I guess I never quite fully get this notion of the groundhopper. To visit a stadium just once, purely because it ticks a box isn’t in my DNA. Certain places, certain teams keep calling me back, and in the case of the two clubs involved in this story, on multiple occasions, something that will continue until the end of my days watching calcio.
Why certain places, stadiums, or teams get under my skin is doubtlessly a psychologists couch material, but for sure, you never really forget your first love, and for me, that also translates into football. Heading away from a game thinking, I have done that one, move onto the next is totally alien to me. Very often, I will say to myself, I will be back, and on a good number of occasions, I am.
As a youngster, way before Google Earth or the Internet superhighway I dreamed of going to a game, especially at Cesena. It had to be my first overseas jaunt, and it was. Back in June 1987, the stadium looked a lot different to today. Indeed, the speed with which La Fiorita lost its Mussolini-esque ellipse to become the Dino Manuzzi, with its intimidating two-tier stands on three sides, all close to the action, was incredible. Hampden missed a trick in not doing likewise whilst allegedly revamping the tired old venue.
Back in 1987, with no digital tickets, money stuffed through a low porthole got you a brief in exchange, a proper ticket too. Such was the intrigue for this last day encounter, it seems they oversold the stadium beyond its official capacity. It was rammed and standing right at the top of an enormous quasi permanent, but temporary scaffold curva, it was bouncing throughout the entire 90 plus minutes, save a few seconds when Catania equalised.
I have been back at Cesena four times since over the decades, seeing them in Serie A, B and C for good measure, as well as having been on the road with them a few times too. Just one loss in the eight games thus far, a home match v Inter Milan, when two goals in added time snatched defeat from the jaws of a sensational win. I had seen the reverse of this fixture at the San Siro, when they drew 1-1, when Massimo ‘il Condor’ Agostini scored a sensational equaliser. I momentarily forgot where I was, in the Inter Tribuna, and my half movement of joy was enough to get Coca-Cola poured over my head from above! Even Vialli and Mancini at Samp couldn’t get by Sebastian Rossi in a 0-0 draw a Genova two weeks later.
Cesena have been in the doldrums since they, together with Chievo, were caught doing a cute piece of accounting over a player transfer. The Verona club, now back in D finally, but only courtesy of buying a club out, totally imploded, whereas Cesena, who did go under technically, were resurrected in C under its current name Cesena FC.
The landlocked seahorses (see club badge) have struggled with the circle of hell, that is, the 28 team third tier play-offs, so in order to guarantee progression once more, the club went onto win their Girone (division) last season, equalling the record breaking points tally of Catanzaro just the season before.
Back in Serie B for the first time in six years, it started to raise the notion within me that I hadn’t been for a number of years. They featured as one of the stocking filler tales I wrote about during the pandemic for Football Weekends magazine. The club got on board with that exposure, and they even ran a feature on me in one of their programmes. It was always said that when I came back, I should get in touch.
I duly did, and Daniele, true to his word, eased the granting of a press pass so we could meet and share the match. It would turn out to be one of the great football nights of my life. I will forever be grateful to him. Meeting the aforementioned Massimo Agostini was a true highlight of the evening to shake his hand and chat about his goal in the San Siro, and the relegation saving goal weeks later versus Verona was fabulous. I think he was suffering from incredulity that a man from Scotland was calling him ‘one of my heroes’, but nothing could be more true for me.
The occasion of the night was an Emilia-Romagna derby versus Modena, from just north of the bigger rivals of yesteryear, Bologna. My goodness, how divergent the respective CV of these clubs have become, with the big regional capital boys even lording it up in the Champions League this term. I would certainly be keeping it under my hat whilst at Cesena, that I have a brief for the Bologna v Lille match later in the season.
Despite years of Cesena and Bologna rarely crossing (nearly 30 years since they met in the league), a rivalry never dies. Now Cesena are back in Serie B, they will be thinking of getting back to the top flight, a level they have graced often, including a mid 70’s sixth place finish that brought European football and 1FC Magdeburg to town. It led to ultimate progression for the East German club as they were, not long having won the Cup Winners Cup, too! At point in life, Mags were worthy of that old tag for Iron Curtain greats, ‘a crack team’. It was a very difficult opponent for the new boys from Cesena.
In the case of Modena, a team from such a rich city, its constant underperforming is a mystery, something that even brought a chuckle whilst watching the movie Ferrari, as they referenced their light weight nature. With Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini all based in Modena, you would think so monied petrol head would love their city enough to bump up the status of its team, but no. Serie B is pretty much their level.
This would be a match that had a little slice of everything, and from the first whistle until the last, both teams were going for it, no holding back in this particular derby. Cesena started brightly but were sent rocking when a piece of byline brilliance brought a cutback that was exquisitely guided into the net to give the Canaries of Modena the lead. The goal took the steam out of the home side for a while, but gradually, they found a way back into the match, trotting in at the break amazing 2-1 up. Bastoni got things started with a fantastic low shot into the corner, and then as the volume increased, a well spotted deliberate handball saw VAR change a freekick to a penalty. It was duly converted, and the roof was wobbling as they left the field to rapturous applause.
The second half continued in the same end to end style, with perhaps the more seasoned Serie B visitors showing a greater threat. A towering header would bring Modena level, a developing achilles heel with two identical late goals at La Spezia costing Cesena not one, but all three points with the last nod of the night.
Modena would go down to ten, with the thinking ex Cesenati boss Pierpoalo Bisoli would shut up shop. Nothing could have been further from reality. It took a stunning late save to keep a point at home.
It had at times been breathtaking stuff. It had been totally entertaining, and a great advert for Serie B.
Two days later, I was back in another of my favourite stomping grounds, the Romeo Menti, Vicenza. It had first been visited in the days preceding the 1990 World Cup, where another final day, all or nothing scenario, was playing out versus Prato. One of them was going to the fourth tier, unthinkable for a club who within eight years would become the last relatively small club to win the Coppa Italia, and come within a whisker of knocking out Chelsea in the Cup Winners Cup Semi-Final.
That particular day, in order to guarantee an intimidating atmosphere, entry was almost the lowest Italian currency denomination, 1,000 lira a ticket, less than 40p! I was lucky to get one of the last briefs, and while I am unsure if the Menti was over capacity, it certainly was choke full.
Curiously, Vicenza’s stadium was two tiers behind the goal back then, but like Cesena’s buffing up, when the Menti was redeveloped, Lanerossi went for a one tier set up. That said, no one sits in the home curva, one of the most boisterous and lively sections of fans anywhere in Italy, even in the third tier.
Vicenza won that 1990 game, forcing a playoff with the very same opposition in Ferrara the next week. They duly won that, and while success was just a few years away, this boom, bust side have stared down play-out football on more occasions in recent years, surviving as a third tier side just on a few occasions. They then required the Diesel Jean’s owner to come in with his Bassano Virtus side from nearby to save the club for the abyss. They are one of the most fervently supported sides in Italy, but like Cesena, the playoffs have proven a nightmare, and they remain stuck in Serie C. They agonisingly got close to B last season, reaching the playoff final, but injuries, as well as a determined and well organised Carrarese, would thwart their ambition once more.
With a big budget, the pressure mounts season on season, and trying to emulate Cesena by winning the league is what is needed, thereby avoiding the lottery of play-off football. However, in a group including equally ambitious Padova and Triestina, a mere couple of big clubs amongst the rest of the league, it will be no easy task. Favourites are always there to be shot at.
In town were Aurora Pro Patria from Busto Arsizio near Malpensa Airport. The overtly patriotically named side and their unique (for Italy) blue and white hooped shirt weren’t just in Vicenza to make up the numbers, but alas, they’d left their home kit at home.
Vicenza haven’t started the season in dominant for, with too many draws blighting the scorecard. Teams come to the Menti to frustrate, and getting through a well organised defence or being picked off by slick counterattacking can hamper them. Pro Patria were offering little upfront, but any thoughts of nicking a point were thwarted relatively early in the proceedings, when a fine cutback was lashed into the top corner.
The home support settled down a little after Lanerossi took the lead, but despite some fine attacking intent, they couldn’t find a second goal before the break. The half-time entertainment came from the sky with a spectacular sunset that largely eclipsed anything in the opening third of the second half, too.
Just to remind us a game was unfolding, Vicenza crashed home a second goal from outside the box to double the advantage. The last time I was here, Vicenza let a two goal advantage slip away, as Mantova fought back to grab a point. There would be no repeat this time, aided partly by a largely ineffectual opponent.
With the first home win of the season secured, the four sides of the stadium gave the team rousing applause at the end. Big things are expected of Vicenza, and I, for one, hope they make it back to Serie B and beyond as soon as possible. Italian football needs strong clubs like Vicenza and Cesena, and right now, the future seems bright for both.
Football Adventures with James Rendall 