FootyWanderer84

In the last year or 2 I’ve had lots of new experiences watching and enjoying football, but this week I’ve absolutely ticked off some bucket list goals, a week that will be hard to top any time soon.

Before I set off for Milan though, I managed 3 games over the weekend before my Monday trip. Saturday saw me back at Ibrox, and what started with frustration at being let down by someone buying a spare ticket from me, leaving me out of pocket, only became more frustrating as Motherwell pulled off their first win at Ibrox in many years. I’d expected there to be bumps in the road as the season progressed, but this one was more surprising than maybe it should have been. But you’ll find plenty discussion on the game elsewhere.

Sunday came after a long nightshift that had followed straight after Ibrox, and it was off to the first game of the day, with another visit to Ainslie Park, as I watched The Spartans host Motherwell in the SWPL in a 1pm kick off. A small set up here at Ainslie Park, I’ve always found it a welcome and hospitable place, this now my 5th visit here. A first half dominated by Motherwell, it was a shock they went in only 1-0 to the good, having missed a penalty and a host of other excellent chances. Though the first half was marred by a painful injury to Spartans number 8, as she landed awkwardly from a 50 / 50 challenge on the wing. Hopefully a speedy recovery will see her return to the field soon. The second half started surprisingly with Spartans in the ascendancy, as they forced an equaliser with some intense pressure on the Motherwell defence. But they couldn’t keep this up, and I was delighted that 2 loan Rangers were leading the charge for Motherwell as they restored their lead, before pressing home the advantage, running out 4-1 winners in the end.

Game 1 of the day in the books, it was time to make the 5 mile trip along to Meadowbank, to watch Rangers take on Hibs in the SWPL, a ground that has always seen tight games between both side. Parking further away from the ground knowing the car park would be full when I got there, I made it along to the ground about 20 minutes before the 4:10pm kick off, and as usual it was good to walk in and see and meet so many familiar faces. A good game unfolded for us as Rangers were impressive as they ran out 3-0 winners, good preparation for returning here in Scottish Cup duty in 7 days time.

The redeveloped Meadowbank is a nice facility, the modern sports centre is well equipped, but it is not a good spectator experience being there to watch football, not even close to it. But the main thing was leaving happy with the win, though with so little sleep the drive home from the back end of Edinburgh was super tough. Given I’d be back through to fly from Edinburgh airport the following day, with some further forward planning I may have been well advised to just grab a cheap hotel out there for the night.

Monday was quick to come around, after a much needed sleep, though I woke up earlier than I had hoped, so was up and ready early. I even cleared the dishes so I knew I’d be going home to a clear kitchen! A largely uneventful drive out to the airport, I got parked up and prepared for security before leaving the car. Having booked multi storey parking with fast track, taking the bridge from there straight to security makes things a breeze, though does add a little to the cost.

Initially with a 1pm flight time, I hadn’t planned to drive, intending taking the train and relaxing. I’d changed my mind as my plan had been to go straight from the airport on my return to Sheffield, having pencilled in Wednesdays game against Plymouth to tick off Hillsborough, the famous old ground high on my list of grounds I really want to visit. However, on checking the predicted drive time, realistically it it was far too tight, but parking was already booked by this time so I ran with it. I’d find another option for Tuesday night.

With the flight times, I wasn’t going to get in to Milan’s Malpensa Airport until around 4:30 in the afternoon, so there really wasn’t much by way of wiggle room for me to find my way around. Fortunately there were no issues with the flight, and once off the plane I eventually found the airport express shuttle bus into the city. Once off this in the centre of Milan, Google maps got me to the latest Ibis for me to stop in, and I had a quick change before heading back out and off to the San Siro, something I’ve waited since I was a wee boy to get to do.

Google maps suggested 2 trains to get there, however getting off at the first stop (at the second attempt as I’d took the wrong train first!!) I saw many Inter fans streaming out of the station instead of changing, so as is often the case in a new place, if you follow the crowd you will rarely go wrong.

Walking up and seeing the ground for the first time made me realise that this childhood dream of mine was actually coming true. Certainly, I was glad of a late kick off time of 8:45pm, as it would have been massively challenging to make an earlier kick off. Nonetheless, I could focus on the approach to the ground, as the way was filled with food and merchandise stalls, which were well worth checking out. I didnt go mad though, a bobble hat and a fridge magnet did for me!

Security checks at the gates made entry slow, as tickets were checked against passports and ID, and then it was time to walk up the iconic spirals. There are stairwells in the middle of these, but I had to walk up the spirals on my first visit. Tell you something though, they are never ending, and it was some effort to make it to the top! Once I was up though, there wasn’t much time for catching my breath, as kick off was fast approaching, so I entered the stadium bowl and made my way along to find my seat, where I realised my naive error. Front row seats in upper tiers are not automatically awesome and unobstructed views! With large perspex fences protecting a steep drop, the large posts in between them made for restricted views, but being so high up it was still an incredible spectacle to behold. To my right were the travelling Genoa fans high up behind one goal, while to my left there was a large empty area, as the lower section of the middle tier remained empty, until the 29th minute when who I have to assume are Inter’s ultras suddenly swarmed in. Clearly this was some kind of planned protest, and their entrance seemed to have an immediate impact, as within 60 seconds of their dramatic entrance Inter swept into the lead.

It wasn’t long before they were awarded a penalty, which saw them go into the half time break with a 2 goal cushion. The second half didn’t see any further goals for the home side, who have been so impressive under Simone Inzaghi, but a lapse in defence gifted Genoa the chance to pull 1 back, but they couldn’t really threaten an equaliser.

By the time the game had ended, it was still hard to believe I’d actually just watched a game here, and I had plenty time to continue reflecting on this dream come true as I made my way back down the spiral tower to ground level.

I had been determined that I would leave it as late as I could to head to the airport for my 5am flight, having no bags to check in and already being checked in myself online, so I was extremely grateful for the near 3hr sleep that I managed to get, before getting back up and into the damp clothes and checking out and getting a taxi back to the airport.

I made my way from the stadium and back through the stalls of merchandise and food, resisting temptation to add any more impulse buys, and walked about half of the way back to the hotel, before catching a subway for the last chunk of it. With such a busy week ahead, I was comforted at the prospect of a full night’s sleep ahead in a comfy bed.

As I like to do in a new city, I wanted to pick up a Hard Rock glass while I was there, however with a flight leaving shortly after 11am, and the shop not opening until 9am, it was going to leave me rushing more than I was comfortable with, so I’d have to pass on a Milan glass, this time at least. This meant I did have time to kick about the airport though once I got there, and I spent most of this time logged in trying to get a ticket for the 2nd leg of the Benfica game which would be the following week. I managed to secure a ticket just before boarding, so that was a bonus. No backup plan for this game required.

No issues with the flight home, got back to Edinburgh a little earlier than expected, and was thinking that I could have made it to Sheffield in time for the game I’d planned to go to at Hillsborough, but truthfully I was more frustrated thay I hadn’t looked at going direct from Milan to Lisbon and given myself more time there. A missed opportunity there.

It was my intention to go to a game somewhere on my return from Milan on Tuesday night, but I was exhausted and just went to bed for a long sleep. This did though leave me awake earlier than I needed to be ahead of the trip to Lisbon, so I found myself trying to kill time before heading out to the airport. I was helped to kill time by finding some kind of bee crawling around a pair of trainers I had behind the front door, I’d no idea where it had came from but I eventually managed to get it back outside and then I could lock up and be on my way!

Going to Rangers away games isn’t a new experience for me, though it is something I’ve done all too rarely over the years. But travelling to watch them play in Europe is a whole different thing, and something totally new for me. It was only in October of last year when I first saw a game outside of the UK, so after adding Italy at the start of the week, Portugal was hot on the heels as I got to follow my own club in European competition.

As I mentioned above, I regretted not booking to go direct from Milan and planning the trip better, I was too impulsive, and also too stubborn in trying to squeeze in a trip between Milan and Lisbon, which is just daft. I’ll try to learn that lesson. Because of this, my flight times weren’t the best, and being reasonably direct, with only a changeover in Schipol on route from Glasgow to Lisbon, it wasn’t the cheapest way to go. Spending the money to go though, I didnt want to be unable to get to the game, and I wasn’t going to have the MyGers points to get a ticket allocated to me, so a ticket for the home end was bought for the section close to the away fans, through StubHub.

It was late when I got to my hotel, and as I took the taxi from the airport, I realised my next error in planning, this Ibis was too far out of the way, I’d picked a poor one this time out in Alfagrida (though I have to say, there was nothing wrong with the hotel itself, even if I’m not a fan of ground floor rooms). But the bonus is taxis aren’t too expensive in Lisbon, but the roads and traffic are terrible. The drive from the airport gave a good view of Sporting Lisbon’s stadium, which with better planning I could have been at this night for their game vs Atalanta, and then on the other side of the motorway about a mile was Benfica’s Stadium of Light, where the reason for being here would be less than 24hrs later.

It had been a long day, so I had no intention of doing anything other than getting some sleep, as it would be my last chance of a decent sleep until Sunday night. Getting up in the morning, I was struggling, having failed to shake off the dreaded man flu in recent weeks, I was feeling it in full effect this morning. However, I got up and sorted, before heading out to get a taxi to the main square, where I wandered around and took some pictures like a proper tourist, and searched for somewhere to buy a jacket, as I had not planned on arriving in Lisbon to Glasgow temperatures! Eventually I had to compromise by choosing a jacket I liked from H&M, but in a size up from what I needed for a good fit. €75 I hadn’t planned on spending. That wasnt all that i bought, as i stopped in the Benfica store where i got a badge, and went against my feelings on them, and picked up a half and half scarf, making an exception for the occasion of my first ever euro away game. Before meeting up with anyone, I ventured to the Hard Rock Cafe, determined to add at least 1 more glass to my collection on my travels this week, only to find they had no Hurricane glasses in stock! That left me with an exhausting walk back up the hill and back towards the seafront where I met up with Condie, who I don’t get a chance to see all too often. Via a very windy seafront and then a stop in an Irish bar we wrongly assumed would be quiet, we headed up to meet up with Dougal, Alistair and some friends, before they went on to another pub, and I went back to my hotel before the game.

I didn’t have much time to do much before the game, so I lay down for a rest before getting ready and getting a taxi to the stadium, by this time I’d secured a ticket for the away end, which I was naturally delighted with. Arriving early as advised by the club, it was my first experience of witnessing the overkill on gestapo like policing, as the place was swarming with riot gear clad cops. There was no option left open for exploring around the ground, so in through the funnel like fences towards the away end we were ushered. Once through here after being searched, we were held for a short while before being released in to enter the stadium via a single staircase. Now while it was large, it seems crazy that a fairly modern ground (as was pointed out to me when I made this point, its over 20 years old now, when does it stop being classed as modern?) has such a restrictive space for a large volume of fans to enter.

Once up to the concourse, the open level left a great view of the surrounding area, though you were quickly ushered away from the edge by police, who were again numerous on the concourse. I saw some familiar faces while on the concourse I had the chance to say hello to, before I met Wilf and headed into the seating bowl to see a first proper view of the stadium.

Now the fact that the away sections are fenced off and fully enclosed by nets on this upper tier didn’t detract from this being a stunning ground, a familiar shape to grounds built in this era, but this one is definitely impressive. And being in so early, I had plenty of time to soak it in and admire it, with 1hr and 45 minutes before kick off!

As the atmosphere in the away end continued to grow as the place filled up, it was curious to see that the front section of seats in this tier which was fenced and netted off from the rest of the ground were left empty, its crazy these aren’t sold to allow more fans in. As kick off got closer, the lights went down after the warmup ended, and we were treated to a light show in the build up, as is becoming more common these days across Europe. But not before the famous spectacle of the club Eagle being released to fly around the ground for a few minutes as music played (I’m sure those more ITK than me will know the significance of the song playing). It’s one of the more unique pre match shows in football, so it was interesting to see first hand. Soon though, the teams were out and it was time for the team to step up and play.

And play they did, as about 7 minutes into the game we cut through them and took the lead with a fabulous team goal, finished off by a Tom Lawrence header, and to say the fans went wild would be a massive understatement! It was bedlam, and this was the stuff dreams are made of!

Closing in on half time, Rangers were dealt a blow when the referee was called to check the pitchside monitor and awarded a highly contentious penalty, which was dispatched by Benfica after Jack Butland was booked for his delaying tactics. Looking likely to go in level at the break, things took a sudden turn as we immediately cut through Benfica to score another outstanding goal, and we went absolutely bonkers in the away end! This was unbelievable, this could be a special night talked about for a long long time, Benfica were on the ropes and absolutely rattled.

Half time came and went, and the second half saw the hosts come back and level through a gift of an own goal, but plenty has been, and will be said on that elsewhere. The game ended in a draw, as both games between the sides did in a recent European pairing. A quite sensational result for Rangers, but it still felt like a missed opportunity.

Before the end, the announcement came that Rangers fans were asked to stay in their seats after the game, nothing new for away supports, but annoying and unnecessary here. However we were encouraged to make our way to the concourse, which then became very crowded, and made no sense to do this. Despite this, the fans remained in good voice and good spirits, despite the presence of a ton of riot clad cops, some who just looked rather more angry than they needed to be. Just before the doors to the aforementioned single stairway was to be opened, some more police arrived, barging their way through us with batons and shields, before yelling and swinging these batons and shields around to create a space in front of the doors. Absolutely farcical behaviour from them, and credit to the fans who resisted the clear temptation to get involved. But finally we were clear to head down the stairs, past dozens and dozens of these gestapo, before the walk away from the ground was lined for some way by even more of them. Complete overkill for a game contested in a good manner, and fans had mixed all week with no issues.

Not knowing the area, or really having sussed out the options for getting back to the hotel, I decided that despite the heavy rain, I’d walk back to the hotel, a 4km walk. Not my best idea, as the walk took me snaking through main roads, many without pavements for pedestrians, and I was thoroughly soaked through, with no time to dry my clothes before I’d need to put them back on a short while later to head for the airport. Another less than smart decision I’d made this week.

Getting to the airport just after 3:30am, I had plenty time to get through security, though I could see how quickly this airport could fill up when looking at the volume of flights departing between 5 and 8am on the boards. Possibly good for future knowledge knowing so many routes go through Lisbon. First flight of the day left slightly late, but arrived slightly early into Schipol, where it would be a 3hr wait for the last flight of the week. Plenty time to wander round, get through passport control and have a McDonald’s. Bonus 2as getting to the gate and seeing the sun shining, so stood in front of the window and hung my jacket over a luggage trolley and mostly dried out before boarding the short flight back to Glasgow.

A first time flying into Glasgow for years, I’d soon see if my passport that I got renewed early last year would get me through the electronic gates, as not once has it went through them at Edinburgh, but does pass through the ones at Schipol. The answer was no!

Overall this has been a truly memorable week, one that won’t be forgotten for a long long time. One that has also required a lot of overtime to fund! Whatever next week brings certainly won’t give me quite so much to talk about though!