As we start our next qualifying games a few memoirs from the last.

No ticket from the FA for this game as they only got 1200, myself and a friend Roy were one loyalty (EMC) point short so we travelled without tickets, anyway within ten minutes of getting in to the town centre, in fact the first bar we visited we had tickets offered at $20 about £13 and no booking fee. As for the day. Picked up from home (Lowestoft) by Roy at 1.30 in the morning, good sleep all the way to Luton. Flight out of the UK 6.00 two and a half hours later we are on the tarmac at Tirana International airport ha ha.

A few checks later by the local police and a walk over a disinfective mat and on to a coach. The journey in to Tirana is very interesting with potholes the size of small cars, lots of horse and carts on the roads also hundreds of concrete machine gun posts in every field which look just like concrete mushrooms. The town centre is full people, it's like a holiday everybody walking around in the sun.

So down the pub we go, $1 a drink not bad even if the locals get a better deal. After 2 or 3 hours the police start to close all the pubs, from the stadium up the main street. So we head off with a few England lads & a few locals down some back streets and find a nice little bar for the afternoon.

Match time. A little worst the wear we head off to the stadium. We walk round the Quemal stadium the wrong way, me and Roy end up in the Albania section right on the half way line. No real trouble from the locals until Mr. Owen scores, I jump up to celebrate on my own Roy is still sat in his seat, not a bad move. England get number two again I celebrate Roy joins me this time.

Lots of abusive from the locals now. Then its 2:1 everybody is a bit happier, 2:2 ! O No ! but the linesman has his flag up offside ! The locals are not too happy now and the rocks (bit of terrace) start to be thrown at anybody the other side of the fence. Me and Roy start to think can we get out of here alive, then the secret police move in we are both told to sit down and shut up (not a bad idea) England get number 3, we both just sit there. The locals all start to go home with the game lose and the two England fans (me & Roy) now with 3 or 4 undercover police as guards.

Game ends the secret police take us though a gate sorry hole in the fence and down on to the running track sorry dirt track we walk round to were 2000 England fans are all sing there love of the FA and Adam Crozier. On to coaches and all back to the airport, land at Luton 3.00 Thursday morning, in bed with my girlfriend by 6.30 wot a day out.

Carl - Suffolk