This was my first football match experience in Andalucía and to add even more excitement to the occasion it was going to be an Andalusian derby in the second division as Granada welcomed Cadiz. I was particularly excited to see a match involving Cadiz, as before coming to live in Spain I’d noticed in a few tv productions that Cadiz seems to have quite a famously strong culture due to the strong accent and jovial humour of its people, and this reputation became more apparent to me after spending a few months chatting with locals in my hometown in Castilla La-Mancha.

I was assured that the away team would bring a fair few followers with them and this was evident to see on the morning of the game as I made my way to the centre of the city for some pre-match activities. The famously bright yellow jerseys of Cadiz could be seen on sidewalks bars and cafes, and this was great to see as one thing that is a bit of a disappointment in Spanish football culture is the general lack of an away following. My two American friends also working in Spain wanted to join me for a game whilst we were all in Spain together and so on this occasion I wasn’t attending the match alone. I met them in the city beforehand so we could have a few drinks and then make our way to the stadium.

The location of the stadium is about a 30-minute stroll from downtown and when we arrived I was really impressed with the backdrop. The small but neat stadium is set amongst a backdrop of mountains which even had a light covering of snow, and the crystal-clear blue sky really made it a wonderful setting. We mingled outside the ground and enjoyed a drink alfresco at one of the local bars whilst watching the ultra-group welcome the home team bus with flares and banners, and I was pleased that my American friends were getting an interesting European football experience.

Despite the game itself ending 0-0, it was one of the best scoreless games I’ve ever seen, with Granada in particular having plenty of opportunities to break the deadlock and Cadiz threatening to snatch what would’ve been a surprising victory on the break. The atmosphere inside the stadium was great, with pockets of bright yellow Cadiz shirts dotted amongst the red of Cordoba. If I were in a stadium in England, I would’ve been worried about the lack of segregation resulting in violence! But one thing that took me some getting used to in Spain was the way the people raise their voices at each other without it ever getting anywhere close to being a physical confrontation, and this was the case in the stands as the derby atmosphere got a little bit heated.

Undoubtedly the star of the show was the view. It was such a beautiful day and our seats in one of the last rows of an open top stadium meant that we had the most amazing views across the mountains during the entire game. The only thing missing was a goal! Apart from that it was an almost perfect experience.