Ireland Pre-Season Tour: Day 2 - Matchday

Last updated : 16 July 2016 By Michael Hewitt

Christ! I will never get back to sl********p.I awake at 8am.
Shall I do a blog? Why not? It's a record of the tour.
Every football fan is optimistic on day 1 of a new season....
What are our new signings like?
Will they hit the ground running?

I had booked the coach to Drumcondra at 11am. Plenty of time. Alex is up and off to get a paper and catch up on Leeds news now.
I write the blog and go for a top Irish breakfast, adding white pudding and beans to yesterday's pile.Marvellous! But I make a mental note to add Rennies to my match pack.

I contact Shelbourne and my old friend Frank Young. Sorts the programmes I had ordered and match tickets to be delivered to the Ballsbridge.Great customer service.

We depart a little late but the mood is good. We head for the ‘Cat & Cage’.It’s 11:40 and into the darkest tap room ever, I get them in, 2 pints of Guinness and a cider (€14).

There’s no stuffing in the seats, we move to the lounge, bright and comfortable. I have a vision of never moving until match time.

It's quiet with only a few others in. Bury St Edmunds lads and then a self proclaimed top Irish fan.Clancy who shouted this at us. He was deaf but made sure we could here him. Then the Norwegians arrived, we have a chat and he thinks Cellinio is doing a good job. Right!

It's filling up and Tony gives us his updated version of the Leeds song to the ‘fields of athenry’. It’s getting better, battery low on phone, I will tape it another day for the record.

What do you talk about for 7 hour at 2 pints an hour?
Only stories, new stories, politics, Our team. It flies by. Most of lads head out to Ivy House. We stay put. A tradition in our branch.

Everyone starts to drift to ground. I'm awaiting David Milne who arrived late.He’s thirsty. We then head for Tolka Park.It’s rammed outside. Chaos. We get in and get a drink.

The seats that were built after our first visits (1990 to 1992) look like they have been condemned. Ground fairly full, we head to the far stand, We find a gap at the wall and watch the first half. Who is that No 11? Who's that? I identified the team .

Not bad after a full day on the black stuff!

Two quick goals by Doukara and new signing Sacko. Some decent forward passing .Mowatt setting up Sacko and Murphy running the show. A few chances for both teams as the game drifted a little. We forecast Roofe would play on wing and he did. Denton (the future) looked well but Phillips struggled for me. I cannot say more than that. It’s our first friendly and it looked like it.

On 60 mins the complete team changes with Antonsson catching the eye with pace and movement. It all got a bit disjointed with a poor goal conceded before B team came on, it ended 2-1 .

Back to pub and coach to hotel. Only leave Kev and Heath Ochiltree who had gone the other way from ground I was told. Back in the hotel it's a nightcap. Tony Short is on the good whisky and its goodnight from me.
 

Seaside tomorrow. Whippee!