Samutsongkhram

Samutsongkhram FC

Ground: Samut Songkhram Stadium

Capacity: 6,000

Club Founded: 2002

Club Dissolved: 2023

The story of Samutsongkhram FC demonstrates just how quickly fortunes can change when investment dries up in Thai football, as the club was relegated several times, going from the top-flight to losing its place in the league.

Club History

The Early Years

The club from the city and province of the same name on the Mae Klong River, known as ‘Pla-Too-Kha-Nong’ or the ‘Raging Mackerel’ in English, started its life in the Thailand Provincial League, promotion to the second-tier Division One at the first attempt in 2005. 

A second successive promotion followed as Songkhram went up to the Thai Premier League, adapting to life in the top flight with a series of mid-table finishes. After flirting with relegation, the team was forced to play home games in Ratchaburi, as their stadium was deemed unfit in 2014. The team went down in bottom place.

Stadium Issues

The club were on the move in the year that followed while stadium repairs were carried out. Bangkok-Thonburi University Stadium was shared with Raj Pracha FC before returning home, where the goals of Marc Landry Babo offered cheer to supporters.

The return home didn't go to plan as the team was relegated to the second tier at the end of the 2016 campaign. The club consolidated, but bad news was to follow. Samutsongkhram were refused a professional license for the 2018 season because of financial issues, with the club being placed in the Thai League 4 Western Region. 

Financial Issues

Woraphot Somsang and Mirzajani Tafreshi Nima weighed in with the goals under head coach Wuttiya Yongant. A year later, Sittichai Pankoo led the scoring for the side coached by Niwet Wongwean. The Thai League was restructured with Samutsongkram being placed in T3 West. Phuwanart Saengsri was put in charge of the team.

Panupong Chimpook and then Chonlathid Groodtieng had spells as coach, with Amagwe Clement Nana and the Thakorn Wikayaphan putting away the goals. 2022-23 saw the team reach the playoffs and a victory over Port FC in the League Cup as Jhonatan Bernardo led the line under head coach Jorg Steinebrunner. 

Again, the club failed to comply with licensing requirements and was demoted from the Thai League.

My visit

Samut Songkhram 1 Army United 1

Thai Premier League - Sunday 20th October 2013 

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 c3,500 🎟️ 100 THB (£2.40)

A Memorable Holiday

My trip to Thailand was going tremendously well. Visits to Hua Hin and Krabi had gone to plan, and I was now really looking forward to visiting somewhere where I thought I’d be in a very small minority as a westerner.

After my flight from Krabi, I took a bus and then the Skytrain to Wongwian Wai, before a walk around the corner to the railway station of the same name. Time was getting on as my plane had been slightly delayed, so I was relieved to pay 10 THB for my ticket.

Train Through the Countryside

The plan was that the first train would take me to Samut Sakhon, where I’d get the ferry across the Tha Chin river to join up with another train that would take me through the market in Samut Songkhram to the famous Maeklong terminus.

All seemed fine as I boarded my basic carriage with the windows down and fans hanging from the ceiling. The legroom was tight as I was surrounded by some aesthetically pleasing young ladies. The ride took us through the suburbs, passing temples, housing and stalls built virtually on top of the tracks.

Pre-Match Concerns

Many fields were waterlogged as we progressed into the country. The heavy rains from the previous couple of weeks were one of my two fears when I booked my hotel and made my plans. Obviously, I didn’t want the pitch to be unfit. I had also had another concern in the lead-up to my trip.

Crowd disturbances at the relegation battle with Chiangrai United saw the game being abandoned. Fortunately for me, the Thai FA fined the club rather than making them play home games elsewhere.

Bus Replaces Train

Around eighty minutes later, we arrived at the terminus of Mahachai Station. My research had told me that I only had a short time to meet the connecting train, although I expected several others to be doing the same thing and the connection to be well organised. How little I learned! I was in Thailand.

I rushed through the busy street, which doubled up as a Sunday Market, to the ferry. Just 3 THB got me across the river. Time was against me, so on the other side, I set off as fast as I could. Ban Laem station was not signposted until I went a hundred metres down another narrow street offering wares to the passing public.

A kind lady trader stopped me. She must have seen the scene of confused foreign tourists hundreds of times in the past, before breaking the news that there wasn’t a train. I was given an up-to-date timetable. The news wasn’t good. If I waited for the next service, I’d miss kick-off.

Fortunately, the lady and her younger assistant were able to offer me a solution. They suggested that I go back over the river and go to the main street where the buses ran from, so without further ado, I was back on the ferry.

From the vessel, I could see the stadium of the Regional League Division Three club Samut Sakhon and was half tempted to go and have a look, but I decided to play it relatively safe. After all, I wasn’t sure if I could get to my destination yet!

All signs were written in Thai, which made reading impossible. I reverted to plan B and walked along the waiting buses, pointing and saying Samut Songkhram. Ideally, the drivers would either nod or shake their heads. It worked, and I was soon aboard an old vehicle waiting to depart. Off we went, stopping at regular intervals. 

I had paid the driver my 25 BHT before I got on, while a rather aggressive but strangely attractive young lady conductress collected the rest of the fares. The bus continued sounding its horn whenever anyone stood by the roadside, stopping where requested. There were no official stops and definitely no timetable, but it seemed to work fine.

Welcome to Samut Songkhram

After an hour, we arrived in Samut Songkhram, where I was impressed seeing banners hanging from the streetlights with their players on them. It was obviously a town that supported their club. I jumped out when reaching the bus station and quickly got into a tuk-tuk.

The driver asked for 50 THB to take me to my hotel, which seemed good to me, even though the journeys seemed to be getting more expensive the shorter they became. My lovely room at the Baan Amphawa Resort & Spa cost less than £25. After a quick shower and change, it was time to leave. 

An Interesting Walk

The resort was right on the Mae Klong, and when I looked up towards town from the jetty, I could see the stadium’s floodlights. It reminded me a bit of Fulham! I decided that I would kill two birds with one stone by partaking in a bit of exercise by walking to the venue.

I took a wrong turn away from the main road and ended up in the back lanes, where plenty of warm smiles were exchanged. They were probably amused by a blatantly lost foreigner. Dogs howled, so I was most relieved to get back on the main drag and into the town centre, soon finding the railway I wanted to see the following morning when the train arrived.

On the other side, a market was on a large open square. The sounds and smells justified my decision to do something different. After purchasing some snacks, I continued towards the stadium. A couple of lads in shirts were a dead giveaway, so I followed them and came out on the dual carriageway with the Samut Songkhram Stadium just over the footbridge.

Pre-Match Atmosphere

I just love approaches to football grounds, especially ones where a crowd is gathering. Home and away fans bought from the various street traders selling food and drink. My purchase of three sticks with freshly grilled beef on them proved to be a winner. To wash it down, I opted for a can of Leo. The total outlay was less than a quid.

The match ticket was purchased from one of two huts. Guards were inspecting tickets at the gates in a courteous mood before I advanced onto the concourse behind the Main Stand. I went under the stand into the club shop. Koolsport produced the club's kit, so I wasn’t too upset when they didn’t have a sky-blue top in my size. I went for a white baseball cap.

A Ramshackle Stadium

Experience told me that the best atmosphere at Thai stadiums tended to be on the opposite side of the main stands, so I set off around the goal. Samut Songkhram Stadium was not one of the best in the league. It had a raised Main Stand. There was nothing behind either goal apart from access paths. The pitch had a cinder running track surrounding it.

The far side was made up of semi-permanent open stands on scaffolding, not unlike what you see at golf tournaments. However, these were extremely steep, with no seats, while offering a good view, and they required some fitness to climb them. 

The visiting Army fans were in the next block along. I would guess that around 500 had travelled down from Bangkok. As ever, a group of young ultras tried to lead the cheerleading at the front. They were joined by a brilliant older bloke wearing a Portugal away shirt. At first, I thought his dance on the little stage was for a laugh, but he carried on for the full first half.

The teams, as customary, stood for the King's Anthem before kick-off. All the locals were friendly towards me. Thais are well known for smiling, but the people of Samut Songkhram were breaking all kinds of records. They seemed to particularly like my struggle up the stand and my making a few quick recordings of my surroundings.

The Match

The pitch was a real pudding and in awful condition in places, making fluid play difficult. Army showed their quality in the early stages, but the home side was really putting in a shift as a defeat could have had disastrous consequences in their attempts at staying up.

The players had left the pitch, but out of nowhere, a big cheer went up. I looked down to see the hilarious sight of the heroic dancer having gone straight through the stage. His pals were trying to lift him out of the debris!

An Early Night

On full time, I took my time to walk around and was most amused to hear the 1970’s classic, ‘Yellow River’ by Christie booming out over the PA. I decided to head back into the town centre, hoping to find a bar with some home fans inside. However, it appeared that nightlife and Samut Songkhram didn’t appear to go hand in hand.

The fag end of the market was still ongoing, but instead, I bought some toasties and drinks at the 7/11 before heading home for an early night to listen to the games from back in the UK, as well as taking a lovely seat on the waterfront to reflect on a classic day.

Monday Morning Train Market

The following morning was another stunner. After I had my breakfast and said my farewells, I once again decided to walk into town, only this time on the main road. Freshly caught fish from the river stood drying on hooks by the roadside, and once again, nobody was shy of a large smile.

I arrived by the level crossing at Maeklong station in decent time after walking through the packed indoor market that had stalls literally right up to the track. The sun was burning through, and temperatures were around 30’.

My luggage was becoming a pest, especially as huge crowds of tourists were gathering. I decided to ask a lady running a sweet and cake stall right by where I wanted to be if she’d look after my bags in return for a donation. 

Her assistant immediately recognised me as it transpired that I’d bought my snacks from her on the way to the match the night before. They agreed to help me but refused any money. It summed up the good folk of the town.

The train arrived a little late in true Thai style as the trader dismantled their stalls to allow it through. It was a little contrived, but still a tremendous spectacle and one I was delighted that I’d taken in. I departed after saying my thank you to walk around to the bus station for my next adventure, which was a bus ride to Ratchaburi.

Further Reading and Watching 

If you have enjoyed reading this article, you might wish to visit my YouTube Channel, where there are numerous homemade Thai football videos, as well as a wide range of content covering all aspects of life in the Land of Smiles, including the one above in which we visited Samut Songkhram and the Mae Khlong Railway Market on a tour of Thailand and Laos.

You might also like to get hold of a copy of my book, which covers the adventure, along with dealing with the language barrier and understanding Thai culture. It is available in paperback and on Kindle.