The Long Road to the Title by car, train, bus and tube….

Our favourite columnist Clayton Beerman describes the lengths we go to savour the moment Chelsea became Champions…

In November last year my family were asked to join some very good friends for a weekend away in Aldeburgh in Suffolk for the May bank holiday. I really like these two families and so was very keen to go. Now I can not tell you whether I looked at the fixtures when we said yes but well you know what’s coming.

The last couple of weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster for me in terms of progress to the title. I knew that wins against Arsenal and Leicester would seal it. As we know now Arsenal away was a masterclass in all things and I was not surprised to see a draw unfold. From my selfish viewpoint it was a mini disaster as I then knew we couldn’t win the league at Leicester and in essence I knew what was looming on the horizon.

When we went one down against Leicester my son piped up that’s good news for me and as I sternly replied (he is only 10) I never want us to lose but yes a draw would be nice. I also hinted that by scoring I thought Leicester had made a massive mistake as so it proved. I sat watching contented until JT equalised and then started squirming. Apart from the improbability of it I just burst out laughing when Ray Mears smacked the ball in (get well soon Ray).

So the conversation was had with the wonderful Mrs B. Who was accommodating to my suggestion that I leave for the day and come back in the evening. Can’t say she was thrilled! I however was not convinced after I had worked out that my journey to Stamford Bridge on Sunday was not going to be the most straightforward. As with most bank holiday weekends there were works on the line and so my journey would be car, rail coach and  tube. At a rough estimate I was going to spend at least 8 hours travelling.

Any sane normal thinking person would have said  “ I am having a lovely weekend away surrounded by great people in a great spot. So find yourself a pub and watch the game there.”  Like many others I’m not normal or sane when it comes to the boys in blue.

At this point I need to mention my new hero, Dave who was away with us. I’ve known him for years and he has the same insatiable passion for sport as I do. He had said I had to go and he would drive me to any station I needed to go to.

Now the point is, when I first started watching Chelsea the thought of us winning the league or even a suggestion to this effect would have entailed you in being led away by men in white coats. The fact that I had been present at three Premier league clinching wins is amazing and was I going to give up a 4^th? No I wasn’t. The day I get blasé about any of this is the day I stop going.

I had been persuaded and in the pouring rain coming off the North Sea, Dave the hero took me to Colchester station after a small detour. Quite bizarrely neither of us expected the station not to be in Colchester but you live and learn. So my journey began, accompanied by a few other blue shirts I took the train and the replacement coach and then the tube before arriving at the CFCUK stall with 45 minutes to spare before kick-off and it was good to see so many familiar faces.

Like many I was horrified to see the sign above the stall “Home of the 2014/2015 Champions”. What were they doing, were they mad, tweaking the tail of the footballing gods? Again this is where all logic escapes. We needed 3 points out of 12 and only on the basis that Arsene’s brave boys won all their games. Everyone else in the country knew we were going to win the league but I and many others did not want to see it so brazenly advertised.

So to the ground and pre match waves to the Lord Chidge, to Johnny Dyer and Tony Glover. I was ready. We were going to blow them away weren’t we? You have to say the integrity of the Premier League is amazing. If this was Spain or Italy and a few other leagues in a similar situation, a team in Palace’s position would have just rolled over to have their tummies tickled. Not so here, Palace played well and were truly difficult opponents. I was impressed with their resilience and in particular with Zaha who I thought had a really good game.

Sadly Ray Mears was carted off to hospital before the game and he was replaced by our Columbian winger. Anyone who had read any of my previous articles or heard my dulcet tones on the podcast will know I am not his biggest fan. He did however put everything into it and he doesn’t hide. It will be interesting to see whether he survives past Christmas but with all Chelsea players I want him to do well.

As the half wore on it was becoming more obvious that only a stroke of genius would suffice. Luckily we have that person in our team (and no he doesn’t wear a hat) and one piece of magic proved to be the difference. The penalty was comical, Speroni refusing to oblige by diving out the way Eden simply hit it at him but then turned into Nat Lofthouse to head home. Unconfined joy and the floodgates would open, just like the 2^nd half at Leicester, wouldn’t they….

As Jon Obi appeared at the beginning of the second half the message was writ large as they say. We protect what we have. The Palace tactics seemed to say, you can have the ball and we’ll hit you on the break which is how the half moved on. The nerves and the season’s excursions were catching up on our players except I am relieved to say our back 4 and goalkeeper. All alert and all solid as usual. When Zaha had a great opportunity when the ball was under control all he saw was an orange wall and not even a peek of the goal. More heroics from the skipper and his men as defensive midfielders and defenders were brought on to reinforce our position.

The game was still on a knife edge and after my marathon journey may have been for nothing but following a mighty tackle from Kurt I think Palace thought that’s it. There is no way through. Eventually the fairly dreadful and hapless Kevin Friend blew his whistle. Unconfined joy, a small tear and we were champions again. It may have appeared a formality to every other football fan but for me it’s never done until it’s done. To see 4 titles in my lifetime is beyond my wildest dreams as a football fan and the league is very special.

After we eventually left the ground I headed back for a quiet drink and a pizza with the guys I’ve been going to Chelsea with since the 80s (and son). We used to stand in the Shed together with our back to the football most weeks, coming in at 3.15 half cut as it was the only way to watch in those days. In those bleak times a good cup run was a pipe dream. As Sunday proved winning means a lot but being with your mates to share it is just as important. I’m sorry I missed the Finborugh but hopefully I can enjoy the post Sunderland repeat celebrations.

The hero Dave was there to greet me on my return to Colchester station, ready for the trek back to Aldeburgh. He was genuinely pleased for me and we then shared the misery of listening to England losing the cricket on the radio on the journey home. So I’d left at 8.30 am and returned at 9.30 pm. I’d spent over eight hours travelling. Was it worth it? What do you think?
Clayton Beerman 

Follow Clayton on twitter @goalie59