The Championship Magical Mystery Tour – Part one
By Leipziger
June 30 2013
When the Falcons failed to overhaul Wasps last May and finished bottom of the Premiership, and London Welsh subsequently succeeded in getting themselves promoted, most of us accepted that we deserved our fate.
We would go down to the Championship, go to some new places, and have a jolly good time hopefully cheering the team back up to the top division.
Now, with the 2012/13 Championship Magical Mystery Tour over, and everyone looking forward to getting back to the big time, I thought I'd have a look back at some of the places we've visited this season.
Following a friendly at Ulster in Belfast last August, the season began at a venue that was actually familiar to many Falcons fans from many Premiership visits – Bristol's Memorial Stadium. Always one of the more delicious grounds around due to its pastrified culinary fare, the game was expected to be among our trickiest of the season, but in the end a 20-37 bonus-point win left the away fans buoyant and no longer dreading a potential return in the play-offs.
Not forgetting the history of the Memorial Stadium, our first trip to what might be termed a more traditional rugby ground – the Athletic Ground in Richmond to take on London Scottish. It was a baking hot day (as the unfortunate drunk who required an ambulance behind Richmond Tesco found out – and no that wasn't me!) in a ground with few facilities other than a bar that was not just behind the concrete main stand, it was actually outside the ground.
It's difficult to show your ticket when you are juggling three plastic pint glasses full of beer!
After another five-pointer, made slightly hairy by a try-laden Scottish comeback in the second half, myself and the other half had a couple of drinks with some friends on Richmond Green then a takeaway by the Thames. Happy days.
The trip to the Mennaye Field in Penzance is one that sticks in my mind, though perhaps not as much as if I had gone. Penzance (along with Jersey) was the main reason I did not mind relegation so much, but due to work I was not able to go. Once I'm a millionaire that'll not be a problem – well, not half as much a problem as becoming a millionaire is.
Those who did go tell of rain and mud that was found almost in the same quantity as the Cornish real ale. With any luck, the Falcons will be looking at a friendly away to the Pirates at some stage soon.
October began with an interesting trip to Moseley, in a leafy suburb of Birmingham that reminded me of the mean streets of Darras Hall beside which I went to high school. Named Billesley Common, a more accurate name might have been the Portakabin Stadium, as that was what the executive 'boxes', press box, bar and changing rooms seemed to all be. Even the stand was a temporary structure. But the bar was lovely, covered in historic pictures, plaques and items.
I remember speaking to one fellow Falcon in the queue and saying “Would you rather be at the Madejski Stadium than here?” No, she wouldn't have either. A Cumbrian away fan became particularly nostalgic and began campaigning for a similar setup in the KP East Stand.
An away game in the cup to Connacht might have given many fans an opportunity to revisit old haunts in Galway, but the game was instead moved to Athlone. Still, nice to go to new places that one might otherwise never see.
I can't imagine I'd have ever gone to Bedford once, never mind thrice, were it not for rugby. The first visit to Goldington Road was back at the start of November, for a game that was already looking to be a preview for a potential play-off. It was a relatively mild day after the snow that followed the previous week's home clash with Rotherham, and the slope will have confused a few visiting supporters after a couple of pints of Eagle.
In the end though it was all good. An eighth win in eight games, at a friendly and humble ground that had none of the anger and bustle that is seen at some Premiership stadia, left many thinking that the Championship might not be so bad after all.
So to the big one – Jersey. As soon as the fixtures were announced, back when it looked like we would be starting the season at home to Leicester in the Premiership, Geordie eyes were cast at when London Welsh would cross the Channel. Once the Exiles' promotion was confirmed, days off were sorted and flights and hotels booked.
Now most rugby grounds I've been to, certainly those in the Championship, are welcoming to away fans. But Jersey take it to another level. On the Friday night before a game they put on some nibbles and invite away fans to come for a few beers and a chat, and it was on this Friday night that some of us were able to meet Jersey's press officer, a thoroughly nice chap who I was glad to be able to grab a chat with at the return game on Good Friday.
Back into town, it was curry and drinks into the small hours as one hotel that was patronised by many a Geordie was kept open longer than it might have wanted to. Somehow myself and the lady made it back to our hotel on the other side of St Helier on foot, after I'd embarrassed her by belting out The Blaydon Races in the road tunnel.
Mind, the following morning she was singing it there too!
Jersey were again thoroughly hospitable on matchday, welcoming fans into the posh bar post-match and they had something I'd not seen at a ground before (though no doubt many have them) – the league table and the day's results on a board in the bar. Nice to see confirmation of our ten out of ten record.
That night much ale, both Brown and real, was consumed at the Lamplighter in St Helier, where it all became too much for one travelling fan who turned up, sat on a stool and promptly slept for about two hours. It was not until far later in the season that we found out who he was. No doubt many other establishments also saw their contribution to the local economy boosted by the patronage of a couple of hundred travelling Geordies.
Part two will see mentions of cow pie in Doncaster, hangovers and missed buses in Wales, and lots and lots of mud. Before the sun came out.
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Has to be done.
