......on the road......
No.9 - Bristol Rovers
- Journey there? Journey there? We decided that,
having been quoted various rail ticket prices well over £20, it was best to meander from
Shrewsbury to Bristol via the scenic route.
- The town? We didn’t actually venture into Cider
Land, but instead contented ourselves with a swift drink at a local orchid just a few
minutes’ walk from the ground.
- Pre-match goings-on? The gas heads were all in fine
mood with the chance of three points putting them on the top of the haystack that is
Division 2. There was also muted hope of Wrexham continuing an unbeaten run that had
lasted all of two games.
- Ground? Since the boys had been there last, a very
nice rood had been added to the home terracing and a stand fit for the Royal Welsh Show
had been constructed behind the goal to our left. This meant inevitably that Wrexham fans
were left to contend with the biting wind.
- Admission price? £10 for adults and £5 for juniors
on the terrace.
- The game? The linesman on the near side clearly
hadn’t shaken off a heavy night of socialising - he was absolutely shocking. He
basically failed to understand the offside rule and the convention that officials are
supposed to be neutral. The ref also did his upmost to help the Pirates rise to the top of
the roost. Obviously we gave a couple of soft goals away, but we weren’t helped by
these comic geniuses in black. I still haven’t seen Wrexham finish a game with 11 men
at this ground. Contrary to what Flynn said, I thought Hardy’s sending-off was
another attempt by the officials to benefit Rovers.
- Our fans? About 250-300. The numbers were bolstered
by uni students who had obviously taken a break from drinking and sleeping to watch the
match. We did our best to keep the spirits up - the linesmen and ref felt the main wrath
of the passionate Wrexham fans.
- Their fans? Strangely subdued throughout. If Wrexham
were top of the league, or just somewhere near, then I would make sure that all opposition
fans knew about it.
- Post-match goings-on? Rovers stewards had clearly
drunk too much cider because they thought that every Wrexham fan had arrived by coach. One
coach for 300 people? The stewards formed a barrier between 270 Reds fans and their cars -
and said that we were to get on the bus even though we were parked elsewhere.
- Journey back? Swift. Arrived back in Shrewsbury at
about 7pm. Richard Watkin