Flying

I’d arranged to go to AFC Portchester with Jade on Saturday for the Wessex League Charity Cup with Hamble Club, reckoning I ought to see the lads try for a trophy - although the opposition should have been AFC Stoneham who were league runners-up. Certainly that would have been a spicier game than the one we got. On the pitch the game had the air of a pre-season friendly, and very few fans bothered to show up. Still Portchester won 2-0 so we’ve seen them lift a cup this season.

So up at the crack of dawn Sunday to fly from Southampton to Basel, via Amsterdam. Mercifully there were no delays to either flight and I arrived in Basel just before 2pm. On the bus from the airport to the city there were a few other England fans - a man from Grimsby and two girls from Teesside - and an Australian lady named Vic doing a charity bike ride around the world, who was going to take in the Final en route.

Arrived just before 3pm at my hotel, which shared a reception with the local library. Being Sunday in Switzerland, all the shops were shut, but thankfully the man on reception was happy to supply me with a complimentary mini-tube of toothpaste complete with a brush. The rooms were modern decor though with old-style keys instead of cards. I dumped my bag and headed straight back out; having arrived too late for the fan walk, I got the bus straight to St. Jakob-Park.

With two and a half hours to kick-off, the streets around the stadium were already buzzing with hordes of English and Spanish fans. A couple of doors down from the stadium was Sam’s Pizza Land. The place was pretty much full but there was a free stool at the bar so I sat down and ordered a large of the ever-present Feldschlosschen.

I messaged Amanda and Charlotte to let them know where I was. Literally a minute later Charlotte walked in. She let me hug and kiss her, then explained that she was on her way to search for a new SD card but wanted to say hello since she’d been right outside when she got my message. We exchanged best wishes then she was on her way. I drifted over to the food serving side and ordered a chicken Doner. A heavy rain shower came and went while I was inside.

With no word from Amanda I walked back out into the road to find my entrance. In the street the Spanish fan walk arrived. I tried to get a photo but there were too many people standing along the cordon line.

I checked out the Official Fan Shop van but there was no separate programme for the Final, and the Final scarves (Kim had asked me to try for one) were sold out. I trooped back down the road to my entrance. My section turned out to be up several flights of stairs.

I was seated up in the gods. Across the pitch I could see the England end, a riot of white and St George flags, with flags bearing the names of different towns, clubs and people along the bottom. I was overlooking the Spanish end, with red and yellow flags everywhere and Samba drummers energetically playing to chants of ‘España!’

A couple were seated next to me. The young lady had a fairly dark complexion and long black hair so I assumed she was Spanish, until she and her boyfriend spoke to each other in English. Dancers came out to perform on the pitch, columns of flame shot up, and the teams appeared for the national anthems.

England started brightly but Spain soon took control and it was no surprise on 25 minutes when a neat tiki-taka move led to Ona Batlle crossing for Mariona Caldentey to head home.

I sat resigned to another Spanish party. Just before half-time Lauren James went down needing attention. She clearly hadn’t been match fit and her tournament was over. Any gloom at her departure was dispelled by Chloe Kelly coming on to replace her.

The Lionesses came out after the break revitalised. On 57 minutes Hannah Hampton started an exquisite move, flowing down the pitch through Keira Walsh and Georgia Stanway, out to Chloe Kelly on the wing, and Chloe centred for Alessia Russo to head home. Game on.

The 70th minute brought the introduction of amazing supersub Michelle Agyemang. Looking across at the England end I could make out the chants of “Mi - chelle - Agyemang, say Michelle Agyemang!” to the Oops Upside Your Head tune.

Claudia Piña came on, and was a lively threat as always, but super Hannah Hampton tipped her one clear chance over the bar. You just knew that extra time was going to come and go without incident and we were going to have to settle it on a duckshoot.

Beth Mead netted the first kick to have the England contingent jumping for joy, but VAR ruled the kick had to be retaken. When Beth’s second attempt was saved I was convinced it wasn’t going to be the Lionesses’ day. But Hannah Hampton said otherwise, saving two Spanish efforts to allow Chloe Kelly to step forward and billow the net. England were Champions again.

Sweet Caroline blared over the PA. I wasn’t at a great angle for taking photos of the celebrating Lionesses but I got a good one of them on the Titantron, and took a pic of the gold foil streams shooting up around them.

I wandered around the streets around the ground. Naturally they were full of fans and there was no sign of a bus to get me back to my hotel. I was standing on a tram stop platform thinking I might get there by a combination of trams when a loudspeaker announcement came saying the buses were going from temporary stops down the main road just past the bridge.

I reached the bus stop just too late for one bus but was joined there by two girls from England and we talked until the bus came. On the bus we were joined by two other young women and they all got chatting with each other so I couldn’t get a look in. They were all going to the Lionesses HQ in the city centre. Alas, with an early start in the morning I couldn’t justify joining them. I got off at the stop for my hotel, exchanged a few words with an English family around a table in reception who’d been at the game and were having a picnic with cakes, then got the lift up to my floor and crashed out.

So up early again Monday for an excellent buffet breakfast, a 4.10 CHF city tax bill and the tram and bus back to the airport. There were a few more England fans also going home via Amsterdam. It was raining as we walked out to the plane. Then on board we were told we were being delayed because of a shortage of air traffic control staff. We got airborne 15 minutes late.

Not that it mattered to me as I had a five hour layover at Amsterdam. It being too early for my flight home from there to be on the boards, I looked at the other British-bound flights and guessed the lower numbered D gates were my best bet. Having reached the hub that led to them, after failing to find a decaf coffee in Basel I made straight for Starbucks. Checked my messages and socials over a decaf mocha and a bottle of water. Then on to Burger King for something to eat.

The boards showed my flight as one of several all due to leave from gate D6. When you go down a flight of steps to D6 it makes sense: it’s a group of a lot of gates all bearing letters, where at boarding time you get on a bus that takes you to the plane.

Again we missed our take-off slot and were 15 minutes late. We landed safely at Southampton at 6 pm. In the queue to get off the plane I met a couple of girls from Southampton who were impressed that I’d been to the final. They’d been bantering with a man from Fareham, who proceeded to give me stick for being from Gosport.

And we went into the airport building to stand in the snake at Passport Control. Another adventure over.