January 2nd: Leicester City v Swansea City (FA Cup third round)
These days, £15 seems like a lot of money for an FA Cup ticket. The FA Cup is still a special competition, no doubt, but it seems to lack the attraction and a lot of the romance that once existed and made it the greatest club competition in the world.
Today, Helen and I are low down behind the goal at the Kop end. This allows her to take all the pictures she wants of whatever it is she's taking pictures of. I arrive during the players' warm-up. Each of Yann Kermorgant's shots - every single last one of them - hits someone sitting in the Kop. Chris Powell, not for the first time, scores a penalty past Conrad Logan. And then another one, and another one. Good to see an aged defender repeatedly make our substitute goalie look a complete twat.
As it turns out, the game isn't all that bad. Just before the ten minute mark, Welsh international David Cotterill hits an impressive long-range strike beyond Chris Weale, giving rise to ecstatic celebration in the away end. It's not as good a noise as they made when they went in front at the beginning of the season, but it's not bad. On 39, Matty Fryatt sets up Andy King to smash in the equaliser. Half time arrives and 1-1 seems a fair score.
At the start of the second half, I start to worry about the possibility of a draw. I'm having horrible visions of an extra trip to Wales, probably on a fucking Wednesday night, to see a replay. Would I need two days off work? Almost certainly, yes. Shit. How much will it cost to get there at such short notice? Too much. Plus probably another fifteen quid for a ticket. No, sorry, a draw is out of the question.
As if hearing the panic going on in my head, in the 89th minute Dany N'Guessan receives a header from Kermorgant and plants one of his own past Dorus de Vries. YES! No extra trip to Wales! Minutes later, the final whistle blows and City go through to round four. An away draw please.
Final score: Leicester 2 Swansea 1
Ticket: £15
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