The Boats – Image Gallery

Wolves, Saturday 16th September 2017

It’s a rather beautiful thing sailing down the Trent. The alcohol and the singing rather get in the way of some picturesque views, not to mention raucous games of Subbuteo involving a former European Cup winner. Six boats would eventually take part in a lively finale past the Trent End and the hundreds that stopped to watch; red smoke filling the air. Quite where the time went we still can’t fathom out. There was a queue waiting for Southbank to open at 9am; people turned up without tickets hoping to get a spot and there was certainly some level of hype about what was to come. These boat trips have well and truly taken on a life of their own. And it’s brilliant. Bizarre but brilliant.

The game didn’t quite live up to what preceded it with a subdued and almost anxious crowd. The backing this season has been phenomenal and another 25k + attendance perhaps struggled to find their voices in the midst of another frustrating performance. You can sense the disappointment which is understandable but more concerning is that very slight lean towards impatience and a failure to remember that we are weeks into one of the biggest reset buttons in the clubs recent history. We must be part of the long term solution at Forest, a constant source of support and not another obstacle. For a group like ours which puts the atmosphere at its core we will look at how to further develop in ground activities. We saw last season how a partisan crowd can help push the team on.

Despite the result the day will still be fondly remembered by us and hopefully many others. The boats will remain an annual event but further gatherings will be happening soon – October 21st is a date to remember – and we’ll be doing our utmost to transfer the vibrancy they create into the stands.