A few have asked off list what it was like covid restriction- wise , so here goes Firstly an apology to Liam Cooper, although it was a daft an unnecessary pass, Kalvin was the one mainly at fault. We were sat ( stood ) first row from the front right by the corner flag so not the greatest view of action down the other end) All my STs have been in upper tiers- lowfields seats, then top of south stand, then upper east and now N10 at the back of the Kop ( where I used to stand when I first started going in the mid 70s) so it really gave a new perspective on the game - the camber on the grass is amazing, it looks flat from above but at pitch level but is almost a very shallow dome. You also realise quite how fast they are , one bit when Ayling was not even in my peripheral vision and a second later was keeping the ball in play was incredible, also a trick from Raphinha was outstanding so close up. It also showed how much the lad was acting / exaggerating in the first minute when Coops " smacked him in the face" As for the day itself it was weird enough having to wear a mask both on the train itself and inside both Victoria and Leeds stations, coming back only window seats were in use and after each stop the announcer said the police would be giving fixed penalty notices to anyone not wearing a mask correctly without a medical exemption We were booked in the West Ridings fron 12noon to 3.15 and because there was 7 of us we had to have 2 separate tables (6 being the allowed maximum) . My lad and myself were outside queueing up at 11,45 and were first through the doors. We had to give our names to the doorman then fill in a form with name and phone number.. It was waitress service , worked well except the landlord told me one of the girls having been on furlough for 15 months on 70% pay had failed to show up. Masks were supposed to be worn when moving through the pub ( eg going to toilets or outside fir a cig) but not everyone complied and we even moved our tables closer together At the ground itself there was a massive air of expectation, excitement and relief. There were barriers surrounding the Revie Stand and everyone had to show their ticket, the email sent from the club confirming you had completed the medical questionnaire and some photo ID. A group of 3 lads were being denied entry and were arguing the toss with stewards over a lack of ID ( clearly asked for when we got match instructions) I dont know how / if it was resolved. You entered as normal using ticket machine but once inside all the drinks and food outlets were shut including the Fanzone bar outside the Kop. Toilets were open as usual ( good job given the 7 pints I had in the Ridings) Masks were compulsory inside the ground for fans and stewards etc and I did not see / notice anyone failing to comply or having issues ( i was front row so it's possible there were issues behind me ??) It was odd only having 8,000 in the stadium although i have been in such low crowds before- the difference yesterday was that all stands had fans in, there were empty seats surrounding everyone and the mood was buoyant, usually for such a poor turnout ( eg first round of league cup) some stands are empty, fans are sat in groups, and most are thinking " why did i bother " The kneeling brought some small applause but no booing ( thankfully- the press would have had a field day) but seemed so much quicker in real life than on TV and was over and done with as soon as it began. Not sure it would even give fans pause for thought let alone actually affect behaviour Overall it was quite emotional especially the double substitution ( although they went off one at a time) of the two 'retirees' and then the lap of honour at the end So whilst I enjoyed it and was immensely grateful to have been lucky in the ballot, I hope to never experience the like again- here's to full houses and no restrictions and no masks next season Dave _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: https://mailman.gn.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email [email protected]
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