Mega holiday booking feckup alert.

Me too, will be in Venice that week.

Still not as bad as been in Japan at the same time as the Final in 2005

Schoolboy error. NEVER book CC final weekend, however utterly remote the possibility.

I missed 2005 due to holiday, although we watched it and had a great time, I was devasted



...never made that mistake since though, just in case like

Was in Marrakesh for the Bradford QF in 2008. Husband had been warned of the dates to avoid when booking my 40th birthday holiday, and duly did so, for the wrong month.

So was in Morocco with no TV access, no radio and, at that time, no smart phone. Finally found an internet cafe from which I managed to get Humberside on-line. Things are still pretty old and basic in Marrakesh, and that includes the computers and traditions. So I was the only female tucked in the back of this packed, smelly cafe with wires, sweat and peeling paint everywhere. The men, whilst perfectly polite, kept eyeing me distrustfully with eyebrows that became ever more raised at my gasps, heavy breathing and occasional screams of excitement or horror.

I managed to communicate to one of them that I was listening to my local club play and it was a very important cup match. They then all got very interested and celebrated with me each score, until by the end we were all dancing round the little room. I'm still certain they thought I was a very strange woman, though, and I'm convinced they thought I was listening to a very high-scoring football match. Nice people.

My, it's been a long long time since I was called a schoolboy



The thing was, that was the first year the final was played in late August and it never even crossed our minds when booking in January, let alone the possibility of us actually reaching it.

I'll never forget being stood at the Sts semi at the Galpharm. I was utterly ecstatic at watching us reach our first final for twenty years and at the same time was gutted at the thought of missing it. Talk about contrasting emotions at one and the same time.

As for the final itself at Cardiff, I ended up in the hotel lobby in Hiroshima at 01:30 in the morning watching BBC sports live scores page updating every two minutes, which then proceeded to freeze immediately after Cooke's try leaving us in the dark for what seemed like an eternity, unsure whether the conversion had been kicked/missed/or was still to be taken.

I aged about 10 years in 5 minutes that night. Waiting for that internet page to refresh, it made DDD's Radio Humberside commentaries seem crystal clear in their descriptive quality. I'll never make that mistake again (well at least not for the final

).

In 2005 was in New York on holiday for the semi, but had taken my laptop so could listen to Humberside online. I did that whilst the wife went shopping. She came back with lots of fifth avenue bags and said "don't be mad", I said "not a problem, were off to Cardiff!!!". Used my laptop to book the hotel for the final from my room in New York, happy days

I actually enjoyed the semi final more than the final, if that's any consolation. Probably my favourite all time FC game.
The description of how you |"watched" the final is literally the stuff of nightmares. At least you didn't have to watch Thackray feck up the restart and rely on the superhuman Swain to make the chargedown. God bless McMenemy for running the ball out.

Blimey, I Usually have to pay extra for that service

I think that's what was scaring them

I had a similar experience as we'd booked a holiday in Spain and travelled out on the day of the final. I was stood in the reception of the complex getting score updates on my mobile while Mrs Kosh booked us in. My updates froze after our final try so I had no idea if the match had finished and we'd held on for the win for what seemed like an eternity. Unbelievable scenes when the final score came through. I actually phoned StaffsFC in the crowd at the game and listened to the celebrations.

When it did finally burst back into life all of that information appeared before us in one go. Cue me and my brother dancing and shouting in front of some rather bemused Japanese night porters who just looked on at the "crazy westerners"

.

Like I said, never ever again.