A day in the life of a True Blue

“Beep, beep, beep.” We all dread that loud ringing of an alarm going off in the morning to wake us up.

However, when it’s on a football filled Saturday morning; it makes the pain of waking up at some ridiculous hour just that little bit more manageable.

Today is one of those days, a buzz surrounding such a massive game. Manchester City against Newcastle United, first against fourth, unbeaten against unbeaten. It’s safe to say they don’t get much bigger than this.

 Setting off at 10:30am for a 3pm kick-off makes being a Lincolnshire-based City fan all the more hard work, and expensive! You just have to hope that by the final whistle at 4:45pm, it’s all been worth it.

Boarding the train to Sheffield, it takes every ounce of optimism to keep your ‘eyes on the prize’. Among the screams of tiny children, one little boy’s shouting sticks out from the rest. “Are we there yet Grandad, are we there yet, are we… (you get the picture).

Such is the relief at getting off the cramped Northern Rail train, and onto a more comfy Trans-Pennine Express carriage, I’ve started to question what I’m even doing here!

That was until a group of six lager-fuelled, (yes, it is only noon), Newcastle fans board the train. A few choruses of “Where were you when you were ****?” later, and the train screeches into Manchester.

A short walk past the ticket touts and scarf sellers, and City’s magnificent Etihad Stadium is in full view. The smell of the burger vans, the crispness of the Manchester air, the buzz around the stadium as kick-off approaches, it’s all so familiar, and yet all still so exciting.

As 45,000 people burst into a chorus of Blue Moon, my heart starts to race, it’s game time!

A commanding, untroubled performance from City gives us a 3-1 win over the ‘Toon’. As the final whistle goes, the capacity crowd rises as one to applaud off our heroes as we stay sat proudly at the top of the league. 

Craig White