The view here is perfect.
Those annoying pillars in the stand can see to it that for 45 minutes, you’re relying on the eyes of the person beside you to see what exactly is going on out there on the pitch. You’d want to arrive a little early (or join the veterans on the Camac) to see the game comfortably.
7.35 kick off is unusual, obviously done ‘for the telly’. Arriving at 7.45, you’d be forgiven for thinking for once you’d made kick off. Alas, you haven’t. Best just grab the first seats you spot. Straight into the first block.
Family stand. This is Monster Munch stuff. In many ways, while the youngest kids in the ground- to them this is always a big night. It’s here the half-time yoof are to be found. Lourdes and Swords Celtic as far as I recall, loads of tiny lads bracing themselves for half-time and their time on the pitch. They’re here for Saint Patricks Athletic and Sporting Fingal of course,(well eh…I don’t think anyone is here for Sporting Fingal) but they’re also here for their own bit of time. Why not? This is how you get youngsters interested of course, and how you keep kids in the game.
Paddy The Panther frowns on your vulgarity
Anyway, the ball goes out about fifteen minutes in. Oh look! It’s yer man who was playing for us last year!
OI! YOU’RE A *starts with f*ING *starts with w*KER!
Yells the brother, brilliant.
GET OFF THE PITCH YOU *starts with f*ING CLOWN!
I’m in on it now too. This is great. This is probably what I missed most about football when I got stuck working Friday nights last year. Let the steam off and all that. It might as well be Sean Fitzpatrick out there.
Then it dawns on us, this is the family stand. This is where the most hot-dogs are sold, where the most ketchup is spilled, where the most bored mammies are to be found, where the smallest of the small people go. Scarleh. A quick telling to from the father and we have to watch our mouths from here on in.
Things are different in this stand alright. It’s been years since the main stand rocked too hard (bar European nights) but up the front there are a handful of youngsters giving it loads. ‘RED ARMY!’ ‘RED ARMY!’ Parents look on in a sort of ‘awwwwh, bless’ way, but only a decade ago they wouldn’t have been alone, and it’s great to see them get into it. Granted, there are more Manchester United and Liverpool shirts in this small section than Saint Patricks Athletic ones, but once they get the bug they’ll be hooked. The idea of the family stand is a great one then.
Well into the second half, and the player me and the brother were abusing earlier is taken off.
‘BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO’ rings out from the youngsters in the block, they’re learning quick. Some day, they’ll be bringing their kids here- and much like me, they’ll be mortified by a slip of the tongue no doubt. I’ll be back with the foul-mouthed oldies next week.
Click on the book for more.
Click on the book for more.
Come Here To Me! 
Being one of the veterans, I took my seat behind and to the right of the goal just after kick off with the young fella and his mate (both 8 years’ old, the young fella himself a veteran of many home games over the last four seasons). In behind the goal one experiences to the nth degree the joys and pitfalls of following the LoI, I’ve never liked the stand (except when it’s pissing rain, a frequent occurrence in the ‘Core I’m afraid, with Richmond Park seemingly constantly at the mercies of its own micro-climate).
The atmosphere here is usually provided in buckets by the Pat’s fans (although we do miss the Shed) and Friday’s game was no exception. What did fuck things up though were three arseholes who loudly roared racist abuse at, I think, the Fingal No. 11, with the acquiescence and jovial approval of their mates who did nothing to shut the fuckers up. Just as I was wondering what to do about it (and remember I had two young lads in my charge) one of the officials brought a cop down who ejected the louder of the arseholes from the terraces, leaving the other pair behind.
Later on, another idiot threw a firecracker at the Fingal goalie, just missing him. After a scuffle, he too was ejected and I’d like here to congratulate the Pat’s officials for sorting it as quickly as possible.
What do you do about this sort of shit at football matches? Obviously the future of the LoI lies in getting as many kids as possible into the games, buying them scarves (not the full kit mind) and keeping them interested in the home game as something that’s realistic, domestic… something that mightn’t have the kudos of Anfield (in our case) but something that’s fundamentally part of our footballing culture. Do we have to tolerate racist abuse, firecrackers or even the common or garden abuse you get anywhere to take part in the experience, or is all this a fundamental part of the experience in itself?
Maybe next time around we’ll head for the stand but I won’t be tolerating any bad language from dfallon or the brother…
See yiz in Dalymount tonight? Come on the Saints!
You might see me in Dalymount tonight but I’ll be proudly sporting Red and Black comrade!
The Black’n’Red didn’t do you much good comrade!
Ah, I’ll say I’m happy with the draw! Looking like an interesting league this year… After last years debacle, Mahon seams to be running a tight ship. Just happy to see Media Darlings Rovers derailed somewhat…
I’m with you on that one!