To celebrate 20 years of the Coal Exchange Football Club we arranged our first ever European Tour. We jetted off to Germany to play Jez's team of veterans(ish).
Bran, Pete, Sam W, Geoff, Pat, Chalkie, Jon, Dunc, Danny, Simon, Martin and Sam D.
Travelling in style....the 07:35 flight from Southampton to Dusseldorf....
Luxury minibus to Gutersloh......Up The Coalie :-)
The tension mounts in the team hotel....
Just making sure that the rules are the same here in Germany....(And they promised not to kick us!)
Warming up....hoof it Si!
The pitch was, as Jez had said, the best I have ever played on....That's me and Dunc....
The game was a close affair with both teams having plenty of chances. In the end the German's sneaked a couple of cheeky goals and won it 3v1. Here's Martin our goal scorer and Jezza...
As it was Germany we had to finish it with a penalty shoot out....
Did you score your's?
Martin went in goal for the pens.....and we WON! At last England have beaten Germany in a penalty shoot-out :-)
Relaxing in the sun with a beer after the game. In fact we all had one at half-time too....they do seem to have it sussed out here....
What a crate game.....
A brilliant time was had by all. Thanks to Jez and the German Danny for putting on such a great show....
More booze back at Jez's football club.....Sam with a metre of beer.....I have never seen him look so happy....
Prost....
Out in Gutersloh on Saturday evening...Wake up boys....
The free Jagermeister picture....
There was a wine festival going on in the square....
Me, Pete, Chalkie and Dunc went to the Nails Bar. The game is to hammer a nail into a block of wood with the wrong end of a hammer.....not easy after a few steiners :-)
Peter's turn....missed again....
We only needed the one ambulance on the night.....Beer, Wine and Jagermeister....What could possibly go wrong....One small trip to A&E....
SUNDAY
On Sunday we went to see MSV Duisburg play RB Leipzig.....Up the Zebras.....
It's very tense. Duisburg need to win to avoid automatic relegation....
On the terrace with the Duisburg Ultras.......
Five minutes to go and Duisburg score. The place goes nuts....
We are staying up.....Sam joining in with the fun....Duisburg win 1v0....
What a brilliant weekend. Can't wait for the next one.....South America?
