Sparta Prague 1-1 FCSB (2016)

Sparta Prague 1-1 FCSB
UEFA Champions League Qualifying
Tuesday 26th July 2016

My attendance at this game almost never happened thanks to a protesting coach passenger and ridiculous traffic jams on the outskirts of Prague!

The weather was glorious with Europe baked in sunshine. Portugal had just won the European Championship, 'Brexit' a month earlier had sent the exchange rate plummeting and the last place anyone probably wanted to be was on a marathon 24-hour coach trip from London to Prague.

It was roasting hot outdoors so it's a good job the air-con was working onboard but it still didn't stop one passenger having a complete meltdown before we'd even left Victoria bus station.

Either Flixbus had somehow managed to overbook this journey (a very likely possibility) or the woman in question was trying to pull a fast one (also a good possibility) and get a free trip to Brussels which was one of the stops en route. It ultimately resulted in chaos because unhappy with whatever was said, she took it upon herself to plonk her backside on the coach steps and refused to move - thus delaying departure well beyond the scheduled 8.30pm time.

After over an hour of police involvement and mitigation on both sides, the drama eventually reached its conclusion and the coach left (she wasn't onboard) - only for the driver to inform the rest of the passengers that he wasn't sure if we'd get to Dover in time to catch the ferry to Calais and if we missed it we'd have to wait until the morning!

This was all well and good but, having already been delayed by an hour and knowing our arrival time in Prague was 5.50pm - just two hours before the scheduled kick-off time, it meant my plans were already in complete jeopardy.

Luckily, the journey from London to Dover went just as smoothly as the subsequent checks at border control and there were no issues in meeting our scheduled ferry. Despite being knackered due to limited sleep, the coach navigated its way through France, Belgium and Germany and it didn't seem to take too long (all things considered) until we were on the home straight and nearing Prague!

That's where more problems materialised...

After a stop by the Czech police to check passports (which didn't really seem essential and was painstakingly slow), the coach met large tailbacks and traffic jams as the scheduled arrival time came and went. Sparta Prague's Champions League qualifying game was kicking off in less than two hours - it seemed so near but yet so far and traffic was moving VERY slowly!

Eventually, we reached Prague's Bus Station around 90 minutes late and that meant there was no other option but to find a taxi, dump my luggage at my accommodation where I'd check in later on, and instruct the taxi driver to go straight to the 'Generali Arena' - the sponsored name for Sparta's Letna home!

I've no doubt the taxi driver 'exaggerated' the fare because it seemed to cost an awful lot but quite frankly I didn't care; I was just delighted to be in Prague and at the stadium in time for kick-off - something which seemed highly unlikely just an hour earlier when vehicle number plates were everywhere to be seen from the coach windows!

The Stadion Letna is a strange old venue. As you'll see from the photos, each side is different from the others and the Main Stand (where I was sat) especially looks a bit of a mess to be completely honest. Even though for a long time it doubled up as the home for the Czech Republic national team, parts of the ground were reminiscent to the 'matchbox' feel which QPR's Loftus Road possesses.

Sparta's opponents for this qualifying tie were former European heavyweights 'Steaua Bucharest' or, officially, 'FCSB' - the name which the club had to adopt following a legal dispute with the Romanian military. Confused? Well... it's complicated, long-winded and this article will explain matters far better than I could ever wish to!

With the stadium around 75% full, there was a decent atmosphere and both teams applied themselves well which paved the way for an open, entertaining and intriguing contest. A tiny following of probably less than 100 from Romania were hidden away in one corner of the ground and they tried to make some noise, though their attempts were drowned out by the vociferous choreographed efforts from Sparta's ultras behind the goal - this in addition to quite a few excitable souls dotted around elsewhere.

In hot and humid conditions - even past sunset, there wasn't much between the teams and despite the fact Sparta dominated the first 45 minutes and deservedly took the lead through Josef Sural, they couldn't maintain their intensity which resulted in FCSB (or Steaua?) getting on top after the re-start and eventually equalising through Nicolae Stanciu.

The second leg saw the Romanians progress - only to be thoroughly walloped over two legs by Manchester City in the final qualifying round in what was one of Pep Guardiola's first games as manager at the Etihad Stadium.

Overall, it was a good trip - followed by a visit to Slavia Prague vs Rio Ave a few days later, though it was just damn well relieving to see this encounter at Stadion Letna given the travel chaos!

King's Lynn Town 4-4 Aldershot Town

King's Lynn Town 4-4 Aldershot Town

Vanarama National League

Saturday 29th May 2021

Eight goals, plenty of missed chances and good entertainment on what was the final day of the regular Vanarama National League season - it felt nice to (officially!) be back inside a football ground again even if the matchday experience was different compared to 'normal' times.

A total of 881 people were in attendance for a game which was always going to be full of chances considering there was nothing whatsoever riding on the result. No relegation from the National League this season has meant the pressure has been off for several weeks already and that's resulted in the defensive floodgates opening for King's Lynn! They went into the final day having shipped a remarkable 94 goals - though still only the second-worst defensive record in the division behind fellow part-timers Wealdstone.

Aldershot's problem over the past 12 months has been inconsistency. For much of the season they've lurked in mid-table knowing a decent run might elevate them into the play-off spots but such a run just never materialised! The fact they've been scoring and shipping frequently in recent weeks was another subtle nod in the direction of this game being a goal-fest though.

Tickets were easy to obtain; bought a couple of weeks ago on King's Lynn Town's website and other than a temperature test at the turnstile and regular announcements over the PA system asking fans to wear face coverings, there wasn't too much Covid-related nonsense spoiling everyone's enjoyment. The strangest aspect of the matchday experience was that each side of the ground had been sub-divided into sections with every spectator being allocated a colour-coded wristband - thus anyone caught in the wrong zone received a stern telling off from stewards. It's utter nonsense but I guess the club have to be perceived as being compliant by the draconian authorities who'd no doubt be quick off the mark to punish them if they sensed even the slightest wrongdoing!

On the pitch, much of the attention was centred upon Michael Gash who was appearing for the last time in a King's Lynn shirt. The 34-year-old target man, a formidable presence with a physique which is very similar to my own, has played a considerable role in the Linnets' meteoric rise up the non-league divisions over the past four years and received a guard of honour as the teams entered the pitch. He was accompanied by Ryan Jarvis (once of Norwich City) who has also been told his time at the club is up after the same length of stay!

Gash ought to have opened the scoring early on because King's Lynn started like a house on fire; going close within the opening few seconds before he then missed an absolute sitter on six minutes - somehow smashing the ball wide after Alex Babos' through ball.

There wasn't an awful lot between the teams other than King's Lynn were a bit wasteful in attack (if they'd took their gilt-edged early chances they probably would have won) and very slack at the back.

Following a spell of their own pressure where they had a shot blocked on the line, Aldershot punished some stupidity by grabbing the eventual opener on 20 minutes. Toby Edser was afforded space inside the box to reach Lewis Kinsella's set-piece cross and he guided his effort past the stranded home 'keeper - a very simple finish though the circumstances made it far too easy.

Matters then got worse for King's Lynn as they shipped for the 96th time in the National League this term with Chike Kandi intercepting a ridiculously wayward pass from Michael Clunan and ultimately sliding the ball past Theo Richardson.

With a 2-0 lead and having gradually got on top in the possession and territory stakes, you'd have been forgiven for thinking that Aldershot might ease to a comfortable win at this point. They were in full command but that all changed just before half-tine on the back of a simple route one move as Gash broke unmarked onto a direct ball down the left flank and subsequently sent a deft lob over the advancing 'keeper who'd rushed from his line and ended up being caught in no man's land.

That goal, which was wanted by so many in the crowd, proved to be a decisive and game-changing moment as Ian Culverhouse's side dominated things thereafter.

Simeon Jackson equalised from the penalty spot on 57 minutes after Michael Gyasi was needlessly tripped, but the Linnets weren't on level terms for very long because Aldershot quickly went down the other end and restored their advantage through Kodi Lyons-Foster.

Nevertheless, the momentum remained with the hosts and Jackson showed predatory instincts to draw his team level once more; hammering a superb drive into the far corner from an acute angle after his initial attempt was blocked by a covering defender.

King's Lynn were showing plenty of endeavour and desire to keep coming back but their flaws were hopelessly exposed once again with around 20 minutes remaining as they conceded for the 98th time in their debut season in the National League with Lyons-Foster punishing yet more lackadaisical marking to head home in simple fashion from a set-piece.

It seemed plausible that the Shots might bag twice more and cause an embarrassing 'century' landmark for their counterparts but instead, the balance of play in the final stages favoured Culverhouse's part-timers who got a point to show from their efforts thanks to Tai Fleming's injury-time equaliser.

All things considered, the result was immaterial for reasons already mentioned and what I expected was pretty much what unfolded; the game feeling similar to a pre-season friendly. Not many (if there's actually any) conclusions can be drawn because when the new season gets underway next August, there'll be a different type of intensity, pressure and meaning surrounding every game and both clubs will probably have quite different squads anyway.

It was a good day out overall and in decent weather - a rarity after the downpours over the past few weeks. The Walks is a nice enough ground in a perfectly accessible location and it should make for a good 'away day' once people's paranoia and media-infatuation over all things Covid-19 has subsided and us mere mortals called the general public are trusted to lead our lives responsibly again by the idiots running the country.

Here's hoping that lockdowns are a thing of the past!

Next game: Who knows? But it's now 989 competitive 'elite' games which I've watched in the UK - that 1,000 landmark is edging closer at long, long last!

Ferencvaros 1-1 Vasas (2018)

Ferencvaros 1-1 Vasas
Nemzeti Bajnokság I
Saturday 12th May 2018

Although Hungarian football doesn't quite produce either teams or players capable of creating major headlines nowadays, its capital - Budapest, is still something of a hotbed for a decent sporting weekend.

There are a plethora of clubs located in this city which is cut in two by the River Danube.

Ferencvaros (the country's most successful club) will be the name known to most people and their Groupama Arena home is perfectly located adjacent to Budapest's main bus terminus. Not too far away is MTK Budapest's quaint 7,500-capacity Hidegkuti Nándor Stadium which has concrete walls behind both goals, whilst Ujpest, Budapest Honved, Vasas and several lower division clubs also have their own grounds in the suburbs.

Boasting a capacity of over 65,000, the newly-built Ferenc Puskas Arena is Hungary's largest stadium and is set to host games at the delayed Euro 2020 championship later this summer.

Whenever you visit Budapest, it's likely there'll be a game being played somewhere in quite close proximity and with both ticket prices and general living costs being significantly cheaper here than in many other countries - plus the various sightseeing opportunities in the tourist hot-spots on the banks of the Danube (and usually decent weather), it makes for a fantastic little break away.

My first visit in May 2018 was deliberately planned to coincide with Ferencvaros' home game against city rivals Vasas - a top versus bottom fixture in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I at the time!

Despite having been forewarned about the complicated process in obtaining tickets for the game, it was a mistake on my part in turning up two hours before kick-off and expecting things to run smoothly.

For those unaware, Ferencvaros' owners have a policy in place (allegedly introduced to tackle hooliganism which has long-since been associated with the club's name) whereby membership cards need to be purchased at a modest cost before you can actually buy a match ticket.

It isn't that straightforward, however, because becoming a member involves being photographed, filling in forms and then holding some sort of dome-shaped 'vein scanning device' which collects your palm and finger prints for individual identification purposes. Once that's all completed, and with your details on file, you can then queue again and purchase a ticket with your membership card before eventually heading to the turnstiles, scanning your membership card, match ticket and palm of your hand and entering the stadium - assuming, of course, you haven't lost the will to live by this point.

It's certainly one way to stop tickets being transferred around but sadly, queues in Hungary don't move particularly quickly and after snail-pace movement which inevitably led to a mass scrum to buy a membership card (with queue-jumping going on aplenty), it was some 20 minutes AFTER kick-off that I'd finally got a membership card and match ticket and plonked my backside on a seat.

The moral of the story is... if you're planning a visit here, you really, really, really need to get to the stadium a day or so beforehand and complete the formalities when there aren't hundreds of others trying to do the same. If not, you'll probably miss (some of) the game!

Thankfully I didn't miss any goals and what happened on the pitch proved to hugely frustrating for the hosts who toiled, lacked ideas and conviction, squandered their openings and saw a few shots saved, and seemed anything but bonafide title challengers. 

The most recognisable name in Ferencvaros' team was Tamas Priskin (formerly of Watford and Ipswich Town) but he was an unused substitute.

Vasas were resilient and dogged and kept their well-fancied opponents at bay. Joseph Paintsil came closest with a sweet 25-yard that ricocheted back off the post but the game looked set to be goalless until the 89th minute when Miha Blazic broke the deadlock with a rebound header from just a few yards out after visiting 'keeper Felix Burmeister did magnificently to keep out the first attempt.

The goal provoked a huge outpouring of joy, relief and pure unadulterated delight amongst the delirious home fans. It clearly meant an awful lot and it's importance seemed as if it would go a significant way to deciding whether or not Fradi would be champions by the end of the season.

Tempers soon flared with a brawl involving several players in the first of four minutes of injury-time though, surprisingly, it didn't result in any red cards being shown.

In terms of the scoreline, Blazic's late opener just a few moments earlier appeared as if it would settle proceedings but there proved to be a cruel and dramatic twist as Vasas went up the other end deep into injury-time and salvaged a point; Tamas Egerszeki firing a speculative shot through a crowded penalty area which somehow ended up in the back of the net!

Silence immediately descended on almost all quarters of the ground as Egerszeki wheeled away in celebration; the ball hitting the net with precisely 12 seconds of the contest remaining. It really had been one of those perplexing, puzzling and utterly frustrating nights for Ferencvaros who did go on to clinch the title whilst their counterparts fell through the relegation trapdoor.