Last match of the 2022-2023 season before the well-deserved holidays not without controversy in Agropoli due to the unavailability of the “Raffaele Guariglia” stadium, occupied by the Italian under 23 athletics championships. The return final between the Cilento team and the City of Gallipoli therefore, vain or purely academic attempts by mayors, various councilors, quaestors, also discarded the “Tenente Michele Vaudano” stadium in Capaccio which has only one grandstand, finds finally availability from the club of Santa Maria di Castellabate.
Happy epilogue but not for everyone: the fans of the Campania dolphins are bitter, forced to move in a match with very high stakes, where the home factor could also be decisive; not least the supporters of Salento, as the away sector is approved for a few hundred fans and the requests are many more. To mitigate the unfortunate “eviction” we think the president of Agropoli Carmelo Infante who, to encourage the massive presence at the “Carrano” in Castellabate and try to overturn the heavy 4-1 of the first leg, offers free admission and a shuttle service from Agropoli to the stadium.
The journey is not the easiest even for myself, especially for the kick-off at 16:30 which leads me to consider giving up, but in the end the curiosity to see the two fans at work prevails, as well as a stadium and a country unknown to me. Going in order, I leave by bus for Salerno, booked ahead of time knowing the date and paid little, with the amply justified heel lift for the last challenge of the season. Arrived well in advance in Salerno, after a good breakfast in a well-known restaurant in the city, the light bulb went on telling me to return to the historic “Donato Vestuti” stadium. Never a choice was more apt, since near the old plant I see several people with the Cavalluccio shirt or the various groups that make up the Salerno supporters. First perimeter tour of the stadium, then back to the starting point I join the flow of people who enter through a door and for the first time I set foot on the turf of a sacred temple for Salerno and beyond. What I see is something incredible, not even I believe my eyes and no words can match what I see as I walk through that door. In fact, there are many ultras who are putting up all the banners of the various groups that have followed one another over time and who have accompanied the grenade fans at home and away in all these years. Lots of banners that take my mind back in time, scattered both in the Curva Sud and in the two grandstands, leaving only the away sector empty. Being able to see the whole history of the grenade fans in a historic stadium like the “Vestuti” is something unique, exceptional and spectacular at the same time. There would be many other adjectives to add but not to bore you I better stop here. Basically, the next day, June 19, Salernitana’s 104th anniversary is celebrated and for the occasion the banners are being prepared and arranged, including inflatables for the little ones, while the older ones are planning a procession through the city center and other initiatives .
I steal a few more precious shots, then I go back to the center under the shelter of Piazza della Concordia where a bus takes me to Santa Maria di Castellabate where I arrive at 1.40pm, ironically passing through the center of Agropoli and in front of the “Raffaele Guariglia” stadium. I get off right under the “Antonio Carrano” stadium, take the road that leads me to the plant and like every time, my tour begins, first outside and then inside the plant where, arriving well in advance, I can even set foot on the green surface not before respectfully asking permission from the insiders, who even seem to appreciate my curiosity and want me to cross that threshold.
Once inside, passing by the away side, I understand how small the stadium is compared to that of Agropoli, although this year the local team participated very well in the Serie D championship in group I. It is made up of only two grandstands: that of the home fans , long and formed by four steps, covered in the center and with seats while on the sides it remains uncovered; on the opposite side is the guests’ gallery, completely in iron. Behind the doors lots of encouragement writings towards the home team, left there from the last game. I retrace my steps and take the way to the guest sector and I notice lots of writings by the Santa Maria ultras on the walls, including a beautiful mural just outside the club grandstand, while there are also lots of stickers that catch the eye and them of an important and constant presence.
Time is running out so I take the road that leads to the historic center, all uphill and under the scorching sun but after about a kilometre, a lapidary passerby announces to me that “there are still three kilometers to go”, so, with time running out, I satisfied with another short stretch and an overview of the entire stadium from above and with it the lower part of the town and above all the coast with the sea that shines in all its wonderful colors.
Once I set foot on the green rectangle again, I can finally admire the two fans at work: the grandstand, where the hosts take their seats, is completely full with the ultras, present in about sixty units, behind the patch of the unforgettable Carmine with a drum to mark the times, who settle in a corner of the sector, trying to compact as much as possible. Perhaps they summarized best of all the words, controversies and denials that preceded the match, sticking up a large banner in the central part of the grandstand: “TODAY THIS IS THE REALITY… DRIVEN OUT OF OUR CITY!”.
On the opposite side, the Salento ultras occupy the entire sector dedicated to them, entering in trickles but arranging all the banners long before the kick-off. Precisely in the prey both fans begin to cheer on the teams intent on warming up on the pitch, furthermore, behind one of the doors, a banner is attached to thank the president Infante for having given us his (free admission and shuttles) to alleviate all the inconvenience caused to the fans by this choice.
A few minutes late, the teams take the field while the hosts light a blue smoke bomb and do their utmost with clapping throughout the sector, and the Gallipolini ultras make a nice scarf. During the match, the differences with which the two fans approach the incitement towards their team are very noticeable, always calculating that we start from the 4-1 of the first leg: the ultras from Agropolesi have no flags or banners and sing choirs accompanied by many clapping. On the opposite side however, the Apulian ultras are more colorful thanks to the flags but also to the banners and their support varies according to the choirs and they too prefer clapping.
In the first half, the two fans were equal and gave their best despite the day being particularly hot, certainly not mitigated by the time. If all evils do not have a silver lining, the sector granted to the local ultras is much more intimate than their usual place at the “Guariglia”, more dispersive than today. Of course, the blue ultras are also good at compacting well and providing a more than good performance. Corroborated just before half an hour by the first exultation thanks to Salerno’s goal, which restores hope to the Agropoli fans who, after lighting a smoke bomb, try to incite their team with even more conviction.
The Giallorossi ultras do the same, who don’t want to take risks and try to instill courage and self-sacrifice in the eleven on the pitch, but in the second of the three minutes of added time allowed before the interval, Agropoli doubles with Infimo who reopens the dispute and makes the whole stand rejoice, with the corner of the ultras once again lighting a smoke bomb.
In the second half the Cilentans harbor the hope of a third goal for a long time which would mean promotion and the support reaches good levels, against the ultras guests they have some heels in the initial part, but they are good at recovering and trying to keep the team afloat , while defending itself well, it seems that it will collapse at any moment. However, eleven minutes from the ninetieth minute, from a corner shot, Perchaud destroyed all hope for the home fans and sent his own fans into raptures, scoring the 2-1 goal which sent the City of Gallipoli virtually into Serie D. In these final minutes obviously the disappointment of the blue ultras is palpable, whose support is fluctuating, while the Gallipolini are over the moon and considerably raise the intensity of the chants, also making a thick scarf that effectively closes the challenge in the stands.
At the triple whistle, the Agropoli players are destroyed and someone bursts into tears seeing the dream vanish just one step away from the finish line. Despite the defeat, however, the team is equally applauded by their fans who recognize the grit and anger they brought so close as to overturn an apparently already written ending.
On the opposite side, however, the party starts with the ultras who celebrate this promotion to Serie D seven years after the last time, as do the players on the pitch wearing themed shirts. With the team still intent on celebrating under the away sector, the ultras from Gallipoli also have a special thought for those who are warned, for whom they hoist the last banner of the day with the D’s strictly marked in red. While this final is consigned to history, there is no more time for me, I have to run away if I don’t want to lose the various means of transport that will take me back home, where I will then arrive late at night, tired but happy to have finished yet another season on the various fields of our peninsula. Happy holidays to all with the same wish as an old banner: “STILL US TOGETHER WITH YOU”. Who in the stands and who on the field to immortalize this old but always young movement.
Marco Gasparri
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2023-06-29 13:45:01
#AgropoliGallipoli #playoffs #thousand #vicissitudes #suspense #joy
