AWAY DAYS REPORT FROM THE FA CUP REPLAY AT WOKING

(It's quite a long one this)

I wonder if those people inside the game realise the lengths some people go to to watch their beloved teams? My story is here but I know a lot of others who also went to great lengths to get to this game.

When the draw was first made my first reaction was not bad, we are Woking's bogey team at home and have a chance but please no replay as I wouldn't be able to go. Thanks to Mr Jala's super last minute save at Haig Avenue I was going to miss a match! Well Mr Jalal I didn't miss the match so hard luck.

It meant a host of rearranged appointments and meetings but I think those that know me at work have an understanding of my addiction and thankfully everyone agreed to change things around for me. I still had to overcome the problem of having to be in Nottingham at 9.30 on the day after the game though and this was likely to be a stumbling block.

A chance spam e-mail telling me about bargain breaks in Travelodge's around the country took me on their website and I managed to get a room in the Farringdon Travelodge at Kings Cross for a bargain £26 (within 24 hours the same rooms were available at £80 a time) and with the train ticket to Woking for only £16 I was on my way.

I managed to clear the way to get the Tuesday afternoon off work and travelled on the 14.15 out of Lime Street. An uneventful journey down but the train was 20 minutes late in and by the time I had fought my way down Euston Road to Kings Cross, checked in at the hotel, got the kit on and got back to the Underground I was rushing around. If ever I needed a reminder that I never want to work in London on a permanent basis tonight was it, overcrowded, overheated Tubes with people barging around everywhere is not for me. On the train from Waterloo to Woking I got talking to a guy who was just going home to Portsmouth a journey he does everyday. London to Portsmouth and return every single day. I moan at Ainsdale to Liverpool!

I arrived in Woking at 19.10, got a quick KFC to take out and eat en route to the ground and got there at 19.30 to be greeted by long queues. I had read that it was to be a segregated match so I enquired which was our turnstile to be told it wasn't segregated but they were asking Southport fans to use a separate turnstile as the Woking fans were getting vouchers for a possible glamour 3rd Round tie! I had a laugh with the steward about them and I was dying to suggest where those vouchers could be stuck if they had lost. I can understand the planning and it is a good idea but as an opposition fan it does annoy a bit. It was £12 entry with a superb matchday programme for £2.50, certainly the best so far this season.

On arrival I was very impressed with the number of Southport fans in attendance, yes there were a lot of our southern exiles but there were also a lot who had travelled up and were travelling back that night as well. I'm sure like me the last thing they all wanted was extra time. You really have to take your hat off to every single person who attended particularly after the garbage we had endured at Crawley on Saturday. I'd love to know more about the southern exiles, why do you support Southport, how come you are darn sarf, let me know and I'll run a feature on SFCSTATS.

I predicted a 3-0 defeat and had travelled down with little hope in my heart but after about 10 minutes I thought, this is not too bad. Seeing Dom Morley get dispossessed and fight back and lay the ball off was a defining moment, we were not going to lie down in this one.

We had few chances but I always felt we may just snatch it, we forced the keeper into a super save and the follow up was cleared off the line but after that it was half chances until Neil Fitzhenry had a free-kick that went narrowly wide in extra time when we were 1-0 down. Their goal with just 6 minutes to go was a sickener, little chance to come back and we were on our last legs.

I really did feel for every single player, every one of them gave their all and what we lacked in guile we made up for in commitment. I had a lump in my throat at the end, seeing all the players looking so dejected and sprawled out on the pitch was quite emotional. The superb travelling contingent stood and applauded every single player as they came over to the fans and acknowledged our support, you somehow don't mind losing quite as much, well you do, but when you know how much it meant to them to have lost this it shows a level of commitment to the club that we all want. When you see your team put so much into a game it makes you proud to support them. Remember the 2002/03 mercenaries, this current lot put them to shame.

A couple of "come on Northwich's" caused merriment among the Woking fans who were a great bunch and who commented on what a great lot of fans we have to have come all that way. I didn't tell them that quite a number lived down in the area! I got chatting to a few on the way back to the station who were quite disappointed in their team and felt we could have got the win if we had been a bit more adventurous, maybe, but when I pointed out we were only part time they hadn't realised and felt we looked as fit as any team they had seen this season.

I was unable to get too many photos because of the dark but I did get one of the smoke encircling the ground which seemed to have been caused by a stray firework. It may have been coincidence but it went off when Woking thought they had scored a goal which was then disallowed for offside, next minute all this smoke started billowing across the ground.

We ended up with 6 players booked but I am sure if the ref watches the video of Leady's booking it will be rescinded, he definitely made a mistake on that one as the ball had been touched before Leady encroached, I think he had his back to the play at the time.

It was back to Woking station to catch the train back to London, the journey being broken up by Alan Jones from southport.gb.com ringing me for some match details which I duly provided.

Getting back to the hotel at 11.30pm I was worn out and it was straight to bed as I had to be up early as the next stage in the journey was to get to Nottingham. I spared a few thoughts for those who were probably still on the M1.

I had never had cause to travel up from London to Nottingham before so I thought I would do a ground watch. There were too many people on the train for me to take pictures, I'm sad but I do have some self conscience, and I had my shirt and tie on for work and there were a number of tax dodgers going to Loughborough, but I did manage Luton, Bedford, Kettering, Friar Lane & Epworth FC and there was ground on the approach to Leicester station which may have been Filbert Street if it is still standing or I guess it could have been the rugby ground?

After my meeting in Nottingham it was back on the train to Liverpool and I managed to spot Alfreton and Chesterfield before the light went. I'm not sure why my colleague who had travelled back with me from Nottingham couldn't quite understand why I was getting quite enthusiastic about ground spotting, don't these people understand, there are some saddos around aren't there?!!!!

Back home for 5.30 pm the day after the match!

If I added up the total cost of attending the match it would scare me, do these people inside of football realise the lengths people go to to watch a football match? I wonder!