ARSENAL vs LIVERPOOL – AKSC ROAD TRIP – COCHIN TO CALICUT

by Siddharth Madathilkatt

14 Aug 2016, 1130hrs, Vytilla

There we were, Gooners from in and around Ernakulam, waiting in our Arsenal gear on a bright sunny day in Cochin. With kickoff a good 9 hours away, the road trip to Kozhikode was about to get underway. Gooners from Kottayam had made the trip to Cochin earlier in the day, giving Cochin Gooners great company for the 6 hour bus ride ahead. As we boarded the bus, we exchanged greetings, introduced each other to new Gooners and joked around with old Gooners.

Fresh faces, old faces, we were ready for the season ahead. The bus stopped at Edappally, and in came our chanter-in-chief, George Jacob. Being a thousand miles away from North London doesn‟t deter his penchant for learning songs that the red half of North London knows like the back of their palms. With a massive collection of Arsenal videos to boot, it was evident that George had made plans so meticulous even bureaucrats could take a cue from him.

After refreshing our history lessons for a couple of hours, to our right stood the magnificent Vadakkumnathan temple in Thrissur round. Minutes from there, we‟d reached the next pit stop. The bus halted outside a store where the merchandise for the day was warehoused the night before. Once the exquisitely designed mugs, t-shirts, posters, handbooks and covers were put in place, the bus restarted with all Thrissur Gooners accompanying us. Soon after, we stopped for a late lunch, after which „Fever Pitch‟ was screened en route to Kozhikode. If you haven‟t watched the climax of the movie, spoiler alert, it shows our infamous ‟89 title win at Anfield. What better choice to set the mood for the match ahead.

In a couple of hours‟ time, we could slowly catch the whiff of salty air. Taking in the spectacular view of the city beach with the hustle and bustle of the Sunday evening crowd, our venue for the night was in front of us, Hotel Ayfer.

Calicut, we’re here

As we alighted from the bus, we could see an ocean of Red and White as Gooners from other parts of Kerala stood there waiting for the ceremony to begin. Carrying the merchandise from the bus to the hotel, we could see inquisitive faces of the locals giving us a smile as we passed by them. From what they could see, these were a bunch of youngsters dressed in uniform, carrying boxes across the street. Little did they know that the red of Arsenal evokes emotions akin to the Red flag in this part of the country. Cuba and China are to the latter what North London is to the former. Loud, proud and unapologetic, these are people who have stood by their club through
thick and thin for the past decade and more.

As people slowly settled in their seats in the hotel hall, the organizers had decked up the place with posters, banners, calendars and the whole shebang that made us feel as close to the Emirates as possible. As was planned, the proceedings got underway with the announcement of our official recognition from Arsenal FC, London. The framed certificate was unveiled to a thunderous round of applause, showing appreciation to all the folks who worked for it behind the scenes.

The website launch was next, which was greeted with equal cheers from the crowd in attendance. This was followed by a quiz on Arsenal conducted by Akhil Mohan. Only the hardcore Gooners survived this test, winning prizes along the way.

Sensing a lull in the atmosphere, the man with the chants took centre stage. Never far from the action, chant master George took the microphone and made it his own, creating chants out of thin air for all 14 districts of Kerala.

The stage was set. The mood was great. It was time for kick-off. Season 2016-17 of the Premier League was on.

By 2230hrs, we hoped for a better result, but alas, 3-4 it was on the opening weekend. Soon after full time, the AKSC merchandise was rolled out to all the attendees with the first kit being handed over to Amal, one of the most senior members of AKSC. Amal had travelled all the way from Trivandrum for the event, highlighting a sense of family here at AKSC. A sumptuous dinner followed, after which some of us took a stroll along the beach at midnight. One of us decided to write the name of our club on the wet sand. An open challenge came out:

“If our club’s name doesn’t get washed out in the next 60 seconds, consider the league ours.”

Well, if only it really were as simple as that !