No football withdrawal symptoms on the Costa Blanca!

The start of a series of reports on where to watch live football on the Costa Blanca.

No 1. Mullins Bar - Moriara

The football season is finally back. No, not the phoney war of pre-season friendlies, the Community Shield and definitely not the debacle that was England's Euro 2016 disaster.

As it happens I don't support a Premier League team but having run a pub for the past ten years it seemed strange not being involved on the opening day. No worries for me about paying the Sky subscription, hoping the signal doesn't drop and trying to please all the match day punters - I was going to be a match day punter myself.

On the opening day of the Premier League I knew I would be in Moriara and not knowing the town too well I enlisted the help of the Facebook community. After posting an enquiry on the Javea Connect site I had lots of suggestions. On receiving a reply from one of the venues I decided to go with Mullins - now I had to find it.

Thankfully it's almost impossible to get lost anywhere in the world with Google Maps and a quick check informed me it would be a short walk from the main car park in the town - (I knew where that was. Last year in a hire car I scraped the side panel of a Merc being driven by a German - he chased me into the place).

It was hot, damned hot that afternoon but eventually following the Carratera Moraira-Calpe and not giving up I spied it on the junction with Camino del Pallero - needing a cold one was an understatement. If the council would allow it I would suggest some sort of signage to point the direction to the pub, I almost gave up looking and nearly walked back into the main town. To be honest, I could have driven to it; there were parking spaces nearby.

You approach the building and climb the steps through the terrace into the main bar area. A pie and a pint for 5 Euros caught my eye on the chalkboard - the wife would know as soon as she'd seen me

A tempting offer but wives are so forensic!

that I'd eaten a pie - they can just tell - can't they?

I was met by friendly but stressed out staff. The Hull v Leicester game was on but it was buffering all over the place - not a situation you need on opening match day. The confidence of the punters will wane and they will go elsewhere. Frantic phone calls were being made to their supplier, Telitec, and considering I'd walked past their offices on the way here it was ironic to say the least.

I stuck with it as the staff changed the game over to Rangers on BT Sport, it was football of a sorts, however the cavalry was on the way.

Steve, an engineer working for Telitec appeared, twiddled with a few things behind the bar and suddenly we had uninterrupted viewing - result. I could feel for them because it's happened to me in the past, it didn't spoil my afternoon though. A holidaymaker and fellow DJ walked in to watch the second half. He was a Midland's born Man Utd fan - nothing new there then. We did have a great chat about cheesy disco music, Northern Soul and why he was a United fan; occasionally checking out the game on one of the two screens in the bar. There is another screen available on the terrace.

That's the beauty of watching live football in a pub. You moan if something goes wrong but in the end, as long as the craic is good it's sometimes a great afternoon ruined by the wittering of Gary Neville and Co. (Bring back the overt sexism of Andy Gray and hairy chest of Richard Keys! Only joking ladies)

Inside Mullins

Worth the visit to read these quotes

I did enjoy reading the football and life quotes that are annotated on the wooden ceiling beams, it was a decent pint of San Miguel (Tetley's and Strongbow also on tap) and everyone, staff and fellow customers, were extremely friendly - especially to an outsider like me. I would like to watch a game there when the bar is a bit more full. Maybe the word had got around regarding the glitch with the Sky signal, a pity but I'm sure as the bigger fixtures are televised they will get a good following.

The main point of the exercise was I got to see a game on opening day - maybe I'll be hanging about in your bar next week?