A v Poland (Katowice) 31.5.1997

A v Poland (U21 and main game)



We arrive in Berlin on our way to Poland



We head to the Sports Bar (in Berlin). It is a fantastic place with pictures from every world cup final.





On the overnight train to Katowice from Berlin

We have couchettes but decide to have a beer or two instead of sleep




......the train has quite a few England on board and everyone converges on the buffet carriage..................




We arrive into Poland in the early hours of the morning




The view from our Hotel, plus Justin and Greg fly the flag!






We venture (risk is perhaps a better word) to the U21 match..............



and then its on to a bar for some liquid refreshments!




..........its definitely safety in numbers for this game, so there are quite a few of us in the Hotel bar................




Fun and game getting to the away end - just why our mate is doing the riverdance we will never know!

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=8BX7wQrCqDc&feature=related





We couldnt get as much as 1p coin into the ground, just how did the Polish fans hide the flares!!!!



a few pictures once we had actually managed to get in the ground despite being ambushed and then beaten by the nice locals and then the local riot police




We celebrate in the bar after surviving the game and the jog back to the hotel with many batton wealding Polish Riot police. We took a bit of a battering before the game after the infamous Paul Dodds mob decided to throw bottles at the Riot Police!!! Thanks a million



The biggest celebration of the evening, we have made it back to the hotel!!!!!!!!!




But in the morning everyone has the war wounds of the day before! OUCH!!!!!

A v Hereford 3.5.1997

H v Doncaster 26.4.1997 (Last game at the Goldstone)

A sad day but also a day to celebrate as we beat Doncaster 1-0 and the chances of staying in the league remain alive

The next day I walked back to the Goldstone, took my Nephew Aidan to the ground so he could say that he had been to the Goldstone. So Just Hereford away to come - Eeeek!

A v Georgia (Tblisi) 9.11.1996

We arrive into Georgia, the place was full of refugees from Chechnya driven over the boarder by the civil war!

Georgia became independant from Russia in 1991

We change up some money and head off looking for a bar....



We stroll along the local river, stll trying to find a local bar


....................Me with Micky Hanlon, Pete from Coventry and AN Other!!!!!!!!!!!



............................Time to get the flag out for a picture...............



We find a friendly local bar - one of the regulars plays a flute through his nose!



We start on the local beer!



We are joined by the local army and they insist on buying us bottles of vodka! They laugh when I mix it with coke and insist we drink it neat like locals - we do!! The owner then brings us a curry on the house, probably goat possibly chicken but it was gorgeous!!



........after all that Vodka time to try and leave..............................







An impressive ground, time to put up the flags - no segregated area for this game, we were just in with the locals!! Ex-Brighton chairman Greg Stanley was on our trip (with his Chelsea mates). The same day as this game Brighton fans boycotted the Mansfield home game, but broke the gates down just before half time to all get in for free! ARCHER OUT ARCHER OUT!


.....................we are joined by a few locals.............................



The ground was soon full , a 48,000 sell out



England wear the horrible grey kit, but we still manage a 2-0 win.