Football under the flightpath

By Chester City Exiles on Oct 8, 09 03:28 PM in

How ironic that my last blog talked about being prepared to watch football at a much lower level than current expectations as I watched a match (Leatherhead v Lewes) amongst a crowd of around 300 spectators.

I should've realised that I'd actually only have a few days to wait before watching Chester with just 350 other fans.

Our visit to Hayes and Yeading really was a stark reminder of what it looks like we'll be facing next season. It was apparent right from arriving at the Church Road ground - as soon as I saw there was just one turnstile for both home and away fans, I realised this was going to be a bit of a reality check.

Still, there was no problem chosing my spec, nor where to hang our Exiles banner so the planes taking off from nearby Heathrow could spot a little bit of West London that had been temporarily claimed by a bunch of Cestrians.

A small crowd does have its advantages.

However, it was impossible for us to generate any atmosphere to cheer on the Blue Boys. Three of us bought football rattles along to help create some noise.

It was ironic that my rattle was given to me nearly a year ago at Gillingham (it actually has the date printed on it!). How times have changed for Chester in less than 12 months - Church Road felt a million miles from the Priestfield Stadium.

I did my best to encourage the team, but the ball seemed to be more attracted to the woodwork than the back of the net.

Apart from a couple of near misses, the highlight of the first half was a Hayes penalty that was so far off the mark that it almost interfered with the Heathrow flightpath.

The arrival of half-time gave me another reminder of what can go on at this level of football, as both sets of fans calmly walked past each other and swapped ends.

By the time Hayes had had their second player red-carded, Chester were really going for goal. I've no idea how it remained 0-0, but the 200-odd Hayes and Yeading fans were certainly relieved when the final whistle blew.

The City players were too deflated to thank the travelling fans, and I knew how they felt. It was a dispiriting 90 minutes and new manager Jim Harvey clearly has an uphill task ahead.

For my next blog to be more uplifting, I'll need Chester to get three points on Saturday, plus a great draw in the 4th qualifying round of the FA Cup. I'm beginning to think a good Cup campaign will be this season's only saviour.