My return to Anfield, 17 years in the making!
Sunday, January 31st, 2010I returned to Anfield yesterday for the first time in 17 years, yes I am a ‘woolly back’! I remember my last trip vividly, catching the train to derby, meeting up with the Derby branch of the Liverpool supporters club and then climbing into the minibus… a beaten up, old, blue Transit circa 1983 with more ice inside than out, good times! That day we lost 2-1 to Aston Villa, my previous trip a couple of years earlier was also a defeat… 1-0 to Coventry! No wonder it has taken me 17 years to gather up the strength and courage to return again. Would it be a hat-trick of defeats or would I break my duck? Bolton Wanderers were the opponents today, revitalised under new boss Owen Coyle, it could have been a potential banana skin!
This time the journey was a little more comfortable, to begin with there was bacon sandwiches courtesy of my brother, and I was driving in my nice and warm car! It was as cold as last time as far as I could remember but thankfully all of the ice was on the outside of the vehicle this time… The journey began! I probably made a mistake choosing the M1, the road works from junction 25 onwards are insane… 50mph with average speed cameras, it felt so slow that it seemed we were going backwards. It wasn’t made any easier by the rubberneckers gawking at a car in flames on the southbound carriageway! Traffic and roadworks now a speck in the rear-view mirror we made it to the pickup point where two others joined our band of merry soles on our crusade to Anfield!
Just over an hour later we arrived in Liverpool and parked in a spot used several times before by others on our crusade in previous years. A 15 minute walk later we were looking at the famous Anfield stadium… we turned left and walked straight in The Sandon and ordered a round of drinks. Then followed an hour or so of footy related banter before we left the pub and to head to the ground, via the bookies to place a cheeky bet! The allure of the smell of greasy delights was too great and dirty cheeseburgers and hotdogs were enjoyed by all on the walk to the turnstiles.
In the ground we found our seats and met with our friend, who was sending his usual message to the clubs American owners Messers Hicks (who was attending) and Gillett, briefly assisted in these shots by my brother and my good self:
The game began… it wasn’t a particularly good first half but we were creating chances and didn’t really look like conceding despite a couple of Bolton chances, and a penalty shout. Liverpool’s dominance showed through as Dirk Kuyt managed to scramble home Liverpool’s first after good work from Insua down the left and Aquilani’s nod back from the touchline. Liverpool’s second half performance was much improved and creating several chances that went close. The pressure finally showed when Insua’s driven shot was deflected off Bolton’s Kevin Davies’ boot to make it 2-0 to Liverpool. One of our merry band had placed a bet earlier that Kuyt would score the first and Liverpool would win 2-0 so he was in the uncomfortable position of no wanting Liverpool to score again… Thankfully, the referee blew his whistle and the game ended 2-0 to Liverpool!
A leisurely saunter back to the car ensued with only a minor detour to a chip shop for some sustenance for the journey home. Back at the car we jumped in only to see the ominous yellow sticker on the windscreen… yes, a parking ticket! This parking haven that had served many crusaders over the years had finally succumbed to the regime…
Well, a measly parking ticket wasn’t going to dampen what had been a great, great day. A day that i had finally broken my duck and see Liverpool win at Anfield live!
