I was indebted to my good Belgian friend Nicolas Lucas for finding this match for me. The day before I had been been with the Dulwich Hamlet Supporters' Team, in the UR Namur supporters' tournament, which was why I was in Belgium.
This was a pre-season against local Belgian top flight side KV Mechelen, who I visited back in February 2009.
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Although I've been to a number of Belgian grounds now, my geography of the country is still poor. This is the railway station, I hadn't even realised there was one, until Nicolas checked!
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It's just undertwo miles or so from the station, a straight forward walk, before turning down this small road to the ground.
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Here we approach the entrance.
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A board back on the main road, advertising the match.
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Just before we got to the entrance there was a secondary pitch on the right. It had this small bit of cover in the corner, which it turned out, backed onto cover inside the main ground, on the other side.
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This second pitch is railed off.
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At the ticket booth now. Ten euros to get in, a nice little fundraiser for the little club. Shame more English professional clubs don't do the same for their small non-league neighbours.
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Through the barriers & it's open hard standing, up to the clubhouse ahead.
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We are at the corner of the pitch, and here we look over to the small main stand on the far side.
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Behind the goal, to our right, is a small section of cover, the bit backed onto the other pitch, and open standing past it.
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Under the cover is just a couple of steps of terrace.
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This was my first 'corner flag' shot of 2010/11 !
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Moving round we look down the clubhouse side touchline.
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A similar shot, a few yards along, from behind the goal. It is a 'strange' ground, in that you can't walk all the way round it, so we are going to head behind the goal, anti-clockwise, until we reach the stand.
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Past the small area of cover it is just hard standing behind the goal.
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Behind the net we look toward the stand.
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And then moving on. Narrow hard standing, with flat dry grass behind. Note the rail on the right, behind the netting, for the other pitch.
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At the second corner now, looking across the pitch, pre-match.
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Here we look back along the tight, open area behind the goal.
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Down the far side, leading up to the main stand it's more of the same, with a bank of advertising behind.
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Having turned the corner we look back behind the goal.
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Moving along we reach one of the dugouts, stand behind.
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From here we look over the pitch to the bar side. You can see there are two small areas of cover either side of the tunnel in the middle.
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Here we are at the side of the stand. Unfortunately this was pre-reserved for special ticket holders, so I couldn't gain access to it.
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This is a view of it, from the other side of the pitch. From here it was not possible to go any further, so it's time to go back & return to where we came in, at the ticket booth.
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On the way back round I pass one keen fan with a big flag.
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Round the other side I have a quick look inside the clubhouse.
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As they like to do in Belgium, various league tables on the wall.
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Presumably from the previous season, I think this is the first team one.
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Match poster in the window.
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Outside is this football themed beer table.
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Queues for the food stall.
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And a beer one being set up.
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To the left of that is another pitch.
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Simply railed off.
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Dugouts on the far side.
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A top worn by one of the many visiting fans.
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On the pitch side of the clubhouse, in front of the windows, is a small area of covered hard standing, which go along to almost the halfway line, but you can't go any further along this way.
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Here we are, further along, nearer to the tunnel.
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You can see where the space for supporters ends, in the left of this picture, taken from the other side of the pitch.
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Having gone round the back we see a similar area at the other end of the club buildings,
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From this part of the ground we look over to the main stand.
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Here we zoom in on it a bit.
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From where we are to the corner it's open hard standing.
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One young fan looking forward to the match, proudly wearing his autographed shirt.
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Almost at the corner now...just fields beyond! This really is the countryside!
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From this corner we look back along the touchline on this side.
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Before looking behind the completely open end behind the goal.
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A view over the pitch, from this flag.
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Now heading toward the area behind the goal.
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From here we glance back at the covered standing areas along the side.
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Directly behind the goal, looking through the net.
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And then toward the final corner, with another bank of advertising in that corner.
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In front of them we look over toward the main stand.
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Among the commercial boards is the club scoreboard.
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From the corner we see back behind this goal.
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The last corner flag picture of the day, with some of the hard standing along the last side in shot on the left.
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Very narrow, with a slight slope on the grass.
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As we get closer to the seats there are more hoardings, & the little sloped area is a tiny bit steeper & uneven.
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We have now reached the dugout on this side of the stand.
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And here we look into the stand from this side.
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Again stewarded, so I can't gain access.
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Another close up, taken from the other side, after the match.
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The home dugout is on the right, as we look over at it.
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And this is the visitors one, to the left.
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I now get ready to settle for the game, choosing to stand to the right of the seats. I clock this visiting fan behind the goal, to my right.
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The two teams enter the pitch.
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Pre-match huddle from the visitors.
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The game kicks off.
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Now for a few action shots. As you will notice, the ground has filled up a little.
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I don't know why, but I like taking pictures of match officials abroad. I think, because they don't wear our 'traditional' black so often.
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Back to the game...
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Oh dear! You really have to be good if you wear boots like that...& you're only on the bench, with five minutes to go!
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A game of 'two halves'. Mechelen changing the entire team at half time, this was the final score.
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Well played!
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Just time for the post match interviews...
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