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Manchester City Win the Carabao Cup: A Fan’s View

By David Crook

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 24: Manchester City fans show their support prior to the Carabao Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on February 24, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 24: Manchester City fans show their support prior to the Carabao Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on February 24, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /
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Watching your team win a Cup Final is still one of the finest things that can happen as a football fan

LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 24: Manchester City players celebrate with the trophy after winning the Carabao Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on February 24, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 24: Manchester City players celebrate with the trophy after winning the Carabao Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on February 24, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /

As a Manchester City fan I have had the glorious experience of seeing my team win a number of Cup Finals in recent years and the experience is wonderful every single time. Of course there were many barren years where dreams of Wembley seemed somewhat pointless but in recent years we seem to go at least once every season and it never gets boring. But it does get expensive as a match going fan.

For me, based in Northern England the prospect of attending a match at Wembley requires some significant planning. We tend to start with planning a journey first – how will we get to Wembley and at what price. Usually we start this as soon as we are reasonably assured of being in a Final. Of course we can’t do this too early because it would be unlucky and jinx our game but they are booked  immediately – long before match tickets become available! I know people who have already booked flights and hotel rooms for the Champions League Final this year in Madrid!

Once the journey is sorted we wait for match ticket details and tend to be lucky enough as season ticket holders with a number of years behind us to be assured of most Cup Final tickets, but even then we have to be quick off the mark and pick them up as soon as they go on sale!

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On the day of the game like on Sunday we had an early start despite the late kick off. Arriving at Wembley Park tube station and walking along Olympic Way is always exciting. It tends to be the first place you pick up on the atmosphere as you start to encounter fans of both teams and have the looming arch of Wembley stadium beckoning in front of you.

We spend the time pre game in the fan areas outside the stadium where groups of fans congregate together and gradually the singing and banter becomes louder as the alcohol starts to kick in. On Sunday it was a gloriously sunny and warm day almost like full summer. Sitting on the grass outside the stadium listening to City fans chanting about Kevin De Bruyne is my abiding memory of this particular Cup Final.

We tend to make our way through the outer security cordons using the Ryanair no baggage technique. We encourage all the kids to wear everything they have brought with them and fold any bags into pockets. Once inside the ground we get the bags unfolded again and kids are allowed to take off coats and jumpers!

Inside the ground early to take the seat and watch the fans begin to fill the stadium builds the excitement. Watching what passes for the pre match entertainment.Whatever happened to the SAS parachuting in? Anyway all we have these days is some blokes shouting into a microphone and the £6 hot dog and bottles without tops are all we have now. It amazes me that they still insist on taking off the bottle tops of all drinks as kids just spend the time kicking over drinks and flooding the people below.

LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 24: Manchester City fans show their support prior to the Carabao Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on February 24, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 24: Manchester City fans show their support prior to the Carabao Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on February 24, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /

We have sat in most areas of the ground at Wembley over the years and what I can say is there are no bad seats. The view is pretty good everywhere. Obviously the more expensive general admission tickets are at the lower level and nearer the pitch. I like these seats better than the dearer Club Wembley hospitality seats above in the 2nd level. But anywhere is good.

On Sunday the City fans were in full voice and the blue spectacle of the flags being waved probably made a good site on the TV. It is something that City have done for the fans for a number of years now in important games and us fans have become adept at flag waving. Chelsea had given their fans each a scarf and it took them a while to figure out that if they swung the scarf around their head in unison then it looked quite good. As it was it seemed like only the City fans had bothered to turn up and enjoy the match.

The game was not great but the City fans were. Renditions of Blue Moon resounded around Wembley and the winning penalty by Raheem Sterling brought the house down. The long drudge back to the tube and onwards to home is always so much better when buoyed by a victory!

Next. Previewing the West Ham Game with Green St Hammers. dark

I am unsure if City will reach any other Cup Finals or Semi Finals at Wembley again this season but we have already played three times their this season and won all three. Hopefully lady luck will continue to shine on us and all City fans will get the opportunity to see our side win at Wembley!

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