Benjamin and his friends experience a match day in the UK.
In February, Femi and Kryian both Business Management students, and Chuko, Dennis, and I, all from the School of Media, Film, and Communications, travelled by ferry to Privett Park Stadium to watch the top clash in the seventh tier of English football: Gosport vs Salisbury.
For Kryian and Dennis, it was their first time taking a boat, and even though the trip was very short, it "felt like experiencing a real piece of local Hampshire life".
Gosport itself has a different feel to Portsmouth and is definitely worth a visit.
When you reach the other side of the water, you are struck by the sailing boats moored around the harbour. Gosport has more of a small town feel with fewer people in the high street, and many of the houses are much older. Perhaps because of how heavily Portsmouth was bombed in the Second World War?
As we soon found out from the Scotsman at the back of the bus, who gives us directions to the football ground, Gosport is "famous for being where the Royal Navy submarine base HMS Sultan is located".
After taking a bus for 10 minutes to the hospital, the ground was hidden away behind a row of houses next to a park. The first thing you see is a yellow and blue double-decker bus just inside the gates to the stadium.
In spite of Portsmouth FC playing against Reading, easily one of the biggest matches in League One, at the same time, a crowd of 1200 turned up for the Gosport match. Kryian, who plays for Langstone FC, and Dennis were duly impressed, not just by the atmosphere but also by the friendliness of the home crowd. Especially when we were treated to a drink by Iain McInnes, the former Portsmouth FC chairman, who now runs the ‘Yellows’ – Gosport team’s nickname.
The game between Salisbury, who are second, and Gosport, who are third, was very tense throughout. Many of the players looked like they could play in a higher division. In spite of over a dozen shots on target between the two sides, it took until the 90th minute for a breakthrough when Salisbury’s Josh Hedges managed to force his way into the penalty box and score a goal at short range.
The high-energy atmosphere in the stadium instantly deflated like a balloon, only to be lifted seconds later when the referee’s announcement of four minutes of overtime was made and Gosport’s Bradley Tarbuck scored the equaliser seconds before the final whistle. The late equaliser made it feel like a big win for the home side, and the crowd, and the five of us, were very happy at the goal.
For Chuko, a TV production student from Vietnam who travelled to Qatar in December to follow Argentina at the World Cup, it was his first game in England since starting his course. Although the meat pie and mushy peas and half pint of ale in the club house after the game were "less to his liking", he, like all of us, was excited by the chance to take a photo and chat with Gosport Borough striker Rafa Ramos after the match. The young striker who is in his first season with the team, shared with us his ambition to "get a chance to represent his country one day", Cape Verde.
For Femi, who follows Kano Pillars, the 2014 champions of the Nigerian Professional Football League, the day out was a “great way to experience this part of the Portsmouth area and local culture". For my part, I can only second that, especially with the prices of tickets in the top three tiers. A non-League match is a real football experience where you get really close to the action, having the chance to speak to the players, which you often do at this level, brings you right to the heart of the game.
For now, Gosport Borough have a few matches left in season 23/24 to fulfil their ambition of promotion. To follow the Gosport Borough journey, all games, as well as news and information about the club, including the women's team, which play in Division 1 of the Hampshire County Women's League, can be found on their website: www.gosportboroughfc.com.
We took the Gosport Ferry, which leaves from Portsmouth Harbour, next to the Bus station at the Hard, and costs £4.50 return, and the E2 bus from the bus station, which was £4 return, to the hospital stop. The match ticket was £8.00, the pie and mushy peas was £5.00. Total cost £21.50 (The half pint of Alton's Pride Ale, which we were treated to, is £3.00 at the stadium bar 'Boro Clubhouse').