Slavia Prague FC

Slavia Prague 0 Tottenham Hotspur 1 - UEFA Cup 1st Round, 1st Leg

Czech Football Association

The history of the city of Prague goes back to the foundation of Prague Castle by Borivoj in 870 AD. Prague Castle has been a symbol of Czech history for centuries. On January 1st 1993, after the split of Czechoslovakia, Prague became the capital of the Czech Republic. In December 1984, a youthful Pieman ventured behind the Iron Curtain to watch Tottenham Hotspur play a UEFA Cup 3rd Round 2nd Leg tie at Bohemians Prague, securing an aggregate victory via a 1-1 draw, courtesy of a goal from the prolific Bilko (sorry Mido not a patch mate -Ed). A lot of water has flowed under a lot of bridges in the interim period but the same adventurer has now revisited the city to watch Spurs again in the UEFA cup, this time at Slavia Prague. The Iron Curtain has rusted away and a new generation of the Czech population rely on older members of their community for tales of what it used to be like. The Pieman himself had to request permission from his employers to attend the earlier fixture. At the time Civil Servants were likely targets for all sorts of dodgy dealings. The Pieman insists that with Ciderman with him in those dark days he had enough protection and he will stick to that story.

Present day Prague is a far cry from those days. A very touristy place now but still refreshingly cheap. A beer, on average, will cost 70p but if you wander off the beaten track it is possible to reduce this price. Food is also relatively cheap. On the eve of the match, Ciderman and I enjoyed Steak in a cream sauce with lemon and cranberries accompanied by the obligatory Czech dumplings - very nice and all for about 2 quid !

Reference should also be made to Walthamstow resident Poddy who, on seeing the spires in the city centre, immediately proclaimed a comparison to the opening sequence from Walt Disney cartoons. However, I am not suggesting for a moment that this is the limit to his appreciation of the wonderful Bohemian architecture of ancient Prague! On the morning of the match, Ciderman and I embarked on a walking expedition of Prague.

We had already consulted the Prague Pub Guide which provides some good advice on bars not located in the tourist areas. One such bar was Restaurace V Korunni, where I sampled a large glass of Kozel from Velkopvicky brewery. A dark beer with a pleasant refreshing flavour.

Slavia Prague play at the Stadion Evzena Rosickeho, Strahov. Located at the top of an extremely big hill (mountain ?) on the outskirts of the city. The stadium was the previous home to neighbours Sparta prior to their move to a new venue. The ground, like many European venues also houses a running track. Two tiered stands surround the entire track. Spurs edged the match 1-0 courtesy of a 37th minute Jermaine Jenas strike.

Attendance: 14,869
Admission: 1049 Czech crowns for English fans, 400 - 750 for locals
Programme: Complimentary (handed out inconsistently on entry)
Hot Dog with bread: 35 crowns
Fare: 50 minute walk uphill - 35 minutes back (we had a tail wind)
Photographic Services: Peter Lee

Winchester City FC

Winchester City 4 Chatham Town 3 - FA Cup Preliminary Round

Southern League

Winchester began as a Roman town. It was built about 70 AD. The Romans called the new town Venta Belgarum which means the capital of the Belgares (who were the local Celtic tribe before the Roman conquest). Roman Winchester was the 5th largest town in Britain and one of the first to receive defences. Archaeology suggests the town reached its peak of population and development in the early 4th century. In 1066 after the battle of Hastings, King Harold's widow stayed in Winchester but when the Normans arrived she surrendered the town and was allowed to leave in peace. In 2006 after a short train journey the Pieman arrived in Winchester!

On a recent train journey I mentioned this excursion to the Throp/Shiels/Hughes party and as expected the conversation turned towards the New Vaudeville Band and their 1966 hit Winchester Cathedral. For me this was a narrow escape as this trio will occasionally burst in to song on train journeys. On this occasion I and other passengers were spared as they didn’t get beyond the first line.

Winchester is easily accessed by train from London Waterloo and thanks to some excellent advice from Ciderman, the Pieman buys his annual season ticket from South West Trains. This results in 6 free tickets per year and this was certainly useful for a family excursion on Saturday. Harry Hotspur and Daughter with Skipping Rope (see Cornard United 18/2/06) travelled for £1 each on Dad's Network Gold Card.

We arrived in Winchester mid-morning and our first port of call was the splendid Cathedral. We spent an hour looking around and this time was well spent. When considering how old these places are it is difficult to imagine how our predecessors managed to build such enormous structures with limited resources. It is true though that it was not a quick process and many cathedrals were built over many decades (a bit like the new Wembley Stadium ? - Ed).

We then adjourned to the Old Gaol House (Wetherspoons) for lunch where I enjoyed a pint of Hampshire Rose from the Itchen Valley Brewery.

After lunch our party split with the girls opting for the City Museum and Round Table for their afternoon entertainment (very enjoyable too they reported) whereas Hotspur and I experienced the magic and drama of the FA Cup at nearby Winchester City FC.

Winchester City are a club experiencing good times following years in the relative wilderness of Hampshire football. In recent years they have progressed through the Wessex League to the Southern League and also won the FA Vase in 2004. The City ground is reached via a short walk from the City Centre and probably takes little more than 15 minutes. The railway station is equally as close.

The City ground boasts a seated covered stand and also a small covered terrace behind one goal. The more vociferous of the home support congregate here and have their own band playing throughout the match. I counted 5 drums and a couple of bugles. The dressing room/clubhouse block appears fairly new and their are a numbers of caravans in club colours situated around the ground serving as the club shop and board room among other things.

Blustery conditions is understatement for Saturday afternoon when visitors Chatham Town managed to take a 3 goal lead into the break. The hosts had struggled for most of the half to get near the visitor’s goal, although one splendid chance went begging. At half time I and others speculated as to what was to come. I certainly did not believe the tie was over but felt it important that Winchester scored earlier on. This duly happened but surprisingly Chatham managed against the wing to play some neat attacking football and in doing so countered the Winchester efforts at making further inroads. Eventually though a second goal for the hosts did come and a penalty five minutes from time levelled the tie. With the match over according to the Pieman's timepiece Winchester forced home the winning goal. Cruel luck on Chatham who at the very least deserved a replay but what a super cup tie.

Winchester now play hosts to the cigar puffing Jonny Ketchup and his beloved Cray Wanderers (Cray won 3-2 at Walton Casuals this afternoon) in the 1st Qualifying Round on Saturday 16 September.

Attendance: 151
Admission: £7.00 (Hotspur free - again !)
Programme: £1.50 (obtained for you Andy, Stan and Glyn, the barman in Phil Butler's local, the Prince Albert in Ely)
Tea: 60p and this came in a enormous bucket sized mug
Fare: Free for the Pieman courtesy of South West Trains


Winchester City FC