Up

Well, it happened. Just when it looked like it wasn’t going to happen, it happened.

Bradford City came into this final game of the season knowing that a win would earn promotion to League One. The mood started as one of anxious expectation, but grew more fraught as the minutes ticked by. City were well on top throughout, but could not buy a goal. News came through that Walsall were ahead in another game, confirming that a win was needed.  Still no goal. Into the last five minutes and things got a bit more frantic; a shot hit the post, a clear chance was blazed over. Heads were in hands, players and fans alike. Six minutes of added time were ticking down. Into the last of those, and then beyond into the unestimable time/space of added added time. It wasn’t going to happen. It wasn’t going to happen.

And then it did. A wayward shot got a deflection, the ball trickled past the Fleetwood goalie into the corner of the net. Cooler heads, post-match, with the aid of video replays may have shown that the deflection was a purposeful steering of the ball toward goal by city player Antoni Sarcevic, an actual proper goal, but it didn’t feel like that at the time.

Pandemonium. The City players rushed to the corner below me to celebrate (extra). Over-exubrant fans in the lower kop,  did what over-exubarant fans do in such circumstances, they flooded onto the pitch.  Fifteen minutes it took for the pitch to be cleared. A delayed, but also exuberant announcement of the goal over the PA triggered another incursion.  The pitch was cleared, although the power of the stewards’ linked arms to hold back the masses seemed tentative (extra). The players assembled to kick-off. For safety, the referee must have conveyed to the teams that he would blow for full-time seconds later, as all the Fleetwood players lined up on the half-way line ready to make a dash for the exit. Fleetwood kicked off, the ball sailed toward the corner flag, it was kicked around a bit more. And then it was all over. The referee blew for time. It had happened. City were up.

There was of course another incursion (extra), which was eventually cleared again (one fan, thanking every steward personally - extra) for the players to come back on, get their medals and enjoy another celebratory moment (main image). It was that 96th minute goals that was the real moment though.

I’ve been living in this city for twenty years, and coming to City games for ten of those, the last eight as a season ticket holder. City are not even my team, but I am now clearly invested in their fortunes. Moments like these are rare, and this one means a lot to the city. It was a privilege to be  there to share in it.

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And this wasn’t even my first sporting event of the day. Earlier, I’d made a flying visit up to York Uni to catch 20yo in competition for Lancaster Uni as part of the annual weekend of inter-university sport, The Roses extra). I caught the Women’s, Mixed and Open indoors ultimate frisbee games, with 20yo playing in the latter two. York won the first two, but a good win for 20yo and his team mates in the Open. They do it all again outdoors on a big pitch on Sunday. Roses has always been a big thing. Forty years ago I would have made my first appearance in the same competition as part of the orienteering team, but it is on a much bigger scale now - full streaming coverage, fan park etc. Fingers crossed for the Red Rose for the rest of the weekend - sorry Yorkshire friends :-)