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Coffee And TV
Sep. 24th, 2020 06:37 pmTo Bromley yesterday for Fisher FA Cup tie at Cray Wanderers. Knowing I had to sort myself a coffee elsewhere before catching the train at Portsmouth Harbour, I walked round the corner to Gunwharf Quays, only to find that the normal entrance tunnel there is, under the current regulations, only an exit. Entry to Gunwhart meant walking all the way round to St George's Road, which there wasn't time for before the train went. Salvation was next door in the shape of a cafe called Feed, who did a nice takeaway decaf mocha.
The Bromley Premier Inn was everything I know and love about Premier Inns. At reception was a hand sanitiser dispenser; its sanitiser had a pleasant coconut smell.
On the walk from the hotel to the ground I met a Millwall fan who'd adopted Fisher while the Football League isn't admitting fans. My fame must have spread before me, as he said "You travel a long way, don't you?" He was a similarly exiled fan, living in Aylesbury. Keeping six feet behind while having a conversation was tricky but I managed it.
The man scanning tickets on the turnstile, seeing my Fisher hat and raincoat, said "Have a good evening - but not too good". He told me he'd been involved at Fisher Athletic during the 80s when Eddie Davies was manager, then followed Eddie to Cray along with several other lads, so he was "torn tonight".
Walking around the ground, the legend Donna passed me and asked how I was. There was a good turnout of Fisher fans gathered on the big terrace behind one of the goals. I said hello to the usual crew, but it was pouring with rain, and it was clear that finding a spot on the terraces that was both out of the rain (only the back three steps were sheltered) and socially distanced was going to be impossible.
After trying the main stand, where the only section that wasn't taped off turned out to be for directors, getting wet the whole time I made my way to the big stand behind the other goal, where finding a distanced seat was easy enough. Even from across the pitch, I was able to hear the Fisher faithful in good voice throughout the game. Fisher kept up a good fight throughout but the calibre of Cray, two divisions higher, told and Cray won 3-1. Leaving the ground, I met up with the Fish ultras who were in high enough spirits and talking about Saturday's league game at Corinthian. One of them lifted up a traffic cone on the way down the path from the ground to the main road, and shouted something incomprehensible through it.
Steve and some of the others were standing around on the pavement on the main road. Steve said to me that the Fish had had a decent game and that the Cray keeper had perhaps been lucky to avoid a sending-off - he'd been booked for handling outside the area then committed a later foul. He asked if I was staying over in Bromley tonight - "yes, the Premier Inn" and we said "See you Saturday".
And so I walked on back to the hotel to catch up on Classic EastEnders.
The Bromley Premier Inn was everything I know and love about Premier Inns. At reception was a hand sanitiser dispenser; its sanitiser had a pleasant coconut smell.
On the walk from the hotel to the ground I met a Millwall fan who'd adopted Fisher while the Football League isn't admitting fans. My fame must have spread before me, as he said "You travel a long way, don't you?" He was a similarly exiled fan, living in Aylesbury. Keeping six feet behind while having a conversation was tricky but I managed it.
The man scanning tickets on the turnstile, seeing my Fisher hat and raincoat, said "Have a good evening - but not too good". He told me he'd been involved at Fisher Athletic during the 80s when Eddie Davies was manager, then followed Eddie to Cray along with several other lads, so he was "torn tonight".
Walking around the ground, the legend Donna passed me and asked how I was. There was a good turnout of Fisher fans gathered on the big terrace behind one of the goals. I said hello to the usual crew, but it was pouring with rain, and it was clear that finding a spot on the terraces that was both out of the rain (only the back three steps were sheltered) and socially distanced was going to be impossible.
After trying the main stand, where the only section that wasn't taped off turned out to be for directors, getting wet the whole time I made my way to the big stand behind the other goal, where finding a distanced seat was easy enough. Even from across the pitch, I was able to hear the Fisher faithful in good voice throughout the game. Fisher kept up a good fight throughout but the calibre of Cray, two divisions higher, told and Cray won 3-1. Leaving the ground, I met up with the Fish ultras who were in high enough spirits and talking about Saturday's league game at Corinthian. One of them lifted up a traffic cone on the way down the path from the ground to the main road, and shouted something incomprehensible through it.
Steve and some of the others were standing around on the pavement on the main road. Steve said to me that the Fish had had a decent game and that the Cray keeper had perhaps been lucky to avoid a sending-off - he'd been booked for handling outside the area then committed a later foul. He asked if I was staying over in Bromley tonight - "yes, the Premier Inn" and we said "See you Saturday".
And so I walked on back to the hotel to catch up on Classic EastEnders.
