Thai League Thoughts January 2025

The Bloody Big Elephant in the Room

Personal thoughts on the Thai League in January 2025

These thoughts are penned as once again the Thai League season is on its midseason break around Christmas and New Year, this time just as 2025 begins. 

Quite why the sabbatical is as long will be covered later, as it provides one of the great frustrations to those who follow the game in the Land of Smiles. At least to the non-Thai community.

The Thai men’s national team comes before anything to do with the league competition. It always has done and is likely to continue to do so in the eyes of the authorities and Thais. It is the time of year when either the ASEAN championships take place, which are a sort of poor man’s larger version of the old Home Internationals in the UK, for those old enough to remember, or friendly games are arranged.

Despite the importance put on the national team, they never advance or improve in tournaments that matter such as World Cup qualifying or the Asian Championships or are likely to. An ASEAN title, or winning the King’s Cup, another fill-in during extended international breaks, paper over the cracks while those in charge self-congratulate themselves and the fans rejoice.

The importance of the national team is paramount. That is apart from if a club decides it will not release players for it or pulls them out when they have fixtures to fulfil, which while sounding contradictory, leads us to the primary focus of this piece. The state of Thai League football, and how it could be improved. 

Until it is, the Thailand national team is highly unlikely to ever progress.

It is very important to try and understand Thai culture and mentality. Everyday life in Thailand can be disorganised and with little planning. While that can lead to farangs tearing their hair out, that’s how it has always been. I have grown accustomed to it and find it quite endearing until it affects me.

Thais are extremely stoic and resourceful and live life each day in the moment. Changing minds and doing something completely different on a whim after previous planning is discarded, is navigated with ease and unquestioned. It is one of the beauties of living here, but it can be a huge obstacle when running a professional football league as fixtures and venues can change as late as a few days before they are due to be played. Yet local fans still turn up without hardly raising a murmur.

For things to change, it would need someone with experience and total impartiality to be appointed to run things. There doesn’t seem to be such a person in Thailand. That is where the local culture comes into play, as those with those who have connections, power, and money, continue to run things. As a guest, I accept and respect that.

Singaporean, Ben Tan, was onboard as deputy CEO for five years until 2021, but the likelihood of a foreigner being given the job of running the Thai FA or Thai League seems remote at best, despite the skills and professionalism that they would bring to the job. Even if by some miracle they were given control, I would imagine that they would end up resigning within months.

Why? Because they would quickly realise that the league in its present state is run for certain clubs to be indulged. Someone appointed from outside would naturally want to change things so that all clubs would be treated in the same way. At which point those with huge power at certain clubs, as well as carrying it in everyday Thai life, would say, no way!

Apart from four clubs, who we will come on to, most Thai football clubs are skint. That doesn’t mean that they don’t spend money on players, including foreign stars. It just means that often they end up not paying them, at least on time, as they overstretch their budgets in unsustainable fashion trying to chase an impossible dream.

The three clubs with the most power are Buriram United, Port FC, and BG Pathum United. Their owners are prominent people in Thai business and society. When a previous TV deal was not renegotiated, it left clubs seriously short of money. The big three owners agreed to hand out cash to the other clubs in the top division. This was not out of some philanthropist desire. 

It would transpire that once Nualphan Lamsam, better known as Madam Pang, and owner of Port FC, had won the election to become President of the FA of Thailand, it would mean even more power for her and her backers who would run the Thai League, and who happened to include the other two big owners. 

The fourth club Bangkok United is owned by True, a communications conglomerate that by chance became the new owners of the TV deal for the 2024-25 season after their side had lifted the FA Cup thanks to some questionable refereeing and VAR input, which could have been a complete coincidence. 

Within weeks the BGPU owner resigned from their role running the league, leading to Pang’s hand being severely weakened. She remained supported by Buriram owner Newin Chidchob, the most powerful club owner, as well as a politician and arguably the ruler of Buriram province. 

It was his club that pulled out the three players from the national team, whose head coach Masatada Ishii, was formerly the head coach of Buriram and who was given his current role in interesting circumstances after Pang backed his predecessor. 

This nicely brings us to why, at least in this writer's opinion the status quo of the Thai League will remain unaltered for the foreseeable future. 

Whatever people’s opinions of Newin, he is undoubtedly a very clever and extremely driven man, named incidentally after the Burmese dictator, Ne Win. He bought league champions PEA, who were based in Ayutthaya, and moved them lock stock and barrel to Buriram, 333km away, in the sort of move that makes the MK Dons and Wimbledon fiasco look small fry. Yet in Thailand, anything seemed to go.

The reason for the withdrawals from the national team was that Buriram had three league games to play during the break which were previously postponed owing to travelling to fulfil AFC Champions League fixtures. Unlike more developed football nations, which would see provisions made when the fixtures were released, or insist the clubs played on the original weekends. Instead, the league competition was devalued as Buriram had the three matches in hand to play which also gave the table an unbalanced look. 

The league authorities were too toothless to do anything about it. If Madam Pang had insisted, she would most likely have lost her most important backer which could see her being forced out and losing face, which for someone who cherishes public profile and being in the spotlight above all else, would be unthinkable. And Buriram wouldn’t have played anyway.

Newin built a magnificent stadium from scratch after purchasing PEA on lots of spare land on the edge of the city. Next to it are shopping and entertainment venues as well as a hotel so that revenue is generated every day, as well as a motor racing track which stages a leg in the Moto GP each year and brings in billions of baht and visitors from around the world. The training pitches are also of the highest quality. 

The owner changes coaches when he sees fit, in a not dissimilar way to Chelsea under Roman Abramovich, and they win things, being crowned champions eight out of the last ten years. Their recruitment of players is better than everyone else and if they happen to misfire, they are quickly replaced because money is no object. Their current star player is said to command a monthly salary akin to the other club’s payment to all of their foreign recruits accumulated. Newin is playing poker on behalf of Buriram against relative paupers. They are so far ahead of the field it is untrue, on and off the pitch.

The other three of the ‘big’ clubs are way behind in support levels, either not having the stadium capacity or failing to create the potential levels of interest because they are run so inefficiently. Buriram doesn’t get everything right, but they are rarely challenged because of some of the shambolic organising elsewhere. Yet fans of other clubs, farangs aside, hardly bat an eyelid, because it is not in their culture to complain. 

The other clubs in Thai League 1 generally look to avoid relegation. Occasionally one might threaten the pack, but their sponsors or owners quickly realise that the project is unsustainable after a couple of years as the others are too far ahead. How some of those in T2 and T3 manage to survive, goodness knows.

Location is another huge factor in Buriram’s stranglehold. They are based in Isan, a generally poor area of Thailand. The football club has a massive captive audience as there are not the same distractions or entertainment options as in Bangkok. When they moved to their new city, the club gave away lots of tickets, continuing to offer promotions while driving a massive marketing campaign which continually sees unprecedented shirt sales creating revenue. 

People of all ages are owners of Buriram shirts which can be seen being sold and worn all over Thailand. Buriram quickly became Isan’s club, beating the teams and sticking two fingers up to those from prosperous Bangkok, while the others in the region were left behind by those who wanted to be associated with success.

Bangkok clubs will continue to struggle to compete and not just financially. Large swathes of the population who live there are made up of a diaspora of those who have moved for work and support the teams of their home provinces. Or support an English team. Ask most Thais and they will say they like football, but they are most likely to say they support Liverpool or Man United. The vast majority of Bangkokians will not go to local football with many not even knowing that the clubs exist. They have far more options to spend their time and money on in any case.

This might be down to poor marketing of local clubs, with most who have an interest in football preferring to watch the EPL on TV, the poor experience when attending games, or the realisation that Buriram are totally dominant and that they hold too much power, with referees helping them whenever they find themselves in a spot. Match officials certainly need better training to be able to control games to a higher standard, but what’s the point if they can be swayed? 

It is noticeable that Buriram doesn’t fare so well in AFC competitions where they are up against better sides and stronger match officials who won’t be bullied.

The extra support in Thai League games from the officials along with huge finances, being able to call games off and rearrange them when it suits, as well as having by far the best squad. means that I cannot see anyone getting close to Buriram for some time to come.

Some recall Chonburi FC being “too big” for the league and being dominant some years ago, but the finances involved were on a completely different scale back then, meaning others could quickly catch up and then surpass them. I cannot see anyone being able to find an owner with as much power away from the game and the financial resources and captive audience to get close to Buriram. 

Others argue that Man Utd were completely dominant in the EPL and that things can change in the same way in Thailand. However, they had the best coach for many years and once he’d gone so had their advantage as the TV deal meant that any club could sign quality players while new huge foreign investment came into the game. Thai clubs do not have a fraction of that income coming in. Maybe not having a lucrative TV deal even suits those at the top as the gap cannot be closed?

It is reckoned the Newin will be handing the reins down to his son within a couple of years. Will that change things? Maybe, but there will still be the power in the background, along with the superb infrastructure that he has created as well as the money to continue attracting the best imports.

While this might come across as a depressing read, and there is plenty that could be done to improve things, I love Thai football and attending games. It is undoubtedly an advantage not to take things too seriously. We are only guests as farangs so my thoughts are we should enjoy the good things. There’s nothing we can do to change matters anyway.

I head out, make the match part of the day and cheer for Port or Sisaket United if I attend one of their games but don’t worry too much. The result is forgotten by the time I get home. If I have had a laugh catching up with friends, had a few beers, and some food then my day is a happy one. It’s a great fun day out and doesn’t cost too much if the game happens to be poor. As a far more experienced man than I in Thai football says, “Learn to be like bamboo”. Bend and don’t be broken by it.

I continually laugh whenever anyone gives Buriram a bloody nose on the pitch but know that’s as scant consolation as I’ll get as they continue to dominate. A sentence I could probably repeat and post each New Year.

TOT SC

TOT Sports Club was a professional football club based in the northern Lak Si district of Bangkok in Thailand before being dissolved in 2016 after the club was formed in 1954, originally representing the national Telephone Organisation of Thailand. The club lifted the FA Cup in 1993.

TOT became founder members of the Thai Premier League for the 1996-97 season when they lost in the semi-final of the Championship play-off to Bangkok Bank. Several seasons of mid-table finishes ensued before the club finished in the relegation places in 2002-03.

However, the team bounced back at the first attempt after winning the Division 1 League title at the first attempt in 2003-04. Their spell in the top flight lasted just one season before TOT were relegated once again.

This led to a season in the Provincial League; a competition which would eventually merge with the main second tier. TOT spent just one season there before winning promotion back to the Premier League.

The club played their matches at Namkaejon Stadium in Nonthaburi from 2007 and 2008 with Phuwadol Suwannachart the goal-scoring hero. 'Hello' finished in mid-table in the top flight, spending the 2009 season at Kleeb Bua Stadium in Kanchanaburi as Suchao Nutnum top scored. 

The move to Kanchanaburi didn't pay off, with a local side Muangkan FC being formed, so TOT upped sticks once more to share the then-named Yamaha Stadium with Muangthong United. Crowds were once again poor with TOT fans being regularly outnumbered by visiting supporters.

Further problems hit the club by way of an ownership dispute in 2010. Piroj Suwannachavee took over and arranged an agreement with another telecommunication organisation; CAT. The club's name was changed to TOT-CAT FC. 

The FA of Thailand were called in by TOT, the original owners, to settle the dispute and they agreed that TOT still owned the club, so the name reverted back to TOT SC. Throughout the period the team continued to finish in the lower reaches of the table.

The club eventually completed a new home stadium on the premises of TOT in Lak Si, with the club moving into TOT Stadium for the second half of the 2011 season. The club began to develop its youth structure from its new home, while Somchai Subpherm took on the role of Head Coach with Mohamed Koné scoring the goals.

In 2012 and 2013 Prakit Deeporm ended as the leading scorer as the club battled against many better supported clubs in the capital. Takahiro Kawamura and Bas Savage were the star performers in 2014 before Tewesh Kamonsin took over as head coach for the 2015 campaign.

The season would prove to be the final one for the club as the team ended bottom of the table. TOT withdrew from the 2016 competition, which would have seen them compete at the second level, owing to financial troubles.

My visits

Wednesday 27th March 2013

I had a spare day on my cricket tour of Thailand, and with the majority of my team mates not arriving until the following day, I decided to get stuck into my favourite spare time hobby of adventuring and visiting new stadiums. 

I had already visited the home of Regional League side Kasetsart University when I flagged down a taxi and showed him my print from Google Maps and asked him to take me to Soi 5 Watthana by Lak Si. 

My basic Thai and the map did the trick as we travelled along the easy route towards Don Mueng Airport, with the familiar signs of the railway to our left. I had travelled much of the route several times in the past on the way to play cricket at the Harrow International School.

Although I'd looked at the street view on Google, I really wasn't sure as to whether I'd get access inside the stadium. I wandered through the gates of TOT smiling at the guards and keeping walking. 

It was easy to find the way to the arena with the telltale signs of canvas-covered tables on either side of the main walkway, which no doubt furnished fans on match days. There was some sign of activity on the pitch, with the gates open. 

I wandered in to see the Summer Soccer School in full swing, with several parents occupying the stands. I got on with wandering around and taking photos. The Main Stand was three separate raised and covered seated structures occupying one touchline. Opposite was an open seated section, which again ran the full length of the pitch. 

The Lak Si end was unoccupied with just a high fence separating the pitch from the covered car and bicycle park. The TOT End was extremely basic, with a small roof covering an area back from the pitch reserved for away supporters.

A few smiles seemed to defuse any suspicion, as it often does in the wonderful country that is Thailand. I went along my way and walked up to the main road before I attempted to hail a taxi to my next destination.

TOT SC 1 Port FC 2 (Saturday 31^st October 2015) Thai Premier League (att: 1,580)

My second game of the evening had something to live up to. I had been to the Air Force Central v Police United game in the second tier, and it had been very good. I’d been slightly reluctant to leave it before full time, but Port needed all the support that they could muster.

The last of my pals had gone home after a successful Beer Battered Seadogs cricket and sightseeing holiday. I had taken them along with three ex-pat locals to Port’s home 2-0 defeat to Army United the previous Wednesday. They were awful in all honesty, and this game was about the last chance to start their serious challenge to stay up. TOT were bottom of the table and getting close to the point of requiring a miracle.

My taxi driver from Thupatemee Stadium spoke English and knew the way to the TOT Stadium, which was good news. He was honest enough to admit we’d struggle to make kick off, but I told him that was no problem and just to do his best.

Unbelievably we hit a standstill near Don Muang Airport as we were underneath the tollway. Surely there hadn’t been an accident? My pilot told me that he’d seen on the news that there was some kind of official visit to the airport over the weekend. Perhaps we’d found it?

After nigh on ten minutes of not moving at all we suddenly went back to normal speed. It did look to be some kind of controlled blockage for access further up. Sure enough, my driver did know the way. 

However, the main gate on Chang Watthana was closed to the TOT. I paid the driver up and set off with blistered feet back along and down Chang Watthana past the stadium. Vendors in the street were selling their wares to fans over the wall inside the ground.

The game was still 0-0 as I approached the away fans' entrance behind the goal. I was turned away and told that I had to buy a ticket. Instead of having a ticket office nearby for away fans I had to go all the way round behind the Main Stand, past the away end and half the far side.

While I loved most things Thai, it had to be said that their organisational skills were rock bottom. A major problem is that they take constructive advice as criticism, so things seldom change.

TOT had the nerve to charge 150 Baht (£3) for away fans. While that doesn’t sound much, it is to Thais, especially those who struggle in Khlong Toei. It was the most expensive ticket I’d paid for at a standing ticket in Thailand. They wanted 300 Baht to sit down the side!

At last, I managed to get inside and got myself a place on the back row of the rickety wooden stand. The unused TV gantry in the centre and netting didn’t help the view, the mud at the front was causing dust and mosquitos were biting the hell out of me, but I was loving it.

This was a proper do-or-die relegation battle. My team had a great following and cared passionately. Full families, all in orange and blue, were cheering on Port; from babies to grandparents. The noise from the Khlong Toei Army was incessant, especially from the youths with the drum on the flat standing behind the goal. There must have been around 600 in the away section.

Both teams were giving it everything; despite neither being very good. TOT were more like a Champions League side in a vital home leg than the desperate bunch propping up the league. Port were defending and breaking like lions.

The home players Anucha Taiwong and Dutchman Luciano Dompig were causing problems for the visiting defence, but they held strong. On twenty-one minutes the away end went wild when the ball was fed wide. A great cross from the right came to where an unmarked Wuttichai Tatong headed home.

Despite attacks from the home side, Port looked relatively solid and had plenty of play up the other end. Sadly, just like the previous match, there was far too much procrastination around the box without any end product. TOT were there for the taking, but Port lacked ambition and belief.

At half-time, I was hugged by several Thai Port fans and even asked to be in a couple of photos. I’m not sure who they thought I was? I enjoyed my first beer of the day, with smiles all around. It’s amazing how happy fans can be when their side are winning away from home.

After the break I stood up against the fence to catch the better atmosphere and because I didn’t trust the stands! An expat Englishman had a chat and made me very welcome. There was a small group of three or four others further along.

The bloke and his wife by me at the front had their junior daughter with them. I stepped aside so that she could stand on top of the fence and hang on to the netting. A girl behind was giving the ref some deserved stick, letting him know that she thought he was ‘mao’ (drunk!).

Inevitably Port’s attacks became fewer as TOT threw men forward. The tension was building in the away end. The occasional break wasn’t been capitalised on as the vital final ball was going astray. The home side bought on Bas Savage with twenty-five minutes to go.

I was lucky enough to have met Bas at the end of the previous season with Chonburi fan Dale Farrington as TOT staved off relegation and helped deprive the Sharks of the title. He was a smashing bloke, but I was less than pleased to see him again. His pace, height and strength immediately changed the dynamics of the game. Why manager Tewet Kamonsilp hadn’t started with him was a mystery?

Nobody was massively surprised when TOT equalised with just eight minutes to go. It was Dompig who scored with a low shot. The home fans down the open side were going crazy. Port’s followers began the noise again after a few seconds of stunned silence.

Suddenly it dawned on the Port team and manager Masahiro Wada that a draw was no good. Fortunately, the home side could sense the chance of a winner and were also going for it. The play was end to end and not of great quality.

In the final minute of normal time, a decent pass gave Port’s Hironori Saruta a chance of a shot. His first touch was awful, taking the ball away from the goal, but as he looked to turn he was brought down. Referee Taweechai Supatwan pointed to the spot. The place went mad.

Photo: Thanks to Judy from Klongtoey Army Facebook Page

After what seemed like a long delay as home players kept time wasting and encroaching into the area, David Rochela stepped up and smashed the ball into the bottom corner of the net as bedlam broke out all around. It doesn’t matter where you go in the world, or what standard; there’s nothing like a last minute winner away from home.

After a few minutes of stoppage time and no great alarms, the ref brought a halt to proceedings and further celebration. The home players came to the away section and were given a great ovation. I really love that feature at Thai games. 

Photo: Thanks to Judy from Klongtoey Army Facebook Page

An attractive young lady had been taking photos just in front of the away end as well as a video when the winner went in. She tried to grab my attention for a photo amongst the celebrating fans at full time. 

I eventually found the pictures online six weeks later at the Klongtoey Army Facebook page. I was sent the originals within the hour and told that it was Judy who took the pictures. Thank you very much for such a brilliant service and fantastic photos.

I was away before the Port players came over, with other fish to fry! Within a minute I’d hailed a cab outside and once again the driver knew where I wanted to go. He was pressing the metal to Soi Cowboy. I was in a great mood, especially when he told me Chelsea had lost at home again!

Photo: Thanks to Judy from Klongtoey Army Facebook Page

A tired and emotional Steve was waiting for me at the Queen Victoria, where a newly arrived Chris Lamb and his pal Timmy soon turned up. We went around to watch the Rugby World Cup Final and other assorted entertainment while catching up on Yarrambat and personal matters. The opened chips and battered sausage rounded off the proceedings. It was a great end to a fantastic day!

To see a video with my reflections, including the winning goal and celebrations, click here.

Prachuap

 

PT Prachuap FC is a professional football club from the Thai seaside city of Prachuap Khiri Khan, whose province is in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula on the west of the Gulf of Thailand, where the club was formed in 2009.

Initially called Prachuap Khiri Khan FC, the side finished tenth in the 2009 season, competing in the third-tier Regional League Division 2 Central & Eastern Region and playing at Sam Ao Stadium. 

The club was moved to play in the Southern Region but pulled out before a ball was kicked on the grounds of safety. Allocated a place back in their old section for 2011, the truncated Prachuap FC ended third from the bottom of the table.

The following season saw large on-field improvements, which continued with a second place in 2013 under the leadership of ambitious and innovative chairman Mr Songkiat Lim-aroonrak. However, the ’Killer Wasps' fell short in the playoff rounds.

The 2014 season saw Prachuap finish top of the table, in the third level Division 2 South. On this occasion, promotion was sealed as the side ended top of Group A in the Champions League playoff rounds.

Eighth place was a decent return for their first season at a higher status with Nascimento Dos Santos Neto providing the goals. Macedonian Hristijan Kirovski led the charts the following campaign, with Willen Mota the crowd's hero in 2017.

The team ended that season in third place to win promotion to Thai League 1. The club entered a sponsorship deal with a major fuel company to become PT Prachuap for the 2018 season, in which Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul, saw his outfit ending in an impressive sixth position.

It was another Brazilian, Jonatan Ferreira Reis who put away the goals before fellow countryman Caion took over the mantle in 2019. This was a groundbreaking season for the club which lifted their first major honour. 

In a dramatic League Cup final at Muang Thong, Prachupa defeated Buriram United 8-7 on penalties after the game ended 1-1 after extra time after Maurinho had put his side ahead. The 2020-21 season saw the Thai League adopt the European calendar, during a disjointed time owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

Prachuap ended in midtable, as they did in 2021-22 with Willen Mota continuing to enjoy his time up front for the club. He scored the goal that took his team to another League Cup final. However, this time Buriram United gained revenge with a 4-0 win at BG Stadium after Issara Sritaro had taken over the reigns as head coach. 

Teerasak Po-on was out in charge in the summer of 2022, before being replaced by Dusit Chalermsan just before the midseason break. Samuel Rosa became the latest Brazilian to thrill the seaside crowds as the side finished eleventh. This was backed up by tenth place in 2023-24.

New head coach Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul was replaced by Božidar Bandović a few months later, before the return of coach Dusit in January 2024. Sasom Pobprasert was given the job from the start of the 2024-25 season as the club invested to strengthen their squad.

PT Prachuap FC will play in Thai League 1 in the 2024-25 season.

My visit

PT Prachuap 1 Port FC 1 (Saturday 28^th January 2023) Thai League 1 (att: 2,023)

This was a trip that I was really looking forward to, in the company of my lovely girlfriend Taew. We set off nice and early on Saturday morning from our condo in the Bangkok suburbs, with me doing my best to give the correct directions to my partner.

As we were making good time, she suggested we stop off at Don Hoi Lot for food. Well, I’m game for any new place, and what a place she had found. It was a small tourist village south of Samut Songkhram right on the coast.

After a stretch and some photo opportunities, we sat down to a lavish seafood lunch. Both very full, our journey continued past signs for Petchaburi and Hua Hin before we finally turned off near 4pm to head into the small city of Prachuap Khiri Khan.

Now, I’m a good walker, but my other half is not so much so. Therefore, it was a shock when we spotted a temple on a mountain, that she said we would park up and walk to the top. It was extremely steep and tiring, but what a view.

The coastline with its features had immediately won me over, and so did the immediately obvious friendliness of the locals. We found our hotel, Prachuap Beach, which had a fantastic room for the 750 Baht that I shelled out. After a shower, we went for a wander.

I enjoyed sitting at the open-fronted Timber Hut Café with a cold beer watching the waves crash against the sea wall across the road, even if it was turning a bit chilly, or at least it felt that way. It sounds silly talking about cold Thai weather when games were being called off back in England. 

It was soon time for me to try and work out how to get to the game. The helpful receptionist arranged for me a taxi, which was not what I expected. A happy old chap turned up on his motorcycle with a box attached with two planks on it. A sidecar, but not as I knew it.

Taew waved me off before she decided to use the room to its max. It was just 50 Baht to the Sam Ao Stadium. Some very friendly expats told me where I could buy my ticket for the away fans section, where a table had been set up outside giving away free food to those cheering for Port. Unbelievable. 

The beer stalls were around the far side, and again all I saw were happy and nice people. I grabbed one to take upstairs to our seats, which didn’t offer much in the way of a view or legroom way back behind the curve and goal.

Not long into the game, I got chatting to another Port expat. Jamie and his wife Mam, live in Cha Am just up the coast. They had travelled down by train for their first game in three years, and it turned out that they were staying in accommodation near to us.

There were several others from the expat Port support, in a turnout of around 150. Most of the home fans, and particularly the more vocal element, were down the far side, with the main stand a long way from the pitch being sparsely populated.

The game was extremely open and quick in the early encounters, and I thought we could be in for a high-scoring encounter. As bookies around the UK will be quick to tell you, once again I called it wrong. 

In the first couple of minutes, a shot from well outside the box from Port’s Sergio Suárez brought keeper Chatchai Bootprom into action with a flying save. Visiting skipper Tanaboon Kesarat looked lively alongside William Weidersjö in midfield as their side made a good start.

The home side were not slow in putting in challenges which fired up away coach Matt Holland and tested referee Mongkolchai Pechsri. The nearest Prachuap came in the first half was when Port tried to be too cute playing their way out of defence. Chakkit Laptrakul pounced but dragged his shot wide. 

At the break, I wandered back around and grabbed another Leo for the second half. Plenty of tailgate parties were in evidence among home and away fans throughout my procession. Not all the stadiums are top-class in Thailand, but the experience of a matchday is fantastic.

Not all the Port fans were back in position and missed the highlight of the game, at least as an away fan. A cross to the far side of the box found Bordin Phala who teed up Kevin Deeromram whose delicious bending cross was headed down into the net by Suphanan Bureerat in front of our section.

I was most happy, as I honestly could not see Prachuap scoring. Port were playing very well. Inevitably enough the hosts decided to do something about the goal, and it was not long before away keeper Somporn Yos was forced to pull off a superb point-blank save from a header from Brazilian forward Samuel Rosa.

He was then called into action to push away a shot through a crowded area from Laptrakul. The same two players again saw action with again the goalie stopping an effort on target as the visitors were forced further back by the minute when they could have offered more offensively.

 

A clever one-two inside the Port box saw Yos smother a cross with his legs that was destined to be tapped in behind him, with Thanaset Sujarit the frustrated player seeing his hard work being denied.

Port were using one or two naughty tactics of their own, which saw them pick up four yellow cards after the interval. The board indicated that there would be five minutes of additional time, but we still felt confident.

 

Kesarat made a couple of poor efforts to clear, which saw the ball land at the feet of sub, Nattawut Suksum who screwed wide. With a minute left, a deep corner found the head of Samuel home headed down through a crowd to grab a last-gasp equaliser.

No, I was not amused. Still, it’s only a game as the saying goes. We hung around to say thanks to the players who had put in a shift. 1-1 was the right score in the end, but Port should have won it if the right tactics had been employed. In my opinion anyway. 

On the final whistle, Mam had phoned the same guy who had taken them in his sidecar to the game, and he arranged for a friend to pick us up from outside the main gate. I telephoned Taew who was waiting by our hotel when we returned ready to go for food and drinks.

Several fans had used the Blue Monkey bar adjacent to where we stayed before the match and were gradually returning. The pair of us headed to the night market set up in front of the Muang Prachuap Khiri Khan District Office. 

I was ready for some food, having tried just a couple if sticks of tasty small meatballs in sauce at the stadium, since lunchtime. My trusted partner chose the food, which was tasty and cheap before we returned to the bar for a couple of drinks and a chat.

In no time at all, the chill and a long day decreed that we were ready to crash out. However, that meant that we were up at 7am the following morning to be greeted with the dramatic view up the coast as we enjoyed coffee and pastries in our room.

Taew certainly isn’t one to hand around, perfectly suiting my nature, so we were soon heading north ready for a stop at Sakhon Nakhon where we bought a ton of seafood to take home to enjoy on Sunday evening.

The market is partly built right alongside the railway tracks around Maha Chai station. It is a smaller version of the experience I thoroughly enjoyed a few miles away at Mae Klong in Samut Songkhram on my visit some years previously.

The excitement was far from over, as we headed to Fashion Island, not too far from base after we somehow managed the quickest route. I was in top form, despite doubts from my pilot. We met my lady’s son who was advising me on a new phone.

Back at home I then spent what seemed like an eternity transferring data before he arrived to share the lovely food and then carry out a full transfer in just over half an hour. Well, he does work in IT, and I'd got my wires crossed not realising he was on his way.

A homemade video of the weekend

So, overall, a great weekend. A fair result, even if a late dropping of a couple of points wasn’t ideal. Beautiful places and company, new friends, an excellent hotel stunning food and a few drinks, and a 57-year-old got to play with a new phone. Perfect!