On Wednesday 19th August 2015, I visited the home of FC Barcelona for the ‘Camp Nou Experience’ museum and stadium tour.
Football
RCD Espanyol – Power 8 Stadium Tour
On Wednesday 19th August I visited the Power 8 Stadium, home of Barcelona’s other La Liga club RCD Espanyol.
Barcelona 1-1 Athletic Bilbao (1-5 on agg) – Supercopa de España
Athletic Bilbao lifted the 2015 Supercopa de España at Barcelona’s Camp Nou, defeating the La Liga and Copa Del Rey champions 5-1 on aggregate.
Having led 4-0 after a remarkable first leg in Bilbao, Athletic defended valiantly against the efforts of their attacking opponents and Aritz Aduriz’s 74th minute goal ensured they lifted their first title since 1984.
On a personal level, this evening’s game saw me fulfill a lifelong dream of witnessing a match at the largest stadium in Europe and, as an extra bonus, seeing four-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi play and score for Barcelona.
Sheffield United 2-0 Chesterfield – League 1
A brace from 19 year old Che Adams handed Sheffield United a 2-0 victory over Chesterfield on the competitive home debut of new boss Nigel Adkins.
It was a tight battle between these two local rivals, who both fell short in the League 1 play offs last season, but goals at the start of either half proved to be killer blows as the Blades secured their first three points of the season.
Sheffield Wednesday 4-1 Mansfield Town – Capital One Cup 1st Round
Sheffield Wednesday comfortably defeated lower league opponents Mansfield Town 4-1 at Hillsborough to book their place in the second round of the Capital One Cup.
Headed goals from Portugese duo Lucas Joao and Jose Semedo put the hosts in a dominating position inside 20 minutes.
A late first half rally rewarded the Stags with a goal of their own from Ryan Tafazolli, but the outcome rarely looked in doubt and the Owls completed a comfortable evening with second half goals from Kieran Lee and debutant Modou Sougou.
Chesterfield 3-1 Barnsley – League 1
The Dean Saunders era got off to the perfect start as Chesterfield turned around an early deficit to defeat local rivals Barnsley 3-1 at the Proact Stadium.
A nightmare start to the new campaign saw the Spireites fall behind to a Conor Wilkinson goal after just four minutes, but second half strikes from Jay O’Shea, debutant Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and captain Sam Morsy gave the home side victory as they turned the contest around in style and got the 2015/16 campaign underway with a victory.
Chesterfield 1-3 Hull City – Pre Season Friendly
Dean Saunders’ first home game as Chesterfield manager ended in defeat against a strong Hull City side on Tuesday 21st July 2015.
Despite the loss, there were plenty of positives for the Spireites to take as they started brightest and took the lead inside 20 minutes through an Ian Evatt header.
But the away side, who were only relegated from the top flight last season, grew as the evening wore on and goals from Harry Maguire, Andrew Robertson and Calaum Jahraldo-Martin earned Hull a 3-1 victory.
Visit to The Den, Millwall FC
As a football fan, one of my aims is to visit the stadiums of all 92 league teams in England and Wales. So whilst in London on 23rd May 2015, visiting primarily for Paul McCcartney’s concert at the O2 Arena that evening, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to pay a visit to nearby ‘The Den’, home of Millwall FC.
Previously called ‘The New Den’, the stadium has been home to Millwall since 1993, replacing their previous home of 83 years – ‘The Old Den’, which was located less than a quarter of a mile away. It is the sixth ground the Lions have played football at since their formation in 1885.
It has been a disappointing season for Millwall. who were relegated from the Championship alongside Wigan Athletic and Blackpool. This means the Lions will return to League 1 next season for the first since since the 2009-10, ending a five season stint in the second tier.
Dean Saunders – New Chesterfield FC manager unveiled
Dean Saunders was unveiled as the new manager of Chesterfield on Wednesday 13th May at a press conference attended by chairman Dave Allen and chief executive Chris Turner.
The appointment follows the departure of Paul Cook, who was released from his contract to join League 2 club Portsmouth following the Spireites’ play-off defeat to Preston last weekend.
Saunders had an illustrious playing career that saw him play for the likes of Liverpool, Aston Villa, Galatasaray and Nottingham Forest – as well as earning 75 caps for Wales. Since 2008, he has taken charge of Wrexham, Doncaster Rovers, Wolves and Crawley Town before joining the Spireites today.
Preston North End 3-0 Chesterfield – League 1 Play Offs Semi-Final (2nd Leg) (PNE win 4-0 on aggregate)
Chesterfield’s magnificent campaign came to an end on 10th May 2015 as Preston North End booked their place in the League 1 play off final.
A brace from Jermaine Beckford – including a wonder strike from the halfway line, and a penalty from Joe Garner were enough to earn the home side a 3-0 victory and reach Wembley.
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