Farsley Celtic  (away) 
15/09/07

W 2-0

Attendance: 1128

World war 3 nearly broke out on the bus on the way to Farsley. The tea and coffee making facilities had run out of water before we reached Bristol and Marge was NOT happy. So worried by her increased mutterings of disapproval were the drivers that they stopped at Gordano to buy her some water. However, the moral of conserving water to prevent further shortages was lost on Marge, who threw her cup of tea over herself and the floor as she sat down to drink it.

With many non-league clubs directions somewhat lacking, we often look for the floodlights in order to find the ground. This strategy failed us for Farsley, as we were drawn to the nearby Elland Road. Once we'd passed this impressive stadium we soon found ourselves following the teambus into the "car park" (field) of the Throstles Nest. After a group photo with our inspirational leader Tiz we set off to explore the ground. A sports hall opposite the ground had been converted into a bar for away supporters as their social club could only hold less than 50. The walk down to the away turnstile took us past another football pitch and a refreshment hut. We later found that this was the solitary away catering outlet, and along with the sports hall social club, would be accessible throughout the game. The man serving asked us if we'd travelled down to Farsley, somewhat perplexed by the geographical location of Exeter. The more inquisitive away fans, namely Tim and Martin, decided to walk the perimeter of the ground. As they reported back it became clear that this was a journey that almost ended in disaster as Tim nearly saw more of a 10ft drop than he intended.

It was just as strange inside the ground. We had been allocated half of the space behind the goal, which was covered with seating and standing provision, and half of one side of the ground. As it approached kick-off we were all surprised to see Billy Jones and Danny Woodards come through the turnstile. Despite playing in the upper echelons of the football league they obviously miss the glamour of the Blue Square Premier!

The first half saw a wayward shot fly straight into the catering hut. The way in which the two people inside escaped injury is nothing short of miraculous. We went in at half time winning 1-0 through a 10th minute Stansfield goal. City, shooting towards the away supporters in the second half, were reinvigorated by a double substitution of Logan and Mackie just after 60 minutes. Jamie won a penalty which Logie scored, and the two then proceeded to audition for Strictly Come Dancing in the ensuing celebration. As the final whistle loomed, an attendance of 112 away supporters was announced, missing out at least 100 Grecians who had made the epic journey to Leeds.

The journey home was eventful. Cheggers (teaboy) provided us with an exclusive of his match photos. Later he threatened to reveal much more, declaring that he would strip if the bus got any hotter! Marge ran out of water again, no doubt because it was evaporating in the heat. This time the drivers were ready for her, providing her with new supplies before she kicked off. Cheggers and Scott then got a little closer than expected. Cheggers is adamant that he was "saving" my camera at the time!!! It took a very long time to get back to Exeter, but with City getting the 3 points and a clean sheet, it was more than worth it.