When the fixture list came out in July eyes obviously turned towards when our 'derby' games were against Bury AFC and Avro but this season we had another interesting little fixture to distract the eyeline in the form of an away trip to newly promoted Isle of Man and it was with little time to waste being on 17th September early in the season.
The decision to allow them into the Counties was a controversial one and raised a few eyebrows but for me it gave us Heys fans the opportunity to do something different than your average away day and one I was excited about.
Having said that I delayed booking my trip until we were knocked out of the FA Cup because had we progressed another couple of rounds the game would have been cancelled as a fixture clash, but after losing the replay to Stocksbridge Park Steels it became all systems go.
My trip was restricted to just the Saturday night as I cant get the time off work and did question if it was worth it for such a short time but then got thinking, this is a chance to say I got on an aircraft to watch Prestwich Heys and even though it wasn't, I was classing this as a Euro away as its the nearest we'll get to one!, the decision was made, I was up for it!.
The flights and hotel were booked, then just after, the sad passing of the Queen put the trip in further doubt with rumours the funeral could be held on the 17th with all football cancelled but after a nervous wait the games that weekend was going ahead at non-league level and this was actually going to happen
The downside was the wait to find out put a few away day regulars off the trip due to the rise in prices so we were down on our usual away day numbers but still enough of us going to make it a trip to remember.
I fly out the Saturday morning on the same flight out as the team from a packed terminal three at Manchester Airport, I go to check in and the lady on the desk looks at me and says 'Aberdeen?', erm no, I reply nervously like I'd booked the wrong flight!, 'oh must be the Isle of Man then?' she said, 'yes ', I replied and thank god for that!.
The airport is ridiculously busy I couldn't even get a brew and a bacon butty and instead find chairman Neil and Nick and we talk about this mad journey into the unknown but inside I'm buzzing this was really happening yes, I am boarding a plane to watch semi pro football! and after a short delay we take to the sky the stewardess throws a caramel biscuit at me and we land at Ronaldsway Airport in Douglas where the game will be played .
I get out of said tiny airport and wait for the bus into town as think this will be the quickest option rather than waiting for the players to get bags and hop on the team bus and travel that way .I stand at the bus stop for fifteen minutes, plenty people stood waiting and then this coach comes towards me pulls up and the doors open, of course its the team bus with Neil at the front asking if I want a lift, the bemused look of the people at the bus stop was hilarious, like I was some sort of celebrity or something, either that or 'who the hell is he!?' .
The driver kindly offers to drop me at the Premier Inn where I am staying which is about a 15-minute walk from where the players hotel is and we head towards the centre with driver chatting away telling us about the island, gets so carried away with enthusiasm he totally forgets to drop me at said Premier Inn and pulls up at the players hotel, I walk back laughing thinking I'll be finding my bearings earlier than I thought!.
I meet John and Simon my two pals and Heys regulars who were doing two and three nights and as it's still early John kindly offers to drive us round some of the island as he has the car having come over on the ferry. Its the only way of seeing anything in my limited time and a no brainer so off we go taking in the Laxey wheel with the hilarity of parking in a forbidden zone literally getting out of the car for a quick photo and legging it back in to speed off before anyone clocked us.
We drive to Ramsey and then Peel with more photos with the flag for the 'everywhere we go' feature on the fans twitter page before heading back to Douglas all done in two hours and realising the Isle of Man had more to it than I previously thought.
So back to base with the sightseeing done its time to hit the bars and thoughts now turn to the match itself and that today's game other than the novelty of the trip itself was important one where we really needed three points after losing the previous two against AFC Liverpool and Kendal Town a defeat here would be the last thing we needed after a great start to the season.
We meet up with Pete his brother Paul and wife Jenny who arrived after flying in from Liverpool that morning and the drinks flowed with Pete in a perky mood as we found a bar selling his beloved Holsten Pils, a quick break and we go to check in with yours truly being given a room upgrade even though the cheeky devils originally tried to charge me an additional £23 for the privilege.
A quick freshen up, another beer in the centre of Douglas and then it was off in a cab towards the ground where we had been invited earlier on in the week via twitter to visit a pub called the Pinewood round the corner by Ian who from local supporters' group 'The Ravens 12th Man' @uptheravens who welcomed us as we entered and chatted away with him and his friends as the beer flowed talk was of the upcoming game and they chatted about the progress the Isle of man team had made. We were surprised to hear though attendances had plummeted this season from over 1500 regulars to between 6 to 800 and seemed, quite rightly a bit disillusioned with ticket prices being so steep and little or no benefit of being a season ticket or member over a non-member. In addition, with running costs so high it made me question how sustainable the Isle of Man FC project was, would this be a long-term thing? how long could they carry on if attendances continued to plummet?, a lot of questions and only time will give the answers.
A tray of gorgeous pasties and pies came out and as we were chatting away, I thought how glad I was we arranged to meet them and it was truly what non-league football was about, going to different places and meeting different people and as kick off approached both flags came out and we had a group photo (below) before heading off for the short walk to the ground thanking them for the hospitality and a top couple of hours.
On to the game and we entered 'The Bowl' as they call it which doubles up as the national stadium, we pitch the flag up opposite the main stand and decide to watch the game stood behind the seats for a better vantage point.
The mood in the ground is somewhat subdued, no bar for a start due to licensing issues and gone was the atmosphere I was told about when the hosts got promoted last season, and the crowd looks sporadic (677) to say the least compared to the large crowds they were getting , a shame but never mind about that, we had a job to do.
The first half was forgettable but signs just before half time we were getting more into it, then shortly after the break Dylan Fitzgerald launches a screamer from twelve yards that flies into the top right sending our small band of followers wild and from here, we never looked back.
Kai Haigh adds a second and newcomer Matt Davies finishes the job in the dying embers for a deserved 3-0 win and after the final whistle blew it was a fantastic moment as players and management alike ran over to where we were stood celebrated and high fived us all thanking us for coming, this felt pretty special and another reason why I do what I do on a Saturday.
We head back into Douglas after the game and the twenty-minute walk takes us to the Thirsty Pigeon a bar I had seen recommended online, and on the way Simon announces he's so thirsty that he is buying two pints on arrival at said pub. We laugh, but sure enough he comes back from the bar carrying two pints, promptly downs one and starts the other...legend
In high spirits we leave and go to the 1886 Bar which conveniently is a stone throw from the hotel and are told is Douglas main nightspot. We join Neil, Nick and the team who have reserved some tables here, a covers band blasts out the hits of old and the mood is great amongst everyone especially Pete...Pete was having the time of his life, so much so everyone got to see exactly how much he was enjoying himself! and so, the vibe is a brilliant feeling of unity, players and fans together even John who doesn't normally drink has the Rekorderlig flowing and stuns me by necking back a black Sambuca when Nathen Emery comes round with a tray of these shots!. He turns his walking stick into an air guitar and all is well with the world.
The band play for a couple of hours and then the DJ comes on and the night is in full swing, slowly we drift off back to the hotel leaving most of the players to it. Simon and myself are the last two supporters to leave just before 2am and try to find a take away, we do but it closes at 2am, the time 201am and the kebab I'd had in my head the last two hours suddenly disappears as we have to wait for breakfast as our next feed and go to bed starving but knowing we'd had a perfect day.
I wake up Sunday a little tender but hungry more than anything else and go down to breakfast, Simon is not answering his phone so I check out of the hotel and decide to go for a walk down by the marina and continue onto the promenade bumping into our midfielder Bevan Burey along the way who stops for a chat and soon enough its time to get on the team bus back to the airport. Whilst waiting for the bus I am joined by Nick and Neil with Nick shaking his head and jokingly saying he was scarred by some of the scenes he had witnessed in the 1886 bar the night before and quote "saw things no man should ever see", we all laugh as we board the coach and head back to Ronaldsway for the flight home.
We breeze through check in and as we go to board the plane, I see our captain Aaron Chalmers looks a little green after the night's festivities, but maintained he would be fine by Tuesday for the game against Squires Gate!. So that was me done, and I sat on the plane back reflecting on what a great time I'd had and how glad I was I made the trip because my hunch was, we may not get many more chances to visit the Isle of Man for football, but whether we do or not it was a trip that will live long in the memory and yes, I have now boarded an aircraft to watch Prestwich Heys!