The Mating Of the Wersh? Weekend Matchgoing

[Greenlander]

No, not sure if you remember it, but it was at Dandy Town's ground on St John's Road (Western Stars), not far from BELCO if that means anything to you. Aggression and problems around games here is sadly an all-too-often occurrence, always gang related and usually cases of trying to get onto a rival gang's 'manor'. This is just the first occasion I have actually been caught up in such an incident, arriving at a ground as a match official.

Aside from the National Stadium my knowledge of Bermudian football grounds is incredibly patchy. I'm better with the cricket. I know roughly where BELCO is and did have relatives on Pitts Bay Road so not too far away. The gang stuff didn't surprise so much as the idea of a secure car park. Where you'd go with a stolen car and how far you'd get I'm not sure - it's theft from the vehicle that's the problem though isn't it.

Apart from a week for my Grandma's funeral three years ago I've not been on the island for about 25 years. Maybe I shouldn't be so shocked.

[Bermuda Iron]

Without wishing to turn this into a Bermuda love-in, St John's ground is next to Gorham's, the big DIY store if you remember that? When I said secure car park, I actually meant a small patch of tarmac right next to the clubhouse/changing rooms, behind the fence, and good for a quick getaway if you have had a shit game. At least there I wouldn't run the risk of encountering youths with blades.

[Ray de Galles]

Extending this in to midweek, I’ve made a last minute decision to go to Epsom & Ewell v Godalming Town in the Combined Counties Premier Division as a mate is heading there. It’s the division’s bottom two teams so could be a tense affair.

I’ve been meaning to see The Salts at home for years and always hoped it would be back in Epsom itself but they seem no closer to getting back afterward over twenty years sharing at Banstead Athletic, Merstham and now Chipstead’s grounds.

[Southport Zeb]

I watched the south Sefton derby between Bootle and Litherland REMYCA tonight. Fairly dull first half in which REMYCA scored just before the break. Second half was much better with Bootle scoring a couple of quick goals to put themselves in the lead before Litherland equalised. Bootle were soon back in the lead after one of their players managed to spin round to beat his marker and then send the ball into the top corner. A fourth goal secured the win.

Since my last visit to Bootle they've moved the stands to behind the goal, with a big area of decking placed in front of the bar.

[Ray de Galles]

Epsom & Ewell are comfortably the worst side I’ve seen all season. No surprise I suppose when they’re bottom of the ninth tier but they made the visiting team only one place above them look like Hungary in ‘53.

A 0-3 romp for Godalming and they carved through the home side at will at times and should have scored more. An incredibly shouty and bellicose game too, which I suppose comes from being a relegation six-pointer. Special commiserations to The Salts’ Number nine who was a Loftus-Cheek so the contrast with his (I presume) famous relative must be particularly sharp right now.

[N est à?]

Well, they've got a league position in common at least

[Third rate Leszno]

Sevilla 3-3 Liverpool

All that is good and bad about Liverpool encapsulated in one evening. Moreno has had shockers against Sevilla twice in 18 months, so quite why Klopp chose to start him was beyond me. I want Klopp to succeed, I really do, but nights like that make it hard to keep the faith.

There's been some comment about the policing, and I suppose after seeing what went on in Barcelona with the Catalunyan referendum I should've expected some stupidity, but I was still staggered by how the relatively simple job of getting 2400 people into a football stadium could be so epically fucked up when you leave the Spanish police to control it.

I mean, letting people go to the seats they'd paid for would've been a good starting point, not filling one block to the point where people are milling about in walkways unable to find seats, then opening another block but not letting anyone out of the overfilled block, despite stewards telling fans that's what they should do. Had anyone with a modicum of common sense been watching what was happening, they could've reacted to it and moved their stairwell barriers and lines of police, but no, we've got a stupid plan, we'll stick to it and fuck the fans and their comfort and safety.

Lovely city, nice people, but I'd think twice about coming here to watch football again as an away fan while those fucking knobheads are running the show.

[Ray de Galles]

Yep. 3pm KO.

Football don't make way for rugby no more

I’ve just noticed Cardiff are playing tomorrow night and not Saturday afternoon when Wales play South Africa.

[Patrick Thistle]

And it's not on TV either. Sky are showing Leeds.

[Patrick Thistle]

It might be because the crowd was down by several thousand when they kicked off at the same time as Wales v New Zealand

[Ray de Galles]

They didn’t play a home match at the same time as the All Blacks game, that was the match against Georgia.

I did think that any bravado about directly competing with a rugby international, even a lower key one against a Tier Two nation, was misplaced.

Sadly, it appears the cunts are going up regardless.

[Patrick Thistle]

Oh yeah, that's right. The stadium was a bit gappy. I think they were away when NZ were here.