Ghost Town

August 22nd: Leicester City v Barnsley (Championship)

After three consecutive away matches, finally one that's within walking distance of my sofa. No getting up at 2.30 in the morning, no travelling south to go north/east/west, no ringing up my brother's girlfriend the day before the game to book coach tickets online for me because I can't get the bastard of a website to work.

Nope, today I simply leave the house at 2.20pm, and walk towards the stadium. Wonderful.

Halfway down Saffron Lane, I'm starting to wonder if the game's still on - there are no obvious signs that a second-tier football match is occurring less than a mile away within the next half hour. There's nobody walking down to the game, I can't see an increase in traffic, nothing. It's not until I get almost onto Aylestone Road that I'm reassured. Finally, I see people in blue shirts.

I arrive just in time, and am seated just as the players come out. The starting line-ups are read out - contrary to the team news given out by Sky Sports, Iain Hume starts for Barnsley. He's given a generous applause by the almost empty stadium.

In the first half City perhaps just have the advantage. Barnsley don't look much good really. At half time the family of the late Leicester legend Keith Weller take to the pitch. I can't really hear anything that is said here.

A few minutes into the second half, Richie Wellens knocks a neat ball towards Matty Fryatt, who controls wonderfully to give himself all the time he needs before smashing it past Luke Steele. The 427 City fans inside the Walkers Stadium go semi-berserk. After about ten seconds the new goal music starts - Fire by Kasabian.

[While having a song by Kasabian - a Leicestershire band full of Leicester fans - is an improvement on fucking Chelsea fucking Dagger, I can't help feeling that a complete lack of music would be even better. Football fans do not, should not, need music to celebrate a goal. Telling us how to celebrate is not going to improve the atmosphere. For all the travelling and fucking about at 2am, I much prefer away games. More hardcore fans, hardly any fairweather fans sitting in silence, more singing, and no fucking music when our team scores.]

Late on, Barnsley manage to create a few chances an put a bit of pressure on, but it comes to nothing as City sit out another win. It could have been more comfortable, but it could equally have been a very different result.

As I walk back home towards Saffron Lane, I have one of those chance meetings with someone I've not seen in a few years - this time I bloke I know through work. We discuss the start to the season and manage a couple of sentences about our old jobs before our paths part. As a stroke of fortune, I walk past Tesco just as my brother pulls up, and as he lives near me I get a lift back with him. Just in time, I think my shoes are getting a hole in them.

Final score: Leicester 1 Barnsley 0