Players on a 'sit down'

Sunday 19 November 2017, Spartak Subotica 3 Borac Cacak 1 - Super Liga, Stadium Gradski

We arrived just in time for the game, coach was ushered into the club car park and we found ourselves guided to the VIP seats ( at no charge), dark, cold but the ground looked a great mixture of stands and we quickly took our seats to see the home team (who would go third if they won) take on the bottom placed team, what could go wrong?

We were warned by our Serb guides that the visitors were a better team than their current league position portrayed, they had been in dispute with their own club and talk of not being paid, that may help explain some of what happened next!

It was crazy and you had to be there to actually fully understand what happened - but thanks to what did happen and too some of our group- you can find out plenty about this game in newspapers, social media and on 'You tube'.

I will try and keep it in simple chronological form:
Visitors take an early lead and actually look the better team, just before the break the ref gives the home team a penalty - some of our group agree with the decision others think it was harsh - but no one expected the visitors response.  Two red cards, ref surrounded, visitors manager on the pitch! It then looked like the visitors were going to walk off but thankfully they remained on the pitch, penalty taken - 1-1 and the half time whistle goes, could it get more exciting? - Yes!

Home team walk back onto the pitch for the second half, followed by the match officials but no visitors, we wait 5 minutes and they come out but only to sit down and face their own goal keeper! 5 more minutes and we do start the second half.

Borac Cacak defend well with nine men but every time their keeper gets the ball he launches (or attempts to) the ball out of the ground, as if he is hoping they will run out of balls and the game will be stopped! That did not work so next we had long injury breaks with two visitors leaving by stretcher. Many of us suspect a Warnock/Sheff Utd trick but it seems the rest of the team were not signed up to this tactic.

We then had the sight of the visitors manager collapsing on the touchline and he was then helped to the dressing rooms. Somehow the game lasted 90 minutes, no injury time added and the final whistle went.

But by then our tweets and 'you tube' clips have been picked up by Serbian media, we find that the 20 plus British hoppers and helped make this game the talk of the weekend in football circles all over Europe.

Interesting ground, welcomed like VIPs and then a match we will never forget, great way to finish a weekend of Serbian football - plus great company, bits of culture and local food.