Occasional contributor Chloecat went to Dartford...
At the beginning of the
season when the fixture list came out I can’t have been the only
Hereford fan to expect 6 points out of the last two fixtures. I
fortunately missed out on the hiding at Hyde and set out on Saturday
expecting a reaction from the Hereford players. Well, sadly the
reaction I got wasn’t quite the one I expected. There were some
good aspects to Saturday – it was a beautiful sunny afternoon, as a
London based Bull it only cost me £2.50 train fare and I was home
and settled on my sofa in plenty of time to look at the days football
results before watching Strictly. You can’t complain about the
entertainment – 4 well taken goals, but unfortunately not in the
direction I was hoping for. In retrospect it was arrogant and
disrespectful to expect Dartford to roll over for us. They were a
well organised team, first to the ball and tackle, played really well
and fully deserved their victory, which I’m sad to report could
have been even more emphatic. After our last foray into the county
of Kent, the unforgettable 5-4 at Gillingham last season, I’m
coming to the conclusion it’s not the greatest place for us to play
our football.
But what surprised me
most was the lack of segregation. I didn’t see the internet on
Friday so when I arrived at the ground I was confused – where
exactly was the away end? In the end I had to ask, feeling a little
dim, but the programme seller assured me this was the way they wanted
it. Apparently the only games he was expecting segregation for were
Wrexham and Newport (who presumably have large away followings,
boosted by exiles based in the London area), Ebbsfleet and Woking
(nearest local derbies) and Luton (whose arrival he seemed to be
dreading owing to their “reputation”). I wasn’t sure whether
the lack of segregation for us was a compliment or a reality check on
how the mighty ex league team has fallen that we were deemed so
insignificant we didn’t even merit our own end! The reality was
though it was really nice. I couldn’t remember from our old
non-league days that happening before, although someone reminded me
of Leigh RMI, but I can’t recall any more. When I first moved to
London I lived not far from Barnet and used to go there on a regular
basis. I used to stand with a friend in front of the tannoy room and
used to watch in bemusement as the fans changed ends at half time. In
fact from those days the only game I remember segregation for was
when Hereford went there in the FA Cup. It was nice to pick a sunny
spot and watch the game from where I wanted. There were a limited
number of stewards and no police, it was a friendly atmosphere and,
if the team had turned up as well, it would have been a great day
out.
One gripe only from the
Dartford side of things, and this is a personal opinion – seriously
who takes a drum to a football match! Irritating doesn’t begin to
cover it.
I’ve never left a
game early, but I had an easy trip home, I don’t blame those who
disappeared off back to Herefordshire before the final whistle. It
was a very disappointing display, to put it mildly. As it was, I was
at the gate to get out the second the referee blew his whistle. I
hope it is better on Saturday against Cambridge, especially as I’ll
be swapping a day when I spend £2.50 on the train for one when I
spend over £30, instead of watching Football Focus and getting home
for 6.15pm, I’ll be out of the house at 8am and will count myself
fortunate to be home before the beginning of Match of the Day.
No-one following Hereford got much pleasure out of Saturday, and I am
sure the players know the inadequacy of their display. If we start
playing like that at home, I dread to think what will happen to the
crowds. So in short – sort it out!
A frustrated Chloecat