Sun, Sea, and Football: Adventures in Alicante

Perched high above the city's coastline and dating back to the 9th century, Alicante's castle of Santa Bárbara was once upon a time surely a fearsome sight for anyone sailing into the city. But as it currently stands, partly obscured by the large apartment type buildings that adorn the said coastline of tourist filled sandy beaches below, one can't help but feel that it doesn't look half as menacing as it might once have.

But if the castle has lost some of it's bravado since it's heyday then the same can probably be said about the town's football team Hércules de Alicante. For a period in the 1970's and 80's they were an established La Liga side spending 10 seasons in the top division of Spanish football over a 12 year period. Even when those top flight appearances became far more infrequent they still had their moments, including memorable victories against some of the country's top sides and in particular three famous La Liga wins over Catalan giants FC Barcelona. Nowadays however mid table finishes in the third tier Segunda B division are more common, whilst the club plays in a 30,000 seater stadium that is usually less than a third full for most home games. To further emphasise their decline, when they last faced Barcelona in a 2016 cup tie they lost 7-0.

Back to the city itself and leaving the castle behind a walk further along the shore and you will find people admiring the many pristine yachts moored up in the harbour, stroll further inland you will come across the old town thronging with people sat outside it's many bars, cafes, and restaurants. You have found yourself in a vibrant, multicultural, cosmopolitan, historic city.

It's a hot sunny afternoon at the end of the summer when I myself arrive in Alicante, or Alicant as it's called in the regional Valencian dialect. When on holiday this is the sort of day when you should be lounging by the pool with a drink or swimming in the sea. But I've left the holiday resort of Benidorm and our hotel pool behind, and taken the local light rail type train service known as 'TRAM' up the coast for an afternoon of live fútbol, having been unable to tempt the rest of my crew to join me.

Despite the hustle and bustle in the centre of town, once you head out towards the suburbs it's a much quieter affair. I am in search of a football ground, the Estadio José Rico Pérez to be precise, home of the aforementioned Hércules. As I walk through the backstreets of the city, I find the place mostly deserted with little more than parked cars to keep me company.

Used on occasion by the Spanish national team, the stadium which hosted England in an international friendly in 2015 is a little over a 20 minute up hill walk from the city centre. When I arrive I find a ground that from the outside definitely looks like it needs some TLC with graffiti scrawled all over it's shabby looking concrete walls. I walk around the dusty track outside and notice the place is almost as deserted as the streets I passed through on the way here. Having said that it is well over an hour until kick-off and there doesn't look much around to occupy the fans pre match. I soon arrive at several hatches that serve as the main ticket office where I find a small group of fans milling about. I purchase a ticket for today's game then nose around the club shop next door before heading further round outside where I find a stall selling scarves and various other trinkets. By now things are beginning to look a bit more lively.

Currently playing in the third tier Hércules last played in the top flight of Spanish football in 2011 where relegation was followed by three seasons in the second tier Segunda División before a second relegation to Segunda B where they have now entered their fifth campaign at this level.

The 2010/11 season was a lone season in the top flight and although it culminated in immediate relegation back down to the second level it will fondly be remembered for one very special afternoon in Barcelona. Hércules visited the Camp Nou stadium and came away with an astonishing 2-0 victory over an all conquering FC Barcelona side who at the time had not lost at home for one year, three months, and eighteen days.
Beating the giants of FC Barcelona however was nothing new, in their previous season in the top flight some thirteen years earlier they beat Barcelona both home and away, coming from behind on both occasions. Six points lost that saw Barcelona lose out to arch rivals Real Madrid in the title race.

Today's match is a Segunda B Group 3 clash with a side called CD Teruel, a small club who after promotion last season are back in third tier after a seven year absence, having never played higher than this level. For Hércules, they are hoping to continue their excellent start to the season and keep alive the 100% record they possess having played four games so far.

With a scarf purchased I find myself at losoe end and think about entering the ground. The turnstiles however are not yet to open leaving spectators standing around looking bored with nothing to do. A quick look at a map on my phone and all I can find nearby is a supermarket 10 minutes away, but with temperatures heading towards 30°C hopefully I may be able to at least get a soft drink to keep me hydrated.

Before reaching supermarket a find a small bar I hadn't spotted on the map and soon find myself sat drinking beer. Alcohol in hand I am accosted by a local who when his suspicions that I am English are confirmed introduces me to his English pal who low and behold comes from my home town of Newcastle Upon Tyne! Well they do say wherever you go in the world you'll always find a Geordie... Eventually I leave my two new friends behind and head back to the ground in anticipation of kick-off.

Inside the stadium the concourse looks as dilapidated inside as the ground does from the outside, but there are some excellent murals on the walls which at least give it some charm. I head up the stairs and into the stands to look for my seat. I find myself behind the goal in large open and roofless stadium with four large floodlight pylons towering over stands whose blue seats are partially filled with expectant supporters. The ground is far from full but with roughly 8500 in attendance it is not a bad turn out for a third tier regional league game.

The match gets underway and the visitors find themselves in front after just two minutes bringing joyous celebrations from a small row of red shirted away supporters at the other end of the ground. Despite the setback on the pitch, in the stands it is very much a vibrant affair with chanting and flag waving to my right, and drumming to my left. Hércules dominate the first half but will have to do better in front of goal during the second as they find themselves still one behind at the break. During the first period there were some rather rash challenges from the visitors who aren't afraid to play dirty, and this continues during the second half. Definitely more Don Revie than Brian Clough from the away side here.

Just as with the first half the home side dominates the second forcing several saves from the opposition keeper whilst also having god knows how many corners and at one point hitting the crossbar, all to no avail. 

With 15 minutes to go Hércules give away a free-kick after a silly foul and the visitors score from it. If that does not prove it's not going to be Hércules day then a guilt edged opportunity they miss soon after definitely does. After excellent build up play one of the Hércummles players shoots straight at the keeper with possibly one the weakest efforts you'll ever see, this after probably taking too long with the ball and helping the opposition keeper get in an excellent position to save.

Even as a neutral I find it all extremely frustrating that the opposition who have had two shots on target the whole game are winning 2-0 in a match they should probably be losing by 3 or 4 when you consider the opportunities the home side have been given. 

As we head towards full-time some of the home fans start to leave but the ones still around at the end applaud their team off the pitch knowing that despite a two goal loss they at least can't fault the players for their effort. It is just one of those days for Hércules but it's still 4 wins out of 5 and they are still top of the league.

With the match over I head out of the stadium and soon leave the crowds behind to find myself once again walking through quiet deserted streets. All is calm and peaceful with nothing but the sound of my feet pacing along concrete as I walk through dimly lit alleyways in what is a rather serene end to the performance of blood and thunder I have just witnessed on the pitch. This gives time for me to ponder over what has been another enjoyable outing to watch the beautiful game.

Clearly the high flying  days of years gone by and the historic victories over the blue and red of Barcelona seem a million miles away after games like this. But in an old stadium that certainly does not lack character, a healthy crowd are still on hand to support their local side for what is despite a lack of facilities around the vicinity still an enjoyable matchday experience, and all set in the backdrop of a beautiful city. As far as football trips go it could definitely have been a lot worse.

As featured in the November 2018 issue of Football Weekends magazine

Points Deductions and Pitch Invasions: The Fall and Rise Again of Spennymoor

There is usually a pitch invasion on these occasions and this was no different, the Brewery Field faithful in their traditional black and white attire were ecstatic, they could not believe it! It had been a long road back to the Premier Division of what is now known as the Evo-Stick League for Spennymoor, but not only had they made it back, here they were a year on having just gone one better! 

It took eleven years after Spennymoor United were removed from the Unibond League as it was then known for the club - since reborn under the name Spennymoor Town - to find their way back to what is the third level of English non league football, and if their eventual return was the icing on a cake many years in the making, then promotion from the division at the first attempt was obviously the cherry on top. 

I find myself at Spennymoor Town's Brewery Field home based in the town of Spennymoor, County Durham in what is former coal mining country. It is a cloudy overcast day with the sun just managing to peep through on occasion. After a brief dip in temperatures during what has been an unusually hot summer it suddenly feels warmer again and I later conclude that I have probably put too many layers on when I find myself stood on the terraces with the sun, albeit only briefly, pounding down on the back of my parka coat.

Today's opponents are FC United of Manchester, a club formed in 2005 by disgruntled Manchester United supporters who were unhappy at the Glazer family buying their club. Spennymoor are several games into their second season of National League North football after a first which saw them miss out of the play-offs thanks to the small matter of goal difference. Considering the club had been promoted via the play-offs in both of the previous two seasons, to miss out on another play-off campaign having come so close must have been thoroughly disappointing. Though when you consider their story and where they have come from, one hopes they were at least proud to have gotten so close.

The history of Spennymoor United predecessor to the current club dated back to 1904 and the club were for many years a prominent feature in North East non league football. Over the years the club was home to various players that would later go on to grace the Football League and the most prominent of these players was Johnny Dixon who captained Aston Villa to FA Cup final glory in 1957, whilst John Collins father of comedian Frank Skinner also performed in Spennymoor's black and white on the pitch here at the Brewery Field. Spennymoor were a successful club and alongside their various regional league and cup successes the club eighteen times reached the first round proper of the FA Cup, along with two second round appearances and a third round defeat at West Bromwich Albion in 1937. All that proud history however came to a rather sad end in 2005 for the then Unibond League Premier Division club. 

United's problems had began on Christmas Day 2003 when their clubhouse which extraordinarily was uninsured burned down thanks to a discarded cigarette. This lost the club a large chunk of its regular income, and the financial problems that followed weren't helped when the clubs main backer and chairman Benny Mottram announced in early 2005 his intention to stand down. Disagreements with the council over the lease on their Brewery Field home, Mottram's arguments with supporters, and problems fulfilling fixtures didn't exactly improve matters either. 

In March of that year the club found themselves without enough players available for a cup fixture and were eventually expelled from the competition. The game was to take place on a Sunday and according to Mottram among other reasons two of the clubs players were Catholic and were unavailable to play on religious grounds. The club continued with a depleted squad but in the league several games also did not take place and these were accompanied by fines and points deductions. Spennymoor were a club in crisis and manager Graham Clark had already walked out after a 5-1 Good Friday defeat at Gateshead. By April it was obvious Spennymoor would not be able to complete their fixture list and they were expunged from the league.

Arguments within the League over how the final 2004/05 table would look and how Spennymoor's fixtures both those completed and those not would fit into this raged on. But that did not concern the Spennymoor faithful, they just needed their team back. Plans by supporters to form a new club were put to one side when local Northern League team Evenwood Town, having various problems of their own, submitted plans for themselves to move into Spennymoor's Brewery Field ground. An independent Spennymoor fans group backed the Evenwood plans with the club set to be renamed Spennymoor Town (The FA twice blocked a name change to United).

The Brewery Field ground as it currently stands consists of a main seated stand on one side of the pitch with a marquee tent sat next to it, and another covered stand with newly installed seating behind the goal to it's right, whilst the other two sides consist of uncovered concrete terracing. In one corner there is mobile catering and bar facilities, and as I await kick-off I find their curry and chips a good hangover cure for the previous nights alcohol. I'm not drinking today but it's worth noting that aside from the limited bar facilities in the ground, the club also help run the Moors Tavern pub in town, an excellent choice for those who like a pre or post match tipple. 

Today's opponents from Manchester started life in step 6 of the non league pyramid and have had to work their way up to where they are today, one division below non league's top tier. When Spennymoor Town came about they also had to start from the bottom and began life in the second division of the Northern League some three divisions below where the clubs predecessors had played during that ill fated final campaign. 

Town gained promotion from Northern League Division Two at the second attempt, winning the league in 2006/07 with a record points total. The club stabilised themselves in the First Division before winning three titles in a row between 2009/10 and 2011/12, twice breaking the 100 point mark. Whilst having initial success in Division One the club did not apply for promotion (which until recently was not mandatory between steps 5 and 4) instead aiming to make the club self sufficient. In 2012/13 Spennymoor did eventually apply but missed out finishing behind a reformed Darlington side despite again breaking the 100 point mark. The following year the Moors were once again Champions and this time did secure promotion. 

Alongside their Northern League successes, Spennymoor also had cup success in 2013 when they won the FA Vase at Wembley. The Moors chartered a flight to the Channel islands for the first leg of their semi final with Guernsey, taking players, backroom staff, officials, and  supporters along to witness a 3-1 victory before a second leg at home in front of over 1700 people and a 1-0 victory that set up a Wembley final with Tunbridge Wells from the Kent League. During the build up to the final cup fever hit the town with shops selling merchandise and locals rushing to buy tickets for the big day. 5000 fans travelled down to Wembley from the North East and this included some 24 coaches being filled. Goals from Gavin Cogden and Keith Graydon secured a 2-1 victory and the Moors brought the cup back to the North East, much to the jubilation of the town.

Following promotion from the Northern League, league and cup success continued for Spennymoor. Another cup run in 2014 saw them make it into the draw for the first round proper of the FA Cup. Having beaten,Tadcaster Albion, Bishop Auckland, Dunston UTS, and Ashton United, the Moors faced then National League side AFC Telford United in the final qualifying round. An injury time Telford equaliser saw the Moors then lose a replay and miss out on what would have been a first round clash with Basingstoke Town. In the league Spennymoor took just two seasons to gain another promotion, leaving Division One of the Evo-Stick League via the play-offs, and then doing exactly the same the following year to gain promotion from the Evo-Stick Premier Division. 

Given home advantage due to league placings, a Rob Ramshaw winner in front of 1699 fans sealed a second successive promotion, and place in the National League North, producing in the process that aforementioned pitch invasion. Having worked their way back from the brink, Spennymoor had a team that had surpassed all expectations and now found themselves well and truly into the higher echelons of non league football.

If anyone thought National League North might be a step too far then last seasons eighth place finish proved the doubters wrong, and as I stand on the terraces I see a team that looks at home in their surroundings, competent against their opponents, and seemingly having the better of the chances in the first half. 

At half-time a man in the portakabin cum club shop that I find sat behind the terracing along one side  the pitch tries to sell me a club branded mug, but I politely decline. The travelling support from Manchester were in full voice stood amongst the covered seating behind the goal during the first half and regain the same position for the second period, whilst most the vocal of the home support who had been stood next to them have now moved around to the other end of the pitch to which their team will attack for the second period.

The second half is mostly dominated by the home side and the terraces erupt when the Moors are awarded a penalty on 59 minutes. Sam Baird pulls back Glen Taylor who takes the resulting penalty and beats the keeper smashing the ball right down the middle. Spennymoor are in control now and double their lead with Ryan Hall crossing in for Adam Boyes to tap home late on.

It doesn't matter where you go in the country you will always find football fans desperate to get away from a match early and at Spennymoor it is no different, with some people heading towards the exits even before the second goal goes in. Those that do stay however get to see that second goal and probably head home unnerved by the idea that they may arrive at their destination a few minutes later than those early leavers.

The Spennymoor faithful will be pleased with a second win in three days that puts them comfortably into mid table after seven league games, and who knows, some may even be daring to dream of another promotion. I suppose yet another advancement would be a long shot, but given what they've achieved in recent seasons then anything is possible. Having been through hard times the Moors have returned stronger, and although its been a long road back it's certainly been an exciting journey, and a story that hopefully has many more thrilling chapters to come. Just no more discarded cigarettes please!

As featured in the December 2018 issue of Football Weekends magazine

The Ghost Stadium of Chernobyl and the Team That Is No More

Imagine a whole town or city being evacuated, with no one ever to return. People leaving behind their homes, their places of work, the places where they socialise, in many cases leaving behind the place where they grew up. 

Watching TV recently I saw a programme where they visited a place where this actually happened, with area in question being site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and the now ghost town that stands in it's shadow. Proclaimed a city in 1979, Pripyat's population reached 49,360 before it was evacuated in April 1986, and sat there imagining what everyday life would have been like in this Soviet metropolis, one of my first thoughts was did they have a football team? 

Naturally however I did not wonder for long, I very quickly went and did what everyone does in the modern day world that we live in, I went on the internet and googled the answer. The answer was indeed yes there had been a team in Pirpyat. According to wikipedia FC Stroitel Pripyat played in the fifth tier of Soviet football and finished second in their final full season before leaving the city (they moved to Slavutych a new purpose built city for Chernobyl evacuees, but folded two years later). 

You can view Pripyat's overgrown abandoned stadium on Google Maps street view and after putting a few tweets out to various Ukrainian, Russian, and Soviet football accounts, someone replied telling me they'd visited the stadium as part of a Chernobyl tour. Although I've obviously never been myself it is interesting too see footage and images of the crumbling 'ghost' stand that remains and imagine the matches that took place there.

As for further information on the club, my twitter shout out did not give me anything else but I did myself however find a moderately interesting article on the club at atlasobscura.com and the abandoned ground. It describes in the abandoned ground, though that is nothing you can't see via Google maps, but does also have an interesting paragraph about the very sudden end of football in Pripyat: 

Midfield Magazine reported how on April 26, 1986, FC Stroitel Pripyat’s opponents for the upcoming weekend’s fixture, the magnificently Soviet named, FC Mashinostroitel, were preparing to leave for Pripyat. The sharp end of the season was approaching, and the two sides were scheduled to play in the semi-final of the Kiev Regional Cup. A helicopter landed on FC Mashinostroitel’s training field, and a fraught looking official informed them, “lads, go home, you’re not going to Pripyat tomorrow.” The cataclysmic events unfolding at Chernobyl meant no football team would ever play there again.

FC Stroitel Pripyat is a fascinating football story about which I know very little, and any further information would be welcome about what is one story that is rarely told when it comes to the Chernobyl disaster and the events that followed it.

Border Boys

Anyone and everyone is welcome at Galabank, from the man who's travelled up from London for his first experience of football in these parts, to the group of West Brom fans who looking for a second team to follow closed their eyes, put a pin on a map, and ended up here. Then there's me, this my also my first visit and I've travelled from Newcastle to be here.

I'm here at a stadium where some ten years ago 22 men took the field in what was a historical moment for the team plays here, it's loyal supporters, and indeed the small borders town in which they are based. The town is Annan in Dumfries and Galloway, south west Scotland, and the club in question is Annan Athletic of Scottish League Two.

A decade ago at the start of the 2008-09 season having just made their Scottish Football League debut with a 4-1 win away at Cowdenbeath, Annan Athletic played their first ever home game inside the top four divisions of Scottish football, with 1152 spectators in attendance to witness this historic occasion. It was 9th August 2008, a rainy Saturday afternoon, and despite visitors Stenhousemuir taking the lead on four minutes, the hosts playing in their traditional black and gold colours were level tso minutes later when Mike Jack slid the ball home. Having from the penalty spot scored the clubs first ever league goal at Cowdenbeath a week earlier, Jack had now scored the clubs first ever home league goal. Stenhousemuir had a man sent off on the hour mark but Annan failed to to take advantage and their first ever home game in the league ended in a draw.

As part of it's match report from that famous day, the Daily Record wrote of a notice on the wall in the ground's social club stating there would be an open meeting held to try and form a supporters club, and that 'depending on numbers' a bus would run for fans to attend the clubs next away game at Montrose. Annan Athletic had finally arrived. 

Yes Annan had arrived, but some eight years after originally applying to to join the league. Although in recent years there has been a play-off system in place involving the bottom team in League Two, not so long ago the league was a closed shop, and very rarely were new clubs admitted. In 2000 a league expansion saw Elgin City and Peterhead join the league with Annan's application unsuccessful, but eight years later and it was however a different story. The financial demise of near neighbours Gretna saw a place open up for admission into the league and this time out of five teams who applied it was Annan who were the successful applicants. 66 years after they were originally formed, Annan Athletic had for the very first time become members of the Scottish Football League.

Galabank is a modest stadium, a modern looking all seater stand runs along one side of the pitch with open air terracing for the away fbehind one goal ans to its left, whilst to its right home fans have been able to stand undercover behind the other goal since 2013 when new covered terracing was constructed. The pitch slopes down towards the covered end, and this end has a clubhouse situated behind it. On a matchdays you will find the clubhouse a hive of activity with visiting officials being offered a warm welcome inside, and home supporters sat watching the lunchtime kick-offs on the television as they enjoy a few pre match pints. Once they've finished their pints, left the delightful clubhouse building and headed inside the ground for kick-off, those supporters can soak up their alcohol with a bite to eat, choosing from a selection of food including what I found to be one of the best meat pies I've ever tasted. 

The stadium itself has been the home of Annan Athletic since 1953 when the club were a Scottish team playing in an English league. However in 1977 Annan left the Carlisle and District League and rejoined the Scottish Football Association where pre 2008 they spent their days in the South of Scotland League and then later the East of Scotland League. 
Annan's first two seasons in the league's bottom division League Two saw seventh and eighth placed finishes, with the latter also including a Scottish Challenge Cup semi final, whilst their third season saw the clubs first real promotion push.

22 May 2011 was a key date in the history of Annan Athletic as they hosted Albion Rovers in the second leg of a promotion play-off final. A fourth placed finish had seen Annan face up against second bottom in League One Alloa Athletic in a the semi final and the men in Black and Gold won 2-1 on aggregate to set up the tie with Albion. Having won the first leg 3-1, Albion went into the second game clear favourites and went 1-0 up after 24 minutes.  But Annan would not go down without a fight. The 1,165 strong crowd that afternoon saw Bryan Gilfillan find the net twice in the second half and the home fans started to believe. Annan pressed forward looking for a winner but this however was to no avail and dreams of promotion were dashed.

Promotion has yet to follow with second and third placed finishes in 2013-14 and 2016-17 respectively both ending with play-off semi final defeats. 2012-13 however brought another historic moment in the clubs history, a 2-1 victory over the mighty Glasgow Rangers.

One half of the big Old Firm rivalry that is made up of the two most successful clubs in the history of Scottish football, Rangers had reformed after financial meltdown and were forced to start their new life in the bottom division of the Scottish leagues. That season Rangers won the title with a 24 point margin, but they didn't have it all their own way as events on 19th Mach 2013 showed. Undefeated at home in league up to that point, Rangers got the shock of their lives after a visit from those men in Black and Gold, in what was probably the biggest moment in Annan Athletic's 70 odd year history.

Crowds of 2,517 and 2,441 had seen Rangers twice visit Galabank with the first game ending 0-0 and the second a 3-1 win for the visitors. A 3-0 away defeat for Annan against the Gers was sandwiched in between, before a fourth game between the two sides and that historic afternoon at Rangers' Ibrox Park home.

Annan had been struggling in the league, new manager Jim Chapman had failed to win any of his first seven games in charge, and a visit to Ibrox for match number 8 wasn't expect to bring anything other than defeat. All assumptions were thrown out the window however when Annan found themselves 2-0 ahead with two goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half. An Ally Love backheel in 47 minutes was followed by a David Hopkirk header 8 minutes later, and for the visiting supporters this was what you call 'dreamland'. Yes Rangers quickly pulled one back, but it mattered not as Annan held on for a famous famous victory. 

Although Annan have failed to advance from League Two in the ten years since they joined the division, they are now a well established name in the Scottish leagues. Taking us up to the present and the 2017-18 season has seen Annan finish in seventh place meaning they will remain in League Two for another season at least. When I visited them towards the end of the season they were playing a Stirling Albion side who despite sitting in the play-off positions were enduring a rotten run of form. Annan ran out 3-1 winners, and the home fans amongst the above average 507 crowd seemed to rather enjoy themselves on what was a warm sunny afternoon, making lots of noise, particularly when the goals went in. Despite the noise, the fans did however fail to drown out what is one of the loudest PA system I've ever came across, with defeaning music accompanying every goal.

That there ends my introduction to Annan Athletic, and I leave you with some final thoughts. A neat little stadium and welcoming hospitality awaits anyone who ventures over to Galabank, and hopefully this family friendly club will continue to thrive both on and off the pitch so that their stay in the Scottish leagues can last well into the future years ahead.

Annan
A key border town in the wars between England and Scotland during the middle ages, Annan Castle was home to the Bruce family who were the Lords of Annandale, and took a very active role in Scottish independence (all this obviously many many centuries before Sturgeon and co tried to secede from the United Kingdom). Since the Acts of Union in 1707 however, Annan and its inhabitants have lived a much more peaceful life, and Annan with a River of the same name running through it for many years became known for it's ship building. Nowadays the town has a population of about 8,500.

Popular attractions within the town include Annandale Distillery where you can take a tour of the site and take part in whisky tasting, the Victorian Town Hall which was built in 1878 and sits at one end of the high street, and also Bridge House which is considered one of the finest Georgian Town Houses in Scotland. Bridge House was used by Annan Academy between 1802-1820  where writer Thomas Carlyle was a notable pupil and there are currently plans to restore the Grade A listed building and open a museum there. Although no longer in existence, the site of what was Annan Castle forms part of Galabank Park that sits by the river, whilst opposite the entrance to the park a plaque marks the cottage where the renowned artist and painter to Queen Victoria William Ewart Lockhart was brought up.

MATCHDAY GUIDE

Getting to the Stadium
The ground is barely a 10 minute walk north from the town's main train station which is on the Carlisle to Dumfries line.

Eating and Drinking
There is a clubhouse at the ground, but that aside you'll need to walk into the town centre which is just under a 10 minute walk away. On the High Street there is the excellent Blue Bell Inn pub whilst the nearby Cafe Royal is popular for food.

Buying a ticket
Matches generally don't sell out and you can pay on the turnstiles.
Admission prices for season 2017/18 were as follows.
Adults: £12
Adult & Child (under 12 years): £12 (Accompanied Children U12 free entry)
Concessions: £6 (Concession entry covers Senior Citizens (65+), Juniors under 16

As featured in July 2018 issue of Football Weekends magazine

There's always a match in Berlin

Berlin has a rich football history. Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin are well known throughout the world, and Union Berlin in the second division seem to be rather popular amongst visitors from the UK, whilst fourth tier BFC Dynamo are well remembered for their East German past. What people don't always realise though is that the German capital also hosts several other clubs in the fourth tier Regionalliga, as well as an extensive list of clubs in both the fifth tier Oberliga and the large Berlin league system that sits below it. Such an array of leagues and teams gives an expansive list of options for the football traveller looking to find a match when visiting the city. Even an end of season trip to Berlin during the week which saw me arrive at the wrong ground for a game, still saw me able to catch one and a half local matches in the city. Also, with a truly excellent public transport system, getting to the football once you've found the right venue is not a problem in the slightest.

I enjoyed a delightful stay in this bustling German metropolis when originally I was supposed to be in London. A planned overnight trip with friends to watch our beloved Newcastle United away at Tottenham however had to shelved because a) we couldn't get tickets, and b) some of our contingent couldn't get time off work either. I however had my leave all booked but nowhere to go. So with the money I'd saved for London whispering 'spend me, spend me', I indulged in one of my favourite pastimes of searching for cheap last minute flights online. I usually in the end decide not to go anywhere but this time I actually decided to take the plunge. 

Having always wanted to visit Berlin, when I came across £60 return flights from Newcastle I jumped at the chance, especially when a quick fixture check showed that I might be able to catch some local fussball whilst there. Confirmation that none of my friends would be coming didn't deter me, and I booked up for this fascinating solo trip which included two great games that are detailed below.

Match 1 - Berliner AK 07 v Berliner FC Dynamo

The first of my two matches in Berlin came after a long Wednesday sightseeing in which I saw many of the usual sights, including the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Wall, and Checkpoint Charlie, as well as the slightly more unusual but rather interesting Currywurst museum. Currywurst is my favourite German cuisine along with the McRib burger. Although not strictly German, Germany is the only country where McDonald's permanently serves this famously elusive burger all year round. I am also partial to a bit of Sauerkraut, whilst the Turkish 'Kebap' shops common in many German cities serve Doner Kebabs that are far superior to anything available in the UK.

As you can see I had plenty of food options for my post match supper, but before my meal it was time for the big game. That night's match was a Berlin derby in the Regionalliga Nordost between Berliner Athletik Klub 07, often referred to as Berliner AK 07 or simply just BAK, and Berliner FC Dynamo, or BFC Dynamo for short. 

Previously as the all conquering East German side Dynamo Berlin, BFC Dynamo won ten top flight GDR Oberliga titles in a row between 1979 and 1988. Being the favoured club of the Stasi (secret police) many alleged that their dominance came with help of obedient referees and because of this the club was despised by many throughout the East German republic. With the clubs past so heavily associated with the communist East German regime its rather surprising that nowadays Dynamo - currently an insignificant semi professional side in the lower leagues - has a fanbase consisting of predominantly far right neo nazi skinheads. This I'd read about previously and I had it confirmed by a German I met at my second game who said Dynamo's support was notorious for its what many people consider extremist views. As for the home side BAK, Wikipedia told me they had a bit of a following amongst the local Turkish community, but aside from a few Turkish sounding names on the pitch this wasn't something I found particularly noticeable whilst attending the match.

After walking through a charming park full of families with picnic baskets and children kicking balls around I found myself at the Poststadion, home of BAK. There were various stalls outside the main stand serving food and drink, as well as a couple of tables serving as a mini club shop and selling replica shirts and other memorabilia.

I purchased a €10 match ticket from a small ticket hut outside and as I entered the stadium was thoroughly patted down by a member of what was a heavy security presence, and also had my bag thoroughly searched. In the ground I was sat in the all seater main stand along with the home support. The pitch had an athletics track around it with the away support stood on the terracing at the other side of the ground. I Had to temporarily leave the stadium when I was told that the only toilets were outside, and had to deal with the same over the top security rigmarole before I could re enter.

BAK, pronounced 'Bee-ah-kah' very quickly found themselves 2 -0 up thanks to a thunderbolt long range shot and another effort also from distance that came shortly afterwards, both of which saw the home fans rather excited. A small group of children at one end of the stand were brought to life by the excellent start and ended up making a lot of noise chanting 'BAK! BAK!' whilst accompanying said chant with loud drumming. BAK totally dominated that first half and found themselves 3-0 up at half-time. In the second period BAK relaxed a little but still ran out 4-1 winners and the home fans in the crowd of 416 trudged off into the night rather happy, whilst I went off to a bar near my hostel for a beer and some German sausage and mash with sauerkraut. Yum.

Match 2 - Füchse Berlin v Tasmania

Before this second game I spent two days doing more sightseeing. This further sightseeing included trips to the Ramones Museum where you can walk round with a beer (apparently the punk rock band were very popular in Germany and the place was recommended to me by a friend), a walk down Karl-Marx-Allee which was built as the showpiece boulevard of the GDR, and a brilliant tour of the Olympiastadion (with thankfully no intense security searches). The city having now been extensively covered, I was definitely ready for some more onfield action. 

With a Saturday afternoon flight home stopping me from catching any of the numerous weekend fixtures, the only other game I could find after studying the various fixture lists was a lone Friday night sixth tier Berlin-Liga match between Füchse Berlin and a team called Tasmania (Who just to point out are also based in Berlin themselves and do not hail from that island by the same name near Australia. Now that would have been a long away trip!!!).

Pronounced 'Fookser' which translates as 'foxes', very little information on the home side was forthcoming online other than that they are a sports club more famous for their handball team, whilst their website even when translated into English was almost useless.  A quick search on Google Maps however did lead me to what I believed was the home ground of their football side and I arrived there half an hour before kick-off. 

I had turned up in the middle of what was a quaint residential area known as Reinickendorf and I found several football pitches and some tennis courts, but whilst there seemed to be players warming up next to the main pitch, there was a distinct lack of supporters about. Despite posters up advertising the match I knew something was amiss when as kick-off approached the players were still training/warming up and there were still no spectators around. The specified kick-off time came and went with still no match taking place so I checked my phone and a German site listing the league fixtures claimed the match had already kicked off and also had live updates from the said game! The match may well have kicked off somewhere, but not where I was!

I frantically searched online using my phone to try and find out where the actual stadium was and whilst doing so was accosted by two lads who when they realised I was English introduced themselves as a German groundhopper and a Finnish guy studying in Berlin. The two men had just met minutes earlier after making the same mistake as me and turning up at the wrong venue. At least I wasn't alone in doing so! One of my two new friends was thankfully able to find directions to the correct ground and I followed the pair of them to a nearby station where I was promised it was only two stops to the right stadium.

After some great banter on the station platform we were eventually able to board a delayed train and finally get to our destination. Unfortunately the aforementioned delay saw us enter the ground just after the second-half had kicked off, but arriving so late no one seemed to charge us an entrance fee so it wasn't all bad.

After buying cheap drinks in the club house we headed out onto the terracing in front of it. These several rows of terracing ran along the length of one side of the pitch and many people stood there enjoying the action, whilst behind one goal a grassy bank was also populated by supporters.The rest of the ground seemed to be surrounded by trees. In all there were probably a couple of hundred of people in attendance and although I remember the fantastic football conversation with my two new pals more than the actual match itself, the home side scored late on what judging by the euphoria around us seemed to be a winning goal (a check online later showed that yes it was in fact the winning goal with a final score of 3-2 and the other four goals evidently coming in the first half before we arrived).

Game over and we headed back for the train. After the local amongst us departed a few stops down the line, me and my new Finnish friend ended up having a lovely Schnitzel takeaway before exchanging social media details and then heading our separate ways. It was a brilliant evening with two top lads, Kim from Finland who it turned out had also been at the BAK game earlier in the week, and a German who's name shamefully escapes me. A perfect end to my terrific stay in this fascinating European city. Berlin - Once divided by a wall, but always United by football.

As featured in September 2018 issue of Football Weekends magazine