BOIS IN EUROPE

BOIS IN EUROPE

Words: Seb White

(A)way trips don’t come much better than when your team is in a European competition. We caught up with Derek Watson, a proper Motherwell fan who has been very busy during a time when most of us are trying to summon the enthusiasm for pre-season friendlies.

SEB: Derek, Motherwell have only been in European football competition 11 times in their 140-year history. I’m guessing you were excited about this summer’s Europa Conference League qualifiers? 

DEREK: Oh mate, it’s been amazing. European football is the dream for us, you know. Rangers and Celtic qualify every year; they take it for granted. My earliest memory of watching Motherwell in Europe was going to Nancy in France with my dad in 2008. And still to this day, it's probably my favourite footballing memory. I’ve since been to Athens, Valencia, Iceland, Sligo, all to watch Motherwell. You just never know if it's ever going to happen again or when. So you need to take those opportunities when they present themselves. 

SEB: Even when you draw HB Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands. A very expensive and difficult place to get to…

DEREK: My bank balance didn’t like that draw, but I wasn’t going to miss it. We flew via Copenhagen, had a great night out and stumbled into some GAIS ultras from Gothenburg in the meatpacking district. They were also using the Danish capital as a stopover to play FC Nordsjælland the next day. We saw their scarves; they saw ours. They took us to a pub with more of their fans, and we ended up having a great night out. We ended up in a techno club until 4am with them! Bringing complete strangers together in foreign lands is the sort of thing only football can do.

We dusted off the hangovers and made our way to the airport the next morning. We were meant to get to Tórshavn really early in the morning, and I had grand plans of experiencing some culture, grabbing some nice food and checking out a few shops. The aim was not to sit in an Irish bar for hours. However, our flight got really delayed, so we only got there three hours before kick-off. So, obviously, we ended up in the Irish bar pre-match. There were only 120 Motherwell fans there in the stadium. It was the proper hardcore. I could have probably written you a list of who was going to be there before I went, you know, even people that I'm not friendly with, you just recognise their faces because that’s what it’s like following small teams.

It was the first time I witnessed a Motherwell European away win, and a comfortable one at that. It was brilliant. And all the players over at the end were jumping about, singing and dancing with the fans; it was really what it was about. You think back to all those times watching Motherwell travel all across Scotland, going to Dingwall on a freezing Tuesday night and watching us get beaten on penalties in the League Cup. It makes it all worth it. Even if we ended up in the same Irish bar post-match and it took all day and three different planes to get back the next day. It really wasn’t worth the £50 we saved! Lesson learned.

SEB: Back to Scandinavia a couple of weeks later, but against HJK Helsinki whose supporters I know you have an existing connection with…

When we played Panathinaikos at home in 2012, HJK Helsinki were playing Celtic down the road, the day before. So some fans got in touch with us on the Ultras Tifo forum and asked if they could come to Fir Park the following evening. They did; we had a great night, and they’ve been coming to Motherwell every year since. So the draw was perfect. We took the ferry across to Finland, not the best for a hangover!

When we got to Helsinki midday on game day, all the Finnish boys came and met us in the square. This huge square was just full of hundreds of fans of both clubs, just singing, having a laugh and sharing beers. They even lent the young lads a drum and flagpoles for the away section because it was too expensive to take their own with the Ryanair excess baggage charges. It was great for our younger supporters as it was the first time they'd met each other. So lots of new connections were made and old connections were rekindled. It was a really special day, which got better in the 64th minute when we went 1-0 up with a penalty. It’s fair to say the 600 Motherwell fans enjoyed that moment. HJK got a late equaliser and set it up beautifully for the return fixture.

SEB: Whilst we’re a magazine that focuses on (A)way trips, tell us about the 2nd Leg against HJK Helsinki at home…

I can’t stop thinking about it. I’m 36, but it’s probably my favorite home game I've ever been to. A Motherwell win as comfortable as they come against an established European name in Europe, it was just incredible. 

People really questioned if we were gonna be able to keep it up after the amazing achievements of last season, but the style of play was almost identical, maybe even more direct. The home end was absolutely packed, all three home stands sold out. So much so, they placed some Motherwell fans in the traditional away end, just so they could get as many people through the gate as possible.