Football / Fan's View
‘I won’t be travelling to Cardiff game’
A week can be a long time in football. Two games have passed since I was last speaking to you here, and I have to say the cloud that thus far has lingered above Ashton Gate this season has somewhat lifted – or at least temporarily become more sparse.
A first home victory, all be it against an injury-stricken Nottingham Forest side, gave the team an overdue confidence boost. It also gave the fans at Ashton Gate something to shout about; something that has been all too seldom so far this year.
Not only did we get off to a barnstorming start, with a brace from Aaron Wilbraham inside eleven minutes, we also managed to hold on to it for the remaining seventy nine and achieve something we thus far had not achieved – a clean sheet at home.
We followed up that much-welcome three points with an encouraging but ultimately disappointing trip to league leaders Brighton. A late Bobby Zamora goal saw us fall short after a rare but impressive goal from Derek Williams had got us off to such a good start.
So, five points out of a possible twelve in our recent fixtures doesn’t quite represent the return I feel we deserve after a decent change in form, if not quite yet fortunes.
This Monday sees us face our bitter rivals Cardiff City in an away game my friends and I were very much looking forward to attending. However, due to the draconian ticketing restrictions that have been put in place, we have decided to stay away and watch on TV.
Said draconian ticket restrictions require those Bristol City fans who are attending the game to pick up their tickets in a service station on the outskirts of Cardiff an hour or so before kick-off.
I understand the police force’s desire to keep potential disturbances to a minimum, but why then have the game in the evening? As we know, the longer people have to drink prior to kick-off the greater chance there is of trouble.
The answer is, of course, money. The game will be screened live on TV, earning both sides a handsome sum. But, I ask, in what I guess is a rhetorical way, what is more important: the loyal fans that follow their side week in and week out, or a few thousand quid from a TV broadcaster owned by a repugnant media tycoon?
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