Rocks

The nickname for Bognor Town FC is "The Rocks". Tonight they were playing Portsmouth in a pre-season friendly. Bognor play in the Isthmian League (at the 7th level of the English footballing pyramid) and Portsmouth are in League 1 (the 3rd level of the pyramid). This seemed like a bit of a mismatch, but it was an evening out and a chance to see some football.

We left early but found the area around the ground was already very congested. In the end, we had to park about 500m from the ground and walk back. I had booked seats but the seating block was already looking quite full. We were lucky however and found 2 seats in the front row, right by the halfway line. A prime spot.

The game was very quick and the first half was "blood and thunder" football. Despite a few chances on either side, it ended 0-0. 

In the second half, there was a wholesale change of personnel. Portsmouth looked much more composed and threatening. Bognor's defence was up to the challenge. In the end, Portsmouth scored a penalty (having had an earlier penalty saved). The Bognor team was not going down without a fight and managed to get an equaliser three minutes from time.

It had been an enjoyable evening's entertainment and was something we will probably do again. We made our way back to the car and nipped off down the back roads. We were home in about 10 minutes and settled down for a cup of tea and to watch the news.