At
last SC Heerenveen did achieve, what it wanted for so long, stay in the
UEFA Cup competition during winter. It was also nice to play against
Newcastle United. An opponent we had hoped for. We did book the ferry
tickets and a hotel in the city centre the same weekend. A lot of
supporters did wish to go too and ferry tickets to cross the North Sea are
limited if you want to go all at once. Tickets for the match we still had
to purchase, but information wasn’t yet available this weekend. But we
did want to go; we even could in our opinion watch the game in a pub if
necessary. It isn’t punishment to watch a football game in an English
pub.
The last pub for
entering England in IJmuiden Netherlands
We
didn’t have a smooth crossing to Newcastle it was a rough sea with severe
winds. Even I was seasick for the first time in my life and I made many
crossings before. But when you feel solid ground beneath your feet again
all your troubles are over. We did spend the first day to see the city and
February is a very cold month so a nice warm pub is always an option to
consider. Around four
o’clock we did go to the Newcastle Stadium. The pub nearby the stadium
was ours this afternoon.
The
Newcastle United Pub near the Stadium
The
football game was nice, a pity we made an own goal. But SC Heerenveen did
perform well against Newcastle United. The Newcastle United Stadium is
asymmetric and we were standing as high as possible. We had a lovely view
over the city. We had a relatively small group compared to the other
spectators, but our noise was loud and clear. We did loose the game, but
we could leave the pitch with our heads high. The Newcastle supporters did
even applaud when we did leave the Stadium. We did earn some respect again. Now
it was time to explore the Newcastle nightlife. There was nothing wrong
with it. Even in the pubs we did get recognition for our fine performance
and good behaviour too.
There
are a lot of Newcastle bridges crossing the River Tyne
After
a good nights sleep we did spend the Friday to explore the city, do some
shopping and to do some culture things like tasting the English Ale and
Lager. The crossing was this time much easier than a few days ago. Our stewards had
an easy time on board. The DFDS Seaways employees were very pleased to see a large
group of supporters behaving like normal, but thirsty people. Our friends from another
Dutch football club didn't behave so well a few years ago. They
demolished half of the vessel. We
didn’t.
Saturday
morning at twelve o’clock tired, but happy to be back home.
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