Freezing cold. Overly excited. But also nervous about the eventual outcome.
That's how I felt on the way to Lansdowne Road.
Freezing cold. Eventually gutted. But also happy to have been the witness of a great afternoon of Football. That's how I felt on the way home.
Let's get this out of the way first. Yes a few dickheads threw punches. Yes this is unacceptable. No that does not represent the fans of either clubs. Yes the stadium's atmosphere was great. Yes you should take your friends, partners, kids to League of Ireland matches. It's fun, it's local, it's great craic.
And please, please, please, do not listen to bitter old lads that think ''their'' sport is better than yours.
No Pyro No Party
90 minutes of Stadium porn & Football anxiety
This was a Final, and as Finals usually go, this wasn't the best football either teams have played all season. You could feel the pressure, the uncertainty of an Irish offseason, the fatigue of a long season marked by empty stadiums and covid's constant threat. Pat's are and were the better team and they were all season but no one seemed to be able to break the lock.
Luckily, the show was in the stands. Fans were exceptional and the Aviva was packed like never before for a domestic game. As a big fan of flares, it was a delight to see both sets of fans lighting the stadium on fire before the teams were even on the pitch. It was loud, colourful and most of all it was joyful. Smoky. But joyful.
Barbecue Weather
A few chances here in there, an all around poor finishing display, a divine save from James Talbot, and that was it for the first 90 minutes of this match. The sun went down and extra time was going to light up the night.
Emotional rollercoaster
It is in extra time that the match really unlocked itself. Players were gassed. The pitch felt like it was twice its normal size. The midfield was a gigantic no man's land and every counter seemed like a massive chance. And Forrester took advantage of that space masterfully to score the opener just before the extra time half. A dagger. But as I joked around at the time, this is an Irish team and whenever you score, it's always too early.
If you are a Bohs fan, you know that it's never til it's over. I have been reminded in the past by this team, that leaving early to beat traffic like your Da used to do is dangerous. There's always a way, always one last chance. And Rory Feely's header was everything you would imagine an equaliser late in a Final would be. Exciting, unexpected, mental... You jump around, grab each other by the arms in a ''CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS JUST HAPPENED'' kinda way. Football is great. Feely will have another chance in the dying seconds of the match. I celebrated for half a second like it was in. I strongly believe my brain knew it wasn't a goal yet but I really wanted to push this ball in the net. It was not. And so we went to the penos.
Fuck the penos.
Even the shootout had to be a roller coaster of emotions with Bohs going up 1 early before missing the last two shots. Benson scored the last shot and the Pat's fans erupted.
Fuck the penos.
We just stood there watching in silence the Pat's celebrating, clapped slowly as they got their medals and cup. We saw the Bohemians in-shock, conforting each other, thanking their fans and eventually walking groggy to the locker room.
This wasn't the Bohs' year. We will be back.
See you next year Dalyer
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