Bonfire of the Calamities

It is midnight. My bag for the day is packed. Replica kit and scarf are carefully folded. Mobile is charged. Sandwiches for the twelve hour return coach trip are prepared. I am ready.

In just under seven hours I will be boarding Supporters Coach Number 2 outside a pub on the Radstock roundabout. After two breaks en route the coach will arrive around 1pm at Blundell Park, the home of Grimsby Town FC. Four hours later, hopefully with a victory under our belts, the City supporters and I will pile back into our buses for the seven hour return trip. Ahhh, bliss!

Regular readers will remember the anxiety I have felt before the three previous FA Cup matches Bath City has played this year. City really needed to win the Second and Third Qualifying rounds for financial reasons. A loss in either round would have been a total disaster for the season. Once City had won the Third Qualifying Round, of course, I started thinking about how important a victory in the Fourth Qualifying Round would be. Yes, we definately had to win the Fourth Qualifying round! There were some moments when I got so worried I really didn't enjoy these games. Would I experience the same stomach-churning tension for the First Round Proper?

Unexpectedly, the answer appears to be no. I am really excited about tomorrow, but mostly because I'm looking forward to the experience of going somewhere new (yes, even if it is Grimsby), and going to a League ground for the first time. I have waited for the apprehension to appear, but so far it has been absent. This is unexpected, but not inexplicable. Here are what I think are the reasons why:

1) An appearance in the First Round Proper is a significant achievement in its own right. At least it is if you are a non-league club. Even if Bath City lose tomorrow, just making an appearance in the First Round is something to celebrate and remember. This is the club's thirty-second appearance in the First Round, and the first since 2004. See, we are counting! We wouldn't bother if it wasn't really important.

2) City have drawn a club two leagues higher up the pyramid. The pressure is on Grimsby. Previous to this round City drew one club three leagues lower, and two that were two leagues farther down. These seemed like good draws at the time, but it also made the prospect of losing something to fear. Who wants to be upset by a club two leagues down? Now it is Grimsby's turn to feel that disquiet. This is pure psychological nonsense, of course. Grimsby only survived the drop last season because of Luton's thirty point deduction for financial irregularities. By all rights they should be a Conference club this year (and despite this stay of execution, Grimsby are making a good fist at joining Luton next season). Still, a league club is a league club. It is impossible for a non-league side to beat a league side and it not be considered a significant upset by the media.

3) The Grimsby Town fans seem to be really nice! Since the fateful ping-pong balls were drawn that paired the clubs together, there has been a vibrant cultural exchange between the two sets of supporters. We have been posting on their forums and the Bath City forum now has four or five Grimsby Town regulars. They've quickly become part of the fabric of our online community. We've learned where to go tomorrow to get the best fish & chips (it does depend on who is doing the recommending), what the Osmund Stand (where the visiting fans sit) is like, what Town players are expected to play well, and where to go for a drink before or after the match. I've had several fans email me directly about this blog. It would be a shame for them to all disappear after the match. Maybe they can be encouraged to stick around (or maybe if City get promoted to the Conference this season we will be in the same league as Grimsby next season??)

We aren't sure exactly, but everyone is expecting around 200 City fans to make the journey tomorrow. This is from a club that is averaging less than 600 supporters at home matches. Winning would be so amazing I can hardly bear to think about it. Whatever the outcome, however, tomorrow will at least be a celebration of our players, our club, and its community of fans. I can't really think of a calamity on the pitch that would be so horrendous that it would spoil the day. I'd hate it if City lost 5-0, but, to be honest, it wouldnt' be nearly as bad as going out 1-0 to Aylesbury Town last year. I guess what I am saying is that no matter what happens tomorrow City wins. As we all speed down the M1 tomorrow night we will no doubt be treated to impromtu displays of fireworks as Bonfire night is celebrated throughout the land. Whether we are full of joy, or recovering from dashed hopes, I know that we will be making our own celebration. We support a great club.

Now, time to get some sleep!