With both clubs being founded in 1893, the first teams had played each other only once and that was the 3rd game of Dulwich’s inaugural European tour back in 1925, so this coming together of the supporters team was much anticipated not least by myself as it would be my first tour with the team since I volunteered to play back in February this year.
The travelling squad was 12 handed with another 2 arriving via way of residing already in Germany for one reason or another. Half of the squad arrived on Thursday from either Heathrow or Luton and a few more arrived on Friday with me personally arriving on Friday night via an Easyjet flight from Gatwick.
I had been to Hamburg once before but it was an all to brief visit nearly 20 years ago and the city looked very different in 2012 then it did in 1993! After taking the S line train direct from the airport to the Reeperbahn station (next to my hotel) and a quick unpack I was out to meet the rest of the guys in a local bar. The evening run into the morning and in broad daylight I made my way back to my hotel ready for the 10.30am St Pauli stadium tour.
Breakfast was had at the hotel before I walked along the Reeperbahn to the Milerntor stadium, the home to FC St-Pauli Hamburg’s 2nd team and very much a cult club over the years. The outside of the stadium is very impressive and the club shop resembles more of a trendy clothes / music shop than a fans shop for a football club. Everywhere you look you will see the famous St Pauli logo (this does wear thin after 2 hours).
4 of us joined a tour that was all in German conducted by a true St Pauli fan that obviously loved her club and takes these tours more for the passion of spreading the word of her club that for the money…though it did cost €9.50 each. The tour even though in German (of which none of us understood, our fault entirely) was excellent and the access was as equally excellent. We were given a tour of the dressing rooms, the phsyio room, showers etc, allowed to wander around the inside of the ground taking photos at will. We were then taken up to the 1st floor and shown the huge open bar area that was more like a German beer keller than a bar you would find inside a football stadium. Now the stadium has been brought up to date with 3 sides already re-built and the 4th opposite the Main Stand in the process of being re-built this is very much a 21st century stadium but with the ethos still very much in the 80’s but progress = money and all businesses need to make money.
The tour ended after 110 mins and then everyone was encouraged to spend money in the shop by the way of giving all tour goers a €5.00 discount on anything purchased that day.
The four of us had arranged to meet an Altona 93 fan called George who had promised us a non league pre season friendly that involved a boat trip to get there! The meet was arranged for 1.30pm, so after a quick beer George arrived and we were off to the ferry terminal just over the foot bridge where we were joined by another Altona 93 fan Stefan and he's girlfriend Lena, a St Pauli season ticket holder.
A very pleasant journey up the Elbe on the boat and we were disembarking at Finkenwerder on the opposite bank after about half an hour. Finkenwerder is a small commuter village and the houses and quiet Saturday afternoon reflected this.
After a short walk along the side of the river and past a Lido we reached the ground of TuS Finkenwerder ready for their pre season game with FTSV Alterverder. This small enclosed ground had no stands as such but did have a clubhouse that also housed the changing rooms and a grass bank outside served as the area to sit on garden chairs and watch the match. The pitch was an ash pitch so there would be no sliding tackles on this surface!
This was ground number 299 for me.
We were met at the ground by one of the German dwelling members of our travelling party and 6 of us settled down on 2 benches by the side of the pitch beers in hand ready for the kick off. None of our hosts had been here before so it was a tick all round though not everyone is a ground hopper ( you keep telling yourself that Mishi!). George informed me that the home team & their opponents were in different leagues with TuS being in a league above the visitors. From the outset the 2 teams seemed evenly matched and it was hard to confirm who was supposed to be the team from the higher league, as the opening exchanges were evenly matched. The games was to be played in 3 halves of 30 minutes each and after the first half the score as 0-0 with not a great deal to report. The sun was beating down and the beers kept coming so it was certainly a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
The game finally came to left in the 2nd period when the opposition scored the first goal of he game and ending the half 1-0 in front. As much as TuS huffed and puffed they could not break through and Alterverder added 2 more goals to finish the 3rd and final half as 3-0 victors.
After gathering our group together we headed back to the ferry terminal for our trip back into Hamburg. Another half an hour later and we were back again on terrafirma in Hamburg and heading for a 'little bar just off the Reeperbahn' that Stefan and Lena said would be the perfect place for our group to spend the evening. Bottles of German beer brewed just 10 kilometres from the Danish border we sunk at a rate of knots followed by many shots of Mexicana, a mini version of a bloody Mary served in a shot glass with a lethal Tabasco kick as the drink fell down your throat.
The rest of our touring party arrived throughout the evening and the drinks kept flowing as the jukebox pounded out a strange mix of Country and Western, Soft Rock and various forms of German anthems until it was almost midnight and your blogger had finally had enough as he's bed was calling. After a quick stop to purchase a Doner box containing Doner meat, chips and salad which was duly polished off while wandering the short trip back to the hotel.
A great day was finally over as my head hit the pillow for a well earned kip ready for the next day's double dose of football including the real reason we were in Hamburg, our supporters match.
End of part 1, now for part 2....
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