IRISH TOUR REPORT BY KEV MONKS
Two days,after getting back from the Ibiza experience,some of the Sky Blue Army were up very early to head off for the two game tour of the Irish Republic.
We flew from Birmingham to Dublin and arrived in the Irish capital in time for breakfast and a mooch around the record shops before catching a bus to Athlone.
Deep in the Midland area of Ireland,the town with a population of around 20,000, is divided in two by the river Shannon and is well spread out.
This spread meant hikes and taxis everywhere but we and around one hundred other City supporters from England,Wales,Northern Ireland and Ireland made it to St Mels Park in plenty of time for kick off.
Housed in an area worse than Wood End in the late seventies/eighties,the ground which will be knocked down when the club move to a new home next season (heard that before, haven't we!). Surrounded by a corregated iron fence. There is a small seated area by the dressing rooms which was fine for hanging our flags on and a covered terrace down one side with a mound of sand for flooring.
Micky Adams came with the philosophy of giving every player a run out and named a side which saw keeper Clayton Ince given a debut. Right from the outset,Athlone who included Michael Doyle's cousin Gavin,were more up for the game than the Sky Blues.
Andy Morrell,Neil Wood and James Scowcroft all wasted chances before John Geiran scored the only goal of the game in the 63rd minute in front of a crowd of 810.
After eventually finding somewhere to eat,we checked out a few of the local bars before heading for some much needed sleep.
Bright and breezy,we got up the next morning and set off for Galway. One of our party had gone over to County Wicklow and nearly started off an international incident when he chased after a bloke who had driven his car into a ditch,accompanied by two kids who were playing "Soldiers" dressed with balaclavas and toy guns. Thankfully,a statement to the local Garda ensured that the matter was put to an end.
Nestled on the North west coast of Ireland, Galway is a fine city boasting a good coastline and a very lively City centre.
To cater for the many thousands of tourists who besige the "City Of The Tribes" on a daily basis,there are 350 pubs plus a variety of street threatre,Albanians offering balls of wool and musicans some good some not so.
It is a friendly and hospitable city and one I thoroughly would recommend anyone to visit. Such was the hospitality of the locals that we were given a lift in a Garda Civil Defence vehicle to the home of Galway United - Terryland Park and arrived with sirens wailing and lights flashing.
Against a side once managed by City's goalkeeping coach Seamus McDonagh, Coventry were far better than at Athlone and recorded a 1-0 victory with a solitary strike from Stern John in the 14th minute.
Coventry had chances to add to the tally but it was not to be and the 150 strong Sky Blue support moved onto the next bar happy with the win.
More drinking of the local falling down water was taken before we said our good byes and made the trek back to Cov.
It was not the best of journeys, the 11.25 train we were due to catch turned out to be an 11am departure and meant a two hour wait. The train we did catch was twenty plus minutes late and then the bus to the airport took an hour instead of forty minutes. By the time,we'd arrived at the
airport, check in had come and gone.
Two of our group opted to stay round the airport until the next Ryan Air flight back to Birmingham some twelve hours later whilst myself and Flag man flew to Manchester and got the coach from there back to Brum and a lift back to Cov.