Day Out

Finland v Wales

Rob Stock goes to Helsinki for Finland v Wales - and leaks his diary EXCLUSIVELY to Red Passion

Click here for part one

PART 2 - SATURDAY

After the exhaustion of yesterday's journey we almost missed breakfast. Thankfully we arrived in time and were delighted to find an all-you-can-eat buffet-style breakfast. I hadn't had anything to eat since a 'meal' on the plane yesterday so I was starving and took full advantage.

After a good feed we decided to head into the city, a pleasant 40- minute stroll in the Scandinavian sunshine! Once there we began in our search for a decent bar, and found an Irish bar full of Welsh fans. Inside we met a group of Wrexham fans who were doing their best to drink the place dry. At 5 Euros a pint (over £3), it must have been extremely costly. 

After a few pints we decided to move on. Wandering around Helsinki you can't help but notice the number of McDonalds 'restaurants' the place possesses. Claims that I was suffering from double vision have not been proven. We soon found another bar, again full of Welsh fans. Our search for a cheaper pint hadn't worked; it seems that the cheapest pint in Helsinki costs 5 Euros.

After another pint or ten we were hungry and decided to sample some Finnish cuisine. Yes, we went to McDonalds. Inside we sat by a few blokes donning Wales shirts. I was shocked to find that they came from the same village as me! It's a small world... 

After our 'meal', it was time to make our way back to the hotel to get ready for the game. The excitement was building, as we got all our flags ready for the game. The stadium was only a 10-minute walk from where we were staying. We chatted with many Finnish fans en route, who were all friendly. We'd visited the ground on our way to the city earlier so we knew where to go. 

The stadium was a typical continental 'open' ground with an athletics track around the perimeter of the pitch. We were located in open seating, and our tickets were for seats right next to the segregation line between the fans! We did have an excellent view of the pitch and there were a few empty rows and a row of police between us and the home fans. 

I'm sure you all watched the game so there's no need to dwell on it too much. The atmosphere was fantastic in the Welsh end, and at the final whistle I really couldn't believe that we had won. We were kept behind for about 20 minutes as the home fans were let out first. It was great to see thousands of Finnish fans clapping us as they went out, a fantastic sporting gesture, which is very refreshing in today's game. 

We decided to go back into the city for a few drinks after the game. I was amazed at the number of Finnish people coming up to us and shaking our hands and saying how good Wales were. I was even more amazed when Robbie Savage, Craig Bellamy and Gary Speed walked past the bar we were drinking outside. There was a standing ovation as these heroes walked past. 

We met several very nice people at that bar, including some lads from Cardiff. We did a trade of songs, so we taught them the 'proper' version of Men of Harlech. On the table next to us we got chatting to Caersws midfielder Andy Davies, who I've kept in touch with since. 

We left for our hotel at about half- past midnight, but only because it was getting too cold to stay out! Yet again on the way back we were congratulated by dozens of Finnish fans. Our journey back took well over an hour and a half! It had been an excellent day, one that I'll remember for the rest of my life.

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