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Sing Our Own Song
Sep. 4th, 2022 09:12 pmWith my social club commitments on Saturday evenings, I can’t get to most AFC Portchester away games (plus I have the never-never card to pay, then my foreign travel over the next 4 years to save for). So yesterday afternoon I headed for Fleetlands, who were at home to Millbrook.
Arriving at their Powder Monkey Park ground, I met vice-chairman Mark, a long-time acquaintance, who said hello.
The sign on the gate said admission was £6 while season tickets were £50. I mentally calculated that I’d be coming to more than eight games this season, so asked if I could pay for a season ticket by card. The gate lady said yes, and that I’d have to go to the clubhouse, and asked Mark to take me there. Mark led me over to chairman Iain, who I’d met on Wednesday night, who was standing just outside the clubhouse. Iain led me in and to the bar, and got the barmaid to find the season tickets in the cupboard, which she eventually did after not initially spotting them. She noted my name and ticket number on a notepad and got me to wave my bank card at the device, and the coveted little rectangle of plastic was mine.
Fleetlands, celebrating their 75th anniversary this season, started as a Royal Navy Aircraft Yard works team, hence their nickname The Coptermen. It’s tempting to think the name of the ground is a tribute to the club’s Naval heritage, but in fact the club is sponsored by a Gosport microbrewery called Powder Monkey. The brewery’s name, though, *is* inspired by Gosport’s long-time Navy connections, and all its beers (sold in the clubhouse bar) have nautical names. I treated myself to a pre-match can of Drunken Sailor.
After years in the Hampshire Premier League, Fleetlands have just been elected to Wessex League Division 1, and are still finding their feet, having registered their first league win last week. The pitch is mostly open air, with two small shelters along one long side. Behind one of the goals two rows of silver chairs and some beer garden tables were arranged (yes, you can sit with a pint and watch the game). This was where I sat. A little way along my row, a groundhopper in an Arundel Brewery T-shirt was talking to another guy about Sussex non league football and real ale. Fleetlands went in 2-1 up at half time, prompting Mark, on steward duty, to say to me “You’re our lucky charm”. In the second half, the Coptermen added a third, then Millbrook pulled one back but Fleetlands held on.
In the clubhouse Mark again said I’d been their lucky mascot. After a little confusion, I found the TV remote control and the barmaids agreed to let me put the Lionesses’ match with Austria on. I’d been following the beginning of the match on Twitter during the closing stages of the Fleetlands game so knew Alessia Russo had put us in front. England dominated the rest of the game and substitute Nikita Parris added a second to send the Lionesses to the World Cup, while the barmaid invited me to help myself to the food left over by the Millbrook players and officials as they drifted away.
Today was AFC Portchester Ladies’ first ever Women’s FA Cup tie, at home to QK Southampton Ladies. Lewis, Matt and Nathan were there. Lewis put up the Arancione banners and we sang our traditional chants for the club and some individual players, and created some new ones. The linesman replied to our chant of ‘Sea, sea, Seasiders’ with “Who, Blackpool?” Matt quipped “We both play in orange”. When Stacy Niven, up front, was on the ball I sang, to the No Limits tune, ‘Der der, der der der der der, der der der der, der der - Stacy Niven’ and the others joined in. I explained to them “I promised her a chant of her own. She’s my sponsee”. After Ellie Hooker had put us one up, Matt wanted to start “Wem-ber-ley” but we told him he had to wait until we were three in front to sing that.
Laura Streeter made it two with a lovely volley and I launched into “Streets, number nine, pom pom pom, Portchy never looked so good - So good! So good! So good!” and the others joined in for a couple more rousing renditions. Lewis said “I wondered where you were going with that. Good one.” Matt said “What if another game, she’s wearing a different number?” I said “The girls have squad numbers”. “Spoilsports,” was Matt’s take.
For the second half, Lewis suggested we christen the new small shelter, recently erected along the far long side close to the goal our girls would be attacking after the break. There was just room for the four of us. The new surroundings set our creative juices flowing, as Lewis led us in adapting FC United’s Ken Barlow chant to celebrate chairman Paul Kelly’s patronage of the Delme Arms and his preference for cider over lager. We did the ‘Ooh baby do you know what that’s worth, Eilidh Currie is the best on earth’ number, then Lewis tentatively adapted a chant they have for one of the men’s team players, to dub Eilidh as “Portchy’s Iniesta”. That chant had a rhyme with Ford Fiesta. Thinking it would be better to liken her to a star female player, I mentally pondered which car makes rhyme with top women players’ names. Eilidh isn’t a defender, so Passat/Bassett was no go, but then I remembered Yaris.
“Which car manufacturer makes the Yaris?” I asked.
“Toyota”, one of the lads replied. So I had my update of the chant :
Mark Dugan went to Pompey
In a Toyota Yaris
He came back with Eilidh Currie
Portchy’s Nikita Parris.
Lewis did point out that you have to squash the syllables at a couple of points, but we were glad to have made the song women’s football friendly.
Matt itched for the girls to score a third to allow him to burst forth with ‘Wem-ber-ley’. Eilidh obliged near the end and we gave the chant a full throated rendition.
After the final whistle we christened the shelter, putting up some Portchester stickers and a couple of random ones Lewis had acquired on his travels. He and the others left soon after. I waited for the girls to emerge from the dressing room then headed for the bar where Stacy bought me a Kopparberg. I chatted to her, Roxy, Laura and Paula, and told Stacy and Laura about their songs. Paula said she wanted a chant for her next time, and helpfully came up with a tune.
Arriving at their Powder Monkey Park ground, I met vice-chairman Mark, a long-time acquaintance, who said hello.
The sign on the gate said admission was £6 while season tickets were £50. I mentally calculated that I’d be coming to more than eight games this season, so asked if I could pay for a season ticket by card. The gate lady said yes, and that I’d have to go to the clubhouse, and asked Mark to take me there. Mark led me over to chairman Iain, who I’d met on Wednesday night, who was standing just outside the clubhouse. Iain led me in and to the bar, and got the barmaid to find the season tickets in the cupboard, which she eventually did after not initially spotting them. She noted my name and ticket number on a notepad and got me to wave my bank card at the device, and the coveted little rectangle of plastic was mine.
Fleetlands, celebrating their 75th anniversary this season, started as a Royal Navy Aircraft Yard works team, hence their nickname The Coptermen. It’s tempting to think the name of the ground is a tribute to the club’s Naval heritage, but in fact the club is sponsored by a Gosport microbrewery called Powder Monkey. The brewery’s name, though, *is* inspired by Gosport’s long-time Navy connections, and all its beers (sold in the clubhouse bar) have nautical names. I treated myself to a pre-match can of Drunken Sailor.
After years in the Hampshire Premier League, Fleetlands have just been elected to Wessex League Division 1, and are still finding their feet, having registered their first league win last week. The pitch is mostly open air, with two small shelters along one long side. Behind one of the goals two rows of silver chairs and some beer garden tables were arranged (yes, you can sit with a pint and watch the game). This was where I sat. A little way along my row, a groundhopper in an Arundel Brewery T-shirt was talking to another guy about Sussex non league football and real ale. Fleetlands went in 2-1 up at half time, prompting Mark, on steward duty, to say to me “You’re our lucky charm”. In the second half, the Coptermen added a third, then Millbrook pulled one back but Fleetlands held on.
In the clubhouse Mark again said I’d been their lucky mascot. After a little confusion, I found the TV remote control and the barmaids agreed to let me put the Lionesses’ match with Austria on. I’d been following the beginning of the match on Twitter during the closing stages of the Fleetlands game so knew Alessia Russo had put us in front. England dominated the rest of the game and substitute Nikita Parris added a second to send the Lionesses to the World Cup, while the barmaid invited me to help myself to the food left over by the Millbrook players and officials as they drifted away.
Today was AFC Portchester Ladies’ first ever Women’s FA Cup tie, at home to QK Southampton Ladies. Lewis, Matt and Nathan were there. Lewis put up the Arancione banners and we sang our traditional chants for the club and some individual players, and created some new ones. The linesman replied to our chant of ‘Sea, sea, Seasiders’ with “Who, Blackpool?” Matt quipped “We both play in orange”. When Stacy Niven, up front, was on the ball I sang, to the No Limits tune, ‘Der der, der der der der der, der der der der, der der - Stacy Niven’ and the others joined in. I explained to them “I promised her a chant of her own. She’s my sponsee”. After Ellie Hooker had put us one up, Matt wanted to start “Wem-ber-ley” but we told him he had to wait until we were three in front to sing that.
Laura Streeter made it two with a lovely volley and I launched into “Streets, number nine, pom pom pom, Portchy never looked so good - So good! So good! So good!” and the others joined in for a couple more rousing renditions. Lewis said “I wondered where you were going with that. Good one.” Matt said “What if another game, she’s wearing a different number?” I said “The girls have squad numbers”. “Spoilsports,” was Matt’s take.
For the second half, Lewis suggested we christen the new small shelter, recently erected along the far long side close to the goal our girls would be attacking after the break. There was just room for the four of us. The new surroundings set our creative juices flowing, as Lewis led us in adapting FC United’s Ken Barlow chant to celebrate chairman Paul Kelly’s patronage of the Delme Arms and his preference for cider over lager. We did the ‘Ooh baby do you know what that’s worth, Eilidh Currie is the best on earth’ number, then Lewis tentatively adapted a chant they have for one of the men’s team players, to dub Eilidh as “Portchy’s Iniesta”. That chant had a rhyme with Ford Fiesta. Thinking it would be better to liken her to a star female player, I mentally pondered which car makes rhyme with top women players’ names. Eilidh isn’t a defender, so Passat/Bassett was no go, but then I remembered Yaris.
“Which car manufacturer makes the Yaris?” I asked.
“Toyota”, one of the lads replied. So I had my update of the chant :
Mark Dugan went to Pompey
In a Toyota Yaris
He came back with Eilidh Currie
Portchy’s Nikita Parris.
Lewis did point out that you have to squash the syllables at a couple of points, but we were glad to have made the song women’s football friendly.
Matt itched for the girls to score a third to allow him to burst forth with ‘Wem-ber-ley’. Eilidh obliged near the end and we gave the chant a full throated rendition.
After the final whistle we christened the shelter, putting up some Portchester stickers and a couple of random ones Lewis had acquired on his travels. He and the others left soon after. I waited for the girls to emerge from the dressing room then headed for the bar where Stacy bought me a Kopparberg. I chatted to her, Roxy, Laura and Paula, and told Stacy and Laura about their songs. Paula said she wanted a chant for her next time, and helpfully came up with a tune.
