Pregnant on the terraces

I'm not quite sure how many football blogs have ever been written about attending matches through pregnancy but I am going to give it a go! I am sure lots of ladies go to the game when they are pregnant, well a few anyway.

As a footy mad girl nine months is quite a long time to sit at home and not enjoy my beloved football but maybe as close to the wire as I went was clearly a step too far. Only 6 weeks before due date and I was jumping about at The Racecourse, home of Wrexham FC - thankfully they weren't at home. The ground was home to the Welsh cup final and where my story begins.

So the 6th of May, a glorious bank holiday Monday and Prestatyn were facing Bangor City and we had no other plans. In fact the main reason we wanted to go was because my cousin, I have mentioned him before, is manager of Prestatyn Town FC. I didn't honestly think PTFC would do it, I just thought it would be a nice day out and maybe an opportunity to see family. It turned out to be quite an exciting game in actual fact, one I had to endure from a seat in the upper stand (not good when you need a wee every 10 minutes) because apparently being pregnant was not good enough reason to let me sit in the lower stand according to the stewards! I digress. The scoreline ended up 3-1 to the Seasiders with two goals in added time after one of the Bangor players was sent off, it was thrilling! The crowd were in absolute fine singing voice and of course we had to jump up and down to cheer loudly enough for the Bangor fans to get the message Prestatyn were lifting the cup and not the Citizens as had been expected! It was also quite exciting seeing my cousin lift the Welsh Cup (the second oldest national trophy in world football). Needless to say my waters broke the next day!

Now that may have seemed a bit crazy but as anyone who knows me will vouch I don't do things by halves! Three weeks before, exactly to the day, I was jumping up and down in a Conference team's ground, I was at Wrexham's rival's ground, The Exacta stadium, home of fan-owned Chester FC. I will talk more about them as promised soon! They were playing a Boston side who were the only team that season who had managed to beat them home and away and a win that day meant they were being promoted and would join afore mentioned Wrexham FC in the Conference Premier. I have spent many an afternoon and evening stood on the cold hard stone of the Harry McNally stand so thought why not when I'm pregnant. Chester won the game and were to be promoted and like every other promotion I had seen with Chester the fans ran on the pitch and I always joined them, today was to be no different! I was not missing out on the chance to celebrate with my fellow fans and the team no sirey. I was met with a few odd glances but as you can see here my hubby and Chester FC friends just knew it was me.

I had planned my last game before I gave birth to be a game near to my heart (take a read of my previous blogs to find out why) Everton vs Fulham. But obviously the Welsh Cup game meant it was not quite however, it was the last time I would be at Goodison Park for a while. The game which took place on the 27th of April was a 1-0 win with Pienaar the goal scorer. It wasn't quite a jumping up and down, running on the pitch kind of game but I enjoyed it all the same. There were a few games at Goodison of that ilk throughout my pregnancy though so I got my fair share.

My last league game before Fulham came in the shape of Everton vs Manchester City. I am sure most of you remember this game coming after that horrific (there is no other way to describe it) FA Cup game against Wigan, a game I was quite willing to leave early. Honestly I thought I would have been including a pregnant Wembley trip in this blog but it was not to be! Anyway, I wasn't expecting much from this game but low and behold after a goal drought that felt like a life time one of my favourite players that season Mr Jelavic smashed a goal into the back of the net. As a hormonal pregnant lady does I cried! Oh dear lord a lady crying in the Gwladys Street, whatever next? I remember my husband with his arms wrapped round me because everyone was going so wild in the lower stand, jumping all over the place. That wasn't the only excitement of the game with Ossie's wonder goal and Stevie Pienaar being sent off! I was starting to wonder at that point whether I should have been staying at home from then but I think secretly it gave me such a buzz I couldn't stop going!  I did put a link to this game on my Twitter but if you missed it here it is, I enjoyed watching it again: http://www.soccer-blogger.com/2013/03/16/everton-vs-man-city-2013-highlights-2-0-osman-jelavic-goals-pienaar-red-card-video/

Although Everton had a very consistent league campaign, never dropping below seventh place throughout the whole season, there was a league game I attended whilst pregnant that they didn't win. That game came on December 30th 2012 against Chelsea, we had just got back from a week in the Canaries and I didn't actually have a ticket up until a few days before. I assumed (you should never do this apparently) my hubby had sorted it before the holiday but it wasn't the case so I called around and managed to get what I thought was going to be a ticket in the Main Stand. Upon that thinking I bolstered up in Everton merchandise galore, hat, scarf, hoody and jeans, little did I know the ticket was in the Joe Mercer Suite and my seat to be next to what I am assuming (again) were WAGs. I am getting this from their lack of merchandise and designer everything else. So the scoreline was an unfair one I actually thought we played better than them but 1-2 wouldn't agree with me. But I had my own fun. At half time I had to wait for the group of WAGs to disappear before I got out my ham butties wrapped in tin foil and my Aldi crisps i'd been packed off to the match with. I also couldn't hold it in any longer in the second half of the game and ended up joining the fans in the Gwladys Street in song for their rendition of 'you're just a fat Spanish Waiter'. I don't think the young ladies I was sat with were familiar with it as they didn't join me.

As we do every year as a family we all went to the game against Wigan on Boxing Day, not really a thriller but still a 2-1 win. If only we'd saved that result for the quarter final but then I guess our little girl wouldn't have been born on the day our now manager lifted the FA Cup. So the game before that there was to be a thriller! We played Tottenham Hotspur on the 9th of December, a day I bet their travelling fans would much prefer to forget. At half time it didn't look to be a thriller at all even after they netted one it still didn't until 90 minutes on the clock and Steven Pienaar headed one home for the blues to be shortly followed by Jelavic. The Gwladys Street felt like the whole stand was rocking. Thank god that day wasn't a few months later! It still is one of my favourite Everton games I've been to.

Although very early on in my pregnancy there were probably two games worthy of note. The first on the 26th of October, a derby game. As with all derby games I have witnessed first hand at Goodison we drew, 2-2 on this occasion. Now the moment of note came interestingly in the dying moments again when Mr Gerrard fired that free kick goal towards the Gwladys Street. An odd thing to note I guess, but watching him run the length of the pitch to his adoring fans without seeing the linesman waving his flag in the air to disallow Suarez's goal was an absolute joy. I think I enjoyed that as much as waving him off after the derby this season knowing he would never grace our soil ever again (I hope). Also the fact that we went on to finish above them for the second successive season since 1937 was a bonus too.

The other game this time was a defeat in the Capital One Cup away at Leeds. I was excited for this one it was a birthday treat going to an away match but you could sense there was bad feeling in the air even when we arrived. The match was bad enough but in the latter stages of half time one of our own fans threw a flare which landed at my feet. I was so scared I ran as fast as the narrow leg room seats could carry me and hid myself away in the ladies vowing to never go away again, I think from memory I even took my Everton shirt off and stuffed it in my bag. Good job I had no idea I was pregnant at the time.

If you're good with dates you will have worked out already our little girl ended up being born only five days after the Welsh Cup final and five weeks early! If you ever see a pregnant lady at the match jumping up and down you tell her from me it's not advisable! I had a great adventure though and a story I can tell my little girl.

Popping my Wembley cherry

So we have had two days of semi final action in the headlines with Arsenal narrowly beating Reading and a well documented win for Aston Villa against Liverpool. I was so envious of all those fans getting to go to Wembley, after my first trip to the most amazing football stadium I've ever seen (other than Goodison of course) I am dying to go back! Even though for us it was not the outcome against Liverpool that Aston Villa fans left our capital city with. 

So in the run up to the glorious day in April that ended in tears on the train we had quite a few great games at Goodison Park. In fact a run of four homes games before the replay at Sunderland that got us to the mighty Wembley. It all began with a relatively easy win against Tamworth, 2-0 the score line consisting of a goal from Heitinga and a penalty from Leighton Baines. We sat on an open front row in the lower Gwladys Street and it was absolutely freezing! Needless to say we have never sat their again since. 

So the draw after that brought a game I was excited to see. Everton would play Fulham in the fourth round of the FA cup. As you will know from my first blog (if you haven't read it catch it here http://footymadgirl.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/finding-football.html?m=1) my first game at Goodison was against Fulham in which the Blues won 2-1 this was set to be a scoreline I would see again on our wedding day and then our anniversary. Interestingly Fulham happened to be a game for David Moyes to have a connection with as his first game as manager was a 2-1 win against Fulham. I love how football works in these mysterious ways!

Anyway back to the cup run so 2-1 at home against Fulham this time two new names on the score board, Stracqualursi and Fellaini. A Friday night game enjoyed under the old lady's glorious floodlights. So on we went, it was starting to get quite exciting now, people were chattering on the bus on the way home about how we could do this, we could get to Wembley. At the time I listened on never even dreaming that I would get the opportunity to go, I was excited for my husband that he would have the chance to go back again. Little did I know. 

So here we were again tuned in for the big draw, out we came first of the two names another home match this is the bit I hate it's like the world slows down, your heart beats in your chest so hard you can hardly breathe. "Please not Liverpool, give us someone good" you say to the ex  player drawing the balls out of the bowl full of prospective FA cup winners. "Blackpool will face Everton at home", a sigh of relief. Although they hadn't been doing too badly themselves. Off we head back to Goodison Park, the atmospheres at the games were starting to buzz. The crowd singing "we're on the march with Moyesy's army" I was excited by it all. Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of being sat with me at the match will know my favourite things are half time Minstrel sweets and a good old sing song. I have never found any better distresser after a week at work than a chortle at the game. Now I don't get to go to the match as much as I used to, due to a young lady arriving back in 2013, I find I don't have as good release at the weekend as I did. 

Wembley was looking an ever more promising prospect for the blues now with only one more game to secure it and it was to be the Mackems who would make the trip to Goodison this time. I sadly didn't get to the game due to work commitments although it's probably for the best I'm not good with tense games like that. I did however get to watch the replay that resulted in me stood on our sofa singing at the top of my voice like I was at the game! The minute tickets became available to season ticket holders my hubby and his dad were straight on it. I was sad at the thought I couldn't go but happy he had got a ticket. I still didn't see me getting one with only five home stubs to my name I didn't see it going down that far for ticket sales but low and behold it did and we were straight on it, I ended up in the gods but hey I was holding in my hand a ticket to Wembley so I didn't care where I sat!

The day came before I knew it and we were heading off to London at some ridiculous hour. My father in law drove us, me, my hubby and his mate who had only the night before driven all the way from Cardiff as he does most weeks for his team. I had been to Goodison in the run up and got a new Everton bag and some top trumps for in car entertainment not that they got played! I was mesmerised by the sights on the way down and the tweets and football chat the entire journey. Cars with a blue scarf one side and a red the other, coaches with both sets of fans travelling together, we stopped at a service station on the way and there were people bumping into each other from opposite sides of the park asking how the family are. I'm not sure many rival clubs could do that, if any. 

As much as I enjoyed the sight of fans mixing in harmony I much preferred it when it was just us. We parked the car out in Borehamwood and got the train in to Wembley, a quick McDonalds breakfast and then up to the Green man pub. Now I was in my element! I love being around fellow blues, especially the singing kind! Everyone out in force outside in the sunshine enjoying a well earned bevvie after that journey. People were buzzing, the atmosphere was amazing. In actual fact I would have preferred to stay their all day but we did have a game to get to. So two beers down and off we went. On the walk down from the pub there were a few police horses, a sight we are used to on Priory Road. With Wembley towering in the background one of the fellas in front of us asked the police man "can you tell me where Wembley is mate?" Oh my word I am not sure I have laughed that hard very often in my 28 years! 

We got to the bottom of the steps at the side of Wembley where we found lots more singing blues, quick sing song another beer from a stall and then into the ground. Getting to our seats in the top stand took what felt like an age but it was well worth it, anyone who has been to Wembley will tell you that view is outstanding, it's not the top balcony by any stretch but it is pretty damn good! Everything was pristine from the seats to the ladies toilets you could tell we were at the national stadium. Now although this blog is about my first trip to Wembley and I have spoken about the games in the run up, I doubt I need to talk about this one in great detail, for obvious reasons. The first half was just what I hoped it to be singing, cheering, enjoying every moment even if them lot were on the other side of the stadium. This was our moment nobody could touch that. Half time was brilliant, enjoying the frivolity of what looked being a very good day in every blue house on Merseyside. But that was not to be, two slip ups and we were on the end of a long drive home. Beaten by our most bitter rivals. Interestingly when we left the ground I was still singing, I was sad we didn't do it but I'd had such a fantastic time. I'd met so many blues, enjoyed a day in the sun with some of my favourite people but today was not our day. My hubby on the other hand did not take the defeat too well it was like going home with a grumpy teenager. 

I still enjoy the memories from that day and would love to go back. Away days are fantastic and hopefully I will get a few more of those especially the European kind after such a brilliant run this season I'm hopeful it will happen again soon! 

Finding football

This will hopefully begin the story of how I came to be a footy mad girl and how I sit here now at silly o clock in the morning writing this blog. Tonight my husband showed me a Barclay's Premier League promotional video of an Everton fan from South Africa being given the gift to go to his club's ground Goodison Park and watch his very first live game against Newcastle United. The joy and exhilaration you could see coming from the man just made me remember how amazing I felt when I realised football was my passion. Obviously I was a biased viewer to this particularly piece of viewing entertainment and could relate to the game and location but any football fan will know the feeling of passion you get from the game.

When I met my husband just five years ago I was a passive fan of football, I had a mild interest in the game with very few real role models around to look upon as real football fans. My only match going relative was a Manchester United fan who promised to take me to a game but never ended up fulfilling this promise. We had a footballer in the family, professional too! Played for Tranmere Rovers, Sheffield Wednesday and Southport. I got to go to a few Tranmere Rovers games as a teenager but at the time the aftermatch opportunity to scout out good looking boys was more my thing.  This same family member was also an avid Manchester United fan, I say avid loosely I'm not sure how many games he ever got time to go to live but nevertheless if he liked them then that is who I would like. For my eleventh birthday I managed to coax my Liverpool fan step dad into taking me to Old Trafford, he got me the grey shirt with Giggs and the number 11 printed on the back I thought I was the business. For those of you who know how many times the first team ended up wearing that shirt you will understand why I say me and MUFC were really doomed from there.

So fast forward 13 years when I met my husband. The day after we met my most vivid memory is him shooting off to watch the match with his dad, an occasion I would be very used to in years to come little did I know. So our second date to the pub and he is telling me that he is going the match tomorrow (what did I tell you) but he is going on his own as his dad can't go and he can't get rid of the ticket. I felt excited at the prospect of live football so I cheekily asked if I could go with him. I'm not sure I have ever seen my husband as dumbfounded since that day as I did in that moment. He agreed so off we went. 

Now here come the cliches, when we got to Goodison Park it was swarming with people, more people than I'd ever seen in one place (well maybe other than when I went to watch steps play at the MEN but best we don't talk about that). There was a buzz about the place I could feel it in my bones. I was excited, in fact very excited, but nothing at all could prepare me for what was coming. Yes they won, they beat Fulham. But that wasn't it. We walked into the ground and went up the many storeys of stairs to get to our top balcony seats, when we got to the top of the last set of stairs off he went to get his pre match pint of Chang and there I was stuck, feet cemented to the spot I stood in. I couldn't believe it, the sight from the top balcony was amazing I was in a Premier League football ground and I felt like I was on top of the world. I won't go as far as to say I was in love but boy it was close. When he realised I was still stood there he came back and got me. I remember my husband said to me he forgot how amazing the place was, when you come every other week it's easy to I guess.

The game went so fast, but it was full of excitement. Z cars leading the team out, the crowd cheering, singing, buoying their teams to do well. As I said earlier Everton did win so I think that will have helped with the atmosphere and it was Fulham so I would say it wasn't in comparison now probably one of the best atmospheres of the season but it felt it to me. I wanted more! I was like a puppy with a new toy I just didn't want to put down. It had got me, sucked me into its crazy world. I always wanted something to be a part of, something that I felt I could take an interest in. As a primary aged child I would play football with the lads but I was told at the time (mid nineties) that I wasn't allowed to play in the boys teams I was made to play in the netball team, a game I tried to enjoy but never really did. Now it was like my passion had been found. I could follow the scores, learn about the players, learn their numbers, their stats. I read through the programme like I imagine an 8 year old boy would after his dad had took him to his first game, I was discovering my passion the ways those young boys do on the bus on the way home from the match. And now hopefully young girls will do too!

After that game my husband took me to a few more games at Goodison before we discovered my love for grass roots football, but we will leave that for another day!