Offenbach 2 Magdeburg 1
After traipsing through the front door around midnight, and totally jaded, from the cosmopolitan and unbelievably gentrified Stamford Bridge matchday experience,it was always going to be a tall order to make the 6:05 flight to Frankfurt with anything remotely resembling fresh as a daisy.
However, after roughly three hours sleep, I could be found slumped in the departure lounge and desperately seeking some enthusiasm and energy for my 33rd German football stadium.
The journey was relatively straightforward as Offenbach is a smallish suburb, but whilst my expectations were low, it was abundantly clear on first impressions, that they weren't low enough.
Offenbach was like Stockport Town Centre on a Sunday in the 1980s with literally nothing open, and a few homeless people rummaging through the bins.
Graffiti was King and there was a horrible stench of piss and rotting kebabs.
Thankfully first impressions can be misleading and the prospects improved from the moment I walked away from the main railway station and towards the thriving market place.
Suddenly there seemed to be life,and whilst the food options appeared limited to Turkish Breakfast or traditional Turkish takeaway, I could also spot a few establishments (also seemingly Turkish owned) that sold alcohol.
Sadly, my first meal was halted by a kamikaze wasp taking one for the team and ultimately drowning in my french dressing. Nowt to do with me, but his mates obviously thought otherwise and proceeded to swarm and terrorise for the next twenty minutes.
It was a 6pm kick off so after walking to the ground I found sanctuary in a couple of adjacent hostelries whilst facing the obligatory three questions from inquisitive locals
Where are you from?
How did you get a ticket?
Are you not scared?
“I'm English, I'm English and I'm English” was the gist of my semi-joking semi-arrogant response.
This was the first game of my attempt to follow the winners to Berlin, and my money was on a trip to Magdeburg for the 2nd Round. However the gulf in class is smaller in Germany and it's not uncommon for a 4th tier club to beat a team from the Bundesliga Second Division.
Even better, and in total contrast to Stamford Bridge, you can smoke and drink beer inside the stadium and one huge difference was the number of people still buying pints with only a few minutes remaining.
There was a bizarre stoppage after 10 minutes when the visiting supporters made a sneakily choreographed protest about having to travel so far for a Monday teatime fixture, so thanks to their smoke bombs (the culprits hiding behind a mass of scarves to avoid arrest) you literally couldn't see a thing.
It was also a tad pantomime as the PA requested the leader of the Magdeburg ultras to speak to the Head of Security
For City fans of a certain generation the game followed the same pattern as the 2-1 Cup defeat at Blackpool in 1984, albeit without the away fans demolishing the roof, and rampaging through the town centre.
Offenbach took an early lead, but Magdeburg equalised in the Second Half and were comfortably the best team for large periods. However a lapse of concentration took everyone by surprise and the home team hung on for grim life with their fans in agonising disbelief.
So it's a return to Offenbach in a couple of months for the next round. For me, (now on the 199 Bus from the airport) it's some much needed sleep and then the Test Match tomorrow morning.
