Hull City fan columnist Natalie Murphy takes us through her great day out in the capital
Mohamed Belloumi of Hull City celebrates scoring his team’s second goal (Image: Getty Images)
‘What’s this about then?’, said the smiling Stamford Bridge steward, flicking through the paperback I’d brought to kill time on the three-hour train journey to London. ‘Oh, I know,’ he laughed. ‘It’s a book on how to beat Chelsea.’
As it turned out, the thriller was no match for the action on the pitch, where we held our own against title contenders away from home. Or maybe our extraordinary start to the season is better described by that old footballing cliché – a fairytale.
Last week’s away trip certainly had a touch of the surreal about it. With some disruption on the underground, I decided to walk the 10k from King’s Cross and bumped – almost literally – into Hugh Grant on Fulham Road. I’d have asked for a picture for the benefit of my six Instagram followers but, fortunately for him, he was on the phone.
Then there were the shops. Not sure when I’ll next stroll past a neighbourhood Ralph Lauren or Dolce & Gabbana ‘Casa’ homeware concept store on the way to a match again. At least until we play Fulham, that is.
And the people. Unsmiling faces but great clothes and posture, their children sadly wafting around in small groups with shopping bags like adults. When Martinez came on for the warm-up, his arrival heralded by the stadium announcer, he was waving to almost empty stands. But who can blame Blues’ supporters for staying away until kick-off? Not when there’s so much money to spend and so many places nearby to spend it.
Or perhaps it’s because they were all taking pictures outside. Chelsea’s international support has led to observations about it being a ‘tourist club’. I did see one fan hanging around wearing their just launched third kit, holding a Fortnum and Mason bag. Afternoon tea, eaten. Houses of Parliament, photographed. London Eye, ridden. Chelsea game, attended.
Visiting the ground for the first time, it’s not difficult to see the appeal for visitors. The place simply dazzles. In the upper tier of Shed End, I had a view over the corner flag across a beautiful pitch under sunny September skies that was straight off the website. It’s a proper, traditional ground, marking 150 years since opening next year, and yet it shows no sign of age.
Everything is completely spotless, there’s a sense of things being looked after and a lot of effort clearly goes into making everyone feel comfortable and welcome. A sign language interpreter, for example, appeared on the big screen throughout the build-up. And a pre-match presentation about some local fundraising highlighted an enduring goal to ‘turn pride in the club into impact into the community’. Plus, the Wi- Fi is really, really good.
The refreshments are on point too. Fancy a blood orange gin and tonic, madam? Why not when it’s here on the menu alongside red, white and rose wines. And the crisps are Kettle Chips, obviously. Pints are a not too disgraceful £7.49. Beef and onion pies were oddly priced at a precise £6.34. You can imagine the meeting. ‘But we could charge fifteen quid for those and people round here would tap their Revolut cards without blinking.’ And the reply: ‘Yes, but let’s not forget about the away supporters. Some of them are from the North.’
I was sufficiently impressed by Chelsea and our astonishing lead to make use of the Wi-Fi and FaceTime my husband and son at home at half-time. My boy said it looked like I’d been crying. I honestly don’t know if I had or not, such is the visceral experience of being part of Sergej’s barmy army. I may have missed it but we didn’t even bust out a ‘mauled by the Tigers’ at 2-1. I guess it’s not worth the effort against a team like Chelsea. Away. We’ll save all that for when we meet our proper rivals, who are now clearly, Arsenal.
I headed back to the station almost alone on foot, the Chelsea fans melting away into waiting blacked-out Mercedes vehicles. I thought the walk might help me put into words how it feels to be City fan right now. Instead, I’ll share the wisdom of a fellow supporter I chatted to on the platform.
‘History tells us,’ he said. ‘That it doesn’t get any better than this.’