MSV Duisburg 0-2 St. Pauli, Bundesliga 2 (att. 20,790)
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| Welcome to .... |
Having a
weekend away for some Bundesliga action (Werder Bremen yesterday) I thought
'why not pop in and see St. Pauli?' After all, Dusseldorf Airport is
closeby Duisburg, allowing for a quick and easy exit back to Londontown.
Yes, it meant an earlyish start...the train was about 9ish...but as I was
staying near the railway station in Bremen, it was easy enough. I'd also
contacted St. Pauli's fanladen for a ticket in the away end, so had to make
sure I was at the stadium early to pick up my ticket.
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| Will they do the reverse for the journey back to 3.liga? |
I
already knew where the MSV Arena was, due to previous visits. If you come
out of the correct side of the station, go straight ahead where buses will take
you directly there. (Stand H1?) It's easy to spot...if you're
playing St. Pauli, cos there's big away support and you can't miss them.
As you leave the station, there's even a little bottle shop where
everyone tops up their account. (Don't worry, the shopkeeper has a bottle
opener on hand. Drinking in the street is to be encouraged in Duisburg.)
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Erdinger...the amber cloudyish nectar! |
Arriving
at the ground, there were quite a few St. Pauli milling around, having a drink.
One enterprising soul even had Jagermeister on his drinks' stall.
Not your normal pre-match tipple but it was chilly and perhaps folk could
do with a warmer-upper. It looked like all the St. Pauli buses had
arrived, including a 'femalebus'. I asked if anyone knew where the
fanladen guys were and I was directed in no time to Sven, who was handling
multiple tickets along with a Dutch bloke. I didn't expect a Dutchman to
be involved with the fanladen, but I guess it shows their appeal. After a
little chat, I headed in.
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| Very slick...personalised for the trip to MSV. |
I
was in the seats this time, right behind the goal. My seat was in row 7,
lower than I'd like, but it didn't matter; everyone was standing anyway.
I headed further back. And what a festival of football it was.
Actually, best not to mention the football, it was terrible. A
heading-for-relegation MSV looked it and St. P comfortably won 2-0, a low shot
from the edge of the box being matched in injury time with a second. MSV
were hit on the break and as the forward rounded the keeper he hit a shot that
I swear was missing the net, but it hit a defender and went in. All in
keeping with the standard of the match. Despite the result, on this
evidence, St. Pauli will struggle to gain the top 3 berth needed for a crack at
promotion.
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| The teams come out. |
I also snuck upstairs for the 2nd half; cracking view, though largely
empty. So, after a toilet trip, I went back downstairs to be surrounded
by a CROWD. Warmest I'd been all day. Then it was back on the
(free) bus to the station and a 20 minute journey to the airport. Job's a
good un.
The Damage:
€22 ent
€3.50 beer (x2)
€2.20 bratwurst (x2)
€19 train from Bremen (advance fare)
€5.70 train to Dusseldorf airport
= €58.10
...plus the flight back (£31)
The Tunes:
Plumb (Field Music)
Screamadelica (Primal Scream)
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| 'ello 'ello, what 'ave we got 'ere then? |
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| Are you a 'zebrafreunde'? |
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| Supporters club hut. Beer in sale here. |
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| Mobile cub shop. Still no badges (3rd time trying). |
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| The drummers arrive. |
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| Outside the home end. |
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| I've located where all the badges are. |
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| MSV Arena |
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| I love the angles. |
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| stadium plan |
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| Beer seller in ground. |
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| Cushiest jobs in the world #346: policing MSV (see right). |
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| Match action. |
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| We heart St. Pauli! |
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| Full time, 0-2. |
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| The entrance to the home end. |
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| Ticket office after the match. |
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| Duisburg-St. Pauli panorama |
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