‘Dad,
dad can we go and watch a Premiership match?’ my then 5 and 7 year
sons Robbie and Tom asked me approaching 10 years ago.
‘Hold
on’ I reply. ‘It is difficult to get tickets, they are expensive
and how do I even know you will be able to sit through a whole match
without getting bored?’
I
say ‘let’s go and watch Gravesend & Northfleet play and if we
enjoy that, then we will see about going to watch a Premiership
match’.
So
we went along to Stonebridge Road one Saturday to see what we thought
about football about ten years ago. I am afraid I can’t remember
who the match was against, but it was a lovely sunny day and the
Fleet won 5 or 6 nil. Frankly we haven’t got close to doing so well
at any time I can think of since!
We
came several times afterwards and we all really enjoyed it. As a
parent I was completely relaxed that the boys were not going to get
crushed to death by the crowd, as if! They could go off and get a
drink and a bite to eat by themselves without any worries. The boys
enjoyed singing along, stamping their feet in the Plough End stand
and the football was always enjoyable.
We
did go to a few Premiership matches sometime later. Southampton vs
Newcastle was the first but we also took in Crystal Palace and then
Arsenal. However we found that it was always best to watch our team,
The Fleet and what started as an occasional outing became a love
affair and obsession. Sorry Millwall, but I have moved on.
The
boys don’t tend to come very often on Saturdays nowadays because
they go off with their mates looking for female company. When they
get to my age they will find that a different intention is a very
good reason to come to football. Though to be fair Stonebridge Road
is far from an all male environment and it is all the better for
that.
There
are lots of reasons why watching the Fleet is such good fun. Win,
lose or draw. One is that from the final whistle to my front door is
15 minutes. Last time I went to Wembley, we hadn’t even made it to
the station after an hour and it took a further hour and half from
then to get home. Wherever I go, I always compare the experience with
that of going to SBR. SBR always wins and I have been lucky
enough to get to some pretty special places from time to time. For
example I was in a box at Royal Ascot watching the Queen arrive in
her carriage in summer. I told my wife quietly that this was good but
I would still rather be at SBR. You don’t have to wear a top hat
either to watch The Fleet!
Three
Memorable Matches
Number
one has to be the FA Trophy semi-final at Aldershot. It is a day and
a game etched on my mind. I watch the DVD now and again and all the
tension and excitement comes back to me every time. I was trying to
keep Robbie and Tom informed as to how long there was to go and then
about 100 people kept asking me for updates every 30 seconds or so.
It was like I was the only person with a watch, but the problem was I
wasn’t really sure at what time the second half started, so I was
largely guessing. Still when our goal went in it was just fantastic.
Everyone was cheering, crying and hugging each other. The final
whistle went and the players came straight over to us. What a day!
Number
two was the game away at Chelmsford City in 2010/11. This match
was delayed because the pitch was very wet. The ref kept bouncing a
ball to test whether it was too waterlogged and I remember Liam got
very cross with him. Anyway it eventually kicked off and we were very
soon two nil down and hoping it might start raining! Derek Duncan
pulled one back from a free kick and then in the second half we got a
penalty to equalise and one of their players was sent off. The pitch
had a running track around it, but we were able to stand in little
tin stands behind each of the goals that held about 100 people.
Pretty rubbish really but it did mean we were very close the action.
When we scored our third goal was atmosphere in our stand was just
awesome. Really rocking, literally. We knew then that we should get
into the play-offs and of course we did.
I
loved the play off final at Farnborough and can bore about that game
for hours. However for my third game, I am choosing when we
went away to Hampton and Richmond in 2010/11. That game summed up
that season and also what a great community The Fleet is. It was a
Tuesday night and I got the train from London to Hampton. The pitch
was like a park and one side had trees down it. There were so few
people there and so little noise you could hear the birds singing in
the trees. I think they must have thought dawn was coming with the
floodlights on! Then a home fan walked in with his dog on a lead.
Crazy. Who takes a dog to a football match?
Anyway
we won 4-2 and for the 80 odd travelling fans it was a good occasion
if not a rather underwhelming one. The only reason I could go was
because I asked through the Forum if anyone could give me a lift
home. I actually got several offers from people who didn’t know me
and I think that was pretty special. In the end, I came back in Ian
D’s car with four other Fleet fans. A somewhat cramped journey it
has to be said, but we had won so no one minded.
Written by David Rutnam.
Wembley, Farnborough, Aldershot, Bedford, Villa, etc. No matter where or when, send us your Fleet experiences!
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