Cambridge Summary and Analysis

Buford is attempting to explain the feelings of waiting for a goal during a football match. He describes his own experiences at one of the final rounds of the FA Cup as Cambridge and Millwall battle for the semifinals. The game is a rematch, in that the two teams have played days before and ended in a no score draw. During the first half, he feels a part of the crowd as they tense up each time a goal is almost scored. During half time after a no scoring first half, however, he notes that the crowd breaks down again into individuals. When the game begins again, however, the crowd reforms and one loses identity among the moving mass. Buford compares the experience to those of livestock in a pen. He notes that the horrible conditions of the terraces, with their...