Fancy a Free Premier League Ticket?

With deadlines looming and essays needing to be written, instead of studying hard on Saturday 24 March, I decided to spend the afternoon watching high-flying Norwich take on bottom of the table Wolves.

The twist in the tale comes when I point out, not only did I watch the game for free! I was also part of a team of flag-waving UEA students from the Football Supporters Society.

The society sends a team of flag-wavers to every home match, and they have had this relationship with the club since November 2010, where eight lucky members (including me) got a chance to experience the 4-1 thrashing of East-Anglian rivals Ipswich Town.

Lets get back to last Saturday. An hour before the 3pm kick-off, we met in the Jarrold Stand Reception, having a cheeky peek at the Chelsea-Tottenham match on the TV, before being led upstairs to tracksuit up.

The atmosphere was fantastic as we walked to our allocated positions on the pitch, waving our flags frantically. There is a capacity of around 27,000 in the ground, and the best time to experience this is when the players walk out of the tunnel, you can almost feel the noise!

A few things to watch out for as a flag-waver:

• Those sprinklers! The Carrow Road pitch staff seem to have forgotten that Norfolk is currently in a state of drought, and proceed to drench the pitch before kick-off. What they have not planned for is the innocent flag-waver, stand well back to avoid an embarrassing outcome.

• Those flags are heavier than they look! 15 minutes flag-waving is a mini workout, perfect if you couldn’t get to the gym yesterday, but can be a shock to the first-timer.

• Don’t be an Ipswich fan! While the rivalry is not as bloodthirsty as Rangers-Celtic, declaring loyalty to the Tractor Boys could result in some heavy banter directed your way. This is hilariously illustrated after the match when the results from around the country are read out. Everyone waits in anticipation for the Ipswich score, being greeted with rapturous cheers if the Blues are beaten.

The game itself did not disappoint. Wolves took the lead through Matt Jarvis, sweeping in a Michael Kightly cross. Norwich fought back though a double by Captain Grant Holt. The first was a deft flick over the advancing keeper, Holt finished it off by heading the ball over the line. Then just before half-time, Eggert Jonsson handled in the area, and Holt smashed the penalty down the middle.

The victory for Norwich means that they are now on 39 points, surely enough for them to stay in the top division. With 40 points being the traditional tally in which a team is declared safe, and only eight matches left, the Canaries look odds on to survive.

If you are interested in flag-waving for a free ticket at Carrow Road, join the Football Supporters Society at UEA. Visit their Facebook page to find out more: http://www.facebook.com/pages/UEA-Football-Supporters-Society/239484476089008