POLISH PASSION

Thursday 3rd November 2011

Fulham 4 (Duff 5, Johnson 30, 57, Sidwell 79) Wisla Krakow 1 (Kirm 9)
20,319

Before the game, we were warned that there were going to be a lot of Wisla fans at the game, which wasn't a major surprise considering the number of Poles in this country, but nothing really prepared us for the ferocity of the support.

I was back on the track, but I was able to see most of the game as I was at the corner again. Apart from the five goals, the away support was amazing, especially in the first half. At one stage, two or three flares were set off in the Johnny Haynes Stand, causing not a little concern among the stewards, myself included, as there was quite a lot of smoke pouring from the roof of the stand. Eventually, though, it eased off, though the smell that drifted across the pitch was quite intense.

Among the fans in the Putney Stand were a number of skinheads, which didn't come as a surprise to me and, while they created a lot of noise, they didn't really pose much of a threat to public order. Actually, the stewarding of the away supporters was a little heavy handed, in my opinion, as there was an attempt to create a "sterile zone" at the end of the stand. All it seemed to do was irritate supporters who were forced to sit there.

As I am writing this a couple of months later, the game would turn out to be my last Europa League fixture, as I missed the crucial game at home to Odense in December, when Fulham crashed out on the last kick of the game. Such a shame to miss out on a possible glamour tie after having to endure teams from some of the less fashionable leagues in Europe.