Following the first two meetings of the South of England Northern Ireland Supporters Club in Weymouth and Torquay, the third meeting fell to Bristol, where it was thought we would attract more members to the club. We chose the date of the Bristol City v. Nottingham Forest match, so we could meet Sammy Clingan, of Northern Ireland and Nottingham Forest. It was Saturday 4th March 2006. I travelled up from Bournemouth with Simon, who drove. We arrived in Bristol and ended up parking near Gloucester Road, where we met Owen and headed to the Walkabout where we had agreed to meet up with the others. Many and various people were invited to this meeting including Zoe Salmon, Tim Beattie, Alan Scott, Marshall Gillespie, Scott Gordon, Graham Anderson and Ian Beattie. In the end we had our best turnout yet for a meeting. We got the beers in in Bristol’s Walkabout, where new members Alex “Isle of Wight Army” Higgins and Gary Brown also met us. There were quite a few new faces on the day.
We hadn’t pre-booked our match tickets cos Owen said it would OK to get them on the day, which we did. On the way however we dandered down past the river and the square in Bristol, where we met a tramp wearing a Celtic shirt. Green and White army we started singing. You couldn’t make it up, and even if you did, it wouldn’t be quite as good. Another few photos on the way and soon we walked through a park and a railway line to Ashton Gate, home of Bristol City FC. On the way, a few of the boys decided to give the live football match a miss and they headed to a pub nearby. We also met a few random Northern Irish boys who were over for the weekend, including Ricky “flick” Carson, who went to school with me some ten years previously. We then got our tickets sorted all in the home end high up and together in seats where we could put up the club fleg. Or you’d think…
Once inside the stadium and at our seats, myself and Scott Gordon went to put the fleg up but Scott then left me to my own devices and suddenly the Bristol City fans were objecting to it, and then two stewards told me to get down, I couldn’t put the fleg up. I then explained that 9 of us had just pumped our hard earned pay into Bristol City FC and we just wanted to watch the match, put our fleg up and join in some singing. While this was happening a Bristol City wanker pulled down the top corner of the club fleg. Normally you’d hit the wanker and tell him to go and fuck his ma. But I held reserved, spoke to a nice female steward and then put the fleg back up where we had wanted it. After all that hallibaloo, the match kicked off and we noticed that Sammy Clingan was a substitute for Nottingham Forest. Not to fear however, as after 30 minutes, he would be a sub that came on, to loud cheers from our section. The match was fairly uneventful if memory serves…
Bristol City went 1-0 up and Nottingham Forest equalised. 1-1 it finished. We enjoyed some half-time chat with the Bristol City fans who had now warmed to us, aside from the wanker who even tried to dub our club fleg as ‘sectarian.’ Well I never! At half time we gave the English fans some cheer by admitting that even though we bate them 1-0, “We weren’t going to Germany.” During the day we also did the whole “If you’re going to Germany clap yer hands!”, followed by silence. Soon the match was over, we took our fleg down, some headed to the club shop while others headed to the pub, where Richboy, Alex, Beverley and Gary Brown had been all the time we were in the stadium. Then we went to the Nottingham Forest bus to wait for Sammy Clingan to grab a quick chat and photo. At the time Sammy Clingan was uncapped, but he has since won many Northern Ireland caps, making his debut in the USA Tour in May 2006.
At first Owen Millar and I weren’t entirely sure what wee Sammy looked like, so Owen said “sure we’ll probably recognise him, he will be the one who looks Northern Irish.” And sure enough he stepped out a few minutes later, we did recognise him and called him over for a quick photo with our club fleg and a very short chat. Then Sammy was off and onto the club bus, while we headed to a pub called The Pumphouse to meet the others and have a post match beer. We were all ridiculously dressed in Northern Ireland regalia but no pub refused us entry all day! When we arrived at The Pumphouse, Richboy looked very drunk and quite ill. He had only recently been sick on the railway line, and would end up lasting and staying the night, even though he would have to drink water for the rest of the day.
After the quick pint in The Pumphouse, we went to watch Liverpool live on SKY, again in the Walkabout pub. In there we also met Blandy (Andy) another new member for the club. Then soon after the football match, Sammy G and Tim Beattie left for the night, we bantered them with “We’re not going home” and “Part time supporter” chants as they left the pub! Then in walked the Northern Irish guy Flick, who I knew from school. As he walked in the entire bar was greeted with a “Stand Up For The Ulstermen” song. We carried on drinking excessive quantities of pints and mixed in a few new songs. Then however, the Welsh girl Nerys who had popped in earlier arrived back for her hen night! They were all dressed up in many and various fancy dress suits. Now the banter could start all over again. Nerys herself was dressed as Super Woman and had a great set of tits. We all wanted to see her breasts, it was only fair as she would be getting married soon and then they’d be closed from the world.
The song “Get your tits out for the lads” didn’t work, so we booed and sang “You’re not very good.” Then she had a rethink and walked past again flashing two lovely boobs right at us. They were nice, but she covered them up again and we all sat down together and decided on a mixture of drinking games and singing games. This included losing, yes losing a singing competition cos we didn’t know the words, so we sang “Are you Charlotte Church in disguise?” at them. Then we posed for some photos, Nerys got her bum with tight pants out this time, but not her boobies. But then Graham Anderson was licking Cadbury’s chocolate fingers from another Welsh girls cleavage. I got in on the act too, eating sweeties beads from a girls fanny, yes she had knickers on, though I did stick my tongue in the nice bit. As men do…
After the Walkabout Shenanigans, we ended up back at Stevie and Gaz’s local and then some random nightclub on the edge of the city. Don’t remember much about either bar except a pretty girl in the first bar wore my Northern Ireland scarf and in the second bar the DJ played Belfast Boy by Don Fardon, which we danced to. Soon the night was over, I stayed at Blandys and then caught an early morning train to London…
Who went – Jonny Blair, Tim Beattie, Owen Millar, Alex IOW Army Higgins, Gary Brown, Stevie Mitchell, Sammy Gordon, Chris Gordon, Scott Gordon, Graham Anderson, Richard Ingram, Simon McCully, Blandy Andy, Beverley Perrett.
Also there – Ricky “Flick” Carson, Sammy Clingan, Nerys (who got her tits out)
Match watched – Bristol City 1-1 Nottingham Forest.
Pubs Visited – Walkabout, The Pumphouse, Two Others…