Apres le deluge: Port FC v Nakhon Ratchasima FC (Match Abandoned)

Gush, pond; —Foam, roll on the bridge and over the woods; —black palls and organs, lightning and thunder, rise and roll; —waters and sorrows, rise and unleash the Floods.

The young, bohemian French poet Arthur Rimbaud probably didn’t have a sodden night at the PAT Stadium in mind when he wrote those words in 1873 but he could have delivered them last night whilst standing in Zone B without anybody batting an eyelid. Being more prosaic, it was a washout; just what is it with the weather and this fixture? A similar storm subjected the reverse game to a long delay, the match probably finishing four hours after kick-off. 

Thankfully, commonsense prevailed on this occasion and a game that really shouldn’t have started at all was finally abandoned after another considerable, pointless wait. Not that I was aware at the time as myself and a few others had decamped to a bar to be dazzled by Bobby Firmino’s audacious skillset. 

For three farcical minutes players splashed and skidded, in pursuit of a ball that seemed to be having more fun than its pursuers. A skewed shot from Josimar was the only recognizable piece of football action in a period when serious injuries could have been sustained. The oles and mock cheers which accompanied every attempt at a pass or tackle only enhanced the pantomime atmosphere.  

The game will be rearranged for a future evening when the Rain Gods are sleeping.

As there is no match report to pore over I have unearthed this article from The Guardian on famous football abandonments. Enjoy while you dry out. 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/nov/07/joy-of-six-football-abandonments

Peter Hockley

Peter 'Hockers' Hockley is currently the School Librarian at St Andrews International School, Sathorn and has lived in Thailand since 1992. He has followed Port home and away since 2010, with unbridled devotion and his famous woolly hat. He is a co-founder member of the Sivakorn (is a football genius) Appreciation Society (SAS). At present, the Society boasts a membership of, well, two. Peter has written travel articles for The Nation and Sawaddi magazine, and once had a letter published in Charles Buchan's Football Monthly which won him 5 guineas.

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