Sunday Bloody (Brilliant) Sunday
While I have no problem keeping myself entertained and going to a match alone, it is generally more enjoyable being in the company of others. It provides conversation and opinion, often pointing out things you miss in your own private cocoon.
Indeed, it was while I was chatting to Peter, the amiable owner of Hong Kong Garden, my pre-match venue of choice, that he happened to mention expats he knew who never went anywhere and spent their lives in a room working online.
John, my friend and fellow Sisaket fan, was away for the foreseeable future. I badly missed meeting him and going to games together. In the meantime, I attended matches with friends visiting the area who seemed to enjoy the experience of what is a special part of the world to me, as well as what matchday brought.
Indeed, it was friends visiting the previous week that would lead to me being introduced to a new ally. The write-up of that day, for those who read my scribblings, can be enjoyed here.
Anyway, it was in Leo’s after the match that we came across Per, a passionate Arsenal supporter from Tromsø in Norway who lived in Sisaket. If that makes any sense. My only connection to his home city is remembering Chelsea playing there on a snow-covered pitch on TV. It was a conversation ice-breaker, so to speak, especially as Per spoke good English, like most of his countrymen.
We became friends on Facebook, and I sent him a message leading up to the match. The amazing thing was that although Per loved football, he had no idea of any clubs or leagues in Thailand, which says everything about the potency of local marketing.
The Excitement of Discovering Football in Sisaket
He seemed astonished and equally delighted when I told him I went to most home games. Even more so when he discovered that the city had a second stadium where Rasisalai United play in the third tier.
He messaged me just as I alighted the train from Kathararom and headed for my food and beer. We later met outside the Sri Nakhon Lamduan Stadium ahead of schedule, with him as keen as mustard.
We wandered around to the far side, where I knew there would be a better atmosphere and settled down to beers on a cold and windy night, served by the usual friendly ladies on the stall, as he tried to take it all in.
He told me of his football experiences through work, going to games in London, the expensive nature of it, and the wonderful people he had met along the way. It was great to meet someone else who was clearly enjoying the whole experience, even at an early stage.
Wonderful Memories
I often lament how I would love to find the same buzz once more as my initial taxi ride from Don Muang Airport in 2004, and seeing the incredible sights which grabbed my heartstrings, followed by a night downtown. Also, my first taste of Thai football. If someone could bottle those emotions, then surely, they’d be a millionaire. Seeing someone else getting similar enjoyment is not a bad second best.
We headed upstairs to watch. His first comment was on the state of the pitch, saying he thought it resembled The Dell, from Southampton’s old home. He knew his stuff, quickly sussing out that the ref could be easily manipulated. The hosts, pushing towards the playoff places, went ahead through Caique Ribeiro in the early exchanges.
Fellow Brazilian Danilo then missed a chance that I would have been upset to fluff. Per thought it was wonderful that this previously unknown competition had Brazilians playing in it. Danilo was impressive every week with his strength and game management.
If only the big fella could finish with the same aplomb that he is said to when polishing off meals in certain local establishments. But then again, we wouldn’t be watching him ply his trade in the second tier of Thai football if he were highly competent in front of goal.
Nakhonsi had been on an awful run of form. Despite this, they played with a surprising amount of confidence, with some clever flicks and smart passing movements. They brought around twenty fans with them, showing some real dedication to travelling nineteen hours by road.
My friend was bang on the money when he said it was not fair to give them the worst view in the entire ground. He couldn’t believe it when I explained that they were also charged more for the privilege.
The hosts were made to pay for missing their opportunity when Bianor Neto headed home from a narrow angle from a corner with Sisaket goalie Adisak flapping like a loosely fitted letterbox as usual.
It was soon after that that referee Piyapong Thonkhain and his nearside official got in on the act, or at least they should have done. Wongsakorn was fouled by a visiting defender, with the offence clearly inside the box. The official gave a free kick outside the area. His assistant offered no help.
Who'd Be a Referee?
It was as well that the bloke behind me in the stand from the previous week was missing. He’d have required hospital treatment. Astonishing stuff, but highly entertaining for those without too much skin in the game.
However, it was the ref who in the end decided the game in the second half when he gave Sisaket a penalty for an offence that seemed to be making up for his previous error of judgement. The crowd certainly played their part in helping him make up his mind. They can be a feisty bunch once they’ve had a beer or two. Danilo slotted home the resulting spot kick with eleven minutes remaining on the clock. Lamduan saw the game out for another three points with another unconvincing performance.
We headed back to where I was due to be picked up, and where Per had parked his motorbike. By the open gap below the away section, a farang was applauding the Nakhonsi side, who’d gone to acknowledge the magnificent support that they had received. We joined him.
Yet Another Farang
I commended him on his loyalty, making such a journey only for him to reveal he was a Sisaket fan who lived an hour north of the city. Si was originally from South Wales but had become a Hull City fan, the bigger club I follow in England, after he'd studied at the university there.
It seemed inconceivable that our paths hadn’t previously crossed. He told us where he sat for home games, so hopefully, that would lead to another friendship being created by attending Thai football.
A Near Perfect Day
What a splendid day. I was so overcome with emotion that my wife had to call my driver after I left my phone in the back of his car after dropping me off. I then recalled most of the day to her. Often repeating myself. What a lucky lady.
For reasons of which I have no idea, she went to bed and didn’t want to watch the Brighton v Crystal Palace game with me, so I made the best of the company of the remaining whisky and snacks before bed. It could well have been the last live game that I attended in 2024. I'd certainly done it justice.
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