In life these odd coincidences happen that affect where you are and what you do at a certain time. I ended up watching ladies football in Belarus! It was all through Shaun Schofield and the fact that we met in Gillingham in Kent to watch the football match between Northern Ireland and England. We made plans to head to an away game and the next one was in Belarus, so that's where we went! I say 'we', but Shaun had to pull out due to work commitments. I was on a round the world trip and timed it so that I was in Moscow the day before and then flew to Minsk in Belarus before boarding a train to Bobruisk. I was the only Northern Ireland fan at the match!
I was able to watch the Northern Ireland ladies team train and listen to the team talks from manager Alfie Wylie all before the match. I got given a signed football shirt from the ladies team that travelled to Belarus on this trip and I treasure it. Life had taken me to Bobruisk, this non-descript city in Belarus. I was the only football fan of Northern Ireland who had travelled independently to this match.
I wasn't the only Irishman in attendance however as I had met Owen the night before in a hotel - he is an Irish Australian who happened to be in Belarus at the time and staying in the same hotel - with him was Albert from Australia - also a random traveller. They came and sat with me and supported Northern Ireland for the day! The match itself was very one sided with Belarus 1-0 up at half time and coasting to a 5-0 win at full time. I sang for 90 minutes endlessly as the only away fan and needed a bit of local police protection from the locals. Must be the first time that has happened at a ladies match!
After the match and the sad 5-0 defeat the local fans bombarded me for presents as they assumed I was a rich westerner. I wasn't - I was a backpacker but I spared them a key ring before catching the bus back to Minsk, the country's capital city. On arrival in Minsk and after checking into the hotel, it was time for a pint of beer and I found a bar called Drozhzy United, some odd Irish themed pub near a square. Nice to relax with a beer after a manic day out!
So after all that my journey to Belarus came to an end - what an experience and I was heading to Warsaw in Poland next!
Match statistics:
Belarus 5:0 Northern Ireland
(Kazeeva, Tatarynova 2, Davydovich, Kuzniatsova)
Beers Tried - Grinitska, Dnyaprouskaye.
Bars Visited - Minsk Airport Bar, Hotel Minsk, Drozhzhy United Irish Pub.
I was able to watch the Northern Ireland ladies team train and listen to the team talks from manager Alfie Wylie all before the match. I got given a signed football shirt from the ladies team that travelled to Belarus on this trip and I treasure it. Life had taken me to Bobruisk, this non-descript city in Belarus. I was the only football fan of Northern Ireland who had travelled independently to this match.
I wasn't the only Irishman in attendance however as I had met Owen the night before in a hotel - he is an Irish Australian who happened to be in Belarus at the time and staying in the same hotel - with him was Albert from Australia - also a random traveller. They came and sat with me and supported Northern Ireland for the day! The match itself was very one sided with Belarus 1-0 up at half time and coasting to a 5-0 win at full time. I sang for 90 minutes endlessly as the only away fan and needed a bit of local police protection from the locals. Must be the first time that has happened at a ladies match!
After the match and the sad 5-0 defeat the local fans bombarded me for presents as they assumed I was a rich westerner. I wasn't - I was a backpacker but I spared them a key ring before catching the bus back to Minsk, the country's capital city. On arrival in Minsk and after checking into the hotel, it was time for a pint of beer and I found a bar called Drozhzy United, some odd Irish themed pub near a square. Nice to relax with a beer after a manic day out!
So after all that my journey to Belarus came to an end - what an experience and I was heading to Warsaw in Poland next!
Match statistics:
Belarus 5:0 Northern Ireland
(Kazeeva, Tatarynova 2, Davydovich, Kuzniatsova)
Beers Tried - Grinitska, Dnyaprouskaye.
Bars Visited - Minsk Airport Bar, Hotel Minsk, Drozhzhy United Irish Pub.
About the Author:
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