Now here�s a nice easy fixture to get to (and get home from!) - nip up on the train and nip back after the match and still have time for a curry when I get home�.easy peasy. But all is never as it seems when I decide to head for a match these days. The railway line on my local route into Birmingham is none operational on this particular day due to engineering works, so, what I needed to do was nip into Brum on the ol� motorbike, park it up where I work and head for New St station for the rattler up north.
Part 1 of the journey went smoothly enough and I reached Brum by arf eight. My train leaves at 0903 so it gave me enough time to grab a sarnie from the corner shop. Now, my train (I use the term loosely) is one of Branson�s new fangled Voyager units which are grossly uncomfortable and have many seats that do not line up with the windows. I�d said to myself, if I can�t
a) get on the flaming thing or
b) get a bench by a window, then I ain�t going.
As luck(!) would have it I did find a suitable bench and settled down for the journey ahead and part 2 on the trip.
I was sat in what they call the �Quiet� coach, so, if you are sat in this coach it is not the done thing to use mobile phones or noisy electronic equipment like personal stereo�s. (Incidentally, these new trains have an at-seat headphone system that you can plug into � in the �Quiet� coach�der!!) Yeh! Right.
The journey up was fairly uneventful, the scenery was passing by at a rapid rate of knots. We past delightful places like Wolverhampton, Stafford, Crewe. yer Warringtons and yer Wigins before clearing Preston and reaching something that was worth looking at. Tripping up through the Lune Valley is always a delight � rain or shine. Today it was the turn of the sunshine and glorious it was too.
Now, the train I was on doesn�t actually stop at Motherwell so I had to change trains at Carlisle � a ten-minute wait, nae bother. The system today was running like clockwork and I departed Carlisle on part 3 on the trip bang on time at 1206. Beautiful!
More delightful scenery was gobbled up as we climbed over Beatock, the hills looking so inviting for a wee stroll and thoughts of a Highland March diversion entered my head until the cold sweat on my back brought me back to my senses.
I reached �well bang on time just after 1300 and there, waiting on the platform, was Jnr � he�d travelled down from Inverness (he lives there now!). So, after wasting a few quid in Ladbrokes we sought out the Jack Daniels bar for pre match vimto. What a friendly place this is. No segregation and no hassle from bouncers (there weren�t any) or the like, a real relaxing atmosphere despite the TV screens showing the two live matches!
There weren�t too many away supporters in here � about nine in all, and all were looking forward to the game in anticipation and coming away with a much-needed three points and ICT�s first SPL win of the season.
Jnr and me headed for the ground ahead of the others never really sure which way to go as we�d never been there before. It was understood that, due to a small away support, �well may not open the �away� stand so we went off in search of other ICT supporters and �go with the flow� - we couldn�t see any so had to ask a copper where to go � he didn�t really understand the question but we finally got through in the end. By this time the others from the boozer had caught us up and we all trudged off on an external tour of Fir Park to get to the away stand. This seemed to be a long de-tour and gave the impression that we were walking away from the ground. Strange place this!
Once inside the vast stand we had the pick of the seats as the massed ranks of the Caley support (all 150+ of us) tried to make it all worth their while.
The match itself wasn�t a classic by any stretch of the imagination but when Rossco knocked in the strange looping header it was time to leap up and down and make lots of noise. There seemed to be a delayed action from Caley support when the ball hit the net � well it up the other end and we all thought it�d hit the top of the net.
1-0 to us at HT, now for the pie�s. Now here�s a weird thing � whilst queuing up for the pie�s Jnr noticed a plaque on the wall commemorating the opening of the stand with a friendly match against Coventry City. How strange!
Second half then and it didn�t take ICT to double their lead � Wilson taking advantage of some slack defending, he squared the ball to Dargo and I screamed Goal before he�d even hit it�wahooo, another great away day for ICT. �Well pulled one back with 20 mins to go and I thought we were in for an uncomfortable last period but they decided to gift us a couple of goals and we all went away very happy indeed.
On the way back to the station I chucked Jnr on the bus and headed towards the shops to stock up with a beer or two and a sarnie for the journey home. It would appear, however, that Motherwell closes at 5 pm � not one shop could be found that stocked just one itsey bitsy morsel of a sarnie � and no offi either. However, I was just about to give when I stumbled across a Wetherspoons pub (Brandon Works?) and decided to take on a pint here.
Whilst being served I was confronted by a despondent �Well supporter. Turned out he was from Annan and would be travelling back south on the same train as me. We rattled on about footy all the way to Carlisle and he tried to fill me with wine but, as my final part of the journey home involved riding the motorbike, I declined the offer � well, I just had a sip, that�s all, just to be sociable. We said our farewells at Carlisle and he promptly fell out of the train as the door opened � it was in the station of course and he was fine; just lost his footing! All this entertainment was too much for me in one day.
On leaving Carlisle I headed for the buffet car (now called a friggin� shop ferchristsakes) and blagged myself another free coffee and took up residence in the first class seats all the way back to Brum.
I arrived back home at around 2340 which left more than enough time to order a curry for home delivery, this rounded off a rather entertaining day on the road with ICT.
