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Under the cloud of word of an imminent new lockdown, so knowing this weekend would mark my last games for the foreseeable future, I went to AFC Portchester v Blackfield & Langley on Saturday afternoon. Arrived in plenty of time then had to stand in the queue for the tea hut for ages, all down to just one guy in front of me. Heaven knows what he'd ordered, but the couple in the tea bar were a long time getting his food and drink ready - and then he wanted to pay by card, causing a further hold-up while the tea lady went to borrow the card reader from the turnstile man. And all along, all I wanted was a couple of bars of chocolate.
As it turned out, they were down to a large Galaxy for £1 or a Kit Kat. I went for the large Galaxy and split it between pre-match and half time.
Thankfully there was still plenty of time for a jar before kick off. It was table service in the clubhouse. Nearly all the tables were reserved. Lewis from the Supporters' Club, his wife Clare and his pal Nathan came to the rescue, inviting me to join them (there was room at their table to sit the regulation distance from them all). I ordered an Atlantic. We talked rather optimistically about the prospect of matches resuming in early December, and all chatted about football generally. After going round the clubhouse collecting cash for football equipment for an African village, Lewis sold me a neat AFC Portchester face mask.
I found a seat in the stand behind the goal. This stand's less popular because a large net is draped in front of it, making it easy to find a socially distanced seat. There was only about half a dozen of us in the stand. At the front was a guy who asked "Was this your first choice?" Seeing my 100 Football Grounds Club hat, he naturally assumed my presence at this game was of a groundhopping nature. Several games in the local region had been rained off so he'd heard some hoppers were going to be heading here. I asked if he was a hopper; he said no, he was a Fareham Town fan who'd come down for a football fix as Fareham's game was rained off.
A lady came around selling 50/50 draw tickets. On the field, Portchester took the lead after six minutes and added two more without reply over the first half.
From this stand I wasn't able to hear the PA (I could just about make out James Brown's I Feel Good playing after Portchester goals). I walked around to the media box at half-time to ask if the winning 50/50 number had been drawn. I explained to a suited club official that I wasn't able to hear the PA from my seat; he cupped his hand to his ear and said "Pardon?" It took a repeat performance before the penny dropped. Then I was told tickets were still being sold and the number would be displayed in the clubhouse at full-time.
There was no further score after the break. Blackfield had a player sent off. A matchday volunteer, seeing that the player's walk back to the changing rooms was going to take him past the hospitality tent and some tanked-up Portchester fans, attempted to head him off and get him to walk back the long way round, but the player insisted on running the gauntlet. He duly got shouts of "wanker!" and similar, and gave them some verbals back. Whatever he said, it won the Portchester fans' respect; they cheered and clapped.
After the final whistle, I asked one lady in the clubhouse about the 50/50 draw; she had no idea but directed me to another lady who said the prize had been collected.
Was back at the ground yesterday for the Ladies' match with Bedhampton Village in the Portsmouth Women's Cup. Lewis was there again; he got a pic of me with my pint to post on Instagram and Twitter as a fan enjoying a drink at the last game before lockdown. We talked about the games scheduled for after lockdown is due to end (living in hope there) and longer-term plans for Supporters' Club trips to visit teams whose fans they've established friendships with in the German Ruhr and in Minneapolis.
Bedhampton had a few ladies cheering them in the stand; there were some Portchester people dotted along the perimeter fence. With Portchester top of the Hampshire Third Division and Bedhampton mid-table in the Second, this represented a test of the Portchester girls' mettle against a team from the division they were shooting for. The game turned out to give Portchester cause for hope for this season and next, as they won 10-0. My sponsee Michele scored a hat-trick. At full-time, Lewis got on the pitch and managed to get the team to record a message for an ill local girl who plays football. I got a brief chat with Michele after the match, she thanked me for coming and said "stay safe".
And then, glancing backward, I left the ground. Heads in.
As it turned out, they were down to a large Galaxy for £1 or a Kit Kat. I went for the large Galaxy and split it between pre-match and half time.
Thankfully there was still plenty of time for a jar before kick off. It was table service in the clubhouse. Nearly all the tables were reserved. Lewis from the Supporters' Club, his wife Clare and his pal Nathan came to the rescue, inviting me to join them (there was room at their table to sit the regulation distance from them all). I ordered an Atlantic. We talked rather optimistically about the prospect of matches resuming in early December, and all chatted about football generally. After going round the clubhouse collecting cash for football equipment for an African village, Lewis sold me a neat AFC Portchester face mask.
I found a seat in the stand behind the goal. This stand's less popular because a large net is draped in front of it, making it easy to find a socially distanced seat. There was only about half a dozen of us in the stand. At the front was a guy who asked "Was this your first choice?" Seeing my 100 Football Grounds Club hat, he naturally assumed my presence at this game was of a groundhopping nature. Several games in the local region had been rained off so he'd heard some hoppers were going to be heading here. I asked if he was a hopper; he said no, he was a Fareham Town fan who'd come down for a football fix as Fareham's game was rained off.
A lady came around selling 50/50 draw tickets. On the field, Portchester took the lead after six minutes and added two more without reply over the first half.
From this stand I wasn't able to hear the PA (I could just about make out James Brown's I Feel Good playing after Portchester goals). I walked around to the media box at half-time to ask if the winning 50/50 number had been drawn. I explained to a suited club official that I wasn't able to hear the PA from my seat; he cupped his hand to his ear and said "Pardon?" It took a repeat performance before the penny dropped. Then I was told tickets were still being sold and the number would be displayed in the clubhouse at full-time.
There was no further score after the break. Blackfield had a player sent off. A matchday volunteer, seeing that the player's walk back to the changing rooms was going to take him past the hospitality tent and some tanked-up Portchester fans, attempted to head him off and get him to walk back the long way round, but the player insisted on running the gauntlet. He duly got shouts of "wanker!" and similar, and gave them some verbals back. Whatever he said, it won the Portchester fans' respect; they cheered and clapped.
After the final whistle, I asked one lady in the clubhouse about the 50/50 draw; she had no idea but directed me to another lady who said the prize had been collected.
Was back at the ground yesterday for the Ladies' match with Bedhampton Village in the Portsmouth Women's Cup. Lewis was there again; he got a pic of me with my pint to post on Instagram and Twitter as a fan enjoying a drink at the last game before lockdown. We talked about the games scheduled for after lockdown is due to end (living in hope there) and longer-term plans for Supporters' Club trips to visit teams whose fans they've established friendships with in the German Ruhr and in Minneapolis.
Bedhampton had a few ladies cheering them in the stand; there were some Portchester people dotted along the perimeter fence. With Portchester top of the Hampshire Third Division and Bedhampton mid-table in the Second, this represented a test of the Portchester girls' mettle against a team from the division they were shooting for. The game turned out to give Portchester cause for hope for this season and next, as they won 10-0. My sponsee Michele scored a hat-trick. At full-time, Lewis got on the pitch and managed to get the team to record a message for an ill local girl who plays football. I got a brief chat with Michele after the match, she thanked me for coming and said "stay safe".
And then, glancing backward, I left the ground. Heads in.
