Back to Real Football - The stuff that ruins your weekend
Sarah Kelly recounts her experience following the Hatters to Plymouth for their Friday night clash with Wayne Rooney’s side and discusses the growing divide between modern football and match-going fans.
I was all ready and set up to continue the film camera series on Friday with a visit to home park - a stadium I had long wanted to visit - and my first away game of the season. I managed to have a word with my boss to see if I could work nearby last week and, luckily, he obliged. It felt like the stars were aligning! All I needed now was a town win, a decent performance, and for my camera to get a few nice photos of the ground!
Two out of three may have not been bad but a grand total of zero is absolutely stinking. Still, it wasn’t all bad I suppose… as we stood outside the stadium eating a questionable cheeseburger and nursing a San Miguel a stones throw from some portaloos, I was reminded that this is what football is all about, or at least what it is about to me growing up as a town fan.
The glitz and the glam of the Premier League wore off very quickly for me last season, a sanitised experience and the likes of spurs stadium had you questioning if you were about to witness a competitive football match or a concert. With concourses more akin to an airport departure lounge devoid of any personality, home park was a welcome return to the football I grew up with - greasy burgers and Luton disappointing me.
I love an evening kick off as much as the next person, but a Friday evening game over 250 miles from home really does not sit right. At what point does something change? The last train back towards Luton from Plymouth departed before the game had even started and my younger brother said even taking a half day from college would have left him missing kick off. We all know times are changing and the majority of club income now comes from TV rights, but surely another fixture was interesting enough for the Friday night slot that wouldn’t have prevented a number of fans from attending the game?
Overall, it’s a mixed bag for me. Poor result and performance but a return to proper football in a proper stadium, surrounded by my fellow match goers who are being increasingly left behind by the sport we love.
