The Trip I always wanted to make someday 🛫

<48 hours in the South of Spain, a trip I will always remember! Offended by it, I’d stop reading now. It’s who I am, mate 🤷🏻‍♂️

Firstly, when I say offended! Doing the things I do, people always say ‘you do too much’, this that, blah blah blah. Well this is me, being me, doing what I absolutely love. I don’t feel bad for it, although I appreciate it comes with a cost.

They also say, I didn’t do or need pictures, I was having too much fun! Fuck that, get the camera out at every given opportunity, make and savour the memories. Be happy, be enthusiastic, be silly but also be extremely grateful and humble. Nothing especially when following this particular pursuit is guaranteed!

Whilst there’s always a way, I’m not selfish enough to forget, this is not just my sacrifice. Time, effort and the financial implications make such adventures tough but with the help of others, on so many levels, you know who you are, thank you!

Back to being me! In a world where I love people and community, probably because I love football. I’ve found a new way to find time for myself, in travelling solo! It’s the absolute best way to base any adventure off. Knowing there’s people at the other end helps but it does wonders for the soul. It’s you against the world, WE ALWAYS WIN!

Back to the trip! It didn’t go without the drama but hey who cares when you come out on top! I’m also thankful for a healthy portion of public sector annual leave, I set off Tuesday on the train to London. Smooth ride through, it felt seamless! Only for the train to Gatwick to seemingly slow down, the closer I got! To the point, out of no where, I missed the gate!

Yes, I was fretting inside but talking to the airline reps properly and calmly got me through! Onto the plane and away, smooth flight, I’m there. On landing, I got a text from Radio Nottingham asking if they could interview me. Brilliant, it’s starting to feel real now.

I don’t support my team for such things but anyone that knows me, should know by now, that if you give me an opportunity to talk about Forest, I most certainly will! I do it off my own back despite the detractors, trolls, jealous arseholes finding fault due to their agenda. I think they know I do this football/forest thing well, and I know, I know my onions. Confidence too, steady Des 😜

Arrive, take the train to Benalmadina. I’m there, not Seville itself due to the logistics of getting out and getting back to Malaga Airport ASAP! A booking drama alleviated, as I was struggling to find transport.

To keep the cost down, it was also my only option! It appeared not to be viable until the legend that is KaineSpain (it’s what I saved him in my phone as) piped up after me begging on X, to see if anyone was going up from those ends. Where community really works, you can do social media the right way!

Kaine and a more familiar name from home, Rooney, pointed me in the direction of Legends Bar in Benny, ran by Tony from Medders. It helped me create an actual plan, rather than the loosey goosey approach of just booking the cheapest available flights. They were running a bus up and down on the day of game for ex-pats and stragglers like me! Brilliant, I’d definitely get back for the early Thursday flight.

Kaine, of whom I had never met, also picked me from the station and dropped me at the hotel! What a gesture, especially after the fears of both his and my wife that we may be encountering psychopathic murderers, not simply the psychopath Forest fans we are. We hit it off, I’ve already seen him at his best, and worst 🍻🍻🤪

Forest is magic like this! A few weeks ago, I was hosting Stevie from Aus, there’s Davy from NI and now this lad. People I love keeping in touch with. They make it more than just a football club - it’s the power it has of throwing people together. Then there’s Paul, Rooney’s Dad, who I met after dumping the bags and heading straight to Legends. I spent as much with him as any - great company!

Did the typical first day holiday thing, went big early! Not clever, especially when it’s not a holiday and you’re on a budget and tight schedule. €2.50 a pint though, not sure why it tasted so good at 28 degrees! Of course, in a proper Forest bar, the first person I bumped into was Shawry No 1, would it even be an away day, if I hadn’t?

Wednesday, the plan was to meet at 10am back in Legends, for a 12 pick up to Seville. Waking up on the apartment sofa at 8:30 should have allowed enough time but you know what it’s like! Coming round, a much needed but planned beach run (I have a half marathon to run on Sunday) to sweat it out, then more procrastination, time was ticking.

Just about to head up, close to 12pm departure time, my new bud KaineSpain checked in on me! I arrived in time for a traditional sausage sarnie and pint - breakfast of elite runners and football fans - and to regroup with the legends of the night before.

A few beers for the road, that call from home to talk Forest, and waiting patiently for the bus, life is good, until the bus is 75 mins late! I was much calmer than many others but secretly a little concerned, as match tickets needed to collected by 5pm, in Seville.

A 3.5 hour trip came and went! A stop off, with not enough concern to miss the opportunity for another beer! We got news that the ticket place was staying open until 7! With all my positive manisfestive powers, I concentrated my energy in getting to know Kaine.

We arrived in Seville, a beautiful city! Whilst not there for long, I saw plenty of it, the bus parked miles away from the collection point and the stadium. Kaine not attending the match went straight to the pub with the group without tickets! Myself and Senor Rooney Snr took off on foot, bumping into fellow Reds on the way, who at any given interval insisted it was only 15 more mins - Paul at 72 was not best impressed!

Finally, arrive, 4:55pm, all would have been well regardless! You seeing the theme emerging here? Chatting briefly with familiar faces the closer we got, eased any ticket tensions. Especially when you bump into your favourite Met copper - if you are allowed to have such a thing 🤣

Tickets in pockets, Paul insisted on a pint! My biggest stress, the one I actually do lose shit over is battery life on my phone. Plugged in, I had plenty of reason to return the favour! Half hour to chill out before meeting the others, the game still 4 hours way!

Fully recharged on all fronts, we headed to the Forest boys, making all the noise in Hercules Square! Another 15 + 15 minute walk away. I used the time to check in with Kay. She is and will always be a massive part of all this and why I can do it my way.

Entering the square, shit got real! A sea of red, going through the repertoire of City Ground classics. It was also where we met Bepe, my new ‘Betis fweind’. That football thing again!

Pictures exchanged, social media follows, bad luck today quips, you know the drill. As much as winning matters, and it really does, it was this moment when I thought ‘do you know what, it really doesn’t’. It’s the experience they give us from winning that matters…

Marched up to the stadium! Jesus Christ (it won’t be the last time he gets a mention), those Spanish coppers! Extremely firm, if you do your job of behaving! Step one millimetre out of line though and you’ll know about it - I don’t want to get political but I liked it! They got me there safely, with intent and purpose! Nob head football fans who can’t just keep their gob shut for 2 seconds were the only ones not impressed - there wasn’t many amongst the amazing spirit.

The stadium - WOW! The pictures beforehand did nothing for it! Not particularly appealing from outside either but climbing up the steps from the concourse to view it for the first time, it felt like a vast gladiatorial arena. Magical, like it was all those years ago, when I first walked through the back of old Trent End. As a 9 year old it feels like your destiny, where the addiction starts and your life path is defined!

More acquainting with fellow Reds, I bumped into and had a picture with Pat, my oldest Forest mate. We go back to 1991 at Padstow Comp, where we’d come from different Primary Schools to collide into our shared passion. We were the 2 Forest nuts at school - nice moment!

Pre-match, again against expectation, possibly as Real Betis are playing in a temporary stadium, our hosts put on a real show! 3.5k Forest fans were loud and proud, nothing changes but we didn’t have it all our own way. The enormity of the occasion and how far we’d come dawned on me. I had a moment!

As light shows go, they put on a good one with some bangers to boot but their version of MOK was something very special. Extremely loud and emotional, I loved it! As we know our pre-match song is so powerful, I feel it’s a real shame that our fans don’t appreciate similar efforts from others. I get the tribalism thing but it wasn’t the embarrassment of singing over a song, like they do from the Kop or at your Olympic Stadium.

The game, bloody hell Forest, where did that come from! The result didn’t matter - who suggested that, of course it bloody did - and we got a good one! It could have and should have been even better! That first half, maybe Ange is not such a fraud after all. Second, well maybe I reserve judgement for a little longer. Jesus now plays and scores for Forest too, there is a god after all. I’ve just seen him walking over Trent, no bridge needed.

Immensely proud of my team, my club, my people, we don’t actually need that as football fans but when you are, nothing else much else in life gets close! Yes, I talk it but I also walk it. The new breed of football fan irritate the life out of me but I won’t go there, today! All is good…

Game done, content created, pleased with outcome, more law abiding post match… battery concerns kicked in again! Thankfully, being with people staying in Seville itself, they kindly invite me back for a quick power blast. That football thing again!

Already checked out from my hotel, with the journey all the way home from this point, without them I’d have been setting up new life with my amigo Bepe. Train/Plane tickets locked in to a dead phone was not good, I’m extremely grateful Dore, Dave, Malcolm & Claire.

Getting back to bus back to Benalmadena, all those 15 mins, without a stop, clocked up to 3 hours of walking! Jesus Christ again! Ole ole. FFS! Told to get there for 1:20am (Spanish Taco laws), I arrived there through no fault of my own, other than not actually running at 1:21 - No one in sight, at this this point, I did actually shit myself!

A face appeared out of nowhere, to tell me it’s coming at 2, phew another DM to Bepe, not required. With a phoned charging and knowing I need to kill as much time for my onward journey as possible, the chance to relax and get stuck into reliving the match through social media was more than welcome. Even in what appeared to be a Spanish Graveyard 🤨

2:30am the bus arrived, was it ever going to be on time! Selfishly, all the better for me personally, so not to be roaming the Benny streets before the first train to Malaga airport at 6:20. Kaine, trapped in his swapped 2 sizes too small Betis shirt, was brilliantly unresponsive all the way back 🤣

Perfect, we got back at 5:45, a walk to the station, train boarded, airport, through security, call home all done by 8am. 24 hours awake, with 10 to travel, time for a Costa. I often reel out shit like ‘sleeping is for dead people’ to justify my laid back approach, so suck it up Oldham.

Another chance to speak to home and really enthuse about my experience, when the wireless people called for more thoughts. A little husky, I think I did ok at portraying the feeling and spirit of Seville.

I won’t lie these things are important too! I may get criticised or accused of capitalising but I’ve come to learn, I have a passion for it and that it was what at always wanted to be involved with, at 40 fucking 5! I’ll take the tinniest of opportunities like this and run a fucking mile with it, literally 😜

From then on, the rest of my trip was as smooth as it could have been! Flight to Gatwick, train up to Nottingham, all in time for why I had to be home. Brilliant headspace, remember the solo travelling bit, to soak it up and relive the most incredible experience.

Doing football as I do, I knew it was going to be good but not this bloody good. Europe exceeded all expectations in every possible way. I might be a lot of things but I’m raw and real, and honest, and true to living life! I’m very proud I can be…

This pursuit in particular didn’t come without cost and missing out in other areas. I make sacrifices and decisions that other don’t to make it happen. Would I change any of it - NFC!

Being as open as I have hopefully gives anyone that actually gives a shit, an insight to why it doesn’t always go to plan, why the corners have to be cut short and why the risk v reward approach is essential. I can explain it all…

I feel very privileged and lucky but doing what you love comes at huge personal expense! Not just financially! Time, effort, the perception of others. People who chose to dislike without knowing, people who choose to dislike despite knowing! There’s always a reason for the why…

This post taps into my insecurities! Hate, jealousy, awkwardness, your feelings not mine. I’m busy following my team on a trip I always wanted to do someday…

Thank you to all those who were part of my journey and who gave me their time, support, encouragement and most importantly faith in believing in myself and my way. Forest are magic ❤️

You Reds