OXFORD United do pre-seasons differently now, writes Mark Gelder.
It used to consist of runs up and down Shotover Hill. Now the club is majority owned by a consortium led by two Indonesians, Anindya Bakrie and Erick Thohir, and have been invited to play in the President’s Cup.
So last Friday, I was on a flight to Jakarta. Some 17 or 18 hours later, I landed and was hit by the 30 degrees heat. A different type to the UK where you can just find a spot in the shade.
The cab from the airport to the hotel was like the old game Crazy Taxi with cars and mopeds all switching lanes and using the narrow hard shoulder to get an edge on their way.
I had booked a few nights along with a few others at a hotel right next to the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
U’s boss rides lion during press conference: Day seven in Indonesia
Saturday evening, I went down to the hotel bar to find another four Oxford fans, and later we were up to eight as various flights and transfers arrived. We spent the evening working out who had seen Oxford in most countries outside of England.
Sunday was game day. In the hotel a few hours before kick-off, we were now up to around 10 or 12 fans. A few of us wore replica shirts/ OUFC branded tops.
The rain was lashing down and I couldn’t see the match being on. However, rain and thunderstorms in Jakarta seem to appear afternoon to dusk and then disappear.
By 6:30pm, it had stopped and we made our way to the ground. Match tickets were bought online – only £3 as well! Lots of food and snack stalls on the outer perimeter, but no programmes or merch.
Our group went up to the top tier of the east stand opposite the dugouts, and those with flags tied them over the railings and we gathered in the front row of that tier, and a few others joined us.
Pre-match, an Indonesian singer entertained us for a couple of songs, then hundreds of kids were set out in groups of either red or white kits on the running track.
The stadium announcer ran through the teams in both languages, but seemed to have learned his English presentation style from watching American sports, with a rising intonation calling out each player name in full with all middle names.
Huge cheers from the home fans for Romeny and Marselino. A long introductory speech was then made with the speaker having several pages of notes.
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Eventually we got to the actual match build-up. Fireworks and light shows, mobile phone flashlights, the kids all doing keepy-uppies on the running track, more kids holding club banners on the pitch, the unveiling of the cup trophy.
The Indonesian national anthem was sung in full, and as they had omitted ours, we sang the traditional two verses of God Save the King, and got applause from home fans near us.
As for the game, we were well ahead from the start, and I think playing more of an exhibition game than a pre-season. We let off shots and attacks when in league football we would have been more measured. In defence we perhaps were more minded not to get yellow cards or more importantly any injuries. The match finished with a couple of late goals for Indonesia All-Stars to make it 6-3, which kept the scoreline more respectable.
The total crowd was 41,026, and a real mix of kids and mums and dads. We saw a few locals with Oxford Romeny/ Marselino shirts, some apparently had been studying at Oxford.
At half-time and then at full-time, it took perhaps half an hour extra to get out with Indonesian fans wanting to take pictures with the Oxford and England flags and fans. All in all, an enjoyable evening.
