Connah's Quay (14-05-2016)

Connahs Quay 1 - 0 Airbus UK (Welsh Premier League Europa League play-off), Saturday 14 May 2016

Train (Manchester-Shotton) £22-30
Tea £1
Programme £2
Tea at ground £1
Total £26-30

So it has come to this. Way back in August 2016 when I saw South Melbourne in action I could not have imagined the highs and lows and adventures of this epic season. Today my season concluded with a trip to North Wales for a play off to get into Europe. The kick off time of 5:15 suited me perfectly as I had been banished from the house with Mrs Hopper having a friend to stay.

Connahs Quay is a small town on the Dee Estuary, just across from Chester and accessible by rail from Shotton. There is a direct service from Piccadilly so I was able to utilise my Trans Pennine pass again.

I made it to Shotton just after 4, where the River Dee was bathed in warm sunshine. I walked across a footbridge for some photos then headed along the shoreline up towards the ground. The stadium is located behind a college, and today was free entry so fans were streaming through the turnstiles. After a few introductory shots I surveyed the ground. On the far side was a TV tower while the main structure on this side was a large stand with floodlights attached to the roof. Like Litherland this was also an athletics ground so had racing tracks around the pitch.

There was a buzz around the ground, and kids dressed in red and blue were milling about the tunnel. Inside there was a small black cat wandering around looking at the club officials and players with some bemusement. On the pitch this was a big game with £150k at least at stake. It is crazy to think that the winner could end up going all the way to the final of the Europa League.

The game wasn't exactly flat but it never really sparked into life. An early Airbus cross from 31 found the head of 4, who could only fire wide. At the other end the Nomads had a succession of half chances. 20s drifted free kick was punched aa way by the keeper and then the same player blasted a mile over (it would have been an excellent drop goal had this been rugby). A nudged headed by c19 was saved and then 11s volley was again foiled by the busy Airbus keeper. The highlight of the first half was chatting with the pitch side photographer, who talked about the Women's FA Cup final, the North Wales dominance of this league and their likely progress in Europe (should either side make it there).

The second half was marginally better but still really cagey. C10 opened the chances when shooting wide from close range, before a16 hit the side netting after a surge in from the left. In between these opportunities Airbus picked up a couple of bookings in the middle of the park. Another rare chance for Airbus came when 17s effort was easily caught by the Nomads keeper. This was heading for extra time and I was praying for a goal as I needed to catch a train at 7:37. And lo and behold Connahs Quay took the lead when a scramble and ping pong in the box resulted in a driven goal by 20. Not the prettiest of goals but one of the most crucial. The away side could only respond with a header over from a16, who had done well today. So Connahs Quay will be heading into Europe and will kick off on June 30th.

Upon arrival at Shotton I discovered the train was terminating at Chester, meaning I had to get on board a rattling Northern Train which stopped  everywhere. The train was full of revellers and people coming back from Chester races, so there was a buzz on board (and plenty of songs!).

The sun set as we trundled through the Cheshire countryside and this felt like a natural end to the season. I had the foresight to get off at Stockport as I would have missed the connecting train at Piccadilly. Stockport seems like a second home this season but fortunately I made the train without any bother today. I made it by 10:45 to close out what has been a wild, kaleidoscopic and unrepeatable season.

Haway the Euros!

Liverpool (08-05-2016)

Liverpool 2 - 0 Watford (Premiership), Sunday 8th May 2016

Tea £1-90

Baguette £3-99

Bus to Anfield £2

Match ticket £47

Programme £3-50

Burger King £5-98

Train £11-90

Parking at Sheffield £7-50

Total £83-77

Just when we thought it was safe to go back in the shower… Our bad luck in travelling resurfaced today, with the train across the Pennines terminating at Manchester Piccadilly. Chaos ensued and none of the station staff knew how we could get to Liverpool (as the line was blocked for some reason). We jumped on a train to Crewe, back through Stockport, and eventually reached Liverpool with about an hour to spare. It was far from ideal, but our saving grace was that we had allowed extra time for the journey today. 

This was to be our last match at Anfield before the Main Stand was fully open – appropriately we took in the action from the far side of the Main Stand, in full view of the Kop (and with only a pillar obstructing our view!).

This was not the most exciting match ever (and something of an anti-climax after the Europa League semi-final win in the week), but Liverpool again edged it out comfortably over their less illustrious opponents. Joe Allen and Roberto Firmino scored a goal apiece to grab a 2-0 win. By this time, it was clear that Liverpool were just going to miss out on the top 4 and would have to rely on the Europa League as their route back into the Champions League. Eventually they finished a distant 8th, and lost the Europa League final to Sevilla, so this season – for all its promise, guts and glory – delivered nothing to Anfield. While waiting for the train back home, our treat was a magnificent burger and chips in a deserted Burger King in the city centre. Let’s hope that 2016/17 delivers a bit more for Klopp’s hungry Liverpool side.

Notts County (07-05-2016)

Notts County 0 - 5 Carlisle United (League Two), Saturday 7 May 2016

Petrol £10
Tram £4
Ticket £22
Tea £1-80
Programme £3
Tea number 2 £1-80
Drink £1-25
Total £43-85

As we were heading to Anfield on Sunday I wanted a near-ish ground for Saturday. Notts County fit the bill perfectly - I did their counterparts Forest back in 2013 but have never made it to Meadow Lane.

Nottingham is apparently a tricky city to drive into so I opted for the Phoenix Park and Ride, which took about 40 minutes from our house. Half an hour later on the tram and I was in the centre of the city, which was abuzz with the sunshine out for once. In the market square kids were taking dips in the fountains and several stalls dotted around. Has summer arrived? On this evidence yes.

I alighted at Nottingham station - which it had to be said has massively improved in recent years - and made the short walk to the ground. Despite the fact that nothing much was hinging on this game there was still a healthy crowd of people around the ground. I headed to the ticket office to pick up my ticket, only to be barked at by a steward explaining I was in the wrong queue.

Once I had my ticket I sauntered around to the Spion Kop end, and made it in to the ground. Meadow Lane was bordering on 20,000 capacity, with all seated stands on each side. The away fans in their blue shirts were slowly gathering in the long side on my left, while the rest of the ground was fairly quiet. In the relatively sparsely populated Kop I then managed to completely spill a cup of tea! The brown liquid oozed down onto the next couple of rows, probably making a mark on the concrete for years to come.

After a replacement tea the ground began to fill up and the game kicked off. The atmosphere was interesting to say the least. Notts County have had a pretty poor season, lying around 17th-18th for most of it, with 3 managers in 2015-16. Their supporters - who to be fair had turned out in numbers today - voiced their frustrations early on.

It hardly helped when Carlisle took an early lead when 24 slid the ball to the unmarked 17, who slotted in calmly from inside the box. After c14couldn't quite reach a far post header and n29 forced a double save, c3 made it 2-0. Appallingly he was again unmarked with the defence in disarray. Notts had the odd shot (eg when 26's long ranger was well saved), but were a poorly organised side. So it was no surprise when 14 made it 3-0 just before half time. Boos rang out across the stadium.

Despite the sunshine the mood hardly improved in the second period. N3 scrambled an early effort off the line and then c13 bundled in a cross from the right. 4-0 and this was not even 60 minutes!

County had a few bright spots. 11 looked good in some sparky runs from midfield, and 39 had a rare County shot saved. Across the ground rang out the chant 'were shit and we know we are'. That was emphasised when Carlisle made it 5-0 thanks to an awful clearance from the goalkeeper, who fed it to the alert away striker. Still the chants rose across the seats of this grand stadium - 'you're not fit to wear the shirt'. There was time for a couple of final efforts - n24 firing just wide with a long ranger and n39 forcing another save - but this had been an unmitigated disaster for the home side. It could even have been 6 when 25 hit the post for the Cumbrians late on. There was a blue and white party in full swing at the far end, Carlisle finishing a respectable upper mid table on 67 points. The contrast in the home sections was palpable. On the final whistle boos streamed down from the Kop, and some fans walked out without any applause. Lets hope things improve next season as this is a grand old club and the fans deserve a lot better.

I strolled back to the tram stop, and got back to Phoenix Park for just after 5:30. The journey up the M1 was smooth and I made it in at about 6:15, which has to be one of my quickest return journeys.