Étoile Carouge FC
Stade de la Fontenette
Rte de Veyrier
1227 Carouge
Switzerland
Ground Number: 1356
Friday 4th October 2024
Etoile Carouge 3-1 Stade Nyonnais
Swiss Challenge League
ETOILE CAROUGE FC - A BRIEF HISTORY
Etoile Carouge FC (or Star Carouge in English) were established in 1904. They were formed due to a merger of several local clubs that played in the Geneva leagues and that was where the club remained until 1923 when they were promoted to the third tier. Within a few seasons, they were in the second tier before a few short spells in the top tier, known as the Nationalliga A. Their best finish was in 1933 when they finished around halfway. The team suffered a decline over the next few years and spent from 1936 until 1958 back in the regional leagues. The 1960s saw them flitting between the second and third tiers with them returning to the top tier in 1977 for a single season. Again a decline occurred and they spent the first half of the 80s in the third tier. After that, they were a second-tier mainstay and would even spend another season in the top division in 1998. They dropped back down to the third tier from 2002 until 2012. Following the restructuring that brought about the modern-day setup, Etoile Carouse were placed in the third-tier Promotion League.. Relegation followed in 2016 when they went down to the 1. Liga where they remained until 2019. Last season, they were promoted up to the second-tier Challenge League, achieving their highest ranking in the Swiss League structure since the turn of the millennium.
MY VISIT
I always like to try and visit countries near the border of other countries, in this case, it was the French side of Switzerland and the area around Geneva. This trip was first thought of back in the summer but I had to wait around a month for the fixtures to be confirmed. The perfect flight was available from Luton to Geneva, leaving at lunchtime and getting into Geneva mid-afternoon. This was perfect for getting to the airport on public transport, but it meant I'd only be able to see a game in Geneva or the nearby vicinity in the evening. The perfect club to watch was Etoile Carouge although the Swiss league took an age to confirm, around three weeks after the previous weeks' fixtures were confirmed. Finally, on Tuesday 3rd September, it was confirmed that the Etoule Carouge v Stade Nyonnais game would kick off at 19:15. I went straight onto Easyjet and grabbed what they claimed was the last place on the flight, still a very reasonable £21.99. Together with being able to get to the airport on public transport, travel-wise, this should be a pretty economical trip.
Not so the accommodation arrangements, for which I changed my mind several times. The cheapest ones were half the price I paid with doubtful reviews and near the airport. I originally booked in an Ibis, around the £200 mark for the three days, but these were in the arse end of nowhere. I figured that the Ramada Encore on the Carouge side of Geneva would be a better option seeing as time would be tight getting there on Friday evening. Also, with Switzerland having a reputation for being pricey, I figured that travelling in and out of places would be a false economy. So I booked at what was a very fancy hotel by my standards for £271.80 for three nights. The room was far too big for me on my own, but it was the same cost as a smaller room, so I went for it. The high prices did not stretch to the ticket for my first game, working out at £9 for this second-tier game, great value for money. Generally, though, I would adopt my usual attitude - as long as something is really nice, then I don't mind paying a bit more than usual.
From where I left my blog on Saturday, my trains and buses went well. I got off the bus at Marlow so I could tick the new Wetherspoons there before getting a taxi home. It had been the usual enjoyable Saturday. I considered going to a game on Sunday after work but opted for a nap. It wasn't so bad at work and I had my new laptop delivered on Tuesday, far better than my current one and quick to set up. With it being fairly bulky and costly though, it'll still be my Chromebook that I take on most trips. I had already chosen my game for Tuesday - keeping up my record of a game in every round of the FA Cup by going to the replay between Chesham United & Bishops Cleeve. However, rain put paid to that and with a number of other games off, I ended up at Amersham Town for the 4th time this season. In a competitive game, they beat Burnham 2-1. The pitch was the most impressive thing though, still playing great despite constant rain and most other local games being off. I awoke quite tired on Wednesday but soon cheered up when I found that I'd got my £220 delayed flight compensation from Easyjet. Together with payday on Friday, a much-needed boost to my finances after an expensive month.
It was a dull couple of days before the game. I spent much of Thursday learning that Futbology was not always right. Game two and three on Sunday had incorrect details regarding kickoff, something I only realised after planning a route and researching the club history for one of the clubs before double checking the details on the league website. This very same website sourced me a backup plan but I was still undecided when I left on Friday morning. My alarm went off just after 7 and I got dressed, had breakfast and was away on time. Thanks to Google Maps, I was able to track my bus and only had a few minutes wait at the bus stop. It was standing room only on the bus at first but I got a seat pretty quickly. The bus was quicker than expected, so I was able to get an earlier train. I killed time in Marks & Spencer, getting some nice crisps. I did consider a pint at Spoons but time was quite tight. I had also found out that my flight was delayed, sadly not enough for some lucrative compensation as in Belfast but also not enough to make getting to my game difficult, fingers crossed. The EMR service was impeccable, taking just 22 minutes to get to Luton Airport Parkway and then another ten minutes in the shuttle to the airport. Security was a lot slower than Stansted and there was the constant aroma of B.O in the air until I got into the Big Smoke Taproom and kitchen. I had two pints of cider at £7 each and a Big Smoke burger with all the trimmings for £22. Inflated airport prices for sure and a guide to what to expect in Geneva. But the food was well above average and the cider pleasant, plus a new tick for me, so I was happy.
I wandered around the other shops in the airport and saw a burger similar to mine for a fiver less, but who knows how good it was. I got a meal deal from Boots including a decent onion bhaji sarnie for a fiver mainly due to the Irn Bru and chocolate. The gate was announced and the plane seemingly on time despite the false information I was fed earlier. There was the usual people who had paid for Speedy Boarding to sit on the plane for longer than everyone else which was a bit confusing but each to their own. We get off around ten minutes late. I stick my headphones to block out the noise of others, listening to a new audiobook I got on a good deal from Audible. This made the flight go nice and quickly and the security at the other end was swift. A bus to my hotel was with me within a few minutes and £2.70 covered the 40-minute journey. The TPG app was fiddly but I eventually got my ticket. I was at Servette FC near my room at 5.15. I decided to have a look around the local supermarket and ended up spending around £30, getting a lot of cider and a few fancy products. I then went to my hotel. I had to pay a tenner in city tax but was pleased to see that this covered my public transport for the weekend. I checked in and went up to my room, where I rested and drank a couple of ciders. I also got a shower which was nice after a day travelling. I had another drink and watched some videos before leaving at 7.15. The walk was pretty grim at first, through an industrial estate and a big road. But once we got to Carouge, it was a lot more peaceful. It was a relaxed atmosphere at the ground too, though not many were in attendance—probably less than four figures. A small knot of fans had travelled from Nyon.
Etoile Carouge had made a great start to the season, sitting in 3rd place. They had won five, drawn one and lost three of their games so far. Their last result was a 5-1 defeat at Stade Lausanne-Ouchy. FC Stade Nyonnais were sitting bottom of the league having won two, drawn one and lost six of their games so far. Their last game was a narrow 2-1 loss to FC Aarau. The game kicked off a little early and maybe so did Carouge. For within a minute, a quick attack saw Elias Pasche open the scoring and it was the out of form visitors that dominated early on. Carouge came back into it later but despite plenty of play, didn't create any serious chances. Around the hour mark, they had a good spell. After a number of chances and a parry by the Nyon keeper, it was all square on 69 minutes when Bruno Caslei netted. They dominated from there on and in the last minute, a corner was put in from the left and Bonota Traore headed home at the back post. Having suffered late heartbreak, Nyon pushed forward and forced a good save from the keeper. But on the break, Carouge sealed the win, making it 3-1 on the break, Matheus Viera with the last kick of the game. From there, I got a few pictures of the main stand before walking the half hour back to my room.
THE GROUND
STADE DE LA FONTENETTE is a decent venue. The best part is the main stand which is elevated and has around 2500 seats. The better facilities are in here in terms of food and drink as there was a proper grill. Two of the other sides were steep uncovered terracing and this means that the view is excellent and many choose to sit. Food in this section is limited to hot dogs and fries, although prices are pretty reasonable. Away fans get a raw deal, stuck in a cage in one corner of the ground whilst the home fans thankfully have no fences. There is one remaining end with not much on it. Sadly, I saw no merchandise on sale, nor anyone wearing any. There is a fairly uninspiring range online though.
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