By now I was determined. I’ll drive. New car and all, honeymoon period, etc (a 9 year old Audi A3 since you ask….and already I’m peed off as the DAB radio has stopped working). I booked a hotel…£50, reasonable. Though a single room and ‘shared toilet.’ Course, I hadn’t told the other half. This would mean getting back about 4pm the following day, with plasterers destroying the house. Then on Monday God/Loko intervened (same difference according to one person). He needed my ST number for Burton away tickets…and having logged in and stumbled around the ticketing page….I discovered I had a coach ticket for Exeter! Surely not!?
I’d put one in the ‘trolley’ on Satdy, but hadn’t bought it. What wizardry was this? Could it be…could it…that I was entitled to ‘free’ coach travel cos of the aborted mission in January? I rang Oakwell. YES! My name is on the list. I could be back at Oakwell at 3am after the match and be home in time for plasterers. Joy. But why had I not been told? ‘I’m sure it’s been on our socials’ said a ticket office operative dubiously. Hmmm. ‘But why’s it not on the ticketing page of the website? Wouldn’t that be the logical place to put it?’ Does the club’s official website count as ‘socials’? I have just searched up ‘Exeter’ on the website and there is definitely no mention of anything about coach tickets being re-usable form the original fixture.) I told her not to worry, after 40 years I’m used to this kind of incompetence from Oakwell. And to be fair, they did offer me a refund…but the earlier I got home the better.
I’d say it’s pretty obvious the match ticket is re-usable…the game didn’t take place. But when I paid £41 for a coach journey, did that coach journey take place? Yes it did. I still had my 400 miles of coach. Another fan on Tuesday told me ‘you’re always entitled to a replacement journey if the coach doesn’t reach its destination.’ How many times does THAT happen? Meantime, another fan told me a couple of others had made their own way down by car cos they didn’t know they were entitled to the replacement coach. So I wasn’t the only one. Maybe, like me, they’re a bit thick – one of them is only a solicitor. Oh, and goodbye to that 50 quid I’d paid for the hotel. It was too late to cancel. Still, we got a free scarf on the bus. Something about them being left over from some charity day or sumfing, but they’re very nice. Yours for 50 quid.
So it was that I rocked up at midday for the coach. Got to the ground at 6:30 after the odd hold up, in time to miss a tour of City’s museum with Oakwell Historian. Not to worry….straight into the ‘Centre Spot’, their welcoming social club next to the ground. Big room, 2 bars (one cask), plenty of choice of ale. We were joined by Big Al, who’d travelled all of 40 minutes from his home turf of Torquay. Will he go 2 from 2 after seeing us lose at Plymouth in August? The Captain was there too, visiting his bro nearby. (Down there, I think within 100 miles is ‘nearby’.) We reminisced about the old Oakwell social club, and I reminded everyone how we were promised a replacement when the Ponty End was rebuilt. Maybe a crap beer in a crushed concourse DOES constitute ‘a replacement?
The away entrance was less than a minute away. Chris looked down on us from the IP Office Main Stand, while us plebs stood behind the goal on that tiny terrace. The view was poor which didn’t help our mood as the match drifted away from us. Those watching on iplayer didn’t think the 1st half was so bad, but from where I was stood, only one team threatened. Bobby Thomas had already cleared 2 corners before their left winger outfoxed Jordan Williams, cut inside and had the wherewithal to curl it into the far corner. A beautiful finish – if we’d done it. We continued to live dangerously. I’d take going in only one down. Then, from nothing, we score. Well, from nothing was a free kick in their half, Bobby Thomas prodding the cross home. Wow, we’re level at the break and we can only improve.
How wrong I was. What a meek second half performance, despite the subs. I haven’t even reached the terrace before they go ahead. Following a comfort break, I’d snuck up in the stand to chat to Chris in time to see Jordan Williams get done again. This time the player cuts it back and it’s sidefooted in from 10 yards. We are back to where we started, only with less time to rescue it. So much for the half time break and team talk. We threaten twice in the rest of the game. Sub Tedic gets unlucky as a shot from an angle hits the keeper’s trailing legs, while Phillips must score clear the bar with the ball rolling nicely to him. Him and barn doors don’t go well together (when I’m there).
Exeter nearly extend their lead with a floated header that goes just the wrong side of the post as we waited with baited breathe for it to land in the goal. Seemed to take an age that one. But just as we think we’re still in this one, Isted spills a shot and Bobby Thomas (I’m not being formal mentioning his forename, Luke is back too) nearly breaks their player’s leg as the latter steams in on his blind side. Problies lucky it’s in the penalty area, as coulda been a red for me. The pen is poor, nice height for a keeper, Isted goes the right way…but it’s through his hands. It’s that kind of night. Not even 8 minutes of injury time (Exeter timewasting) can save us. With no traffic on the roads, we’re at Oakwell for 3 and I’m home by 5am, via an unhelpful detour around Wakefield with the M1 closed. GRRRRRRR!!!!!
Onwards and upwards!
*** Bobby Thomas. I know. I’m giving MOTM to a bloke who gave away a penalty. That’s how bad we were.
** Norwood. Ran around. Did I say we were appalling? Closed down their defenders, so was hoicked around the hour mark.
* No-one. I was scraping the barrel with the first 2...
Londontykes’ MOTM: 1. Andersen 2. Bobby Thomas 3= No-one/Norwood
Despatches:
It was great to see Big Al and The Captain – so it wasn’t a total waste of a journey. I also bought a couple of cheap burgers from the MacDonalds at a service station around midnight. I couldn’t believe they were still serving. Not that I got them though – 10 minutes later they still hadn’t arrived and I was scared the coach was gonna leave me behind! My phone had also died and my battery pack didn’t work. I can’t believe the coach didn’t break down too.
I was wrong about something else too. I take back the idea that having the Ipswich game postponed last Satdy was a GOOD thing for our chances. Exeter played, they’d be tired. Our constant Sat-Tues-Sat-Tues routine of late would catch up with us had the Ipswich game gone ahead. (Maybe it would have; maybe we’d have lost 6-0 at Exeter?) Annoyingly, tonite’s defeat has increased our chances of playing Exeter again next season. I needn’t have bothered…
Drink du jour: Tribute Cornish Pale Ale.
Away: 450. And we all got a voucher from BFC for a free drink (non-alcoholic) to recognise our efforts in getting there. Even those from Torquay. And a round of ‘How s*** must you be, you sit down away’ aimed at the seated Reds.
Today’s take home: I preferred last Tuesday!
The Damage:
c.£30 travel (petrol)
‘free’ coach
£50 hotel
£23 ent
£3 programme
£11 round of drinks
= £117. Bargain.
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