"Anything less than three points would prove a crushing disappointment for McAllister, who set off for the Kazakh capital from Barry five weeks ago and has taken in 11 football matches, no end of foreign boozers, a heavy metal gig and some Irish stranger's stag do as he travelled around 5,000 kilometres east across four time zones and 12 countries on a series of 17 trains, 11 buses and one plane (a flight he'd rather have not taken but was unable to avoid)."
"Considering Cymru head coach Craig Bellamy is so patriotic that he lives in a house constructed entirely of Fragrant Spring daffodil bulbs, thinks the long-running BBC soap opera Pobol y Cwm is a documentary and has Dafydd Iwan's stirring anthem Yma o Hyd as his ringtone, it was no surprise he was impressed by the journey undertaken by Wales fan John McAllister to get to his nation's World Cup qualifier in Kazakhstan."
Wales sit second in Group J, one point behind North Macedonia and with Belgium close behind, making the Astana match a vital fixture. John McAllister embarked on a five-week, 5,000-kilometre odyssey from Barry, visiting 12 countries, taking 17 trains, 11 buses and one plane while attending 11 football matches and various events. Craig Bellamy expressed pride at McAllister's devotion and welcomed the camaraderie shown by travelling supporters. Around 1,000 Welsh fans traveled to Astana by more direct routes. Celtic's recent defeat to Kairat Almaty demonstrates that visiting teams can still face tough challenges in Kazakhstan.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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