The LDV And All That

I have so many happy memories of our day at the Millennium Stadium, that I am not about to let the actions of a few mindless idiots, once the trophy was won, taint what was a great day to be a City fan.

It’s an odd feeling really. Supporting a team like Bristol City means that the opportunities to visit stadia of the quality of the Mill Stad are few and far between, yet I desperately hope this is a competition I never see us competing in again.

The Incider team at Cardiff!

Okay, we’re unlikely to get to the final of the F.A. or Worthington cups in the foreseeable future. And in that respect, the LDV trophy provides our only genuine opportunity of seeing our team playing in a cup final in front of 40,000 City fans. But I would happily swap all of that for stability in the first division, which in turn would mean we never competed in the LDV trophy again.

The LDV final is a great day out for supporters at a truly magnificent stadium, and the money it brings to the club is much needed, now more than ever. But that’s all it is. It certainly is not something we want to find ourselves competing in for years to come, and to that end I hope we bow out now as champions, never to take part in midweek visits to Boston again.

With the play-offs still our most likely route to promotion this season, I think that the biggest plus to come out of our visit to Cardiff is not the trophy (though that is very nice), or the two flags I paid ten quid for (what do you mean I was robbed?), but the experience the players must have taken from appearing in the stadium where the play-off final will be staged.

It’s fair to say that a number of our players were overawed by the occasion and the setting, not to mention Danny’s lop-sided formation. But we won, and our young squad have now had a taste of what we all hope lies ahead (automatic promotion not withstanding), and can use that experience to their advantage if we make a return visit in May.

Anyway, enough pontificating. On a personal note, it was great to meet up with so many good friends and enjoy a twelve hour day that centred solely around our shared love of Bristol City. From the journey to Cardiff at eight in the morning, to the trip home some ten hours later (where we kept overtaking the same coachload of eleven year old fans who seemed to be enjoying indicating to us that we only scored one goal, for some reason), and the bacon sandwiches, the laughter… oh yes, and the match, in between. The whole day was a fantastic shared experience and one that I hope we get the chance to enjoy again. But please, not in this competition, hey.

edson