If there’s one thing I excelled in during my youth, it was succumbing to peer pressure. I fear I am still susceptible.
Many of my friends who have taken an interest in my travels in this season’s Emirates FA Cup have been quick to notice my failure to venture to the north of England. Journeys to watch Gorleston and AFC Totton have seen me travel the furthest from my home in Kent. Many miles have been clocked up, but I could see their point.
“When are you going north?” they continuously enquired.
The seed had been planted in my head. I was going to show them!
Middlesbrough 0-1 Aston Villa
Emirates FA Cup third round proper
Saturday 6 January 2024
Riverside Stadium
My research was swift. I contacted my friend Mark and informed him he would be having a visitor in the new year. Mark is an old school friend but he now lives in Newcastle – a perfect base for my assault on Middlesbrough for their clash with Premier League high-flyers, Aston Villa.
My trip north was even more surprising considering the lowest-ranked team left in the competition, Maidstone United, are based in Kent and were at home. But as I said, the seed to head north had already been planted.
Proving others wrong was, of course, not the only reason for opting for a stay in the North East. The obvious choice would have been arguably the tie of the round, Sunderland versus Newcastle United. But opting for the Wear-Tyne Derby would have been too obvious a move and I had my own reasons for heading to Teesside.
I was intrigued to observe a side led by Michael Carrick, a man who spent much of his playing career under the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson. For an extra bonus point, I had never been to the Riverside Stadium before so the thought of a new venue for my collection was also appealing.
The plan was set. Keeping this adventure affordable is still a priority and so I took an unconventional approach. On Friday evening, I boarded an overnight coach from London to Newcastle, arriving on Tyneside at 4.15am. Thankfully, Mark is a very good friend so he picked me up before I grabbed a few hours of sleep at his flat.
Semi-well-rested and full English breakfast devoured, we headed into the city. With Boro not kicking off until the evening, we opted to find a bar in Newcastle to watch the Tyne-Wear derby, the first for close to eight years thanks to the random draw of this wonderful competition.
The streets of Newcastle were silent but the bars were doing a fine trade. Everyone was watching if they weren’t lucky enough to have secured a ticket. There was no room at the inn for our first attempt but a brisk walk around the corner saw us find space in the Old George.
Simply put, the atmosphere was incredible. Watching the Magpies take on the Black Cats in the city, surrounded by the people who clearly hold their club dear, was a special moment. Strictly speaking, I was a neutral with no real allegiance to either club. However, it was impossible not to get swept up in the excitement of the crowd.
When the unfortunate Dan Ballard put through his own net, I fully expected a beer soaking, such was the spontaneous and uniform movement of those gathered. Alexander Isak’s strike immediately after the break ensured the party continued and, even though we had to take our leave before the final whistle to make our train to Middlesbrough, we were still able to witness Isak complete the scoring from the penalty spot.
Boro had a lot to live up to. “Howay the lads!” was the cry still ringing in my ears, even as we changed trains at Darlington to turn east back towards the North Sea.
Taking our leave of the station and making our way through Middlesbrough Docks with a swelling crowd was one of the more scenic pre-match strolls I have undertaken. The lights from the stadium glowed in the early evening and there was a lot of excitement among my fellow walkers.
We made it to our seats in the south stand shortly before kick-off and were treated to a light show ahead of the teams entering the field of play.
Both sets of supporters were in fine voice. This was easily the largest crowd I’ve been a part of on my journey so far and it was, perhaps understandably, the loudest.
Boro began well but struggled to create any clear chances. Villa’s skipper John McGinn drew a fine save from Tom Glover in the home goal and, after Ezri Konsa’s header found the post, it felt it was only a matter of time before Unai Emery’s men opened the scoring.
Isaiah Jones impressed me on the right flank for the home team but despite his endeavour, he was unable to find a route to goal.
Boro looked set for a replay at Villa Park until their visitors finally broke the deadlock with only minutes to play – a well-worked corner routine eventually seeing Matty Cash fire beyond Glover thanks in part to a hefty deflection, causing the ball to spin inside the post.
It was enough to see Villa claim their first victory in the competition since a third round replay against my Wycombe Wanderers in 2016. It’s a staggering statistic and one the Villains will be pleased is now behind them.
Middlesbrough fans gave their team the rousing applause their efforts deserved. They could console themselves with an upcoming League Cup semi-final clash against Chelsea. Meanwhile, I had another overnight coach journey to look forward to.
Bizarrely, prior to this victory, Villa’s previous success in the competition was also the last time I had seen them play, having taken the train to the Midlands to follow my beloved Chairboys.
Maybe it wasn’t all because of Cash’s strike or Emery’s tactics. Maybe, just maybe, it was my mere presence that saw them advance?
Villa fans, feel free to let me know why I should pick your fourth round tie for the next leg of my journey!
