Backpacking In Slovenia🇸🇮: Green And White Water Rafting in Bled

When life gets this good, you have to pinch yourself sometimes to check its real. Looking back (only 6 months or so ago…) this memory will linger long forever in my memory. In many ways, my obsession for football and lunacy reached a peak in Bled, Slovenia. A peak which would have been a good Read more about Backpacking In Slovenia🇸🇮: Green And White Water Rafting in Bled[…]

The day Bath turned green…

Green Bath, in soapy water, needing a wash, drowned out, keeping it clean, scrubbing up, pulling the plug….these were all puns circulating on e-mail in the months of January and February 2008, when the South of England Northern Ireland Supporters Club decided to embark on the historic Georgian city of Bath. Right in the early Read more about The day Bath turned green…[…]

Thirsty Thursdays: The George Best Bar, Bled, Slovenia

It all became a bit of a dream, and a rollercoaster ride which carries on forever. Who provides me with these memories and this sort of inspiration? I’ll never ever know, but this particular blog post sits high on my experiences from life. I’ll take you back to early 2007, when a mate of mine, Read more about Thirsty Thursdays: The George Best Bar, Bled, Slovenia[…]

The day the Weymouth match was rained off…

I was a bit unaware of where life was going back in late 2007, when having spent the year doing quite a bit of travelling, and changing jobs and houses twice, I found myself having to organise another WAGM. This is the Weymouth Annual Green Meeting where the South of England Northern Ireland Supporters Club Read more about The day the Weymouth match was rained off…[…]

Phil Gray, 70: The day we beat the Malta

In the year 2000 there was a huge buzz. A new millennium, a new century, people started being able to afford mobile phones, I used the internet, and more importantly I ceased to be a teenager! I was now 20. In that year, I worked for 48 weeks in Tesco at Springhill as a stock Read more about Phil Gray, 70: The day we beat the Malta[…]

Down and out in Slovakia

The trials and tribulations of football cause joy and disappointment in the face of friendship and bonding. Last year I ended up finally in Slovakia. I say finally, as I had done the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria and Belarus, but not Slovakia. I was booked on a two day trip to Bratislava and was looking Read more about Down and out in Slovakia[…]

Alphington! SOENISC hits Exeter…November 2007

When the SOENISC was formed back in 2005, one of the potential meeting venues was Exeter, although at the time none of the club members lived there. Then on an away trip to Copenhagen to watch Northern Ireland draw 0-0 with Denmark, Richboy from the club met Tim Acheson. Tim Acheson was based in Exeter Read more about Alphington! SOENISC hits Exeter…November 2007[…]

“You’ll never get Gibraltar!” – Northern Ireland 0-0 Spain (June 2003)

In my life I’ve been to four Northern Ireland v. Spain matches. It seems we are two teams that are nearly always drawn against each other. For example in every World Cup between 1982 and 1994 we were either in the same group in the actual tournament or in qualifying. We even had Spain in Read more about “You’ll never get Gibraltar!” – Northern Ireland 0-0 Spain (June 2003)[…]