football rambles

Sunday is my birthday and Obolon will take on Prikarpattya in a re-match of last season's double-header when Obolon won 2-0. Prikarpattya at the moment are really Fakel Ivano Frankivsk, but it has been decreed that only the best team in the town will have the title Prikarpattya. Fakel took on this mantle when it was bestowed upon them by the mayor nearly exactly a year ago on 17th July 2007. Last season they finished just above the drop zone in 17th place, so obviously the competition for the title of being called Prikarpattya isn't that high. The club who were previously known as Prikarpattya were Spartak Ivano Frankivsk, who went into liquidation after losing their sponsors Lukoil (who have also poured loads of money into Spartak Moscow over the years). Whoever seems to take on the mantle of Prykarpattya seems to also gain a pretty big fan base and they should bring quite a few fans with them, despite the 13 hour train journey.

Double headers are few and far between and when they happen it usually feels like the canonball run from one stadium to another, today was a bit more relaxed, in a way, and I saw 2 good games and didn't feel guilty as I was excused from going to some kid's birthday party. First up was Obolon v Prikarppatiya. I have to say that Obolon's ground is a real sod to find, situated in a housing estate at the end of a metro line and without floodlights doesn't make it easy and neither does the fact that very few of the locals know the way. I had been there twice before, but I still found it hard and ended up phoning Andriy for directions. Luckily I found it in time and it's a good job I did. First of all the beer is dead cheap and straight from the brewery, it costs the equivalent of 20p and tastes good, so it's a good job the club have the sense to have plenty of portaloos there. The weather was terrible, hence the poor photos from today, but the football was satisfacto...