The following article appeared in the programme for Racing Club Warwick v Cradley Town on 3rd September 2005.
Saturday May 28th was the last game that I attended last season and represented what might well be my final visit to the Millenium Stadium, Cardiff. The match was the Coca-Cola League Two Play-Off Final between Southend United (The Shrimpers) and Lincoln City (The Imps). I say that it might be my final visit but I’ve got my fingers crossed for a ticket to the Wales v. England World Cup Qualifier in October. I really must get one of those Cross of St George flags with Racing Club Warwick emblazoned upon it to give us the national TV coverage that we deserve!
I will miss the Millenium, no matter how good the new Wembley turns out to be. Wales’ National Stadium sits proudly in Cardiff city centre with immediate access to a large variety of shops, bars and restaurants (as well as the Castle if you fancy a bit of barnstorming, raping and pillaging). Wembley on the other hand will provide immediate access to…well a North London industrial park, a load of warehouses and a sprawling and featureless suburb. Yes of course you can catch the train into London but that’s not quite the same as strolling out of the Millenium and straight into the heart of town. New Wembley, you had better be good!
We arrived in Cardiff fairly late due to a combination of Bank Holiday weekend traffic and road works. The journey from Warwick to Cardiff can normally be done in around two hours but this time it was closer to three. I don’t recommend driving into Cardiff when there’s an event on at the Stadium but, with the event on this occasion being the heady delights of the League Two Play-Off Final, my hunch was that we wouldn’t have too much trouble getting parked up. I was almost right but we cut it fine and just made kick-off time. I won’t even attempt to drive to the new Wembley but I’m sure that it couldn’t be worse than Cardiff for traffic and parking – it’s Cardiff’s only real failing as a venue.
Now it’s time for a rant. How much do you think a ticket for the match would cost? Remember that we’re talking about League Two football here and not the FA Cup Final. Well the choices were for a seat along the side or to go in one of the ends. The prices? £48 and £24 respectively! £48!!! I’m sorry Mr Football Association but that’s just crazy. Little wonder that few neutrals are attracted to this kind of fixture and the attendance on the day was less than 20,000. Disappointing given the two clubs involved. Of course, we decided to go for the £24 tickets and I elected to support the boys from Roots Hall for the day due to an unpleasant experience that I had at Sincil Bank a couple of years ago. What was that? Well, having attended an away match with York City, we were kept in for ages after the final whistle and then, upon being let out, Plod insisted on marching us all down to the Railway Station irrespective of whether we’d come on the train or not. If you know Sincil Bank then you’ll know that the ground backs onto an open drain (a bit like a river but without much water) that has a number of bridges across (like Venice … only not at all!). The Constabulary wouldn’t let any of us cross the bridges and we were forced down a narrow street hemmed in by the open drain on one side and terraced houses on the other. Are you still with me? Next we knew we were being showered with bricks and bottles by the brain dead of Lincoln who had taken advantage of our being held back to take up various vantage points on the other side of the drain in various pub gardens and the like. Now surely the local Plod would be wise to this given that they must have policed the area for decades? Well apparently not. A nasty situation thank you very much Lincoln City! The Imps (that’s the club and not the supporters you understand) therefore forfeited any chance of my supporting them in future matches where I go as a neutral fan (you can hear them crying from here can’t you?)
Let’s get back to the match in hand. Southend’s end was boisterous – no doubt everyone there was overjoyed at having “saved” £24! It was Southend’s third visit to the Millenium in two seasons and they had yet to win or even score a goal. Lincoln on the other hand had been disappointed in the Play-Offs in each of the previous two seasons. So the match was billed as “Third Time Lucky” for both sides. It’s also worth noting that Southend had been promotion certainties all season but had slipped out of the automatic promotion places on the last day of the regular season courtesy of failing to win their final game. The game was absorbing and very tight (aren’t Play-Offs always like that?) and 90 minutes came and went without a goal. As the match progressed, Southend had looked more and more likely to win it. Shortly into the first period of extra time, Freddy Eastwood, Southend’s hot property recently signed from Grays Athletic, popped up at a corner to force the ball home and the Shrimpers were on their way. Another goal before the end of extra time simply confirmed Southend’s promotion to League One for the new season. Hurrah for justice and yah boo sucks to Lincoln!
As Monty Python used to say: “and now for something completely different”. Did anyone else take the recent opportunity to say goodbye to Highfield Road, Coventry City’s home for as long as most Sky Blue supporters can remember? The event in question was the visit of Elton John’s UK Tour on June 11th and, with nothing much to do on a Saturday night, I took the missus along to the concert whilst also getting the chance to witness the closure of a football ground along with 20,000 other fans. The big surprise for me was that the concert itself was excellent – Elton and his band were onstage for 2¼ hours and really rocked the joint. The audience included a fair proportion of people resplendent in Coventry City shirts who were obviously taking the chance to bid a fond farewell to the old place. When Elton went off at the end, the crowd chanted “SkyBlue Army” and sang that awful Sky Blue song adopted on behalf of the club by Jimmy Hill in the 1960’s – you know the one, it’s to the tune of the Oxford Boating Song – it was an emotional moment nonetheless. I must say that I would love to see the Business Plan that supports Coventry’s decision to build the swanky new Ricoh Arena – I struggle to believe that attendances will merit the increased capacity and exactly how much corporate or gaming income does it take to justify the outlay involved? Anyway I suppose that it’s built now so they might as well use it! So long Highfield Road, it was a pleasure knowing you.
Keep the faith!
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