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FA CUP FINAL
Everton 1 v 2 Chelski
By Ian Caren |
The worst of days;
Wembley 2009
Everton 1 Chelski 2
Where should I start, tickets of
course! I needed two, one for me and
my son. Not being a season ticket
holder was a mistake, Eddie had told
me at the start of the season but
no, I didn’t stay a season ticket
holder. So I winged about not having
tickets to everyone I knew, then
came the calls to touts, £800, £500,
£475 best offer but only in the
Chelsea end. The touts told me no
Everton tickets for love nor money!
ESSCA saved the day one ticket for
the Everton end! One phone call and
I have one ticket. Yes but who do I
give it too? As a stupid father who
has been to two finals I gave it too
my son. But what about my ticket,
phone call on Friday, tickets for
the Chelsea players area, three if I
want. Two phone calls to my brothers
and off we go!
Saturday, nearly at Wembley, no
tickets yet, sweating a bit then
phone call. Can I collect them from
St Johns Wood, back down the tube
line and collect them. Yes they are
in my hand!!! Off to the pub in St
Johns Wood, very posh! Bumped into
some posh Chelsea fans as well!
Back on the tube, lots of Everton
fans singing, a few Chelsea but not
really singing. Then out into the
brilliant sunshine, we are
everywhere, that article from the
Telegraph about Everton fans with a
quote from Shelly on their t-shirts
"Rage like lions after slumber,
in unvanquishable number, shake your
chains to earth like dew, which in
sleep had fallen on you, ye are
many, they are few." That’s how
it felt!
Walking along Everton fans singing,
nothing from Chelsea. Just muttering
and occasional short bursts of song.
I wish Chelsea normally played in a
different
colour,
it would have shown how few there
were. I turned to look down Wembley
way, a huge wave of blue and white.
It’s got to be our time! Into
Wembley, Everton fans everywhere,
into the Chelsea player’s area,
Everton fans to my immediate left
and in front of me, and the Everton
flag with them. So much for the
Chelsea players!
Looking round the Chelsea players
section, what do I see? Not fans but
just people dressed up for an
afternoon out. I look to my left and
see the Everton crowd how I wished I
was there. Then Z Cars, this is how
the Guardian described it
“Everton brought the best support –
it is quite a feat out singing your
rival supporters to a
Z-Cars theme that has no
words”. I watch from the half
way line thinking I wish I was in
our part of the ground. Our fans are
fantastic. Match thoughts, 1-0 or
2-1, hopefully a late winner by
Cahill!
Game kicks off, ball is knocked
forwarded and we’ve scored! Can’t
believe it, the Everton fans are
going crazy, my son is in the
Everton end must be going through
the roof. My first thoughts are I
wish it was full time now! For about
10 minutes Chelsea seems to be
knocked out of their stride, if we
score again they could be out of it.
Slowly Chelsea grab hold of the
match. They seem to pour down the
left, poor Hibbo seems in desperate
trouble. He gets a yellow card and
now he is knackered. We are too far
from half time, I’d swap Hibbo for
Jacobsen. The Everton fans are
quiet, we have to hold out to half
time! Then on 21 minutes Chelsea
score, free header for Drogba, we
missed Jags. Chelsea continue to
dominate and Joe Cole could have
scored. We are in desperate trouble.
Half time comes and Everton have to
make changes, Hibbo off Jacobsen on.
However we need to step up a gear!
The game seemed more even but we
knew Everton would have one or two
chances and would have to score.
Preferably we’d score in injury
time. Baines gets a cross in, Saha
rises but sends the ball over. Was
that our chance? I hoped not!
Chelsea continue to roll forward.
The Everton fans are on their feet,
trying to sing them home. Come on
blues we can do it.
I now want it to be full time, maybe
we can beat them on penalties. Then
Ballack passes to Lampard and as he
falls he shoots and it is in the
back on the net. The Chelsea fans
all jump up. Everton can`t hit back
and Chelsea could be four up by the
end of match. We just couldn’t put
anything together, we missed Arteta,
the Yak and most of all Jags. As the
final whistle went,
I left the Chelsea fans to their
muted celebration, one of the
reporters noted “The
Chelsea cheers as the Cup was
raised were muted, one appreciatory
roar for Hiddink apart, whereas had
it been Everton going up the steps
the din would have been a danger to
passing aircraft”.
Off we went to a pub to drown my
sorrows, several pints later off to
an Indian restaurant which slowly
filled up with Evertonians. A
drunken reporter from the Sunday
Mail came to our table and tried to
be nice. The last thing I wanted
from the Mail was sympathy she was
given short shrift and told to sod
off! We staggered out of the
restaurant about nine, I think I
must be day dreaming, all I can hear
is Everton songs. We walk past a pub
by Wembley station; it is full of
Evertonians still singing their
hearts out. My final thoughts come
be summed up by a quote from the
Guardian “But let's not forget it
was Everton and their fans who made
this day. Chelsea won the match, but
the extremes of joy and sadness,
hope and despair, were all wearing
an Everton shirt – losers yet
unvanquishable.”
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