17 Trains, 11 Buses And A Stag Do: One Wales Fan’s Five-week Venture For Kazakhstan Qualifier

For Wales, Thursday’s World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan presents challenges aplenty. In betwixt preparing to play connected an artificial aboveground astatine nan Astana Arena, location is simply a equilibrium betwixt maximising precious clip connected nan pitches and prioritising recovery. Wales took an eight-hour nonstop formation from Cardiff to Astana, avoiding Ukrainian airspace, and their only existent training convention arsenic a afloat squad will beryllium 24 hours earlier kick-off. Player bodyclocks will beryllium programmed to a two-hour – not four-hour – clip difference.

One Wales supporter, John McAllister, spied a situation successful nan fixture. His odyssey, inspired by nan BBC’s Race Across nan World, began 5 weeks agone erstwhile he near location successful Barry, southbound Wales. Since 29 July he has been travelling from Cymru to Kazakhstan, nan world’s ninth-largest state by onshore area and nan largest to beryllium landlocked, documenting his travel successful a bid of YouTube videos. The 26-year-old has covered astir 5,000km. More than 1,100 Wales fans will beryllium astatine nan crippled but only one, understandably, has been straight referenced by Craig Bellamy. “We’ve sewage to spot him, because it intends truthful overmuch to us,” nan Wales head said.

McAllister, who regularly follows Wales away, admits this is astir arsenic far-flung arsenic it gets. Thursday’s lucifer will beryllium his 12th of nan trip. He highlights Fenerbahce’s Champions League day pinch Feyenoord successful Istanbul arsenic his favourite owing to nan supercharged atmosphere. He paid a fixer to root a summons and soon recovered himself immersed pinch nan locals successful a parkland complete nan roadworthy from nan stadium. “Three hours earlier kick-off, there’s crazy pyrotechnics going off,” he says. Belgrade brought 3 appetising games, while nan £1.35 introduction to a second-tier crippled successful Almaty, adjacent to nan Chinese separator and further eastbound than Islamabad and Mumbai, besides warrants a mention. “I’ll watch thing … my breadstuff and food is going to Barry Town successful nan Cymru Premier League.”

McAllister ticked disconnected France, Belgium, Germany, nan Netherlands – and England – connected his first day. Then he travelled crossed nan Balkans and signed up to a 36-hour train crossed Turkey into Georgia. Wearing a Cymru T-shirt successful a Tbilisi bar, soon aft photographing nan Mother of Georgia monument, he felt an aerial of familiarity. “A fella taps maine connected nan enarthrosis and says: ‘Shwmae, are you from Wales?’” McAllister says, recalling really he was abruptly talking to a man from Rhoose, a colony located fewer miles from Barry. “It was crazy. He said: ‘I unrecorded retired present and I’m going retired connected a stag do tonight. Do you fancy joining us, if you’re connected your own?’ So I went connected this Irish fella’s stag pinch 30 strangers.”

John McAllister covered astir 5,000km earlier reaching Kazakhstan. Photograph: Courtesy of John McAllister

Chacha, a Georgian brandy, went down a treat, and things went truthful swimmingly McAllister bagged an induce to nan wedding – only it was nan aforesaid time he was flying to Atyrau, northwest Kazakhstan. “Through gritted teeth and a deficiency of alternatives,” he says, given, ideally, he wanted to debar aerial recreation unless perfectly necessary. But nan options were constricted pinch Russia successful effect retired of bounds and recreation done Iran requiring a government-approved guideline astatine each times. The onshore separator into Azerbaijan is closed, truthful crossing nan Caspian Sea via Baku was besides regarded off-menu. “Getting nan passport stamp, really realising I was successful Kazakhstan, was beautiful cool,” McAllister says.

For Wales, 2nd successful Group J astatine nan halfway shape of qualifying, Kazakhstan represents their sole competitory lucifer this window; Wales big Canada successful Swansea for a friends adjacent Tuesday. Last week Bellamy highlighted really “athletic and stubborn” Kazakhstan, 83 places beneath his broadside successful nan Fifa rankings, person much players successful nan Champions League clubs than successful his squad, owing to Kairat Almaty’s advancement against Celtic.

McAllister attended nan 2nd limb successful Almaty. “We’re successful a benignant of can’t-drop-points business because we’re going to person to spell toe-to-toe pinch Belgium to suffice automatically. But we really look to person moved guardant pinch our style of play – nan near-miss comeback against Belgium proved really acold we’ve come. Things person been very promising nether Bellamy.”

John McAllister pinch a Kazakhstan flag. ‘Everyone’s been very supportive’,’ he says. Photograph: Courtesy of John McAllister

Now aft traversing east, taking successful 17 trains, 11 buses, 4 clip zones and plentifulness of beer, nan remainder of nan Red Wall is connected nan horizon. “They are each flooding into nan city,” says McAllister, who has seen Christmas trees successful nan main quadrate successful Erzurum, a Turkish metropolis adjacent to nan Armenian separator covered successful snowfall for six months of nan year, knowledgeable an impromptu heavy-metal nighttime connected presence successful Kazakhstan and explored Vukovar, a Croatian metropolis “on those acheronian tourism lists” aft it was sieged by Yugoslavia successful 1991.

Those sceptical of his masterplan astatine nan outset are now successful awe. “I deliberation nan unanimous reply astatine nan opening was: you’re crazy,” McAllister says. “But since I said this was what I was doing and I’ve posted updates on nan way, group person been fantastic. Everyone’s been very supportive and sent tons of encouragement. It’s been very bully fun.”