It’s Saturday, 30 January.
I’m 14,549 kilometres from home, and I couldn’t be happier. For the first time since 2004, I’m about to watch Blackburn Rovers play.
Any European football fan based in Australia will understand the pain involved in watching your team play. The time difference is the first obstacle, ensuring most matches are watched in a sleep-deprived, caffeine-fuelled state. And that’s if you even have the resources in the first place. Given there’s no free-to-air football, English Premier League fans have to shell out their hard-earned cash for pay TV broadcaster Foxtel (although not for much longer – thanks Optus).
If your team doesn’t play in the EPL, it’s even harder. As a Blackburn fan, I get to see them play three times a year on beIN Sports, if I’m lucky. I have to rely on Twitter and an unhealthy deluge of unreliable streams to follow my team.
That’s why it means so much when you finally do get to see your team play. You go through so much trying to follow them overseas and invest so much energy and passion while being physically unable to support them from the stadium.
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My pilgrimage started difficultly. Having booked accommodation in Cheshire (roughly an hour’s drive south of Blackburn) to coincide with Rovers hosting Fulham at Ewood Park, I discovered 30 January was an FA Cup round. This meant there was a chance Blackburn would be forced to play away. My fears were confirmed when they were drawn to play League Two’s Oxford United, which meant I was now facing a two-and-a-half drive to see them.
Of course, it wasn’t going to stop me, so at 9:00 on Saturday morning, I set off with my family down the M42, and later, the M40 and the M6.
After successfully navigating Oxford’s notoriously tough traffic working my way through an ever-expanding queue of cars attempting to reach the carpark, I arrived at Kassam Stadium. It’s a quaint, traditionally British stadium. It’s a far cry from the likes of Old Trafford or Wembley, but it’s cosy, and its metal roof means it’s also noisy. It is, however, missing an end, something Blackburn fans were quick to make fun of (“can we build you another stand?”)
Upon entering through the turnstiles, I was met by an avalanche of noise. Below the stands, fellow Blackburn fans had set up shop next to the bar and were quick to establish themselves as noisy visitors in foreign territory. It was no different when I made it onto the terrace, as a swelling crowd busrt into song at every opportunity, eager to compete with the home support.
The away end continued to fill as the match neared its start. The Blackburn side was read out, each player attracting a short roar of approval from their supporters. New signings Elliott Bennett, Simeon Jackson, Elliott Ward and Tony Watt started, although star striker Jordan Rhodes was nowhere to be seen: he’d agreed to terms with Middlesbrough earlier that day.
From kick-off, it was clear Blackburn were the stronger team; hardly surprising given they play two leagues above Oxford. It was Rovers who controlled the majority of possession, although they were closed down well by the hosts, keen to transform their adrenaline into a victory. Luckily, Blackburn slowly gained more possession and didn’t concede any chances.
Throughout, the travelling fans were nothing short of brilliant. They found their voice from the get-go, launching into fan favourites such as “Blackburn Aces” and “We Love You, Rovers” with gusto. The most enthusiastic fans stopped for a quick breather, before getting back into the swing of things immediately. Only the man two rows behind me was a nuisance; chanting “Tony Watt, Watt, Watt” to the tune of “Feeling Hot Hot Hot” was humorous the first couple of times, but not the following 78 times he did it.
Despite the official Tony Watt Fan Club having set up behind me, our dominance on the pitch took my mind off things. I was rewarded just after the half-hour mark, when two debutants combined, Watt feeding Jackson, who was brought down inside the box. Ben Marshall stepped up to take the penalty and sent the keeper the wrong way to go 1-0 up.
In injury time, our lead was doubled when that man Watt robbed an Oxford player, drove into the box and fired into the bottom corner of the net. Ironically, the identity of the scorer seemed lost on the official Tony Watt Fan Club president, who didn’t fire up his chant at all in the aftermath (possibly because someone had forcibly removed his voicebox).
It was more of the same in the second half, both on and off the pitch. Blackburn continued to turn the screw, although they were unable to convert their territory into a big lead. In the stands, the fans were having a ball of a time; Tony Watt’s father/lover/best friend/cleaner had found their voice again, although he started to find himself drowned out by the rest of the fans. While attendance at Ewood Park has dropped off since Blackburn’s relegation, it was impossible to fault the loyalty of any of the fans who had made the trip down.
Oxford worked hard, despite swimming against the tide, and they had a couple of chances. Liam Sercombe forced a fingertip save from an otherwise idle Jason Steele in goals, while Kemar Roofe, the two-goal hero in the previous round against Swansea, pushed a shot wide. The host’s misery was compounded late in the second half when Marshall curled home a free kick, sending the away fans into raptures once more.
When the full time whistle finally came, the result had long been beyond doubt. Blackburn were just too good for their opponents and were deserved victors. For me, it meant the world to have travelled so far and been able to see the club I love win. Sure, it may not have been the most competitive game, but given last time I saw them they were thrashed 4-0 by Middlesbrough, I took a win with both hands.
At the end of the day, none of the extra baggage mattered. Sure, I would’ve loved to have see them play a league game against stronger opposition at Ewood Park. Yes, the trip to and from Oxford was annoying, turning a two-hour round trip into an all-day event. But I’d do it again and again and again. Watching your team play and seeing your idols in the flesh is an amazing feeling, no matter the circumstances. For an Australian football fan, it’s a rare occurance at best. Which is what makes it so special when it finally comes to fruition.
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