[Albion] What is Your Longest Ever Away Day ?

[rebel51]

Carlisle

 

[Vicar!]

Thanks to Easyjet and National Express (Coach from Worthing) I can now get to Central Park (Cowdenbeath) and back in a day. Indeed I was back in the Evening Star by 22.00 one trip. No one believed me until I produced the match programme. We lost, but you probably already worked that out.

 

[Skuller]

To be honest, the return yesterday on the packed Eastbourne train felt like a long journey, with loads of pissed-up, boorish, Brighton supporters annoying everyone in the carriage with their swearing and shouting.

 

[Anger]

Carlisle with @Arthur.

Aspinall scored and we won 1-0.

Local kids bombarded us with mint imperials on our way back to the station.

The first thing I did when I got on the train in Carlisle, which was taking us all the way to London, was knock a can of Stella over which soaked my seat.

When Warren scored and then ran over to celebrate with us at the main stand on the side of the pitch, I thought…

1. He’s taking ages to reach us and might not make it.
2. He was red in the face by the time he reached us that I thought he might have a coronary.

Thankfully we won and he is still with us to pismronounce player names to this day.

 

[Mr Bridger]

Carlisle with @Arthur.

Aspinall scored and we won 1-0.

Local kids bombarded us with mint imperials on our way back to the station.

The first thing I did when I got on the train in Carlisle, which was taking us all the way to London, was knock a can of Stella over which soaked my seat.

‘You’re Scotch and you know you are’ to which their reply was ‘you’re French and you know you are’

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

Middlesbrough c1989 was a bit choice. It was a midweek match so I made a rare coach trip which subsequently broke down on the M25 on the way back. Didn’t get home til mid morning. Hardly a long un but one that’s just come to mind.

 

[deslynhamsmoustache1]

Carlisle, January 1984. Won 2-1. As was the youthful way back then no coat, just a trendy jumper and it was freezing, and I mean freezing, even for a 17 year old. As the train flirted with the snow covered Lake District there was a point where we didn't think it would be on.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Carlisle again (ole ole). Early 2000s with @Carrot Cruncher @Uncle Buck and various other miscreants.

Mrs GB was going to Chelsea on a corporate jolly that weekend but I preferred the delights of Cumbria. We decided to make a weekend of it so that we’d get some sleep on Friday night and not drink too much. Hmmm.

Left Friday lunchtime. Managed to stay sober until Milton Keynes, then a stag party going to Blackpool got on and sat in our carriage and drinking games ensued. Got to Lancaster, our stopover, quite hammered, checked in and found a pub selling dirt cheap booze. After that I can’t remember the exact sequence but a statue was climbed and a curry house nearly set on fire. To this day I can’t remember anything between leaving the curry house and waking up in the B&B due to my mate’s snoring. We then took turns waking each other up with mutual snoring.

The next morning, after a tactical vomit, I realised I had alcohol poisoning. We had a whole Saturday to get through and the only thing I could drink was water.

The game was a dire 0-0 that I can remember far better than the Friday night. On the way home I had four hours next to The Cardinal who was in full on Tiffany mode. I was still sober.

When we got to London I got a cab to the hotel at Stamford Bridge, stayed the night and morning with Mrs GB and we both headed home at lunchtime.

48 hours, some minor criminal offences, an incredible amount of alcohol, staying in a rival team’s hotel and no goals.

Great trip.

 

[dandanthebrightonfan]

Went to Middlesbrough a few years back
Withdean car park at 6.00am got back at 1.00am
Lost 1 nil as well
Didn’t get on another coach for 10 years.

 

[Madafwo]

The two that stick in the mind are Newcastle a few years back when we played them between Christmas and New Year, I think we left at just before 5am and I managed to get back before MotD showed our game.

The other was Blackburn in the Championship, midweek game so drove up after work, dropped the wife off in Manchester so she could see her family and then on up to Ewood Park, got there with 15 minutes to spare, 2 pints in a home pub just outside the ground, mate wanted to leave with 15 minutes to go as we were losing 2-1, I insisted we stayed as I am a good fan! Glad we did as we ended up drawing 3-3. Started the drive home and ended up getting caught in 3 or 4 road closures, finally got home at 0330 and had to be up at 5 for work.

 

[Justice]

Carlisle again (ole ole). Early 2000s with @Carrot Cruncher @Uncle Buck and various other miscreants.

Mrs GB was going to Chelsea on a corporate jolly that weekend but I preferred the delights of Cumbria. We decided to make a weekend of it so that we’d get some sleep on Friday night and not drink too much. Hmmm.

Left Friday lunchtime. Managed to stay sober until Milton Keynes, then a stag party going to Blackpool got on and sat in our carriage and drinking games ensued. Got to Lancaster, our stopover, quite hammered, checked in and found a pub selling dirt cheap booze. After that I can’t remember the exact sequence but a statue was climbed and a curry house nearly set on fire. To this day I can’t remember anything between leaving the curry house and waking up in the B&B due to my mate’s snoring. We then took turns waking each other up with mutual snoring.

The next morning, after a tactical vomit, I realised I had alcohol poisoning. We had a whole Saturday to get through and the only thing I could drink was water.

The game was a dire 0-0 that I can remember far better than the Friday night. On the way home I had four hours next to The Cardinal who was in full on Tiffany mode. I was still sober.

When we got to London I got a cab to the hotel at Stamford Bridge, stayed the night and morning with Mrs GB and we both headed home at lunchtime.

48 hours, some minor criminal offences, an incredible amount of alcohol, staying in a rival team’s hotel and no goals.

Great trip.

I remember that game well the one and only Brighton game I took the father in law to. I had planned carefully the trip to Glasgow so the other half could visit her family and I could shoot of on the Saturday back to Carlisle.
Game was drab father in law was impressed with Lee Steele if I remember, on leaving the ground two Carlisle decide to have a pop at us the father in law didn’t back down and in we go.
On the drive back up the road he said that was the most excitement he’s had for years we best not mention it when we get back though

 

[Brian Fantana]

In terms of actual time taken, it was the 2004 play-off final.

I was living in Cambridge at the time and for various reasons the best route for me to go was driving down to Brighton to then get on a supporters’ bus to Cardiff. Then did the same in reverse. Worked out at near enough a 24 hour round trip.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

We decided to make a weekend of it so that we’d get some sleep on Friday night and not drink too much

I genuinely can't imagine a thought process where this made any sense.

 

[Whitechapel]

If we’re talking from leaving my house to getting back home then weirdly it’s probably Eastbourne away with Worthing this Easter.

Left mine about 9am Friday to grab some breakfast and get the train over. Went for a few beers in Eastbourne after the game, got the last train back at which point we decided to go back to a mates house and carry on drinking. By the time we’d ran out of booze at my mates ‘spoons was open in Worthing so we decided to go there for a couple then call it quits.

We’d had a few there when we both got invited round a different mates house so we decided in for a penny in for a pound and headed over there. Think I got back home around 4am Sunday in the end. I was in absolute pieces for about a week after.

 

[Ludensian Gull]

2009 v Carlisle, was living in Gardenstown N/E Scotland at the time . 550 round trip on mainly single carriage ways, picking up a fellow fan in Denny I believe. Must have spent best part of 11 driving there and back, if memory serves we won 2-0 .

 

[Simster]

Carlisle away in 2010. A long journey for a 0-0 draw. Lots of beers consumed on the way up, and I remember one guy being so hammered he chundered in the middle of the road on the walk to the stadium. An entertaining day out (if you exclude the football).

I was on this trip, so that saved me the bother.

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

York City for a 0-0 draw that I only decided I was going to on the Friday afternoon as someone had a spare train ticket for the Saturday morning. Unfortunately the return journey was for the Sunday afternoon. Thankfully I have family in Bradford so could stay with them and enjoy a night out with my cousins which was way more fun than the football had been.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I genuinely can't imagine a thought process where this made any sense.

Well, exactly.

IIRC the previous very long distance game had gone wrong because we’d got a train from Brighton at about 6am and everyone was smashed by about 9am. However, the solution was idiotic to be fair.

 

[Willow]

Carlisle with @Man of Harveys and @Willow a long time ago, we met some Celtic fans on the train back, it took about 3 days

That was tremendous fun. I shudder to think how much that train fare would be now.

I loved that trip, whiling away the journey with a case of stella and pass the pigs! Would love to do it again with you chaps one day. Sadly Carlisle are now four divisions below us so won't be happening any time soon.

 

[Man of Harveys]

I loved that trip, whiling away the journey with a case of stella and pass the pigs! Would love to do it again with you chaps one day. Sadly Carlisle are now four divisions below us so won't be happening any time soon.

Well we do have two long old trips to the northeast next year matey. I’ll bring the Pass the Pigs.