This fixture had been on my calendar for quite some time. Back in August or so, when no football was on and everyone was away, my friend Thomas and I talked about paying Aigio a visit in the upcoming season. His dad grew up there and, although he has never visited the city as an adult, that was enough to make him a sympathiser of its football club. We were both quite appreciative of the club’s fan movement as well, so there was little hesitation in adding this to our distant autumn plans. When the time came, neither of us had forgotten about it. The day before, we told some friends from the area about our plan and, before realising, we had eight more people joining us; two full cars.

This match is also not just any third-division encounter: it is the derby of Achaea. Panachaiki are the team of Patras, the third biggest city in the country, a historic club that most Greeks are familiar with. They’re one of the oldest teams in Greece and the first from outside Athens and Thessaloniki to play in Europe back in the ’70s. Their modern history isn’t as bright, though. After years of mismanagement, bankruptcies and mergers, this season finds them struggling in the bottom spots of the third division.

Aigio, the home of Panaigialios, is the second-largest city in Achaea, though far smaller than Patras, with a population of just around 20,000. Their team might not have enjoyed as much glory as their rivals, but it is still very well supported, especially considering the size of the area. The rivalry between the clubs dates back to 1932, when a friendly match between the two was abandoned after brutal fights in the stands and on the pitch. Their encounters have been tense ever since.

The two hadn’t faced each other in four years, so anticipation was big in Aigio; even more so since their side had kicked off the season rather well. We set off earlyish from Athens and got there after a two-hour drive. We bought tickets, coffee and food in that order and began walking towards the stadium from the town centre. As with most small cities over here, the streets were depressingly empty, though the walls were full of graffiti, stencils and tags of the local team. When we reached the stadium, we realised everyone must simply have been there. We met up with our friends travelling from Athens and entered after body checks by some grumpy riot cops. The first impression upon entering was admittedly quite strong: a beautiful, full, old-school stadium with visiting fans present; sadly a very uncommon sight in Greek football these days. Teams from smaller towns are usually very poorly supported, but that didn’t seem to be the case with Panaigialios. On the contrary, it felt like the whole city was there today. It was also my first time seeing a derby in Greece with both sets of fans present, as sad and odd as that may sound.

My initial intention was to watch the game from the main stand, but when I got in (last one of my friends), I found them all standing in the ultras section, right in front of the entrance. They told me that the first one to enter had been confronted by suspicious home-side ultras, but as soon as he explained that we were visiting from Athens to watch the game, the mood changed completely. Everyone seemed delighted that we had made the trip to watch their team and they were extremely welcoming. We were offered tsipouro and cannabis buds and we paid them back by joining in with their chants. But we weren’t the only “visitors” there. A group of the all-too-familiar Asteras Exarchion fans, who maintain a friendship with Panaigialios, had also made the trip, as well as supporters of Panetolikos, who share a strong and longstanding ultras friendship.

The general sentiment in the stands was very festive. The stadium was almost full, everyone was hyped to see their team take on their biggest rivals and the ultras section was crowded and rocking. Opposite us were the visiting fans of Panachaiki: not many, admittedly, but their ultras never stopped singing despite their team’s disappointing performance. There were plenty of back-and-forth chants about whose mother was the biggest whore. Panaigialios ultras reminded their rivals that they’re the least supported team in their own city (Panathinaikos, Olympiacos and AEK have major fanbases in Patras), while Panachaiki ultras mocked them about only switching to Panaigialios in their 30s (I have no insight on that, honestly). The atmosphere was lively throughout the game, but two moments in the second half stood out. At the start of the half, the home ultras unveiled a beautiful tifo against the use of knives (image 14), in light of the recent murder of young AEK fan Marios in Chalkida. And in the 57th minute, despite their fierce rivalry and earlier insults, the two sets of fans united their voices to chant against the state and demand justice for the victims of the Tempi tragedy, as well as against the police.

As for the match itself, I didn’t manage to see the action all that well behind the flags and banners, but it seemed clear that the home side thoroughly deserved the win. They controlled the match, created numerous chances and hit the post early on. Towards the end of the first half, Panachaiki were reduced to ten men after a second yellow card, making Panaigialios’ job even easier. The golden goal eventually came around the 70th minute with a beautiful header, celebrated ecstatically by fans and players alike. The final whistle saw the black-and-whites triumph in the long-awaited encounter; a result that reflected the positions of both teams in the table.

No one was ready to go home yet, though. A win like this had to be celebrated accordingly, so we joined the Panaigialios ultras and the aforementioned visitors at a local bar, where chants carried on, accompanied by alcohol. The day already felt eventful enough, but the cherry on top was still to come. The final act found us invited to someone’s yard on the other side of town, where the local ultras hosted a barbecue. More alcohol and food was consumed as we talked about football, fandom, life in Aigio, Athens and everything in between. It was genuinely difficult to leave such a beautiful and hospitable crowd for the hell that Athens felt like after spending a whole day there. The drive back suddenly felt much longer than the outward journey, and no one was in the mood for another Monday in just a few hours. I got home at 1 a.m., exhausted but equally rewarded by this abstract August plan that ended up turning into one of my most memorable groundhopping experiences.