Swansea City FC

Swansea City 2 Northampton Town 1 - Football League One

Liberty Stadium

The city of Swansea is situated on the South Wales coast immediately to the east of the Gower Peninsula and is the second largest city in Wales. It grew to its present importance during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, becoming a centre of heavy industry. The name Swansea is believed to come from "Sweyn's Ey" ("ey" being the Old Norse word for "island") and to have originated in the period when the Vikings plundered the south Wales coast. Consequently it is pronounced Swan's-y not Swan-sea. Swansea became an important port: some coal and vast amounts of limestone (for fertiliser) were being shipped out from the town by 1550. As the Industrial Revolution reached Wales, the combination of port, local coal, and trading links with the West Country, Cornwall and Devon, meant that Swansea was the logical place to site copper smelting works. Smelters were operating by 1720 and proliferated. Following this, more coal mines were opened and smelters (mostly along the Tawe valley) were opened and flourished. Over the next century and a half, works were established to process arsenic, zinc and tin and to create tinplate and pottery. The city expanded rapidly in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and was termed "Copperopolis". By the mid-nineteenth century Swansea docks was the largest exporter of coal in the world.

This was always going to be a long day and an early start enabled us to cross London to Paddington on a No. 23 bus from Liverpool Street. Local Bus Driver was able to advise his son Ben of numerous tourist attractions. However at Sir Christopher Wren's finest I was not prepared for "that's where the cybermen came down the steps"

Cybermen - preferable to Ciderman?

Courtesy of the Daily Mail offer, we were able to get a very good deal on Great Western and arrived in Swansea before 11.00am.

Whist waiting for the Ciderman Express to arrive, we ventured over to Swansea's former home, the Vetch Field. Still there at present, but looking rather sad. (I am informed that 'The Vetch' will be demolished soon - Ed)

Vegetating Vetch

Swansea City FC moved from the Vetch Field (The Pieman attended this venue on a number of occasions) to the new Liberty Stadium at the start of the 2005-2006 season, winning promotion to League One in their final year at their old home.

From the train as it approaches Swansea

The Liberty Stadium can be seen from the train as it arrives in Swansea and the walk to the stadium from the railway station takes little more than twenty minutes. As with the majority of new built stadiums, this place fits Ciderman's 'functional' description. Having said that, it is tidy and offers a consistent good view from all areas.

Visitors Northampton Town dominated the majority of the 1st half and were certainly worth their 6th minute lead courtesy of a swerving Brad Johnson free kick.

Amazingly, two goals in little more than 30 seconds either side of the break (Dennis Lawrence with the penultimate kick off the first half and Andy Robinson 25 seconds into the second half) assured Swansea of the points and ensured that Roberto Martinez maintained his unbeaten start to his managership of the Welsh club.

If travelling by train, the return service to London Paddington at 17.30 should always be reachable. We picked up a bus after 5 minutes which facilitated some decent fish & chips from the High Street. A worthwhile venue to visit (I hope you get there soon MK James - Ed)

Attendance: 11,071
Admission: £15
Programme: £3 (obtained for you Andy, Stan and Glyn, the barman in Phil Butler's local, the Prince Albert in Ely)
Fare: £12.00 Return Paddington - Swansea (Daily Mail offer)
Bus back to town: £1

The Pieman's initial visit to the Vetch Field

Eccleshill United SC

Eccleshill United 0 Sheffield 2 - Northern Counties East League, Premier Division

Northern Counties East Football League

Eccleshill (population 16,769 - 2001 UK census) is a Ward in Bradford Metropolitan District in the county of West Yorkshire, England. The ward is a more or less completely residential urban area with very little open space though there is substantial open land directly east of the ward boundary. It includes the areas of (in approximate north to south order) Greengates, Thorpe Edge housing estate, Bank Top, the eponymous Eccleshill, Ravenscliffe housing estate and Fagley.

Before setting off for the match I chanced upon Wetherspoons at Leeds Station. A swift pint of Fuggles Bitter from Saltaire Brewery was very pleasant indeed.

I intended to travel to Plumpton Park via Bradford, Forster Square being the nearest of the two stations (2 miles). However, the train I was on from Leeds was stopping at Frizinghall which is even nearer. I should add though, that to reach the ground it involves a constant uphill trek (Ciderman – I’m told this climb was comparable to that for Slavia Prague – Ed). The summit of the hill provides a fine view of the Bradford and Shipley area. The ground is located in what appears to be a fairly affluent part of Bradford and is situated behind houses.

Thou geets a grand view up thar

This was a very cold evening and the Pieman confesses to being delighted that Pie & Mushy Peas was already on sale in the clubhouse before the match. Spoilt for choice I selected Peppered Steak from a choice of pies that also included Meat & Potato, Steak or Pork. The ground boasts a seated stand (225 seats) and a covered terrace behind the goal at the clubhouse end of the ground.

Therefore it was no surprise when ‘The oldest football club in the world’ took the points courtesy of first half strikes by Rob Ward and Gavin Smith. The victory could and should have been more emphatic but the Sheffield attack was comparable to Keane and Defoe at Grimsby last season – why pass to someone better placed when you can squander the chance yourself. Visitors Sheffield FC are top of the table at present. They or Retford Town who have games in hand will most likely win the title.

As expected, the descent to Frizinghall Station was much easier than the earlier climb. I was able to catch the 22.09 to Shipley from where my connection got me back to Leeds just after 22.30.

Attendance: 43
Admission: £4
Programme: £1 (obtained for you Andy, Stan and Glyn, the barman in Phil Butler's local, the Prince Albert in Ely)
Pie & Mushy Peas: £2
Tea: 50p
Fuggles Bitter: £1.69
Fare: £2.55 cheap day Return Leeds - Bradford Stations

Sporting Clube de Braga

Sporting Braga 2 Tottenham Hotspur 3 - UEFA Cup Round of 16, 1st Leg

Portuguese Football League

Braga, city and municipality in north western Portugal, is the capital of the district of Braga, the oldest archdiocese and one of the major cities of the country. The region of Braga has been inhabited since pre-historic times, and in the Iron Age the Bracari people occupied the region and built their characteristic fortified villages (castrum). It was the capital of the Callaici Bracarii, or Bracarenses, a tribe who occupied what is now Galicia and northern Portugal.

The musical instrument known as the cavaquinho has its roots in Braga. This instrument was once so closely associated with the region that it was called the braguinha ("little Braga"). In Harry Potter, the city is home to Braga Broomfleet, a Quidditch team. Furthermore, Mike Kenny informs me that Braga in Spanish translates as underpants. In September 1984 The Pieman ventured to Braga with Tottenham Hotspur for a 1st Round 1st leg UEFA Cup tie against the same opposition. On that occasion 2 goals from the prolific Bilko and another from the Russian speaking Galvin saw off the Portuguese side without reply. That match was played at Braga's crumbling (never a more apt description - Ed) former ground. Not wishing to oust the effervescent Andy Porter from his statistician's throne, the Pieman wishes to draw attention to similarities between the campaigns of 84/85 and this season. This season Spurs played a Prague team (Slavia) over 2 legs, then it was neighbours Bohemians, this season we met Bruges at the Group Stage, in 84/85 it was the same opposition over 2 legs and of course we now meet SC Braga again. The only other opposition met in 84/85 was the pre Beckham Real Madrid when a fine Bilko strike in the Bernabeau was harshly ruled out, and slipped out of the competition courtesy of the soft goal scored by the Spaniards at WHL (still gives me nightmares Clem - Ed).

A groupie squeezies between the Hughes Brothers

Ciderman tours from Gatwick via Lisbon using Portuguese national airline TAP enabled us to reach Porto from where a regular regional train service connects with Braga. Reasonably priced at 2 Euros for a single journey, the duration is between 50 minutes and 1 hour 10 minutes depending on the amount of stops.

Podgy, Jammy and a Scot - Supporters from the Copper Kettle pub in Walthamstow

The Guide to Portuguese Breweries was a valuable source of information, if only providing confirmation of the lack of variety available. If you want the bland Super Bock lager then you will be OK in most bars and cafes in Braga. The dark Super Bock Stout (mainly bottled) provides a decent alternative although colour is the only aspect in common with traditional stout. The 6.2% Sagres Bohemia is described in the guide as amber with a fruit and caramel aroma, a sweet taste with boiled sweets and nuts flavour. I liked this beer!

On the morning of the match, along with Ciderman and Duggan, I walked up to S.C Braga's previous ground (Estadio 1.° de Maio), the scene of that 1984 triumph. The ground is still in use and continues to be the administrative HQ for the club. Although dated in appearance, the stadium still looks in better shape than it did on the occasion of the earlier match when the locals used the crumbling terracing as ammunition!

Estadio 1.° de Maio

Sporting Clube De Braga like Rotherham United, Stirling Albion, Didcot Town and Woolwich play in red shirts with white sleeves - a legacy of some misguided Braga resident returning from England with a strange idea, based on his experience in visiting one of the four clubs previously referred to. The Estádio Municipal de Braga (Capacity: 30,200) is a stunning spectacle and to have created the stadium also represents a remarkable feat of engineering. It has one of the most spectacular settings of any stadium in the world, as it was carved out of a quarry (Monte Castro) that overlooks the city of Braga. The enormous earthmoving process contributed heavily to its €83.1 million cost.

"Aint no mountain high enough"

Unlike most major stadiums, Braga Municipal only has stands along the sides of the pitch. Behind the goal at one end are the rock walls of a mountain and at the other is an open view over the city sprawling in the distance. Each stand is covered with a canopy-style roof, and these are connected to each other across the pitch by dozens of steel strings, a design apparently inspired by ancient South American Inca bridges. We, unlike the majority of the visiting supporters approached the ground from above (20 minutes walk from city centre). I can honestly say that I had not anticipated the amazing site of the stadium from above!

From the mountain path

As for the match, Spurs maintained their 100% record in this season's competition with a brace from Keane and a goal from Malbranque.

En route to Porto airport the following day, we took the opportunity to visit the stadia of city rivals FC Porto and Boavista. The former is a completely new venue built for Euro 2004 and not the stadium I visited with Spurs in 1991 in the European Cup Winners Cup. A decent lunch of local fish was enjoyed despite a few communication difficulties in a cafe near the Boavista stadium. I resorted to pointing at what appeared a popular choice for the locals and Ciderman and I were not disappointed.

Attendance: 12,904
Admission: 60 Euros (not representative of Portuguese domestic football)
Programme: Braga do not issue programmes (not sure what you saw Dicky Mussels, Neville was seen with a pirate version and there was an impressive looking A5 glossy production - neither are official club publications)
Meal at Boavista: 4.5 Euros