'Pure euphoria': A Gazette reporter's first football experience in Basingstoke

If my complete lack of anything resembling football knowledge didn’t put me at enough of a disadvantage, my Scottish accent was sure to raise some eyebrows.

What I hadn’t anticipated, however, was the sheer elation of football fans back together in pubs in a set-up vaguely resembling normality.

As our photographer, Sarah, and I entered The Rising Sun off Chapel Hill, we were met with a sea of flags and bunting, smiling faces, and merry chants from those who had bagged their spot mid-afternoon.

Football fans arrived at the pub in good time

Despite its moderate size and the restraints of distanced tables only, Kevin and the team had successfully set up four big screens for their guests to get the best views of the crucial game.

As we began making our way around the pub, introducing ourselves, snapping pre-match pictures, and chatting with supporters, as thousands of people filtered into the stadium being beamed around us, it was almost possible to forget that anything was different. Almost, I thought, as I readjusted my mask.

While there was a tinge of sadness that the place couldn’t be packed to the brim, as the match kicked off the lucky few more than made up for it.

Now, when I say my football knowledge is limited, I should perhaps add the context that I don’t think I’ve ever sat through an entire match in my life, or at least not paid attention. But it didn’t matter. Whereas at home I would probably have turned off as soon as I got confused, surrounded by the whirlwind of emotions of pub-goers I felt the adrenaline of each close-call, each dodgy tackle, each goal.

Surrounded by the fans, I felt the tension with each corner and close-call

At half-time, spirits were pretty high considering the three lions had conceded their first goal of the championship, and as the nail-biting second half ticked by, the people around me were quite literally at the edge of their seats. And, just by being immersed in it, I found that I was too.

The adrenaline rush when Harry Kane secured a second goal for England was intense. As I whipped out my phone, desperate to capture the moment, I could feel myself shaking. The room erupted. It was pure euphoria that only a passion for sport can induce.

At full-time, with the now all-too-familiar chorus of “It’s Coming Home” ringing in our ears, we took a walk through the town centre, where the same tipsy tune echoed through the streets.

Cheers rang out at The Rising Sun as Harry Kane scored the winning goal

While my friends back home in bonnie Aberdeenshire may joke that I betrayed my roots, as first football experiences go, I would say England nabbing a spot in the Euro 2020 finals wasn’t a bad choice. But will I watch on Sunday? Perhaps, if it doesn't clash with Love Island 😉