If you ever wonder what it’s like watching an England World Cup game in a pub, this story is for you. When England’s World cup tie with the US ended goalless last week, our reporter Warren De La Cruz was, as you guessed it, in a pub long before the game started. Here’s his story.
For some viewers, the match was a procession that was not worth the ninety minutes with some frustrated with England’s tame performance. I am also of the same view, but I did not come away from the match completely unsatisfied.
I have always watched the tournament at home with family, but the winter weather and a busier schedule meant that I wasn’t able to enjoy the football as much as the two earlier tournaments.
To avoid the monotony of watching the football under bleak circumstances again, I travelled to Pub on the Park, a pub in London Fields, to watch England’s world cup match against the US. Tensions would be high prior to the match as every pub and bar across East London was fully booked, some two days in advance.
Pub on the Park is walk-in only during England games due to the high volume of pub-goers who were expected to arrive at 7pm.
I arrived two hours before the game started and the pub appeared to be at full capacity already. I managed to get a table and spent most of my time taking in my surroundings. Only a few people were paying attention to the three screens showing the game between the Netherlands and Ecuador, the only reactions being a few gasps when Ecuador hit the post in the second half.
One hour before kick-off, fans of all ages, donning shirts emblazoned with names like Beckham and Heskey, started filing in. The pub-football atmosphere that was missing an hour earlier felt like an inevitability as the main floor began to fill up.
No chants had been sung yet, but I could feel them brewing. 30 minutes before kick-off and the area next to the pub’s entrance was swarming with people having to navigate themselves and their pints through a sea of England jerseys. During this time, I had left my table and positioned myself between two crowds, each watching opposite screens.
In the 10 minutes before kick-off, the inevitable chanting began when the line-up for England was shown on the broadcast. As each player flashed on the screen, fans shouted their names in between roars of “COME ON ENGLAND!”. I particularly enjoyed the yells of “SLABHEAD!” when England defender Harry Maguire appeared on screen. Five minutes before the match, the pub started blaring ‘Three Lions’ by Baddiel, Skinner & the Lightning Seeds. I joined the crowd in singing the chorus of the song and that was the first time I felt like I was properly supporting the Three Lions.
The match kicked off and the pub audience were glued to the flat-screen televisions. In the first-half England looked flat-footed and were unable to break down the US defence. America was the most dangerous side going forward at the time, and the fans at the pub knew it.
Despite this, the chants were still going strong, and spirits were still high. A group of supporters I was standing next to invited me to join them in chanting “COME ON ENGLAND!”. I was a hesitant at first but the more they repeated the mantra, the easier it felt to join in. Our intense chanting eventually died down, ending with a fist-bump from each member of the group. This was my favourite moment of the night.
After a slow first half, most fans looked disappointed as they headed towards the bar to buy more alcohol. Then the music started up again, this time it was the best of British, starting with ‘Satisfaction’ by the Rolling Stones and ending with the pub classic ‘Sweet Caroline’ by Neil Diamond. There was a collective unwillingness to sing after England’s underwhelming first half performance, although, in typical British fashion, the crowd couldn’t resist singing along to ‘Sweet Caroline’.
During half-time I spoke to an England supporter named Adam. We mostly discussed our thoughts on the game so far before I asked him why people go to the pub to watch football. Adam told me that “You have to come to the pub to see these games”. He added that he usually goes to the pub to watch the Champions League but watching England at the World Cup is a different feeling altogether, a feeling that he says he can’t describe.
The second half began, and the script was much like the first half. The US took control of the attacking play whilst England struggled to defend the advancing of the US forwards.
England had better opportunities to score in the second half, but neither side was clinical in finishing their chances. The crowd were still focused on the screen, although the chants of the higher energy fans felt out of place at some points in the second half. The biggest moment of the match was during injury time. Luke Shaw curled his free kick into the American penalty area which connected with the head of forward, Harry Kane, only to skew wide of the goal. The crowd groaned in unison as some buried their heads in their hands. The referee blew his whistle at 90 minutes to end the match, a disappointment after such a tense build-up.
I felt the same anguish when the ball went wide, and I was frustrated with the result. However, I kept my attention towards the TV for the entirety of the match. If I watched the match at home, I would be using my phone during the moments when there wasn’t an attack. Regardless of the result, I felt like I was fully supporting the team, even when they were not playing their best football. Singing chants and being immersed in the atmosphere of pub football was what led me to this bar in London Fields, and I look forward to experiencing that again, hopefully with a better result.