Samut Sakhon 1-4 Chonburi
9th April, 2016
Attendance: 3,420
A League Cup tie in Samut Sakhon. The chance for a short weekend getaway and the opportunity to watch some old skool Thai football. Perfect. Here's the story of our trip.
FRIDAY 8th APRIL
After a leisurely breakfast, we left home just before 10:00am and immediately ran into heavy traffic on the SriRacha to Chonburi highway. There had been an accident on the central reservation and this meant that the outside lanes in both directions were closed, as the emergency services dealt with the situation. Thankfully there didn't appear to be any serious injuries, but I doubt that lamp post will see action again. Following a much smoother run on the Chonburi/Bang Na toll road, we once again hit problems on the Rama II Bridge, as the numerous heavy goods vehicles slowed everything down to a crawl. Things didn't get much better on the other side of the river either, when we were faced with more delays, due to roadworks. However, once we got through Samut Sakhon, the roads were clear and we made good time on the final leg of our journey.
We eventually arrived at our canal side resort, on the outskirts of Samut Songkhram, a little after 1:30pm, and the "holiday" could begin. Following a quick shower to freshen up, we mounted a couple of the free bicycles which are avaiable to all guests and set off to explore the local area. It was lovely. So peaceful. And everyone we met greeted us with a smile and a wave. The highlight of the ride was when we saw two dogs chase a big lizard up a tree. Nature at its finest. When we cycled past on our way back sixty minutes later, things were just as they had been earlier - the two dogs patiently waiting at the foot of the tree, while the lizard clung on for dear life thirty feet above them. They're probably still there!
In the evening, we took a boat trip down the canal and the river to Ampawa Floating Market. This, for me, was my favourite part of the weekend. I love boats, and canals, and rivers. I could quite easily live in one of the many houses that grace the banks and travel everywhere by water. The perfect life.
Ampawa itself was fairly quiet, with many of the shops shut, so we ensconsed ourselves in a lovely restaurant, enjoyed a delicious meal and listened to one of the best live house bands I've heard. They covered many different styles and attacked each one with unbridled joy (although, I felt their rendition of All My Loving was too slow). A great way to end the day.
SATURDAY 9th APRIL
We checked out of our resort at midday and made the short trip to the Railway Market in Samut Songkhram. I've driven past this (in)famous place many times, but never actually stopped before, so today was a first for me. Sadly, the timing of our visit meant we were unable to catch the train - or watch it go past. However, my wife had a shopping list as long as her arm, so we managed to keep ourselves occupied for over an hour, as she dragged me from stall to stall in search of various kinds of fish and other seafood. I really enjoyed the experience, in spite of the intense heat - at one point I went outside to stand in the direct sunlight in order to cool down! - and would recommend it to anyone.
After the market, we drove the twenty miles to our next destination - the Central Place Hotel in Samut Sakhon. We had chosen this particular hotel, as the map shows it is located within a five hundred yard walk of the Samut Sakhon Central Stadium - the venue of our evening cup tie. On arrival, we discovered that we weren't the only ones who were enticed by its close proximity to the ground - the entire Chonburi FC entourage had also opted to stay there. Unfortunately, as were staying in a different wing (oh yes!), I didn't get to meet any of the players or coaching staff. However, the bus driver and a couple of the kit lads recognised me and said 'hello'.
Following her exersions at the market earlier in the day, 'er indoors decided that forty winks was preferrable to a dry run (walk) from the hotel to the ground, so I set out on foot by myself for a quick recce of the area. As promised, it only took three or four minutes for me to stroll to the stadium and get my bearings. As it was still a good four hours until kick off, I also managed to take numerous photographs of the groundstaff and TV people setting up in readiness for the big match (see attached). I was able to wander around at will and snap away to my heart's content. The only place I wasn't allowed into was the Chonburi dressing room. They had the tactics board up and didn't want me photographing it (true story!). So, without knowing how we were going to approach the game, I returned to the hotel for a rest and a cup of tea.
A couple of hours later and now with Mrs F in tow, I repeated my earlier amble. Only this time, it was for the real thing. Whereas before the streets had been quiet, there were now groups of people heading purposefully in the direction of the ground and the noise of drums and singing could be heard as soon as we stepped out of the hotel. Match day!
The majority of visiting fans had congregated at a small shop opposite the away end entrance. It was nice to see lots of familiar faces, some who don't go as regularly as they used to, but had taken advantage of the pre Songkran weekend for an overnight stay in Samut Sakhon. Inside the stadium, we were greeted by our friends Tim and Claire, who had very kindly saved space on the terraces for us. Tim also had a present for me - more of which later! - and a nice cold pint.
The match itself was a fairly one sided affair, as Chonburi cruised to victory. Even though the quality of the opposition wasn't that great, it was pleasing to see us pass the ball around and watch players move into space when not in possession. I'm making a rod for my own back here, but slowly and surely Therdsak seems to be imposing his style of play on the team and early signs are encouraging. The defence - and goalkeeper position in particular - is still a worry, but hopefully this will improve once we have a settled back four. Noppanon has returned, which will certainly help in this respect. In midfield, Prakit dominated (as you would expect) and Phanupong really seemed to be enjoying himself. Up front, Leandro and Pipob (in what will surely be a rare outing) worked tirelessly and created plenty of problems for the home defence. So, all in all, a very satisfying evening's work, especially as other PLT teams didn't fare so well.
Once we had cheered the team off and said our goodbyes to our fellow fans, we caught a taxi and headed into town. We found a smart and lively place called Prompt, which was showing the English Premier League - at least it was when we arrived, but they soon switched over to La Liga! However, the food was excellent and reasonably priced, so we stayed for a couple of hours, just enjoying the atmosphere, before heading back to the hotel and bed.
SUNDAY 10th APRIL
We were in no real rush to get home, so after checkng out of the Central Place, we decided to stop off at the Erawan Museum in Samut Prakan. As with the Railway Market, I've passed many times, but never visited. As I'd already forewarned my wife that I would - as always - refuse to pay the "foreigner" price, I made sure I had a survival kit (consisting of a book, a bottle of water and packet of crisps) with me, should I have to kill time whilst she was inside. However, it wasn't necessary, as they accepted my "local" payment without any fuss whatsoever. Result!
The museum itself was quite impressive and we spent a couple of hours just pottering about. I was disappointed that we couldn't actually see anything once we had climbed all the way to the top on the inside of the three headed elephant monument - I was expecting a viewpoint - but I didn't let this spoil my enjoyment or my Sunday morning. From there, it was back to the car for the drive home. The roads were much quieter than they had been on Friday (and the Chonburi/Bang Na toll road was free), so we were home in SriRacha just over an hour after leaving Erawan. Then it was fish in fridge, kettle on and feet up. Sunday afternoon.
So, there you have it, the story of our weekend. We both really enjoyed it - and would've done even if we'd lost...but I'm glad we didn't! It's just a shame that the rest of the League Cup ties are scheduled for midweek, as I really enjoy visiting these lower league grounds and would certainly have more trips away like this. A real reminder of the good old days.
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