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Published: June 11th 2019
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Saturday morning, after a nourishing breakfast of porridge and a bacon sandwich with brown sauce we were off down the M1 again back down to Nottingham. Even though the weather report was a little shaky I was determined to attend my first ever English professional football match. In this case a Championship level game between Brentford and Nottingham Forest.
Before heading off to the stadium we stopped at Davey’s house to watch some of the early games while having a cup of tea. When it was time his wife drove us as close to the stadium as possible, telling the traffic official that she was “taking the lads to the football”. We were then left to walk the rest of the way on foot.
It was great walking as the air was fresh and we were walking through some picturesque parkland. Eventually, we came across the wide River Trent where I caught my glimpse of the stadium, which was located squat on the opposite bank of the river. The stadium is simply called City Ground and has been Nottingham Forest’s home since 1898. It was great to see that in England they still respect the past and the old
buildings. In America they are replacing sport stadiums that were built as recently as 1994.
We were able to simply go to the ticket window and buy reasonably priced tickets on the day, which is as it should be. We selected tickets at ground level, so Davey didn’t have to ascend up into the vertigo inducing upper stands. As soon as I entered the stadium I could just feel the history of the place, even in the cramped bowels of the stadium where the concession stands and bathrooms were located. I bought myself a beer and we headed down toward the field to take our seats.
Just before the game the Nottingham Forrest crowd began to sing in unison. It arose from every corner of the stadium, as the tune and voices echoed all around the centuries old building.
City Ground
Oh mist rolling in from the Trent
My desire is always to be here
Oh City Ground
Far have I travelled and much have I seen
Goodison, Anfield are places i've been
Main Road, Old Trafford still echo the sound
Of the boys in the red from the City Ground
City Ground
Oh mist rolling in from the Trent
My desire is always to be here
Oh City Ground
Smiles in the sunshine, Football like champagne
Still take me back to where my memories remain
Flickering embers growing higher and higher
And a new squad of players for us to inspire Here in this small corner of England, generations have been coming to support their local team. Players and coaches came and went, but the fans and their families were always here. Steadfast and true coming to the stadium week after week, year after year. It was unexpectedly deeply stirring.
The song is sung to the tune of Paul McCartney’s “Mull of Kintyre” which was at the top of the charts when Nottingham Forest ruled the football world back in 1978. Anyway, it was a game with a fun atmosphere. Nottingham Forrest was being coached by Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane, two former players. Our seats were bathed in warming sunlight for the first half and then got considerably colder as the sun set during the second half. I loved the back and forth chants between the
home and away supporters. One that I was particular pleased with went as follows:
We’re coming to get you
We’re coming to get you
You sheep shagging bastards
We’re coming to get you And get them they did as Nottingham Forest came away with a 2-1 victory, sending the home fans spiraling out into the night in a festive mood. Davey and I then made the long hike into the city center for some dinner and beers.
Davey suggested that we go grab a burger at the renowned Annie’s Burger. The menu contained a plethora of creatively thought out burgers. Davey said that he had brought Vic here and that he had gotten a little too adventurous in choosing the Peanut and Jelly burger. And that it did not go well and had permanently put Vic off the place. With this warning in mind I selected the Satay Peanut Burger. So good!
With a few beers in us we spilled out into the streets once again. Nottingham’s center was a winding mass of old lanes. It all felt quite medieval. Groups of local revelers were wandering around enjoying a Saturday night. Oh how
would I have loved to be a university student in this town.
Before heading back to the bars, we took some pictures of a couple of statues depicting local heroes. First there was Brian Clough, the legendary Nottingham Forest manager. Then there was Robin Hood himself. Feeling a bit boisterous, I clamored right up on the statue and gave Robin a few pointers on how to better shoot his arrows. Yes, liberties were taken.
We ended the night at a pub called ”Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem”. Apparently, it was founded way back in 1189. Local lore has it that it was here that many crusaders met before marching on the Holy Land during the Third Crusade. How’s that for medieval? Davey and I decided to call it a night and headed back around 9:30pm. When you reach a certain age snacks and youtube videos at home seem vastly preferable to attempting to keep up with the student set and staying out as late as possible.
The next day, my final one in Nottingham, was so relaxed and pleasant. It started off at McDonalds where I was dying to try the Bacon Big Mac. My expert opinion
was that it was not worth it. When something is as perfect as a Big Mac you don’t need to ruin it with extra ingredients. We then took Davey’s young daughter out for a walk in her stroller. This also gave Davey’s wife a break who had been so kind in watching her all weekend while Davey showed me around. It was the least we could do to provide her with some time to put her feet up.
The walk took us back to the canal and loch area. However, this time we ventured a bit farther into a bucolic nature reserve. Afterwards, we stopped at a local pub where I had a refreshing pint of Strongbow cider. Then it was back to Davey’s house to watch Manchester City completely take Chelsea apart 6-0. It was strange watching English football in the late afternoon instead of the morning like I would back home in the states. Anyway, it was the perfect lazy Sunday, which was topped off with what would be my final home cooked meal before heading off to India and the unknown.
* * * * *
Before going to bed I wrote the following
entry in my journal.
“It is the night before I take the final step on to my Mumbai flight. The trip has definitely has snuck up on me. I have been so wrapped up in my unexpectedly deep and immersive visit here in England that I have not really thought about India in over a week. Usually, I am obsessing about the country I am about to visit, especially one as exotic as India. But now I being quite casual about it. Maybe, I will step out into Mumbai 24 hours from now and it will hit me all at once. This has been a great way to break up my journey. Launching from one foreign country into another definitely makes the whole thing less daunting. Another great week of my life in the books. Here’s to whatever happens next.”
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Donna and Neil
Donna and Neil
A great city for students indeed!
We were students in Nottingham - we actually met at 'Ye Old Trip to Jerusalem' pub and used to live just down the road from the City Ground when we were students. Later, after graduation, we lived in Beeston. We enjoyed reading your blog, we haven't been back to Nottingham (or Beeston) since we left the UK 13 years ago, it's always nice to see photos and descriptions from other people about the place! And yes, Nottingham was an amazing city to be a student :). Enjoy India, it's very different to the UK ;)