Spain

Segunda Division

Sunday 19th February 2023

Kick Off 18.30 Actual 18.32

Burgos C.F. 1 Albacete Balompie 1, attendance 10,832

78’ 0-1

90’ + 3, 1-1

@ Estadio Municipal El Plantio

Calle del Dos de Mayo

09006 Burgos

€15 Admission

No Programme.

The 110 mile drive east from León took around 1 hour 40 minutes, so we were parked up very close to the stadium shortly after 15.30. We already knew the ticket office didn’t open until 5 o’clock, so headed off into the town for food. When we arrived back at the ticket office a small queue had formed, so we joined it about twenty or so from the front. The window shutters opened and people began to move. Then a lad appeared from inside the exit gate adjacent to the booth and pinned a notice up. It wasn’t good news. Apparently the game was sold out! There had been no indication of this on their website and when checking beforehand we had no concerns whatsoever. Why would we? The ground holds 12,194 and their average gate is only around 6,500-7,000. It wasn’t as if it was a local derby (Albacete is 300 miles away) or even a top of the table clash, as it was 7th versus 6th in the league table.

Anyway, we were suddenly faced with a problem, as we certainly couldn’t get to any other game now. We spoke to the lad, who confirmed all tickets had gone. Apparently there had been some sort of ‘promotion’ and all tickets were sold out on Monday. What about getting a ticket in the away section? He informed us that if we came back at six o’clock there may be a possibility of getting a ticket then, but no guarantee. Was this just a way to get rid of us? We went to the club shop. No intention of speaking to us, let alone helping us out. We tried the VIP entrance, where a girl had a huge pile of tickets in her hand, but no chance, even if people didn’t turn up. We even offered her cash for a ticket, but not a chance!

We returned to the ticket office about ten to six. There was one person at the window, being served by the lad we had spoken to. He glanced up, nodded to us and smiled. Was this good news? Yes….we could indeed buy a ticket in the away end, but only by bank card. No cash. Not a problem. We were sorted. Despite him helping us out, it gave me a reason to hope Burgos lost the game. We were in with the visitors anyway, so why not?

Again, the game was nothing to write home about. The view wasn’t great, but better than no view at all. There wasn’t that much action to see anyway. Burgos looked to have had a man red carded midway through the first half, but it was overturned by V.A.R. Albacete had a great chance to open the scoring in the last minute of the half, but it was cleared off the line by a defender. In stoppage time a red card was shown to someone on each bench following a bout of pushing on the touchline. Albacete looked to have won it when they opened the scoring with twelve minutes left, chesting down a diagonal cross from the left, before smashing it past the ‘keeper from 6 yards. Three minutes into stoppage time Burgos got the equaliser. A ball in from the right was finished with a thunderbolt into the far corner from just inside the angle of the 18 yard box.

We got chatting to the lad sat next to us. It turned out he was Austrian and was in Spain for work. He had been behind us in the queue and had heard our conversation about the tickets and decided to shadow our movements as we seemed ‘to know what we were doing’. Thankfully, we did! And, as for the game being sold out, I suppose you could say it was, if you ignore the fact that there were still 1,362 empty seats!