Time wasting at it's best

Wednesday 23 August 2017, Slavia Prague 0 APOEL Nicosia 0 - Champions League, Play-off, 2nd Leg, Eden Arena

Brilliant atmosphere, an almost full house and Slavia put the early pressure on - it looked  like they would get the two goals they needed to level the tie but somehow APOEL hung onto half time. Trouble was at the break the best Slavia player had to hobble out of the match.

In the second half Slavia huffed and puffed but could not get close to getting a goal back and in fact it was APOEL who came close to scoring as they caught the home side on the break numerous times.

But APOEL annoyed many with their constant time wasting, players falling over and the slowest trainer ever seen in football. APOEL were that good they did not need to time waste but iu expect they will say they do not care as they look forward to the Champions League group games.

Where were the fans?

Wednesday 9 August 2017, APOEL Nicosia 1 Apollon Limassol 2 - Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium, Cyprus Super Cup

Family wedding in Cyprus and so would miss a week of the football season, but a quick check on Soccerway and noticed the Cyprus Super Cup (the Cypriot version of the Charity/Community Shield)  was being played less than 50 miles away in Larnaca.

Next hard bit was getting a ticket, never going to be a full house but because of crowd trouble (as witnessed the week earlier in the same ground at the Apollon- Aberdeen game). In the end I managed to get a ticket from the Cyprus FA - the only way to get a ticket for fans of both teams, leading to a crowd of just over 1,000.

The game itself may have lacked a large crowd but both teams were certainly up for the game, APOEL  taking an early lead but Limassol managed to miss a few easy chance. The best player for APOEL was Tommy Oar, who had a very short time at Ipswich not long ago.

Some meaty challenges from both teams forced the ref to hand out a few yellow cards and in the second half, the Apollon skipper got his second yellow and his marching orders. With just 10 men and only 12 minutes to go you would have thought Limassol had no hope of getting back into the game, but a fantastic free kick got them on level terms and when I was just preparing myself for extra time, the South West team Apollon, managed to get a winner.

The low crowd maybe down to the strict ticketing rules but those who did go were rewarded with a great game.

The stadium itself was also a great place to visit, all football in Cyprus is linked to politics and with the venue be;longing to a club that takes the name of a town in the Turkish part of the island, this is certainly the case here.