Having planned my day off well in advance for the usual pre-Easter midweek shift, studying calendars and crossroads, I managed to give birth to a very respectable double which begins on Thursday afternoon in group F of Serie D with Fossombrone-Campobasso. Despite the proximity between the town of my usual holidays and the small town of Val Metauro, I have never attended a match in the “Bonci” stadium, I therefore decide by virtue of the arrival of the leaders Campobasso following which the ultras component will be important . However, I had already seen the historic center of Fossombrone but I decided to leave early anyway to avoid setbacks.
I arrive at the stadium at the same time as my friend Francesco and after the ritual greetings, I move on to the “Marcello Bonci” stadium, where the organizational machine is in fibrillation given the importance of this match, with the parking and the entrance of the away section clearly divided from the spaces of the home fans. Speaking of the two teams on the pitch, the locals, after an excellent start which culminated with first position occupied for a couple of days, have progressively lost positions, falling to mid-table but just a few points from the play-out zone, while Campobasso has been leaders for several days of group F, chased by Sambenedettese currently separated by five points. With six days to go, this match is therefore of vital importance for both.
It’s always pleasant to come to these parts and find the kindness of the local managers and workers, who always try to put you in the best conditions to be able to do their job as best as possible. Although Fossombrone has just over nine thousand inhabitants, the stadium is reasonably full although not at the level of the Marche derbies in which it reached a full house. In a portion of the grandstand, the handful of local ultras take their places and if for Fossombrone the D series represents their own A series, having an organized group in such a small town, which follows the blue and white shirts practically everywhere, represents a real luxury.
The Molise wolves are also followed by a large number of supporters, considering that the Molise capital is not as large as one might imagine but over the years it has always seen considerable numbers both at home and away, against historic or lesser-known fans, despite the five failures or the lowest categories from which they found themselves starting again and which encouraged them to do something else or stay comfortably at home.
A light rain welcomes us on the pitch although from a meteorological point of view, the day remains mild overall and in these parts this is not so obvious. The guests, after having attached banners and banners to the fence, make themselves heard well before the kick-off with chants and clapping and then, once the teams have entered the field, they color the sector with a simple display of flags including banners. The locals, although not many, try to add color to the sector by waving the flag BOTTY CLUB. In the first half, despite being outnumbered, they were very willing, the choirs were certainly not lacking with the choir launcher, megaphone in hand, to coordinate the ultras present. Obviously when there are not many of you, to save your voice and keep the intensity as high as possible, the drumming and clapping become essential so as not to lose the rhythm and save some of your voice. The first part of the match flows well for them although the away side is compact and difficult to face, but the team takes care of giving them a big help by incredibly passing in the thirty-fifth with Fagotti, good at hitting the rossoblù goal with a soft lob.
As the match continues, the blue and white fans also know how to make themselves seen on a choreographic level by waving three flags, with two in simple club colors in addition to the group’s branded one. In the second half the level of intensity drops and in addition to the clapping to accompany the choirs, there are pauses between one choir and another which may well be there given the numerical disparity.
On the away side, in the first half the Molisans give their best and despite being closer to the home sector, I can hear their chants arriving in a clear and decisive manner. There is a lot of clapping and there is no lack of color either. In the second half they suffered the consequences of the disadvantage and also dropped noticeably, not so much in continuity but in intensity. However, the support never fails, choirs always accompanied by powerful clapping give way, in the central part of the second fraction, to a beautiful, thick and lasting scarf with the addition of a couple of banners in the part, wanting to contribute to the success of the same without being too invasive and ruining that mosaic.
As the minutes pass, the Campobasso ultras will find the right attitude and increase the intensity of the chants, trying to push the team to score, based on the good news arriving from the “Riviera delle Palme” where Chieti is surprisingly ahead of Sambenedettese. The guests’ performance increased with Campobasso pushing forward and right in injury time, Campobasso scored the equalizer through Di Filippo. The rossoblù faithful rejoice and go crazy two minutes later, when the referee decrees a penalty kick that could be worth a championship, but Di Nardo is hypnotized by Marcantognini from the spot and the final whistle arrives immediately afterwards.
There is obvious regret in the away team for this 1-1 draw, while the local ultras sing chants for their goalkeeper, the hero of the day applauded by the whole team before returning to the changing rooms. Despite the disappointment of both the fans and the players, chants are being sung inviting everyone not to give up in these last five days that separate from the coveted goal. If the Sambenedettese are then forced to a draw by Chieti, they must beware of the new vice-leaders L’Aquila, victorious in the Avezzano derby and now four points away from the top. Group F, as widely predicted, is proving to be more exciting than ever, both on the pitch and in the stands.
Text by Marco Gasparri
Photos by Marco Gasparri and Francesco Passarelli
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