FIFA WC 2018
European Qualifying Group F
National Stadium, Ta'Qali
Malta
01 September 2017
At last we have the long awaited fixture against Malta. The island of Malta is nestled in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea and is saturated with a rich history of castles, knights, corsairs, crusades, ancient burial tombs and er....International football.
It has been a good 17 years since the Three Lions last visited the Ta'Qali stadium for a full international, on that occasion we won 2-1 in a warm up game for Euro 2000. Although for the 'statistic geeks' amongst you there was a B fixture in 1987 that we won 2-0. The only other first class away fixture between these two giants of the game was England's 1-0 win at the Empire Stadium in Gzira, in a qualifier for the 1972 European Championships.
4202 EF members applied for tickets and supply met demand. So just over 4000 official England Fans were housed in the North Stand, but there were loads dotted around the stadium and more flags than you can shake a shitty stick at.
I must say I don't like these late Kick Offs', as by the time the England faithful had taken there seats they were a 'tadge' quiet on account of having drunk their body weight in Cisk lager. Once the football started, well that was enough to send an insomniac to sleep! Don't be fooled by the scoreline, as it more than flatters the English performance.
On a hot night in the middle of nowhere, England toiled sluggishly to create any clear cut chances in the 1st Half. It took until the 53rd minute for Harry Kane to break the deadlock with a close range finish following an assist from Deli Alli. Following a couple of long range efforts by Malta, England had one of their own, when Ryan Bertrand unleashed a 30 yard screamer that nestled into Andrew Hogg's net. In the later stages Malta fatigued and became more vulnerable as they pressed forward. The 3rd goal came following some sustained English pressure, when Harry Kane chipped a through ball to the sprinting Danny Welbeck who hooked it passed the on rushing keeper in extra time. Then undeservedly, England clinched their fourth and the winner when Marcus Rashford floated a delightful ball across the penalty area and into the feet of the unmarked Harry Kane who drilled a hard shot passed the Keeper.
Malta 0 England 4
Attendance: 16,994
England fans in the North stand, the East stand to the left is the Millennium Stand. The South Stand is where the Maltese ultras gather and to the right is the West or Main Stand.
Chilling out in Mdina.
Millennium Stand
Steve Hesketh at the home of Maltese Football
The Centenary stadium opposite the Ta'Qali National Stadium. Capacity is 2500.
The Unknown Schoolboy
Road leading the Millennium Stand.
at face value; a rare thing following England.
England's entry point.
She's found the 'Neddies'
The tightest turnstiles in UEFA and a
real challenge for some of our support.
Early scenes as the stadium fills up.
Let the 'War of the Flags' begin.
The Shrews have got a prime spot at the bar.
A nice piece of initiative from Crawley Town.
Flag blocking from Scunthorpe and Citeh.
More Flag Wankers
Yours truly (red stripey) photographed
by courtesy of the Daily Mail
Flags on the walls
"We've had a shot, we've had a shot..."
The Maltese Ultras (Maltras) AKA the "South End Core"
'Shorty'
Lawrence and Gary, two fine upstanding gentlemen.
Jake Peachy goes viral after pitch invasion in the 69th minute. After hitting 400 retweets he keeps his promise to invade the pitch. He skilfully sends two stewards the wrong way with a feint and then leaps the barrier before hugging Marcus Rashford. The next morning he was fined €200 and given a 1 year ban from Malta. The FA are likely to issue a lifetime ban too, which isn't really a punishment !
Day 1/2 - Mdina and Ir Rabat
Home, sweet home.
Our 500 year old Stone House in the back streets of Ir Rabat
Bridge leading to the main gates
of the ancient walled city of Mdina
St Paul's Cathedral
Inside the city
Danger speeding horse carts!
Horse and cart taxi rank.
Statue dedicated to the Maltese civilians who fell WW2 as a result of the German bombing campaign. Note the Swastika on the tail fin.
St Paul's Church and Grotto where it is believed that St Paul lived after he was ship wrecked off the Maltese coast following his journey from the Holy Lands.
St Agatha's Catacombs
St Agatha is the 2nd most important Saint in Malta
St Paul's Catacombs -
the Wembley Stadium of Catacombs
J
Sharing pastizzi and Cisk lager
with friends at the Crystal Palace
Squeaky bum time on the walls of Mdina
Chilling' after a long day visiting the dead.
Day 2/3 - South West Coast
Climbing Dingli Cliffs
Prickly Pear heaven
'Team Prickly Pear'
The temple of Hagar Qim has an 'oracle hole' linked to alignments of the Summer solstice
Hamrija Tower built by the knights as a watch tower, just a few hundred meters from the temple
Natural arch as pictured from the tower
Boarding a boat to the Blue Grotto from
the fishermens' harbour at Qrendi village
Health and Safety!
Heading to the sea caves
Church of our Lady of Pompeii, Marsaaxlokk
Luzzu's in the harbour at Marsaxlokk
'Fisherman on the harbour'
Coloured doors in the village
Lumpuki for two please.
Fort San Lucian, built by the knights in 1610
The fort was a RAF Bomb Depot between WW2 and the 1960s, possibly housing nuclear weapons during the cold war period. It was handed back to the Maltese in 1964.
Day 4 - Valetta
5 Star luxury at the Hotel Excelsior, Floriana
Private Beach for once
Changing the guard - Valetta Style
Queen Victoria in the Piazza Regina (Queen's Square).
Now called the Republic Square, though the locals prefer its older colonial name.
Fort St Elmo is now the National War Museum
and is well worth a visit
View from St Elmo's
At 6'3" I think I might be too small to be a Knight 😞
Flag of the English Lange of the Knights
The George Cross was awarded to the island of Malta by King George VI to bear witness to the heroism and devotion to its people during the great siege of World War 2, where they endured countless bombardments by Italian and German bombers
Saluting Battery facing Fort St Angelo
The Siege Bell Memorial
Lower Barrakka Gardens
Site of the former Fort St Michael on Senglea
Strait Street AKA 'The Gut', the former infamous strip frequented by British and US Serviceman
Strait Street
Seems like a nice boy!
Ordnance Pub at the top of Straight Street
The man with a bag (Hugo's Lounge)
Day 5 Valletta
Just missed the boat to Sliema
Sulking by the quay
Sliema, the start point of our Grand Harbour cruise
Posing with our hotel in the background
Fort St Elmo
Siege Bell from the Grand Harbour
Fort St Michael on Senglea
Senglea Point
il Birgu
Fort St Angelo
Breakwater Bridge, Fort St Elmo
Main Guard building in Palace Square
'7th of June 1919' is Maltese holiday celebrated to commemorate the events of on that day which led to greater resistance against the British and more support for the Pro Italian parties that challenged the colonial rule of the British. Four protestors died when the British fired on the crowd.
Quick call home
St John's Co Cathedral
Grand Master's Palace
Grand Master's Palace
Mates
Sue pretending to be cultural
The Great Siege 1565
Ferry to the Three Cities
Heading to Fort St Angelo at il Birgu
2€ a ride and you even get a smile
Church of St Lawrence, il Birgu was
the site where the Knights celebrated
victory during the Great siege
Fort St Angelo
The Top Section of Fort St Angelo is
reserved for the Knights of St John
The Bormla Regatta Club preparing for the
Maltese Regatta 2017. They won it!
Dockyard Creek
The look-out garden at the edge of Senglea Point
Chains Store from the Great Siege 1565
Cisk break in Senglea
Old Bakery in the distance
Back to Valletta
360 Pano of the Saluting Battery at sunset
Blue Label Ale, a great Maltese discovery👍
Day 6 - Valletta, Comino, Gozo
Final swim in Valletta
Feet Up!
Pre breakfast swim at the Grand Excelsior
The Blue Lagoon
Wall to wall tourists
Cliffs of Comino
St Mary's Tower has been guarding Comino since 1680.
Choppy boat ride back to Cirkewwa, Malta
After a bit of on the boat off the boat we end up
on the ferry from Cirkewwa (Malta) to Gozo
We finally arrive at our final destination in Gharb
Dunking pool
Settling down for some rabbit stew, local red wine
and the complementary pint of Cisk
Midnight dunk anyone?
Day 7 Gozo
Beyond the walls of Mood Farmhouse
View above Gharb
Gordan Lighthouse, above the village of Ghasri
The Citadel, Gozo
St Michael's Bastion and Main Gate of the Citadel
Cathedral Square, Citadel
St John's Cavalier and the Cathedral, Citadel
Cathedral of the Assumption, Citadel
The Old Prison, Citadel
St John's Cavalier, Citadel
St George's Basilica, Victoria
Independence Square, Victoria
Marsalforn Bay, Gozo
Ta'Pinu Basillica, Gharb is the most
important place of pilgrimage in Gozo
Frescos outside
My not so trusty steed was to break
down during its next journey.
'Basillica of the Visitation', or
put more simply 'Gharb Church'
The village of Gharb
The last supper (Lambuki)
After the disaster with the hire car and an interesting ferry and taxi ride we arrive at the airport in the nick of time.
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