Away days

DavidRyder · Mar 10, 2015

What are people's best experiences of away days (outside of the actual match), and what are the best clubs to visit? What supporters have been found to be welcoming, and which stadiums are located in best areas for pre-match 'tourism'? I'm thinking about going to Wigan or Middlesborough, so want to know if anyone has any views on these also.

PILTDOWN MAN · Mar 10, 2015

Shrewsbury waa always a pleasure to visit. Made a weekend of it everytime.

TonyW · Mar 10, 2015

PILTDOWN MAN said:
Shrewsbury waa always a pleasure to visit. Made a weekend of it everytime.

Apart from the inbred thugs attempting to kill us as we walked past the pubs to the ground, and having to be locked in for own safety of course

Czechmate · Mar 10, 2015

22nd November 2003 , Notts County away , drove up early Saturday and got to Trent Bridge cricket ground about 9am after dropping the car off at our B & B , started to drink at 9am with some breakfast in the bar and watched the rugby final Australia v England , great game , great result so started the day off well then we went on to beat Notts County . After the game we went into Nottingham for more beers and food

, then met a gorgeous bird from Norwich in a bar so no need to say anymore

What a trip :thumbsup:

PILTDOWN MAN · Mar 10, 2015

TonyW said:
Apart from the inbred thugs attempting to kill us as we walked past the pubs to the ground, and having to be locked in for own safety of course

Been there 5 or so times and never experienced a problem. one time we ended up doing a pub crawl with some Shrewsbury fans resulting in us just making to the ground in time and most of us laying on the terraces in the sun asleep!

Mr Bridger · Mar 10, 2015

DavidRyder said:
What are people's best experiences of away days (outside of the actual match), and what are the best clubs to visit? What supporters have been found to be welcoming, and which stadiums are located in best areas for pre-match 'tourism'? I'm thinking about going to Wigan or Middlesborough, so want to know if anyone has any views on these also.

for some reason i find this funny to find "tourism, Wigan & Middlesbrough" talked about in the same subject, just doesn't seem right.

Hotchilidog · Mar 10, 2015

Wigan is actually alright. Apparently the pubs in town are really good, failing that they have a brilliant Phoenix Nights style cabaret lounge for away fans at the ground.

I'm looking forward to Rotherham, always found that a very friendly place to visit.

Next season am looking forward to making more of Huddersfield and Cardiff.

Mr Bridger · Mar 10, 2015

PILTDOWN MAN said:
Been there 5 or so times and never experienced a problem. one time we ended up doing a pub crawl with some Shrewsbury fans resulting in us just making to the ground in time and most of us laying on the terraces in the sun asleep!

Last game of the season when we got kicked 4-0 was trouble, but not sure if it was Shrewsbury or not. rumoured to be Wolves, not sure.

Was trouble when getting off the train with the pub opposite then through town afterwards, few shops fronts got knocked about a bit.

Ex-Staffs Gull · Mar 10, 2015

Hotchilidog said:
Wigan is actually alright. Apparently the pubs in town are really good, failing that they have a brilliant Phoenix Nights style cabaret lounge for away fans at the ground.

I'm looking forward to Rotherham, always found that a very friendly place to visit.

Next season am looking forward to making more of Huddersfield and Cardiff.

Rotherham turned out cheap once as the local plod asked us to transport (or attempt to) some snooker balls onto the terrace on the offer of free entry due to testing security prior to a wolves game. Duly obliged and got found but got in free.

Always liked Carlise, drinking in the Rugby club, but it was always about who you were with not who you were playing.

Yoda · Mar 10, 2015

Sunderland away 2004. Group of us (5) stayed in Newcastle for the weekend. Match day get the Metro to the Stadium and looking for a boozer, get directions from a local.

Open pub door to be greeted with a sea of Red and White (including the walls). Stood in the doorway in colours, frozen, thinking "Oh Shite!" hear the voice bellow out from a chap perched on a stool at the bar "Well are ya coming in then or what?", so we did and had a bloody good drink and laugh with them.

BigBod · Mar 10, 2015

My best away day ever was at Glasgow Rangers v Chelsea pre season friendly. Even the Chelsea Pensioneres were up on stage singing with a pint in their hands before the game. Amazing in the ground when you had fans from both sides singing all the same songs at the same time. Was a sell out. Great day. No segregation in any of the pubs, we were welcomed with open arms. A day that will stay with me forever.....

Brighton Boy · Mar 10, 2015

Love Brentford for a close game on the beers with friends and Plymouth was my favourite away trip for a stay over. Lovely part of the world down there.

Czechmate · Mar 10, 2015

Mr Bridger said:
Last game of the season when we got kicked 4-0 was trouble, but not sure if it was Shrewsbury or not. rumoured to be Wolves, not sure.

Was trouble when getting off the train with the pub opposite then through town afterwards, few shops fronts got knocked about a bit.

If I remember rightly , it was Cardiff in the pub by the station , there was a mob of Wolves somewhere around town but never came across them , then there was an EDL march through Shrewsbury that day as well ! A copper got stabbed at the railway station after the game so a bit of a hassle day that one , took the girlfriend for a nice romantic weekend away :facepalm:

, ended up sending her back to the hotel in a cab till after the game .

Notters · Mar 10, 2015

Wigan's great - some fantastic and very cheap pubs. Try the Swan and Railway and the Orwell on Wigan Pier.

GOM · Mar 10, 2015

Anywhere that involves a long rail journey :drink:

edna krabappel · Mar 10, 2015

Predictable ones from me, but:

-Fulham this season was utterly brilliant. Nice area, loads of quality pubs, lovely old style ground that lends itself to a crackling atmosphere, short journey by train...what's not to like? I guess the win helped too

-always enjoyed Nottingham trips, the best ones being the final match of Poyet's promotion campaign in 2011, and last season's last ditch play-off sealing game.

-would recommend Cardiff, although they always give us midweek games there, which is a shame. Good city for a day/evening out, and the ground (more specifically the Cardiff staff/stewards) are top class.

-and Bristol. Very pleased to see they seem to be coming up from League One again, as it's another fine city for an away day. Ashton Gate is a bit of a trek from the station, but I can advise you of plenty of pubs with which to break the journey up

The worst? Yeovil. A pig to get to. The station isn't even in Yeovil, but in some village outside the town, and you have to get a cab or bus into Yeovil itself, before getting another one to the ground. The town is a bit crap, and the stadium a bit meh. If you drive, the car park takes forever to get out of, and the traffic queues around even their tiny ground are horrendous. Plus it's a rubbish drive on terrible country roads for much of it. Huish Park is in the middle of a modern housing estate, with little else around it to enjoy. Oh, and on the trains again: there is one, single train per hour that goes from Yeovil Junction to London. It's the slowest journey ever, and it leaves about three minutes after the final whistle, leaving however many hundred football fans milling around aimlessly on the platforms for an hour or so after you get there. Somerset can be a very pleasant county, but I can think of nothing whatsoever to recommend Yeovil. I've had more fun in Hartlepool :ohmy:

nwgull · Mar 10, 2015

Czechmate said:
If I remember rightly , it was Cardiff in the pub by the station , there was a mob of Wolves somewhere around town but never came across them , then there was an EDL march through Shrewsbury that day as well ! A copper got stabbed at the railway station after the game so a bit of a hassle day that one , took the girlfriend for a nice romantic weekend away , ended up sending her back to the hotel in a cab till after the game .

Pretty sure it was Cardiff fans in Shrewsbury. Saturday after we'd won the league in midweek, and most of the players were still hungover.

Simster · Mar 10, 2015

I agree with edna, Fulham and Nottingham are always good away trips, and coincidentally both are proper lovely old school football grounds set picturesquely by a river. I'd say they are probably my favourite original grounds in the country actually.

Some of the smaller towns in the lower divisions are worth a visit because the towns are often pleasant and there is usually a much bigger place (often decent) nearby. Exeter and York are both great cities in their own right and worth a trip. They are probably both clubs like ours which must see an above average level of away support. And if you get bored of York (which is unlikely) there is always Leeds nearby which aside from their cack football club is otherwise a great city. Even in division 4 we often took 1,000 to York in the 2000s, and that was sometimes with nothing to play for.

Tony Meolas Loan Spell · Mar 10, 2015

Simster said:
I agree with edna, Fulham and Nottingham are always good away trips, and coincidentally both are proper lovely old school football grounds set picturesquely by a river. I'd say they are probably my favourite original grounds in the country actually.

Some of the smaller towns in the lower divisions are worth a visit because the towns are often pleasant and there is usually a much bigger place (often decent) nearby. Exeter and York are both great cities in their own right and worth a trip. They are probably both clubs like ours which must see an above average level of away support. And if you get bored of York (which is unlikely) there is always Leeds nearby which aside from their cack football club is otherwise a great city. Even in division 4 we often took 1,000 to York in the 2000s, and that was sometimes with nothing to play for.

CLASSIC awaydays eh Sim

Simster · Mar 10, 2015

Tony Meolas Loan Spell said:
CLASSIC awaydays eh Sim

Yes THOSE. :thumbsup:

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