During this time the ball hit the back of the net 412 times an average of 3.17 times per game. I endured 10 goalless draws, witnessed 26 red cards and saw 34 penalties scored and 4 missed. Overall it was an away win with visiting teams outscoring those at home 202 v 189 while 192 goals came in the first half compared to 220 in the second.
In terms of crowds I was one of 52114 faces in the crowd at St James Park in December, my highest of the season, and one of a lowly 8 watching the Foot Ball Club of Edinburgh in November. Most expensive ticket of the season was unsurprisingly for Stamford Bridge priced £48, with West Ham at £45 coming in second. There were plenty of cold ones but no more so than at Spartans on the 30th December with arctic conditions almost freezing the astroturf pitch at Ainslie Park. Considering I also take a school team and play a bit as well there has been a fair amount of fitba!
In terms of 'where the heart lies' Liverpool finally managed a title challenge while Queen of the South hit the top in October only to find rock bottom in December. I made it to 30 Liverpool games and a strong start saw the Reds top of the league for most of the opening months and into the new year. I made the trip to London in late October to see if Liverpool could end Chelsea's 86 game unbeaten run. A Xabi Alonso strike was enough and there was serious bedlam in the travelling kop. I finally got to see Real Madrid come to Anfield in the Champions League and they were well and truly beaten 4-0. In the end a number of frustrating draws saw the title lost and then almost won again thanks to a blistering finish.
On the ground hopping front I managed to add 5 more grounds; Millwall, Stoke City, Wycombe Wanderers, West Ham United and Gillingham, to my 92 total although Chester's relegation also takes 1 off. In the pursuit of 'doing the 42' I made it up to the highlands for a first visit to Inverness Caley and Ross County and in the West to Kilmarnock. With St Mirren moving to a new ground my total is now adjusted to 39. I have really enjoyed my trips around the grounds of the East of Scotland League and have 4 to go to complete the set. My Junior experiences have been mainly in the East region although the odd trip to West has been made.
I ventured into women's football for the first time and was pleasantly surprised with what I saw, goals galore at little or no cost. In the English non-league I managed to visit Tilbury in the South-East, Winsford United in the North-West and on my Easter trip to the North-East, West Allotment Celtic and Newcastle Benfield. The highlight of the season was undoubtedly to the Zabeel Stadium in Dubai. Al Wasl won an exciting game, with entry for under £4 and a unique experience.
Goal of the season1. Javad Kazemian - Al Wasl v Ajman (16/02/09)
2. Fernando Torres - Liverpool v Blackburn Rovers (11/04/09)
3. David Etale - Spartans v Edinburgh City (15/05/09)
Most goals in a game
11 - Boroughmuir Ladies 3 Spartans Ladies 8
9 - Peebles 0 Gala Fairydean 9
8 - Liverpool 4 Arsenal 4
Game of the season 1. Chelsea 0 Liverpool 1 (26/10/08)
2. Al Wasl 3 Ajman 2 (16/02/09)
3. Liverpool 4 Real Madrid 0 (10/03/09)
4. Gretna 2008 4 Tynecastle 2 (18/01/09)
The new season is already on the horizon and with the fixtures out a number of plans have been made. I have decided to take a season ticket on the Kop, which may slightly reduce my travels although with TV shifting all and sundry it may not result in too many Saturday's being used up. Stranraer, St Mirren and Peterhead are major targets and the rest well I guess we'll see what can be fitted in. All the best and here's to a great 2009/2010 season...with a Scottish appearance at the World Cup in South Africa to finish...fingers crossed!
2 comments:
Still enjoying your website have a good season , starting at Fir Park tonight.
Stephen
Impressive stuff, not so sure about Scotland making it to the World Cup though!
Added a link to your blog on mine, going to attempt to do a similar thing to you, I'll mainly be doing Queen's Park games, but will do as many other games when I can.
All the best for the season ahead, maybe see you at a game next season. If you do make it to Peterhead be prepared for the elements, every time I've went it's been gale force winds and bucketing it down.
Also, the Queen's Park v Partick Thistle friendly you've got listed, it's the Tuesday not the Sunday, closed-door at Lesser Hampden but no problem entering via the social club if you intend to go, haven't seen a kick-off time confirmed but I'd assume 7.30pm.
http://nomadic-fitba.blogspot.com/
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