Breaking News
recent

We all follow the Red & White! We all follow the GFA!


Article by e-Football Writer Mark Viales (Gibraltar)

As the unrelenting afternoon sun initiated its graceful descent over the impenetrable fortress city of the Rock of Gibraltar, the recently accepted 54th member of UEFA took the field at Victoria Stadium amidst a sea of cheers and adoration from the 3000 strong home crowd. It was as if one universal smile extended itself across the main stand, harbouring eager anticipation and, regardless of the result, the fans were ready to express their irrepressible support for a country which has suffered extreme sporting, political strife in its road to its inauguration into UEFA.

The perfectly uniformed blades of artificial grass, glistening under the Mediterranean sun would be the battleground for this encounter and, although technically a friendly, there is always an electrifying atmosphere emanating from this historical ground, which has held its fair share of glamour ties, such as against a certain Real Madrid in 1949. 

 
It is regrettable that we could not witness the likes of Liam Walker, who impressed for
Portsmouth last season, as well as other 1st team members who were injured or otherwise indisposed for this fixture. The GFA can be proud of recent performances toppling Portsmouth FC and Notts County along the way, instilling a winning mentality throughout the squad and the fans. The friendly against Pompy actually prompted their subsequent interest in the technically gifted Walker and there is hope that these “Friendlies in the Sun” will provide a platform for young Gibraltarians to earn themselves a contract in the much coveted English Leagues.


Amongst the Red and White crowd, the multi-lingual banter is always a joy to witness, giving well known British chants a Latin flair whilst also displaying an impressive knowledge of the English game as one particularly enthusiastic Gibraltarian fan chanted “Eeeaaaagles!!! “ directly at the bemused Addicks players, mocking their rivalry with Crystal Palace.


The game itself was more of a tight affair with “oooos” and “aaaahhss” synonymous with every guilt edged chance and there was no sign of deflation in the fans’ support when Callum Harriot opened the scoring after just two minutes, with the crowd applauding the good play leading up to the goal. Although dominating much of the play in the first half, the GFA 11 did well to prevail against what must be considered on the day as much fitter opposition and it was in the second half where we got to see the true meaning of “The 12th Man”.


Despite being 0-1 down, the roar of the “llanitos” as the players emerged from their half time team talk with First Team Coach, Allen Bulla, galvanised and propelled the GFA to not disappoint their fans and fight for every scrap. Just like that the GFA midfield transformed and closed down play more effectively as the depleted squad moulded together to unite against formidable opponents.

Chris Powell
It was not long before the famous “Mexican Wave” was doing its rounds, encouraging full participation as always, with the odd few who did not join in receiving playful scorns. A free kick late on, as hearts in mouths took hold, was threatening to put a damper on Charlton’s day out in the sun…The crowd could sense it, this could be the chance to equalise and even turn this into a win. The tension was obvious and grew into a crescendo as the free kick was being struck, with a mixture of confused cheers, gasps and groans filling the air as the ball was poked agonisingly just wide. The relief in the Addicks bench was evident, inviting a cheeky smile from the one-time capper for England, Chris Powell, who is currently in the hot seat for them. Charlton were perhaps somewhat overly flattered as they sealed the victory with two minutes remaining against a now tiring Gibraltar 11, scoring another goal.

There are many positives for The Gibraltar Football Association to take from this fixture, the numerous youngsters performed admirably against professionals and should take heart from their spirited performance. There are now talks of a new 10,000 all seater stadium, which is set to be constructed on the most southern point in Europe overlooking the Straits of Gibraltar, promise of new investment and opportunity, the GFA is likely to have a bright future.

There is no doubt that the whole country is behind the GFA in any fixture they may encounter, for many this is more than football and likely seen more as an expression of Self Determination, a chance to signal to the world that Gibraltarians are an independent people, so much so that a popular local band (Area 52) released a new song dedicated to the GFA.

To listen to the extremely catchy Gibraltar National Football Team Song click here

They may not catch the eye too much against top international competition, although the opportunities presented to future generations may very well conjure up a decent squad capable of possibly pulling off a shock result.
 
Comment on this article below
 
Other e-Football Sites:

e-Football:
Site -
www.efootballnet.blogspot.com
Twitter Feed - www.twitter.com/e_footballnet
Facebook Page - www.facebook.com/pages/E-football/529821593719736
Forum -
www.e-football.freeforums.net

e-Spurs:
Site -
www.espurs.blogspot.com
Twitter Feed - www.twitter.com/e_spurs
Facebook Page - www.facebook.com/pages/E-SPURS/164631843709508

e-Manchester United:
Twitter Feed -
www.twitter.com/e_ManUtd
Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/pages/e-Manchester-United/202927566530790

e-Arsenal:
Twitter Feed -
www.twitter.com/e_arsenalnet

e-Crystal Palace:
Twitter Feed -
www.twitter.com/e_crystalpalace

© e-Football 2013 All rights reserved no part of this document or this website may be reproduced without consent of e-Football

No comments:

Powered by Blogger.