Evidently Chickentown
Apr. 27th, 2014 10:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eiffel_71To Hyde yesterday for the Hatters' last game of the season, with a win needed for the double century of 100 goals and 100 points. After a scare with the bus from the village being delayed over half an hour, it did finally show up, in time for me to visit Creighton's on Leighton high street for the first time since before Lent for one of their delicious brownies - naturally I went for a Creme Egg one - en route to the station.
From there it was on to the station. At Manchester Piccadilly, just had time to call at The Bagel Factory before catching the train to Hyde - jam packed with Luton fans singing 'Championi'. We all headed for the Sportsman pub near the ground, where dozens of Hatters were packed at the bar while two barmaids gamely tried to serve them all. Eventually reinforcements of bar staff arrived. When I edged back to allow the guy in front of me to pass all his friends their drinks, a guy in a bright orange wig and a clown nose cut in front of me; at least we had the pleasure of hearing him try to chat up the Spanish barmaid. Finally I got served after about 25 minutes standing there and had to sink my cider quick before making my way to the ground.
All the Hyde FC people were very friendly. Their fans were penned in a corner of one of the long sides, while the remaining seven-eighths of the ground were given over to Luton fans. Hyde FC is an Official Partner of Manchester City, so there was a City badge on the stand next to the Hyde one and all around the pitch were hoardings advertising City's website, City In The Community and Etihad airways. The bloke behind me in the queue said "Hyde play in red, don't they?"
"Yes."
"So why are the corner flags blue?"
I explained "They're a Man City Official Partner."
He replied "We're a Man City official hater!" He added "Two club wankers! I support four teams. Luton, Luton Reserves, Luton Youth and Luton Ladies."
The tea hut served, joy of joys, Rollover hot dogs. Very tasty chips too.
The first half was pretty dull, and Andre Gray missed a couple of easy-looking chances. A hardcore group of Hatters behind the goal weren't going to let lack of excitement on the pitch spoil their party, keeping up a non-stop chant of "We are the famous Luton Town". Hyde hit the crossbar just before the break.
Finally, on the 70th minute, Alex Wall fired a Gray header into the back of the net and we all erupted, with relief as much as euphoria - a few at the other end, which we were attacking, poured over the barrier and onto the grass behind the goal but thankfully allowed the stewards to shepherd them off. Relief because, though the title was already in the bank, every Luton fan in the ground really wanted that double hundred. Wall shot wide with ten minutes to go. Hyde pressed with full time imminent but Luton held on. When the tannoy man announced three minutes extra to play, he said there'd be a lap of honour after the match and asked Luton fans to please stay off the pitch at the final whistle. A chant of "on the pitch" went up from the other end. Sure enough, when the ref blew up Hatters swarmed onto the pitch from all areas of the ground. "Thank you for ignoring me," the announcer quipped.
I ambled back to the station, where I got talking to a lady Luton fan who lived in Halifax so only sees away games in the north. We chatted all the way to Manchester Piccadilly, while other fans in our carriage patted orange balloons around.
Piccadilly station was full of Manchester United fans coming from their game. More than one of them came up to me to say well done on our promotion, and a drunken Luton fan from Bolton came over to shake my hand and try and start a sing-song. The train to London via MK was delayed by half an hour, and even when the half hour was up no platform number appeared on the board. Finally the announcer and the board admitted that there would be an extra 15 minutes' delay. Piccadilly station was becoming like the Hotel California - you can check out any time but you can never leave.
Finally, 45 minutes late, we got a platform number, and hordes of Luton fans and London-based Manchester United fans swarmed onto the platform as the train pulled in. Among the throng was a Norwich fan who asked which team my shirt was.
"Luton."
"Welcome back." He shook my hand.
Boarding the train was complete chaos, as lots of people battled along the aisles in search of seats while others looked for their reserved ones. After squeezing through four carriages I, thank goodness, found a free seat. The train was an extra 15 minutes leaving while everyone settled down, so we were an hour late leaving. At the stops up to Stoke the announcer said the train would reach Euston at 00:05 and assured passengers the Underground would still be running then. By the time we were approaching MK we'd lost almost another half hour; the announcer told us Delay Repay claims could be made through the Virgin Trains website (I'd had the foresight to collect a paper form during the wait at Piccadilly), but didn't say anything about how the Underground would have stopped running so passengers going to London would now be at the mercy of Nightbuses.
For me and four other Leighton Buzzard based Hatters (who all seemed to be well oiled) it was a twenty minute wait at MK for the train home. One of them lived en route to my village so we agreed to share a cab; he walked right down to the bottom of the rank to find a taxi driver who was a mate of his, who took us both home without payment.
Watched some of Carry On Follow That Camel on ITV3 till I nodded off.
From there it was on to the station. At Manchester Piccadilly, just had time to call at The Bagel Factory before catching the train to Hyde - jam packed with Luton fans singing 'Championi'. We all headed for the Sportsman pub near the ground, where dozens of Hatters were packed at the bar while two barmaids gamely tried to serve them all. Eventually reinforcements of bar staff arrived. When I edged back to allow the guy in front of me to pass all his friends their drinks, a guy in a bright orange wig and a clown nose cut in front of me; at least we had the pleasure of hearing him try to chat up the Spanish barmaid. Finally I got served after about 25 minutes standing there and had to sink my cider quick before making my way to the ground.
All the Hyde FC people were very friendly. Their fans were penned in a corner of one of the long sides, while the remaining seven-eighths of the ground were given over to Luton fans. Hyde FC is an Official Partner of Manchester City, so there was a City badge on the stand next to the Hyde one and all around the pitch were hoardings advertising City's website, City In The Community and Etihad airways. The bloke behind me in the queue said "Hyde play in red, don't they?"
"Yes."
"So why are the corner flags blue?"
I explained "They're a Man City Official Partner."
He replied "We're a Man City official hater!" He added "Two club wankers! I support four teams. Luton, Luton Reserves, Luton Youth and Luton Ladies."
The tea hut served, joy of joys, Rollover hot dogs. Very tasty chips too.
The first half was pretty dull, and Andre Gray missed a couple of easy-looking chances. A hardcore group of Hatters behind the goal weren't going to let lack of excitement on the pitch spoil their party, keeping up a non-stop chant of "We are the famous Luton Town". Hyde hit the crossbar just before the break.
Finally, on the 70th minute, Alex Wall fired a Gray header into the back of the net and we all erupted, with relief as much as euphoria - a few at the other end, which we were attacking, poured over the barrier and onto the grass behind the goal but thankfully allowed the stewards to shepherd them off. Relief because, though the title was already in the bank, every Luton fan in the ground really wanted that double hundred. Wall shot wide with ten minutes to go. Hyde pressed with full time imminent but Luton held on. When the tannoy man announced three minutes extra to play, he said there'd be a lap of honour after the match and asked Luton fans to please stay off the pitch at the final whistle. A chant of "on the pitch" went up from the other end. Sure enough, when the ref blew up Hatters swarmed onto the pitch from all areas of the ground. "Thank you for ignoring me," the announcer quipped.
I ambled back to the station, where I got talking to a lady Luton fan who lived in Halifax so only sees away games in the north. We chatted all the way to Manchester Piccadilly, while other fans in our carriage patted orange balloons around.
Piccadilly station was full of Manchester United fans coming from their game. More than one of them came up to me to say well done on our promotion, and a drunken Luton fan from Bolton came over to shake my hand and try and start a sing-song. The train to London via MK was delayed by half an hour, and even when the half hour was up no platform number appeared on the board. Finally the announcer and the board admitted that there would be an extra 15 minutes' delay. Piccadilly station was becoming like the Hotel California - you can check out any time but you can never leave.
Finally, 45 minutes late, we got a platform number, and hordes of Luton fans and London-based Manchester United fans swarmed onto the platform as the train pulled in. Among the throng was a Norwich fan who asked which team my shirt was.
"Luton."
"Welcome back." He shook my hand.
Boarding the train was complete chaos, as lots of people battled along the aisles in search of seats while others looked for their reserved ones. After squeezing through four carriages I, thank goodness, found a free seat. The train was an extra 15 minutes leaving while everyone settled down, so we were an hour late leaving. At the stops up to Stoke the announcer said the train would reach Euston at 00:05 and assured passengers the Underground would still be running then. By the time we were approaching MK we'd lost almost another half hour; the announcer told us Delay Repay claims could be made through the Virgin Trains website (I'd had the foresight to collect a paper form during the wait at Piccadilly), but didn't say anything about how the Underground would have stopped running so passengers going to London would now be at the mercy of Nightbuses.
For me and four other Leighton Buzzard based Hatters (who all seemed to be well oiled) it was a twenty minute wait at MK for the train home. One of them lived en route to my village so we agreed to share a cab; he walked right down to the bottom of the rank to find a taxi driver who was a mate of his, who took us both home without payment.
Watched some of Carry On Follow That Camel on ITV3 till I nodded off.
