Train £18-30
Ticket £16
Programme £3
Tea £1
Paper & gum £1-09
Total = £39-39
I had aimed to do 12 grounds in the first half of 2014-15, and made that with this visit to Hull City. This held great appeal as it was a 'close' ground, which was reasonably priced (£16) and was unlikely to be called off. At this time of year it's all about thinking tactically and being flexible with grounds, what with the interference of British weather, a bundle of cup games and my own general tiredness.
Although technically in Yorkshire, Hull was around 90 minutes by train from Sheffield - this certainly makes me appreciate how big God's own county is! To some extent I've been shielded from the full cost of much train travel this season and last, thanks to my Trans-Pennine season ticket and focus on North West grounds. So today's £25-30 to Hull was initially a shock, even when I saved £7 with a rail voucher. This was perhaps offset by the very reasonable £16 for entry, which must compare favourably with many Premiership grounds.
I have to admit that I feared that the KC would be a soulless cavern with very little atmosphere, but I was delighted to be proved wrong. The approach to the stadium from the station took in the nicely-named 'Tiger's Lair' pub, and when I arrived at the ground, the programme seller wished me a happy christmas. After whipping out the e-ticket to get through the turnstile, I took up my place near the corner flag. The ground was fairly full, and there was no sense of gloom around despite Hull's recent poor form.
The game began fairly evenly weighted, with both hull and Swansea having spells of possession in midfield. Hull did look a little laboured, while the away side's passing was altogether crisper. Despite Hull's hard work, Swansea took the lead when Jonjo Shelvey's shot was agonisingly deflected past a stranded Alan MacGregor. It was undeserved to be honest. Hull went on to rattle the cross bar and the post so were no mugs in this first half. The off-field highlight came when a young chap emerged from the steps into the stadium, carrying a laptop which appeared to have some kind of an aerial attached. I wondered if he was measuring decibels here today?
There was no lack of effort from Hull in the second half, but Swansea were just that bit better. It was their chance to hit the post. Hull's best chance came late on when a free kick was swung in from the right and nearly brought them level. At points it was end to end football but the reality is that Hull never seriously threatened, having all the penetration of a rubber nail. At the final whistle Swansea were well in charge, having the luxury of replacing the live wire Gomis with Bony.
As I left the ground and trudged back to the city centre with the crowds, I got a definite sense that this was the last game before Christmas. The shopping centre near the station was buzzing with activity, and had an impressive array of Christmas lights. To ameliorate the wait for the train, I had a cup of tea in the nearby Tesco cafe and even purchased a seasonal card! 12 grounds in the bag for this half-season, and I was nearly over the hump of the shortest day. Lets see what January brings!
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