metaphor "sucked the ball into the net" appeared to ring true. In the building moments to our late, dramatic winner, I stopped, absorbed the moment and took a searching look across all around me. It was one of those rare, never-to-be-seen-again moments where virtually every soul, each and every one of those 587 standing in the away end were joining in song, or at least clapping and contributing to the now deafening volume rising from behind the goal. An awesome, hair-raising moment, with that all-important winner soon to follow.
1) Galatasaray v Gerenciblili, Turkish Super Lig.
Let alone the best atmosphere I've been amongst this season; probably the best atmosphere I have been a part of ever. Not just inside the stadium either; whether it were pre-drinking on Nevizade street before the game amongst the pyro waving, efes guzzling, sea of orange masses, or getting caught up in the chaotic and crazy human traffic before and after the match, Galatasaray was truly a special, unique matchday environment to be a part of.
While the singing was constant, with all four sides of the stadium contributing, it was the sheer intensity and will-to-win, typified by Turkish fans, that startled me the most. "Welcome to Hell" is more than just a cheesy moniker. There is no way on earth you'd want to be an away fan, player, or even a match official in the TurkTelekom Arena! Any time the opposition are in possession, the whistling and shrieking is deafening, ringing out until Gala have regained possession. Have the audacity to award the opponents a free-kick? Don't bother. It was fascinating just observing the officials shirk out of punishing any fouls Galatasaray committed or flag decisions in favour of Gerencblili, whom performed admirably given the circumstances.
When the ball eventually did make its way into the back of the away side's net twenty minutes from time, courtesy of the talismanic and outstanding performer, Wesley Sneijder, it felt as if the stadium was going to collapse. I felt the buzz amongst them too.
A truly remarkable experience, to be seen to be believed.
BEST FOOTBALL FOODS CONSUMED IN 2014/2015.
In years gone by, I have seldom bothered or ever felt the need to buy the plastic, rubbery and substandard crap that is usually served up at UK football grounds. This season I discovered that that's an unfair generalisation to make though. And coupled with my several escapades across the continent, I have enough genuinely decent culinary experiences to formulate a list....
5) Rindwurst, Eintracht Frankfurt.
Sausages are always good. This certain local delicacy, produced out of pure beef instead of pork, is that little bit extra special. So succulent and tasty.
4) Steak Roll, Union Berlin.
This freshly grilled, generously spiced & seasoned juicy slab of steak is thrown straight into a crusty bread roll. Couldn't have had too many complaints about it tbh.
3) Cottage Pie, Kidderminster.
The excellence of the matchday food cooked up at Aggborough has always been widely documented. I'm glad to report that the experience did warrant the hype. A lovely effort, fluffy mash with a peppered and crisped top, while the beef beneath it was surrounded in a perfectly thick gravy substance.
2) Goat Curry & Jamaican Jerk Rice, Luton Town.
Technically sold outside of Kenilworth Road rather than inside it, this stall directly outside the gate is still affiliated with the club. And what a brilliant culinary experience it is too, a shining example of how great multicultural Britain really is.
1) Chilli Con Carne with Nachos, Cheese & Sour Cream, Lowestoft Town.
My winner, however, is one of the bolder and several idiosyncratic offerings served up on this great Norfolk away day.
BEST OPPONENT PLAYED IN 2014/2015.
Crystal Palace.
It's a funny thing, the fa cup. You spend your whole football life getting sucked into the propaganda of it and its supposed unrivalled magic, then once you finally get that all elusive tie on TV against a Premier League club, the entire occasion is an enormously damp squib and the circus that leads up to it leaves you pining for its closure.
I could have overlooked the dreary wankfest surrounding the game had we actually lived up to the occasion in any shape of form, but we just didn't. And the credit for that must be awarded to Crystal Palace players, for putting in a ruthlessly efficient and ultimately professional performances, by never at all looking in any danger of putting themselves in risk of an upset. They restricted our players from being able to express the best of their abilities. Too often the credit is allayed to the plucky underdogs for their valiant efforts in overcoming the big, bad wolf, but seldom do we ever hear too much credit for those Goliaths who resoundingly dispatch of David.
WORST OPPONENT PLAYED IN 2014/2015.
Nuneaton Town.
Nuneaton's showing on that Tuesday night at Crabble was quite simply the most embarrasing I have ever witnessed from any side having the audacity to call themselves football players. Our 5-0 scoreline may look like a mauling but in all honestly, I felt uncomfortable with how little resistance they offered. Most startlingly, we didn't even play particularly well or have to work hard for it. Some of the goals we scored were just cringeworthy. Remember when Stefan Payne tamely struck straight at their goalkeeper, only to be allowed another bite of the cherry? I'd be demanding our club's immediate liquidation if we'd conceded that.
FUNNIEST MOMENT IN 2014/2015.
"We're Only Here 'Cos We're Single".
On Valentines Day we played away at Halifax; a mere 278 mile drive from Dover. Hilariously, a supporters' coach that made the trip, comprising of around 30 Dover fans on board, were only able to catch the final ten minutes of our 2-3 defeat, due to horrendous traffic on the motorway. Cue chants of "part-time supporters!" from those of us who bothered to turn up in time for the game's infancy, once they finally did arrive.
PREDICTED TABLE VS ACTUAL TABLE.
Right, that's enough writing for today. Let's take a look at how hilariously misguided and nonsensical my pre-season forecasts were from my pre-season blog.
Actually, when you investigate that at closer inspection, you'll see that I didn't actually do that badly; a third of predictions finished within 1 space of their actual league finish. Most pleasingly one of my most inaccurate guesses was with Dover, though I can be forgiven for that as few people - even the Phil Smith's and Jack O'Sullivans amongst us -, surely deep down could never have foreseen an 8th placed finish!
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