Australia vs Ghana

Hoping off the tube in Shepard’s Bush I was confronted with a chilly autumn evening of 7 degrees – at 6.30pm. Brrrr I shivered and made my way across the park to the SheyBu Walkie (Shepard’s Bush Walkabout). Now this is the true birthplace of Australiana in the UK and I’m proud to say this was the first time I’ve been.

A few warm up bevies with some mates and it was off to Loftus Road to watch two-up-and-coming teams in the global sport of football – Australia vs Ghana.
While you wouldn’t really expect a show of sheer power and skill in this game, you’d expect a good laugh from the crowd, and that’s what we got. While the game was lack lustre, the off field antics is what we came for. Be it the Australian section of the ground being drunk dry of all beer, scotch and wine or the constant African drumming coming from the other side of the ground from the Ghanese (I think that’s what they’re called) it was good fun; they never stop laughing those fellas.

A goal in the first half from Brechiano induced jumping, hugging and kissing from all around, it was soon back down to the business at hand – abusing the referee and opposition.

Calls were varied:

BBUUULLLLSSSHHHIIIITTTTT!!!!!! (To the referee at every chance)
Nice leotards (Second string Ghana goalie after the first one kept falling over every time some one was near him)
Save it for your Flashdance audition fuckwit (that was mine! Got a few laughs – Ghana player took a dive).

And my personal favourite, when Ghana scored, nearly every African in the UK flooded the field to hug the players – was very funny. They were every where. Being tackled by security, but laughing all the time. As soon as one guy was taken down, it meant 10 more saw their opportunity to get on the pitch.
When Australia scored, no one clapped the Aussies. No one jumped about that much. We just started abusing the Ghana goalkeeper: “You are a wanker, you are a wanker.”

Game finished up 1-1 draw, not that it mattered, we were all just wasting time before we could get out of the cold and back to the pub.