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To Walsall yesterday for England Women friendly with Denmark. The Train Line website had said the train I caught from Leighton Buzzard went direct to Walsall. So I thought I was safe listening to music on my earphones - until, after Birmingham, the guard checking my ticket said I couldn't have heard the announcement as the train had split and the section I was in was going straight to Wolverhampton.
So I had to get a train from Wolverhampton back to Birmingham New Street and then another from there to Walsall. Worse, the train out of Birmingham was delayed. It was becoming clear that I wasn't going to get my pre-match drink and grub with Jules, Alice and Kath. Meeting another couple of fans, and a friendly female American student going to the game - she was from a suburb of Philadelphia so she was delighted to hear of my visit there this year for SheBelieves - on the train we agreed to share a taxi.
The taxi crawled along, stuck in horrendous traffic, plunging me into gloom as my plans for pre-match food and drinks were killed stone dead. Eventually, with the stadium close. the four of us got out and walked the last bit.
As I arrived in the Radisson Park Hotel bar, loyal Cat and Steph were still there. Bless them, they stayed and talked to me while I got a strawberry and rhubarb cider. Cat and I, after agreeing we were hoping to meet Carly, lamented that we no longer had Laura - although Cat waxed lyrical about Laura's photos of her baby on Instagram, and she was happy at my telling her Laura would be on the BBC panel for the World Cup. As Cat and Steph can't get to France that was welcome news to Cat.
We headed for the, alas, different stands we were sitting in. I entered the ground frustrated at all the problems I'd had getting there and at my hunger, having not eaten since breakfast, and gloom-laden at the reminder of the heartbreak of Laura being gone from my life. And I needed to get hold of Jules and Alice as they had my World Cup tickets.
Was in my seat just in time to take a photo and stand for the anthems. I watched the first half, my mind wandering from time to time. Several phone calls to Jules went unanswered. The Danes pressed, Karen Bardsley came to the rescue with several super saves, while Nikita Parris put us in front from a breakaway. After 38 minutes I couldn't contain my hunger any longer and headed for the tea hut. Queued for what seemed an eternity and got a hot dog.
A message from Jules at half time saying to meet her at the end of the match.
The second half began. More of the same. Karen outstanding. Beth Mead sent over a beautiful cross for Jill Scott to ripple the net with a header. It ended 2-0 and I made my way over to the section Jules and Alice were in. They'd driven it and also had a traffic horror story - they hadn't even got into the ground by kick-off. We chatted briefly and Jules gave me my World Cup tickets.
Out to the car park to wait for the Lionesses. Got talking to a couple of fans who were waiting for Rachel Daly. Tony appeared and said a quick hello. Natalie and her Man Utd Women posse were there, singing their terrace songs the whole time. Someone twigged that the coach sitting by one of the exit doors was the Danish one and that the Lionesses were getting into waiting cars. After a few players had come and gone, someone pointed to Carly standing by a car in the main body of the car park behind us. I legged it over to her and said hello, she remembered me and took a photo of us on my phone.
One of the later ones to appear was Karen Bardsley; although, having already done several autographs and pics, she was looking keen to get away by the time she reached me, she gladly stopped for a photo with me.
After what seemed an eternity, Jodie was the very last to appear, out of the main reception door at a time when I was standing at the middle of the barrier by the car park. When I ran over, her mum was saying "She has to go now," but Jodie high-fived me and thanked me for coming.
I moseyed over to the station I'd sadly forgotten about, that would have made my trip a lot easier if I'd remembered it when booking my train ticket : Bescot Stadium station next to the ground. At Birmingham New Street, all I had time to get food-wise before the Leighton train left was a £4.49 meal deal from WH Smith's of a sandwich, bottle of water and bag of crisps. So that had to do me. Out with the earphones. I searched for songs to suit my mood.
And then there was the long walk home from the station.
So I had to get a train from Wolverhampton back to Birmingham New Street and then another from there to Walsall. Worse, the train out of Birmingham was delayed. It was becoming clear that I wasn't going to get my pre-match drink and grub with Jules, Alice and Kath. Meeting another couple of fans, and a friendly female American student going to the game - she was from a suburb of Philadelphia so she was delighted to hear of my visit there this year for SheBelieves - on the train we agreed to share a taxi.
The taxi crawled along, stuck in horrendous traffic, plunging me into gloom as my plans for pre-match food and drinks were killed stone dead. Eventually, with the stadium close. the four of us got out and walked the last bit.
As I arrived in the Radisson Park Hotel bar, loyal Cat and Steph were still there. Bless them, they stayed and talked to me while I got a strawberry and rhubarb cider. Cat and I, after agreeing we were hoping to meet Carly, lamented that we no longer had Laura - although Cat waxed lyrical about Laura's photos of her baby on Instagram, and she was happy at my telling her Laura would be on the BBC panel for the World Cup. As Cat and Steph can't get to France that was welcome news to Cat.
We headed for the, alas, different stands we were sitting in. I entered the ground frustrated at all the problems I'd had getting there and at my hunger, having not eaten since breakfast, and gloom-laden at the reminder of the heartbreak of Laura being gone from my life. And I needed to get hold of Jules and Alice as they had my World Cup tickets.
Was in my seat just in time to take a photo and stand for the anthems. I watched the first half, my mind wandering from time to time. Several phone calls to Jules went unanswered. The Danes pressed, Karen Bardsley came to the rescue with several super saves, while Nikita Parris put us in front from a breakaway. After 38 minutes I couldn't contain my hunger any longer and headed for the tea hut. Queued for what seemed an eternity and got a hot dog.
A message from Jules at half time saying to meet her at the end of the match.
The second half began. More of the same. Karen outstanding. Beth Mead sent over a beautiful cross for Jill Scott to ripple the net with a header. It ended 2-0 and I made my way over to the section Jules and Alice were in. They'd driven it and also had a traffic horror story - they hadn't even got into the ground by kick-off. We chatted briefly and Jules gave me my World Cup tickets.
Out to the car park to wait for the Lionesses. Got talking to a couple of fans who were waiting for Rachel Daly. Tony appeared and said a quick hello. Natalie and her Man Utd Women posse were there, singing their terrace songs the whole time. Someone twigged that the coach sitting by one of the exit doors was the Danish one and that the Lionesses were getting into waiting cars. After a few players had come and gone, someone pointed to Carly standing by a car in the main body of the car park behind us. I legged it over to her and said hello, she remembered me and took a photo of us on my phone.
One of the later ones to appear was Karen Bardsley; although, having already done several autographs and pics, she was looking keen to get away by the time she reached me, she gladly stopped for a photo with me.
After what seemed an eternity, Jodie was the very last to appear, out of the main reception door at a time when I was standing at the middle of the barrier by the car park. When I ran over, her mum was saying "She has to go now," but Jodie high-fived me and thanked me for coming.
I moseyed over to the station I'd sadly forgotten about, that would have made my trip a lot easier if I'd remembered it when booking my train ticket : Bescot Stadium station next to the ground. At Birmingham New Street, all I had time to get food-wise before the Leighton train left was a £4.49 meal deal from WH Smith's of a sandwich, bottle of water and bag of crisps. So that had to do me. Out with the earphones. I searched for songs to suit my mood.
And then there was the long walk home from the station.
