Indoor Soccer - Come On, You Know You Want Some!

With no Bath City match last Monday, and the chances of Friday's game not 100%, I thought I would take a moment to examine one of my footballing guilty pleasures: Indoor Soccer.

I know that real football fans are supposed to turn up their noses at the indoor game. We should behave like a gourmet chef if he was served a chip butty. I'm not a gourmet chef, though. I like chip butties. I also like indoor soccer.

Between 1984 when the old NASL folded, and 1996 when the MLS began play, there was no serious outdoor soccer league in America. It seems strange to think of it now, but the only 'football' on television was the indoor sort. Clubs, and entire leagues, came and went with alarming regularity, but the sport managed to hang on to the fringes of the American sporting scene by its fingertips. The fast pace, high scoring, and accessible tactics are a potent enough combination (just) for two professional leagues to continue today. The team I keep an eye on is the Milwaukee Wave of the Major Indoor Soccer League (the 3rd incarnation of this league).

I support the Wave for two reasons. One is that they are the oldest professional indoor club in the country. Founded in 1984, they are perhaps the only indoor club to ever field players who were born after the club's founding. The second reason is that they are managed by Keith Tozer. I'm not sure Mr. Tozer and I ever met, but he was the manager at the Atlanta Attack when I worked there briefly in 1989 (I think I handed him a couple of phone messages - see here). He's been in place in Milwaukee since 1992, and since 1996 he's managed the US Futsal team as well. Anyone who has managed to survive, let alone succeed, in such a volatile environment deserves admiration.

The Wave began this season in their third league in three years (the previous seasons being in the MISL, mark 2, and the late 'Xtreme Football League'). They are in second place in the league (of five clubs) with a record of three wins and two losses. Their most recent match was last Sunday, and it was one of those scoring extravaganzas that makes the indoor game so appealing. In extra time the Wave defeated Monterrey La Raza (a Mexican team) 19-17. I've embedded a highlights clip below for your enjoyment.

Here's another reason you might want to get acquainted with the indoor game: all MISL matches are streamed live over the Internet for free! This is through official websites - you will not be needed to log your private details with anyone in China or Iraq. So, the next time you are catching up with the Bath City message board, or looking for Premiership transfer rumours, why not check out an indoor match? The next Milwaukee wave match is tomorrow night on New Year's Eve. They will be taking on the Baltimore Blast at 8pm GMT. Something to do before you go out partying.

Here's the clip I promised earlier. I won't explain all the rule variations, but be aware that a normal goal counts for two points, and a goal from behind the second white arc counts for three (I assume if you are a football purist you stop reading this article long ago). Go ahead and enjoy it. I won't tell anyone.

All Dressed Up With Nowhere to Go

Yesterday was a 'bank holiday' in the UK. That's a fancy way of saying it was a national holiday. Football leagues tend to schedule matches on bank holidays because they generally draw big crowds. Unlike other games in the week, they are normally held at the Saturday kick-off time of 3pm.

After rushing through lunch Big Nedved Junior and I headed off to Twerton Park. I was very excited. I had been looking forward to the match for almost two weeks. A victory over Havant & Waterlooville would surely put City in the playoff spots for the first time for two seasons. And after the performance I saw at Woking, and what I read about the one at Weston-super-Mare, I was sure City would win.

Because I knew we needed to leave after the match in a hurry I parked on a side street rather in the club carpark. As soon as I stepped out of my car, though, something seemed wrong. City matches do not draw big enough crowds for there to be a 'buzz' around the ground (well, not often), but my spider-sense immediately picked up on the fact that it was too quiet. I tried to shrug it off, but as we headed down a footpath I got a view of the pitch. I could see there were no players warming up on it. I was trying to find some way to deny it, but the rational part of my brain had figured out there was going to be no match.

My first thought was that I had gotten the time wrong. I had just assumed there would be a 3pm kickoff. Maybe this bank holiday had an evening kickoff instead. Or maybe in the chaos surrounding Christmas I had managed to get my dates really mixed up.

I kept walking anyway, hoping as I got closer to the ground I would figure out what was going on.

After a few more steps I had my second thought. I was wearing a Bath City hat. I had a Bath City scarf on around my neck. I was wearing a Bath City replica kit. Nothing was going to look more pathetic than wandering into an empty football ground obviously dressed for a match that wasn't happening. I stopped to take all my City gear off, bundled it up and stuck it under my arm. As I turned into the carpark I tried walking nonchalantly, as if I was just out for a stroll and just happened to be walking through Twerton Park.

The carpark was empty. No away team coach. No stewards. It meant no match.

To my relief, another City fan arrived. He even had two small children with him. And he was wearing his Bath City gear. We compared notes: we were pretty sure we had the right day and the right time. We walked past Charlie's (which had its shutters down) to the club office. There was a schedule of December matches posted in a window and it did say Havant & Waterlooville, 28 December, 3pm. My companion then stated the blindingly obvious:

'The match must have been called off because of a frozen pitch,' he said.

Of course it was. There had been a post on the City forum about how there would be a pitch inspection at 10am. I hadn't bothered to look. It didn't seem that cold, so I just figured the match was on. Considering that the Woking pitch had had as much snow as grass showing, I had just assumed the match was on.

As Big Nedved Junior and I walked back to our car about a dozen or so City fans walked into the carpark with the same bewildered expression we had had moments earlier. We were all like lost sheep looking for our pasture. Or maybe druggies looking for our fix. Whatever we were like, I was in a bad mood.

I tried to decide if a postponed match was more painful than a loss. As I got in the car I was beginning to convince myself a postponed match was worse. With a day's perspective I can see now that this is total hogwash. Still, showing up at a cancelled match is a major bummer. It is like reaching into the packet for the last Hobnob, only to find that a friend had alread eaten the last one. That's the sort of thing that can put a friendship under real strain.

My relationship with Bath City is not a friendship, however. It is an obsession. I'll be back on Friday (although not before a thorough check online to make sure the match is on)!

A Flag for 'Goldenbuns'

While shopping for Christmas presents for Mrs Nedved, Big Nedved Junior and I went into the Guildhall in the Bath city centre and purchased a Latvian flag. Why? It's because of Bath City's recent signing of Latvian international Andres Štolcers. You know, the one that scored with his bum in his first appearance for City.

Anyway, fans have produced flags for our last three foreign players. In addition to the Romanian flag for Florin Pelecaci shown many times on this blog, there is also a Portuguese flag for Sido Jombati, and up until last year a South African flag was displayed for City keeper Paul Evans (who has now relocated to Australia). Since no one else had done a flag for Mr. Stolcers, I thought maybe I should. Just finished painting the 'Andrejs' on it and it is drying on my kitchen floor.

The Pointless Yeild Three Points

Bath City defeated Weston-super-Mare 2-0 today in a contest more one-sided than the score reflects. By all measures Weston failed to present any real challenge to City either in attack or defense. City could have notched up more goals, but with an important home match against Havant & Waterlooville in just two days, manager Adie Britton decided to rest key players in the second half. City were happy to sit back and soak up what feeble pressure Weston were able to mount.

Today's fixture was part of a non-league football tradition. All teams are paired up with a local rival to play on Boxing Day, followed by the return fixture six days later on New Year's Day. I'm not sure how this tradition started, but it makes sense as trains do not operate at all on Boxing Day so fans who want to follow their team on the road have no choice but to take to the road themselves. At thirty miles each way the journey to our Somerset rivals was close enough that roughly three hundred Bath City fans made the journey.

I was not one of them, unfortunately. This was due to some of the other traditions of Boxing Day- traditions that I fail to really grasp the importance of.

In America the 26th of December is known as 'the day after Christmas.' It is a day for sitting around the house with your family, eating leftovers from the day before, and watching holiday television (especially American football). It is not an actual holiday, so some people have to work. Although most people end up doing what I've just described it couldn't really be called a tradition. It is just what normally happens, and if you have to miss out on it then it is no big deal.

In Britain the 26th of December is known as 'Boxing Day.' It is a day for sitting around the house with your family, eating leftovers from the day before, and watching holiday television (especially association football). Unlike the 'day after Christmas' it is an official public holiday (or to give it its correct title, a 'bank holiday'). Although some people have to work to keep the country running, having to work Boxing Day is seen as a real hardship. Because it falls on a Saturday this year we will all be getting a bank holiday on Monday to make up for it, in fact. As I have learned, both at home in life in the UK generally, you mess with Boxing Day at your peril.

This was the first year I had expressed any interest in going to a football match on Boxing Day. It wasn't a popular idea. I will admit that if I had gone I would have felt very awkward leaving the wife and kids at home on the day. They were expecting me to be there to eat leftovers and watch telly with them. Even though I don't understand the emotional significance of Boxing Day, I respect it.

I could not go to a football match, but I was at least able to participate in one (of sorts). About the time that Bath City were lining up against Weston-super-Mare, I was involved in some desperate goalkeeping in a nearby park with the Nedved Juniors. Like Bath City, I was more than a match for my opponents (well, they are aged five and eight). Unlike Bath City, I allowed in a lot of goals. That's not because I was letting them beat me (I do suffer from 'competitive Dad' syndrome). My sons always bring two balls with them to the park, and they have realised their best chance to get one past me is to shoot both at once. If I stop fifty percent of them I feel pretty good.

It's a strategy that Weston-super-Mare maybe should have tried. They were outclassed by Bath City from the first whistle. City had several clear cut chances in the first half hour, but it was not until Lewis Hogg's free kick at thirty-two minutes that they were able to take the lead. Gethin Jones headed the free kick to an open Darren Edwards who put the ball in the net. Seven minutes later Weston's shaky defence allowed Edwards a free run at the goal. This ended with him slotting the ball past Weston's keeper, Kevin Sawyer, who was by all accounts having a shocker. City went into the half time break with a 2-0 lead.

The second half started with City again dominating play, although no further goals were scored. City manager Adie Britton had an eye on the home match against Havant & Waterlooville in two days time, so he brought Edwards off at the hour mark so he could rest. Weston made the odd effort on goal, but the game continued to play out with City dominating but not adding to the score. It was, in the end, a comfortable win for City against a weak opponent.

City have a habit of dominating Weston-super-Mare AFC. In the past hundred plus years the two clubs have met thirty-seven times. City have won all but five of those matches (and only lost two). Since City's promotion to the Blue Square South two seasons ago the clubs have met five times. Weston have not only lost all five matches, but have yet to even score against City. If our rivalry with Weston was a boxing match, it would have been stopped long ago.

Weston is a strange club. They barely have any fans. When they came to Twerton Park last season only five of them could be bothered to drive from North Somerset to North-East Somerset to see their team play. They have also avoided relegation twice in the last three years because of other teams folding or withdrawing. Although they are struggling, unsuccessfully, to stay out of the relegation zone again this season, it is still easily possible that they will survive again as long as they avoid the bankruptcy courts. In these tough economic times, if you can stay solvent it turns out it is almost impossible to be relegated.

Weston-super-Mare AFC is a curious phenomenon. Like Boxing Day, their purpose eludes me. And yet, they still remain. Maybe I'll figure them out on New Year's Day?

On the Way to Being the Best in the World!

Time for a catchup with my new home town team - the Atlanta Beat!

As explained previously, the Beat are a new team in America's women's professional soccer league (aptly named Women's Pro Soccer or WPS). My last update, in early October, analyzed the recent 'International Draft.' As an expansion team, the Beat were allowed to chose any five non-WPS players in the world to have exclusive negotiating rights with. Setting their sights high, the Beat chose several key players from the Swedish women's football giants, Umeå IK. As they were only receiving rights to talk to these players, and had no guarantee of signing them, I will admit it all seemed a bit fanciful to me. The near total silence from the Beat head office for the following two months was also worrying.

The other WPS expansion club, the Philadelphia Independence, were far from quiet, though. Soon after the draft they announced several headline signings, including USA International (and Maxim model) Heather Mitts. The good news from Philadelphia was so frequent, and lack of news coming out of Atlanta so noticeable, that I began to wonder if my home town's new team was already struggling before a single ball had been kicked in anger. As I learned later, I was completely wrong.

On 1 December, Atlanta Beat owner, Fitz Johnson, announced a partnership with Kennesaw State University to build the world's first purpose-built women's soccer stadium. It will have a capacity of 8,300 and be built at a cost of $16.5 million. The pictures look stunning, and by the time this announcement was made construction was already well underway (with a planned completion of Spring 2010). Although the facility will be shared with the Kennesaw State women's soccer team (the Lady Owls), the Beat will certainly be the primary occupant. Considering that the Beat's previous incarnation (2001-2003 in the old WUSA) had two makeshift homes in American football stadiums, this is an impressive achievement.

Actually, it has taken me a while to get round to thinking it is an impressive achievement. To be honest, my first reaction was pretty negative. Kennesaw State? Kennesaw is not Atlanta. It is an outer suburb of Atlanta, and even saying that might be stretching things. As is probably common for an Atlanta native, my only experience with Kennesaw is from field trips in grade school to Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. I have no doubt that Kennesaw is a nice place, but I'm just being polite really. I have no idea what Kennesaw is like at all.

It's not a minor point, either. Kennesaw is on the outskirts of a huge metropolitan area. Public transport is not great by European standards, and barely exists outside the Atlanta city limits. While it is perfectly possible for someone from Kennesaw to have a happy working life commuting to downtown Atlanta by car, it is considerably more awkward for soccer fans from other suburbs to get to Kennesaw. The drive from Snellville, another outer suburb, to Beat matches will be almost fifty miles. Another problem is that Georgia's highways are built to help people get into central Atlanta, but not to get from one suburb to another. Residents of nearby Alpharetta are only fifteen miles from Kennesaw as the crow flies, but the only realistic way of getting between the two places is a thirty mile dogleg towards Atlanta and back.

There is one other drawback to Kennesaw which is rooted in snobbery. Big professional sports teams in Atlanta have always played in the downtown area. Despite the fact that precious few people live downtown anymore, it is still seen as the place for proper 'major league' teams. It is possible that by basing itself in Kennesaw the Beat will fail to be taken seriously by the bulk of Atlanta sports fans. In fact, there has never been a successful professional sports franchise based in the suburbs. At first glance, it looks like the Beat have made a serious mistake.

That was my initial thought, but then I started thinking about my time with the old Atlanta Attack, a men's indoor soccer franchise. I worked there for a few weeks during Christmas holidays in 1989 (see here) and by most measures the club was doing well. The Attack had the highest attendance average in their league by a long way, sometimes drawing in excess of 10,000 spectators a match. In actual fact, the Attack's finances were in a parlous state. The main reason for this was their stadium lease. The only arena available for rent in downtown Atlanta was the 16,000-seater Omni Coliseum. Although the Attack sometimes drew big crowds, the average attendance was more like 6,000. It was enough to top the league stats, but not enough to break even on the rental agreement. Basically, every time the Attack played a match they lost money. As there was no media income to speak of, the only revenue the club would ever generate was from matches. In effect the Attack were killed off by playing their matches in the prestigious downtown Atlanta area. I was not there when the club closed its doors, but even in the first season everyone in the front office knew the Attack was living on borrowed time.

Like the Attack, match day revenue will make or break the Beat. There will be no lucrative national television contract. If the deal has been structured in a way to give the Beat a cut of the revenues from the non-soccer use of the stadium (like hosting conferences or corporate parties) then the Beat may end up in a much stronger position than any sports team outside the major American sports leagues. Having to draw people all the way to Kennesaw might be a disadvantage, but it would be easily outweighed by the financial independence this stadium might be bringing the club. There may be no precedent for a successful professional sports team operating in the suburbs, but there is a long history in Atlanta of failed soccer teams who rented the downtown stadiums built for Baseball and American football. If the Beat are going to succeed they won't do it by copying the strategies of their failed predecessors.

So, the Beat have a stadium to play in. Who is going to play in it? At the time of the stadium announcement only three player signings had been announced. And these included none of the Beat's expansion draft or international draft picks. Time to worry? No. Since then five more signings have been announced (including two expansion draft picks: Leigh Ann Robinson and Noelle Keselica). The big announcement (and I mean really big) came just about a week ago: the Beat have signed their first international draft pick. Her arrival could mark a change from expansion strugglers to league powerhouse.

Her name is Ramona Bachmann, and unless you follow international women's soccer closely, you probably don't know who she is. If you decide to follow women's soccer like I have, though, you will learn soon enough. Considered by some to be the second best player in the world after Brazil's Marta (who also played for Umeå IK before being drafted by the WPS's Los Angeles Sol), Bachmann's presence could turn the Beat into a sporting (and marketing) success. Although she is only nineteen she has played in a European Champions League final and been voted Swiss player of the year. The Beat have signed her to a two year deal (which by WPS standards is a long contract).

Things are looking up for the Beat, but there are still challenges ahead. After a season opener in Philadelphia in April, the Beat will not play a home fixture until at least May. This is because they have to wait for the stadium to be completed. Large construction projects, of course, frequently suffer delays and go over budget. Having great players is helpful, but as Real Madrid and Manchester City have shown, it does not automatically make a great team. Besides, at least eight more players need to be signed in the next two months to have a decent sized squad. Oh, and the whole concept of a successful professional women's soccer league is still far from proven.

Still, I think the Beat might be Altanta's best ever chance to have a soccer team with long-term success. Ever since he was awarded the Atlanta WPS franchise, Beat owner Fitz Johnson has spoken of the Beat becoming the 'Best in the World.' This slogan has even been used, with disarming immodestly, as a marketing slogan for the club. It is a concept that seems silly at first, but Johnson is taking steps to come good on his promise. Women's soccer is still wide open - there are no established powerhouses. With the stadium deal and the arrival of marquee players, there is no reason why the Atlanta Beat can't soon be the best in the world. Watch out Barcelona!

Check out my previous articles on the Atlanta Beat: Atlanta Turns on the Cash Taps and Goes Soccer Crazy, The Beat is Back, and The Beat Goes On. The next article will appeal in roughly three weeks after the WPS regular draft in January.

A Player and a Gentleman

Florin Pelecaci and I had a brief chat in the early hours of 17 December on Facebook. This was less than forty-eight hours after he had announced his departure from Bath City, and I had just written an article about it for this blog. I went on to Facebook to post a link to the article on the 'Campaign to Keep Florin at City' group page when I noticed he was logged onto the website's chat facility. I was a bit reluctant to bother him at 2am, but I thought it might be my last chance to speak to him. I decided to give it a try. Typically, he was happy to give up some of his time for a fan (even in the middle of the night).

Of course, the one thing I really wanted to know about was why exactly Florin was leaving Bath City. It had been confirmed (sort of) in the Bath Chronicle earlier in the day that he had left, but there was no clear reason given. Left to their own devices supporters were coming up with all sorts of theories. Most involved his supposed frustration from not having enough playing time. Here is an excerpt from our conversation:

Nedved: Hi florin! I'd love to ask you some questions, but I understand if you don't want to talk.

Florin: Hi Ned. Of course I want. Depends on the questions

Nedved: Yes, I understand. Are you leaving because you are moving to London, or is it a problem with Bath City?

Florin: I'm in London because I don't have another choice for the moment.

Nedved: Okay, are you planning to find a London club to play for?

Florin: Is complicated. I would like to continue play for Bath, but is too long story to talk about this now.

Nedved: I understand. There are a lot of people who hope you will be at the Woking match. I guess you won't be. Is that right?

Florin: I want to go to Woking, but only to watch the game

Nedved: If you come then lots of people would like to say goodbye (if it is goodbye). Please let us know where you go next or what you end up doing. You made a big impression on the supporters.

Florin: I appreciate this. I would like to speak with the fans.

I'll admit, this conversation left me more confused about Florin's departure than I had been previously. Why would he leave if still wanted to play for Bath? It seemed unlikely that he was being dropped from the team. I was impressed that he wanted to come to Woking, but I decided not to publicise this widely. If I was him I'm not sure I would have come. It is one thing to come to a match and sit on the bench or in a directors box. It is another to come and stand in a terrace of fans, none of whom you really know. I thought if expectations were built up too much it might make him look bad if he changed his mind.

Florin did come to the match. I think this took a lot of guts. I can remember being slightly apprehensive the first time I went to a City match by myself, and there was no one s

inging songs about me a few feet away. Still, he came, and he was happy to speak to whoever wanted to speak to him, sign autographs and pose for photos. Before the match fans had signed two flags for him (the Romanian flag with his name down the centre that had been displayed at City matches and a Breton flag which City supporters are partial to because of the black and white stripes). He was presented with these soon after his arrival, and he was still clutching them proudly in his hands when he came up to me and Little Nedved Junior about fifteen minutes into the first half.

We said our 'hellos' and I signed his flag (we had only arrived at the ground a few minutes before kick-off). Once my pen was out this led to several people wanting to use it to get Florin to sign their programs. He graciously signed all of them. All the time this was going on a very exciting match was happening ten feet in front of us. I tried to follow the game, but my amateur reporter's instinct asserted itself and I pulled out my Dictaphone. I wanted to ask Florin a few more questions about his departure and his plans for the future.

Conducting an interview in the middle of a live match isn't a perfect environment. The crowd around us was noisy as well, which made it hard to hear him (and even harder to hear my recording). What follows as quotes is mostly right. I asked him about leaving again:

Florin: I didn't leave Bath City for another club, I leave...are you recording?

Nedved: Yes, is that ok? It is just to make sure I get it right.

Florin: [nodding] I leave Bath City.....I don't know, I don't know what to say. But not because I have another team.

I decided not to keep pressing him on his reasons for leaving. Whatever the reason he clearly felt awkward about it.

Nedved: Is it awkward being here with all of the fans around you?

Florin: I like it. I like it more on the pitch, but I like it.

Nedved: Some footballers say they hate watching their team play.

Florin: I don't hate, but I have emotion. I'd feel much better on the pitch.

Nedved: Do you want to find another club? Are you living in London at the moment?

Florin: Yes, I'm living in London. For the moment I don't have another club. I would like to, but I didn't play so how can I get a club in England? I could return to Romania or Hungary.

Nedved: I hope you don't mind just asking, but did you leave bec ause you weren't being played?

Florin: It is one reason, but there is a more important reason I decided to leave early.

Nedved: It was very good that you came today.

Florin: Thank you. It's not much. It is close to London and I wanted to come.

Nedved: It means a lot to a lot of people. A lot of people are sad that you are going.

Florin: I'm very proud of the flags. It is the first time in my life when I have received my flags.

At this point we were interrupted by Little Nedved Junior, who wanted a Mars bar. As you can tell from the disjointed nature of my questions, it was very difficult conducting a proper interview, so I gave up recording from this point. I did chat to Florin on several more occasions during the match, though. Although I still did not yet understand why he had left, it was clear it was complicated. I decided not to mention it again, but it did come up once more when we were discussing what level club he might play for in the future.

I suggested that with his style of play he would probably be more comfortable in a higher league that was less physical and more tactical. He agreed, but did not think the prospect likely. He said if he could not get playing time with a club in the sixth division (Bath City are, in effect, in the sixth level of English football) then how could he get on a team in League 1? I asked if he thought his time at Bath City had possibly hurt his prospects. His answer to this question effectively answered why he had left Bath City.

He said that no, he did not think playing for Bath City was a mistake. He said if his situation changed he would be happy to play for Bath City again, if the manager would want him back. Once he said this everything made sense. There is something in Florin's personal life requiring him to be in London. He may have been frustrated with his lack of playing time at Bath City (and we know he never intended to make a career at City), but he did not leave because of a problem with the club.

We spoke about several more things during our chat. He was very impressed by Woking's number eleven. He asked me if I knew his name. I did not, and Woking's otherwise excellent program failed to list players by number (I now know this was Giuseppe Sole). As it was the twentieth anniversary of the revolution in Romania that had ended Communist rule, I asked him if he h ad any memories of the period. He would have been only nine, so it was a bit of a hopeful question. He didn't have much memory of the revolution itself, but he did tell me something very interesting he had done the previous year. As he explained in his previous interview, he had been a national gymnastics champion at age eight. Soon after this he had been invited to show off his tumbling skills for the benefit of the then dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu. About a year later Ceauşescu and his wife were killed by a firing squad.

At the end of the match I asked him if he had any reaction to Bath City's victory.

'I am not surprised,' he said. 'Bath were much better organised.'

He was right, of course, although up to then I hadn't really thought about it. It was a chaotic match played on an icy surface. Once I thought about it, though, of course he was right. That's how City's midfield had been able to assert control on large stretches of the match.

As the elated City fans streamed out of the ground we sang, 'Doo, doo, doo, Florin Pelecaci!' We sang this despite the fact that he had not played, nor contributed to the momentous victory we had watched. He had, however, contributed to a very special afternoon. I would be surprised if there was a single City fan who did not speak to him, shake his hand, or get an autograph from him. If there was, it was certainly not for lack of opportunity. I've seen sportsmen patiently humour their fans before, but Florin was not humouring anyone. His smiling expression showed openness and humility. He was, in short, a true gentleman.

Baring a return to Romania or Hungary there can be little doubt that he will not be signed soon by one of the many London clubs. When this happens he is going to make some manager look like a real genius. I suspect that once he has settled in someone's starting lineup, on some cold Tuesday evening when Bath City are not playing, he will see some familiar people in the crowd. They will be people wearing black and white stripes, and we will all sing 'Doo, doo, doo, Florin Pelecaci!'

City Till I Die (Possibly From Exposure)!

Bath City defeated Woking 3-1 at Woking's Kingfield Stadium yesterday. It was one of the best 'away days' I've had yet as a City supporter, although not for the usual reasons. Many people, on and off the pitch, went beyond the call of duty to make it a great day. Most importantly, however, the Bath City players put on an amazing display of skill and determination in very testing conditions to win a vital three points. It was such a good day it was easy to forget how cold it was. Well, almost.

After City's 5-0 hammering of Woking just three weeks ago, nothing was going to keep me away from this return fixture. Actually, something could have kept me away from this fixture, but after agreeing to take along my five-year-old son, she decided to let me go. This would leave her with only one child to look after (and as anyone with two children or more will tell you, only having one seems holiday). Getting "Little Nedved Junior" to want to come along was easy enough. I just told him we were going on a train ride. And would have lunch at McDonald's. Job done.

Despite snow and cold temperatures rendering much of Britain's transit useless yesterday, we had an incident free journey to Woking. The only worry on the way had been whether the match would be called off. Up until the previous afternoon I had assumed it would not go ahead. Most of the south-east was covered with snow and the temperature the previous night had been minus four degrees Celsius. The brave folks at Woking FC, however, must have worked their socks off to keep their pitch playable. It passed an inspection on Friday afternoon and, while as we were pulling out of Basingstoke station, I received a call from a fellow supporter to confirm the match was definitely on. It turned out that seven of yesterday's ten league matches would be postponed because of poor conditions. A huge amont of credit should go to the ground crew at Woking FC for making it possible for the match to go ahead.

After the unavoidable visit to McDonald's we set off for Kingfield Stadium. I had only a badly printed set of instructions I'd found on the Internet. Like most English cities, Woking has dispensed with all street signs, which made the instructions worthless. Luckily the city fathers of Woking had decided to set up some signs pointing the way to 'Woking FC,' so instead of having to swallow my male pride and ask for directions, I instead guided Little Nedved Junior along a pleasant walk through the back streets of Woking. He enjoyed it because we passed a post office and he found a lot of elastic bands. All was going well until we made a sharp turn at one of the signposts. For a moment I thought something had gone horribly, horribly wrong.

Unbeknownst to me, the Woking Borough Council logo is pretty much the same as the Woking FC badge. I assuemed the turning led into Woking FC's Kingfield Stadium. In fact we were actually walking into council-administered Woking Park. The stadium was on the other side of the park. Expecting to see a bustle of pre-match activity we instead saw a frozen, snow-covered football pitch with what appeared to be a Woking FC sign in front of it.

'There's nobody here,' Little Nedved Junior said, with his typical deadpan delivery. Mistaking the logo on the sign for the Woking FC badge, I really did think someone had made a terrible mistake for about two seconds. After a moment, though, I read the sign properly and figured it out. In my best grownup voice I said, 'Oh, no, this isn't the football ground. It must be farther along.'

Walking through a snow-covered park is a very pleasant way to reach a football ground. Certainly, for Little Nedved Junior it was a highpoint for his day that rivaled the train ride. It only took a few minutes before he started throwing snowballs at the back of my head.

Relaxed and happy, we arrived at Kingfield Stadium. After paying our admission (£12 for me, but as is often the case, Little Nedved Junior was waved through for no charge) and getting a program (£2.50), I decided to go for a wander and get my barrings.

Except I couldn't. Kingfield Stadium was very nice, but I soon leaned it is a very quirky football ground. Instead of having the run of all the terraces as is normal in non-league football, we were restricted to one end of the ground. One side of the ground has a series of small, seat-only areas (including the delightfully named 'Moaners' Corner'), but access to these is restricted by a series of gates. The other side of the pitch is a very narrow terrace, which for this match, was blocked off entirely. This meant the standing fans, both home and away, had access only to a medium-sized terrace behind the goal. All of this was overshadowed, though, by an enormous, Premiership-quality stand on the opposite end of the pitch. It is, without doubt, the most impressive seating structure I've seen in non-league football. The fact that it so easily outclassed the rest of the facilities, and that it had been placed at a vantage point spectators normally try to avoid, gave the whole ground a surreal quality. It was kind of like happening upon a garage full of Morris Marinas and discovering a Ferrari hidden on the back row.

The corner of the ground we were allowed to access was very jolly, though, and surprisingly full of Bath City supporters. Little Nedved Junior and I found a bit of terrace in the front where he could see just in time for kickoff. Up and to our right were two flags that the City fans had signed and covered with messages of thanks and good luck. These were for recently-departed City player Florin Pelecaci (see here). He had said he would come to the match and stand with the City fans to show his thanks for their recent support. I wondered if he would actually come. Perhaps hoping to conjure his appearance the fans sang, 'Doo, doo, doo, Florin Pelecaci!.' I strained my neck in all directions to see him whenever the ball went out of play.

To my surprise, City had come out of the dressing room in last year's away kit. These sport a very unfortunate shade of blue, sort of like you might see on one of those Morris Marinas mentioned previously. Unlike our current home and away kits, it had the advantage of being nothing like the Woking home kit. To the credit of non-league football generally, it is nothing like anyone's kit. Still, it would do in a pinch. 'Blue' also made an appearance as the colour of the line markings on the pitch. Despite the best efforts of the ground crew there was still a fair amount of snow on the pitch.

Woking began the match like they were out for revenge. You could hardly blame them - they are a decent team and they had been humiliated by City three weeks previously. Woking's Guiseppe Sole put a header over the bar within a couple minutes. City keeper Ryan Robinson was required to make a save just afterwards. With City's defence simultaneously struggling to keep their footing and keep Woking at bay, it seemed like just a matter of time before a goal was conceded.

While this was happening, much to my surprise, Florin Pelecaci did appear on the terrace standing amongst the Bath City fans. When Florin had announced his departure a few days previously it had provoked a huge, somewhat emotional, response from the City supporters. A Facebook campaign had sprung up and fliers had been printed to try and convince him to stay. Florin had been gratified by this show of support he had decided to come and make his goodbyes in person. His appearance led to several verses of 'Doo, doo, doo, Florin Pelecaci.' Florin smiled, but looked embarrassed. After spotting me snap a picture of him he quickly made his way over and shook my hand. 'Hello, Ned,' he said.

I started writing this bog on a whim one evening, and the fact that some people bother to read it has been a pleasant surprise. The idea that it would lead to a player I greatly admire approaching me and greeting me by name is still a bit of a shock. Florin knew my name because he had very kindly allowed me to interview him in October (see here), and it occurred to me that because his stay had been so brief he probably knew very few supporters by name. I am a completely amateur journalist, but I had enough composure to grasp the opportunity to talk to Florin more about his decision to leave Bath City. I switched on my Dictaphone and started chatting away.

Because it is was a very important, and fairly lengthy conversation, I am going to write about my talk with Florin in another post. I will describe just how odd the rest of the first half was. Florin was interrupted regularly by supporters asking him to autograph copies of their program (including me, of course) and other well-wishers who wanted to shake his hand. I was really keen to speak with him as much as possible, but I had Little Nedved Junior on my other side needing my attention from time to time, and a really important match was being played a few feet away. There was also a rather large post between me and the pitch. With leaning to my right to speak to Florin, stooping down to my left to tend to my son, and constant moving back and forth to see past the pillar, I spent most of the first half swaying to and fro like a drunken camel. Fortunately City somehow managed to keep Woking at bay during their initial onslaught. As the half progressed the balance of play began to even out.

Twenty minutes into the half Lewis Hogg slotted the ball to Darren Edwards on the left. He clattered into Woking's Mark Ricketts and the ball rolled out of bounds. The ref blew his whistle and pointed in the direction of the goal, but from that distance it was impossible to see what he meant. 'Is it a penalty?' I asked Florin. 'No, it was out.' he said. He appeared to be correct, because there was next to no reaction from any of the players. To our surprise, though, Kaid Mohamed, sporting a off center mohican that resembled a small planetary ring, lined up to take the kick. He executed it perfectly to the top right corner. The Woking keeper, Ross Worner, did not have a chance.

Suddenly, very much against the run of play, City were in the lead. The City supporters went crazy. For the first time we sang what would end up being the refrain of the afternoon: 'Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, oh what fun it is to watch City win away, hey!'

The singing was loud and constant throughout the match. It was the best performance by City supporters since the Grimsby FA Cup match. Loud vocal demonstrations are becomming increasingly common at City matches, home and away, and a semi-organised hard core of 'ultras' is forming among the supporters. Hopefully this is a trend that will grow and grow. All the standards were sung, including 'We Love Jim Rollo,' and 'I wish I was a Pornstar like Matt Coupe.' A new addition for the match was 'Dodgy Haircut' to the tune of 'Dodgy Keeper.' This was sung whenever Kaid Mohamed ran past our terrace, much to his amusement.

Woking returned to the ascendancy following the goal, but only for a few minutes. The City players began to play more and more confidently. To my great shock, City stopped playing like a team trying to battle against an icy pitch. Instead they began to revert to their normal style of midfield dominance and neat passing. It was hard with the conditions, and mistakes were made, but they began to create real chances.

Just before the half, one chance came good. Sekani Simpson launched a long cross from the far side of Moaners' Corner. Darren Edwards was able to leap high enough to direct the ball towards the goal, but it clipped the bottom of the bar instead of going in. Woking's keeper fell to the ground after mistiming his jump and the ball bounced up onto Edward's middle. Reflexively, Edwards nudged the ball over the prone keeper and into the goal with a pelvic thrust. He then took a tumble himself. From the other side of the ground it was impossible to see what had happened. The jubilation of the City players and the defeated body posture of the Woking players made it clear enough, though. City went into the intermission with a two goal lead.

After purchasing a cup of tea for myself and a Mars bar for Little Nedved Junior I returned to the terrace to chat with my fellow City fans. We all agreed that the Woking fans must feel very hard done by. Both teams had played well at times, and perhaps Woking's dominance had been longer. A two goal lead for City was indeed lucky. Woking also seemed to be suffering a rash of freak goal concessions. In the previous encounter City debutant Adrejs Stocers had scored with his backside after blocking a kick from the keeper. In this match Darren Edwards had scored with his crotch.

I had half expected Florin Pelecaci to slip out quietly at half time. He had made his appearance, and I wondered how comfortable he actually was signing autographs and posing for pictures with so many people. The second half kicked off with him still among us, though. He stayed for the entire match.

The first twenty minutes of the second half were pretty even. They were not a boring sort of even, though. Despite the patches of snow and the dropping temperature both teams played the sort of exciting end-to-end football you hope for on a sunny April afternoon. There were dramatic saves on both sides. Jim Rollo timed a tackle perfectly to stop Nathaniel Pinney from what I had thought was a definite goal. After conceding seven straight goals to City, Woking finally got some luck that wasn't bad luck. Ricketts took a long free kick from just outside the centre circle. Robinson lept and got his fingers on the ball, but his feet shot out from underneath him. Chris Holland got to the ball before it trickled into the net, but he approached at an odd angle and ended up kicking the ball into the net himself. It was an own goal, but Woking now had a chance again with over twenty minutes left to play.

Perhaps anticipating a verse of 'You're Not Singing Anymore' from the Woking fans, the City supporters began singing again straight away. Likewise, the City players appeared to shrug off the setback. They resumed pressing Woking like nothing had happened.

This payed off a few minutes later. Kaid Mohamed broke free and appeared to have a good chance of scoring. Perhaps unintentionally, Woking's Aswad Thomas pulled him to ground by his shirt sleeve. This set up a City free kick from the edge of the box. Mohamed lined up to take the kick but ran over the ball instead. Lewis Hogg ran forward to take the strike. Woking's wall had started to break up as soon as Mohamed had run past. Hogg found a hole and the ball went into the right side of the net chest high. Worner probably never saw the ball. I grabbed Little Nedved Junior and jumped up and down with him in my arms to celebrate. As he had been concentrating on a packet of fruit pastels, he was very non-plussed by this.

The third goal effectively killed the game off. Woking managed a few more attacks, but their energy faded with every passing minute. City came close to scoring towards the end during another cameo substitution by Andrejs Stolcers. A sharply hit shot was easily caught by Worner. Perhaps he should have tried his backside again.

The third goal also kicked off a party scene among the Bath City supporters. 'Six Points, Eight Goals' was taken up to the tune of the Pompey chimes. There were also many more renditions of our version of 'Jingle Bells.'

As the whistle sounded I felt a real sense of joy. There was not a City supporter who would not have taken a point gladly going into the match. At best, we had hoped somehow City would eek out a narrow win. To win 3-1 was extrordinary, even if luck had played a significant part. The City players and supporters both applauded each other. City manager Adie Britton, with a huge grin on his face, ran towards our terrace and threw his cap into the cheering supporters. It went straight towards Florin at first, but curved at the last moment to the feet of Little Nedved Junior. I picked it up and handed it back to Florin. For a reason I could not articulate, this seemed like the right thing to do. We were all so appreciative he had come.

Florin accepted at first, but a few seconds later handed it back. He insisted I take it. 'Adie meant it for the fans,' he said. It was an action, I have learned, is typical of Florin.

Still singing, still cheering, the City fans streamed out of Kingfield back into Woking Park. Little Nedved Junior and I parted with the main group at the turning for the rail station. It was really, really cold by this point, but it didn't seem to matter to us that much. I was elated by the victory; he frolikced in the snow. I plopped Adie Britton's cap on his head. It was a perfect day.

Multumesc şi Noroc, Florin!

A little less than forty-eight hours ago Florin Pelecaci, Bath City's popular Romanian midfielder, entered the following status on his Facebook account:

I'm thinking to my future.....I've seen my flag in my wall and I'm moved. What can I say... I had nice moments with Bath City thanks to my collegues and the fans for support, but unfortunatelly for me, I think is imposible to play anymore for Bath.

Although it is not entirely clear from what he wrote why he felt he had to leave Bath City, it was still pretty clear he would be leaving.

Pretty clear, but not definate enough for many fans, including myself. Within hours of the discovery of this statement a 'Campaign to Keep Florin at City' Facebook Group had been started. As of this writing there are forty-eight members. One ambitious Florin fan has even printed flyers to distribute at the Woking match to try and persuade Florin to stay.

At 2 o'clock this afternoon the Bath Chronicle published an article on its website confirming that Florin had indeed left Bath City. Or, it sort of confirmed it. Actually, it only confirmed that he probably would be leaving. City manager Adie Britton was quoted saying:

Florin's left. He's living in London with relatives having moved his family over here and is uncertain as to whether he is going to play football here or seek education. He's going to have a think about it over Christmas but it looks unlikely he'll play for us – if he does play it is likely to be in the London area.

So if Florin still wants to play football (which would appear likely) and is unable to find a London club to take him on (which would appear to be very unlikely) he might come back to Bath City. Realistically, though, it appears that we have seen the last of a player who has brought a huge amount of excitement to the Bath City season so far.

But why can it be said that Florin Pelecaci has brought a lot of excitement to the Bath City season? And why has the news of his departure caused such an emotional reaction from so many supporters? This is, after all, a player who has made a mere five starting appearances and scored just a single goal. Considering that two of the appearances (and the goal) were against lower-league opposition in cup matches, it would be easy to see this as just the predictable departure of a fringe player.

It would be easy, yes , but wrong. Florin did something special, something that every football supporter wants to happen: he captured our imagination. His arrival was sudden and unexpected. He had never played in England before, and there was precious little information to be had about his career in Hungary and Romania. A Youtube clip (now removed) was published on this blog showing him scoring a wondergoal from the halfway line, and his friend and team mate, Sido Jombati, vouched for his abilities. That was pretty much it. He was a man of mystery!

He joined Bath City as it was struggling through a serious injury crisis. If he had not turned out for the match against Dover Athletic then it was not clear how Adie Britton would have fielded a full squad. I did not see him at this match, but I did see him the following week in the FA Cup match at Willand Rovers.

He was obviously different. He warmed up differently. He ran differently. His touches were different. His first meaningful pass was a beauty: a pinpoint diagonal cross onto the forehead of Darren Edwards, who needed only to gently nudge the ball to beat the opposition keeper. A few minutes later Florin scored his own goal. It was a Premiership-worthy shot from twenty-five yards out into the left corner of the Willand net. I was so stunned I almost missed the series of somersaults he performed on the pitch immediately afterwards.

Everyone who saw that match was convinced Florin was a player of quality. He was nominated for the FA Cup Player of the Round award. The Bath City online forum was awash with excitement. The fact that City went over a month without a home match only served to heighten expectations.

Part of Florin's appeal, however, must have been the somewhat tragic figure that he cut. Bath City is a great non-league club, but Florin had played at the top level in two other European countries (Hungary and Romania). He had been managed by Chelsea great Dan Petrescu at Unirea Urziceni. What was he doing in the Conference South?

As he explained in an interview for this blog, Florin had been the victim of bad luck, a bad run of injuries, and some misleading promises by a football agent. He wanted to bring his family to the UK and break into a League 1 club. To the fans this seemed likely - Bath City would just be a stepping stone into a big club and a new career. Sadly, and in line with his luck over the last few years, it didn't work out.

After being dropped for another FA Cup match for a more physical mid-fielder, Florin never recovered his place in the starting lineup. Reduced to a substitute, his most notable further appearance was again in the FA Cup against Forest Green Rovers. After some impressive work with the ball he received a pass on the right of the goal, with only the FGR keeper between him and an equalising goal. Perhaps he rushed the shot, although it was not clear he had time to take an extra touch. For whatever reason his shot went into the side netting, and City was eliminated. If he had scored, surely he would have earned back his starting place? Surely he would have played in the Third Round of the FA Cup, perhaps against Notts County? Would he have been noticed by a league side in such a high profile match and offered a contract ? Sadly, we will never know.

Although I did interview him, I cannot say that I really knew Florin. I did have a twenty minute conversation with him, of which the sole purpose was to get to know him as much as I could. I was impressed by his earnestness and his dedication. I was impressed by his gratitude to the supporters, and by his willingness to be frank and forthcoming with one posing as a journalist (me). Most impressive, though, was his determination to play better for Bath City. Everyone was singing his praises, but Florin was annoyed with himself that he was not playing better.

Florin will leave behind a sizable fan club who will follow his progress with whatever club he plays for next. I was told by a supporter of Diósgyőri VTK, Florin's former Hungarian club, that no one was much bothered when Florin left that club after a long run of injuries. 'On the whole, we don't cry after him,' he said. Well, at Bath City, we may not cry after him, but we will miss him very much.

As the title of this post says, thank you and good luck, Florin!