It was the opening weekend of the new Super League season and my initial plan had been to head south to Johor Darul Ta’zim’s game with Kedah. Johor were last season’s champions and the fixture doubled up as the Malaysian version of the Charity Shield. That game was a nine o’clock kick-off though and that’s a bit late for me. I can stay up that late, usually, but it messes the evening up and means any post-match eating and drinking doesn’t start until knocking on for midnight.
There was a game up at Batu Kawan though that kicked off late afternoon and therefore looked a much better option. It was a four hour drive up the coast and Jen and I arrived at the Negeri Pulau Pinang Stadium with an hour in hand.
For the last two games we’d been in hospitality sections, but for this one it was back to reality. On the plus side though the tickets were only ten ringgits a go, just under two quid.
It’s an unusual looking ground, with curved stands on opposite sides lengthways and with the areas behind the goals grassed over. They’d be ideal places for lying back with a picnic, but it didn’t look as if anyone was allowed into those areas.
We took up seats centrally and towards the back of the stand. This gave us plenty of shade and a welcome breeze on our backs. We were among the first into the ground and eventually what was probably around a few hundred spectators took their seats on our side of the pitch.
A fairly even first half finished goalless. PKNP took the lead early in the second half but couldn’t get a second to make it safe. Negeri Sembilan went for it in the closing moments and hit the post twice in added time with one of the shots bouncing back out from what seemed an impossible angle. At the final whistle the visiting players slumped to the floor at the reality of leaving empty-handed after having those two late chances to take a point.
We were staying about five miles up the road in an area renowned for its seafood restaurants. Unfortunately I’d booked us into a hotel located in an industrial estate and our only dining option was a curry in a café that didn’t sell booze. We were back in our dry hotel by 8pm and in hindsight probably would have been better off going to Johor after all.
Tags: Batu Kawan, Malaysia Super League, Negeri Sembilan, PKNP
Trail of the Lion King 
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