So not only did I not review Aston Villa or Derby County, but I decided against reviewing my home club Coventry City. I think I'll save it for another time, for now though, I headed to Gillingham to see our away day against the Kent side. As always, if you'd like to see my match report for our 2-1 defeat then you can do so here.
http://aviewfromthestandss.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/my-fifteenth-1617-game-gillingham-vs.html
Currently the away day league table stands at:
Millwall: £64.45
Fleetwood Town: £39
Despite losing, the Gillingham away day was a good day out. A Gillingham fan who looked about 12 tried to start on me, another group who looked like the 'Spice Boys' got cocky from the other train platform. But aside from the Kent mafia trying to kill me for no reason, the journey back was great. We ran into a few Birmingham fans on the train who were a laugh, one of them bet me a fiver I couldn't fit in the luggage rack at the top. Well, I hurt my thigh in the process but the NEW 5 pound note was in my pocket by the time we made it past Milton Keynes.
Whilst we're on topic of the travel, the train ticket was an expensive one on this occasion, it's my own fault. If I hadn't waited so long to book then it would have cost me the measly sum of £14.50 but instead they were £32 per person. So that's a rough start before we even left, but the route is: Coventry to Euston, walk from Euston to St Pancras, St Pancras to Gillingham. Once again though my quest to locate Platform 9 and 3/4 at nearby Kings Cross was cut short due to no time.
Due to the early start I got breakfast at a cafe near Euston station called Double Six, a bacon sandwich cost me £2.40. Personally I wouldn't recommend it, it was full of fat and had barely any good meat. This meant I didn't have a pie and drink at the ground and unfortunately didn't manage to note down any of the prices.
Ticket prices, £18 for an adult ticket, that's better than some teams in the football league but have you seen their away end? It's a temporary stand which has been there for 15 years, it's just scaffolding. Nearly 20 quid for a seat on a building site to watch whatever that shambles was! The tally is going up a fair bit now.
I've already mentioned my run in with the Gillingham fans, may I say I obviously didn't provoke anything. Most of them are alright to be fair, but you do have a couple of the 'Stone Island for Christmas club' that go to games. That's the same with every club in the football league however so don't cancel your trip there because of that.
Nearby you have London, but that's a 40 odd minute trek on the train. Out of the three clubs I've done so far, this is probably the worst one. Unless the match experience is good, but unfortunately that's the one piece of information I can't give to you before you go down to Gillingham. As for the pricing, £32 for the train, £18 for the match ticket and £2.40 for the bacon sandwich. Bringing us to a total of £52.40.
As for the club review number 4, it's most likely going to be Port Vale. I apologise that so far it's been very League One heavy, but since I go to Coventry home and away, I've got very easy access to other grounds in our league. Soon I'll be getting in some Championship clubs though thanks to how easy Birmingham is on the train.
Monday 26 September 2016
Monday 12 September 2016
Review of the 92 #2 - Millwall
My trip to Fleetwood made me determine that it was a great away day if you wanted to do the full weekend in Blackpool but that will make it very expensive. Just the day there for me cost me a total of £39, this isn't too bad given how far away it was but it will be quite hard to budget going to London which is where I went to today to see Millwall face Coventry City in League One. The match report from the 1-1 draw between the teams can be found here:
http://aviewfromthestandss.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/my-thirteenth-1617-game-millwall-vs.html
I'm going to enjoy writing about Millwall more than I did Fleetwood because it was a cracking away day to say the least. To start with, unlike last week, The Den is a new ground to me so I'm up to 41/92 on the personal tally and the blog tally is still sat on a measly 2/92 but don't worry, that will be up a lot more soon. I'm aiming for as close to 30 as possible by the end of the year.
Unlike last week today I decided to make the trip on the train, which is usually more expensive but is a better way of travelling to matches in my opinion. From Coventry it cost me £23.50 as I get child tickets... The nearest station to the ground is South Bermondsey which is easily accessible from London Bridge, this is only a couple of tube stops away from Euston as well as Kings Cross St Pancras. Unfortunately I couldn't find Platform 9 and 3/4 but that's not why you clicked on the post.
Nearby attractions include the small matter of the city of London, just having a drink in the pub I managed to go and visit The Shard as well as Tower Bridge. There are endless things you could do but bear in mind that it will cost extortionate amounts should you stay over and/or go out on the night after the match.
The ticket for an adult was £26, this is slightly more acceptable than the £23.50 Fleetwood were demanding due to the fact the ground is a lot nicer with it being a 20,000 seater. This doesn't change the fact however that that is a ridiculous price for a third tier match and something definitely needs to be done about it.
The food was not very well priced at £4.50 for a pie, I can't comment on the taste due to the fact I had an all day breakfast at 'The Shipwright's Arms' near London Bridge. It cost me £8.95 but it was an incredible bite to eat, everything about it was lovely, even the chips although I'm not sure why there were chips in a breakfast.
Millwall fans, people have some BIG opinions on them. They built themselves up a reputation as hooligans during the 1980s but nowadays they have grown out of it whilst the police have cracked down on the fighting. Today it's just a load of teenagers who got some Stone Island jeans for Christmas and think they are hard when really, one punch from someone in their 40s whom they "give it to" would ruin them.
Whilst there, there was one man who got ejected for jumping the barrier and trying to attack 800 Coventry fans. I won't go into too much detail but whilst he was out of order doing that it was partly our fault for provoking him. If you were at the game then you know what I mean but what I'm trying to say is that Milwall is nowhere near as bad as it used to be so you'll be safe going there. But always keep a look out.
Milwall is a decent away day because the fans will always provide you with some banter, and it's in London so you can take your pick of what you want to do before and after the match. Down to the money, £26 for the ticket, £23.50 for the train ticket, £8.95 for the all day breakfast, and £6 for the couple of drinks I had. That brings our Milwall total to £64.45 at the very least.
The third club review was supposed to be Derby County but my plans have changed since then so it's going to have to be my home club of Coventry City when we play Oldham Athletic on Saturday. I'm hoping to do 3 more before the end of September and like I say, hope that I can get close to 30 clubs before the end of the year. Thanks for reading!
http://aviewfromthestandss.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/my-thirteenth-1617-game-millwall-vs.html
I'm going to enjoy writing about Millwall more than I did Fleetwood because it was a cracking away day to say the least. To start with, unlike last week, The Den is a new ground to me so I'm up to 41/92 on the personal tally and the blog tally is still sat on a measly 2/92 but don't worry, that will be up a lot more soon. I'm aiming for as close to 30 as possible by the end of the year.
Unlike last week today I decided to make the trip on the train, which is usually more expensive but is a better way of travelling to matches in my opinion. From Coventry it cost me £23.50 as I get child tickets... The nearest station to the ground is South Bermondsey which is easily accessible from London Bridge, this is only a couple of tube stops away from Euston as well as Kings Cross St Pancras. Unfortunately I couldn't find Platform 9 and 3/4 but that's not why you clicked on the post.
Nearby attractions include the small matter of the city of London, just having a drink in the pub I managed to go and visit The Shard as well as Tower Bridge. There are endless things you could do but bear in mind that it will cost extortionate amounts should you stay over and/or go out on the night after the match.
The ticket for an adult was £26, this is slightly more acceptable than the £23.50 Fleetwood were demanding due to the fact the ground is a lot nicer with it being a 20,000 seater. This doesn't change the fact however that that is a ridiculous price for a third tier match and something definitely needs to be done about it.
The food was not very well priced at £4.50 for a pie, I can't comment on the taste due to the fact I had an all day breakfast at 'The Shipwright's Arms' near London Bridge. It cost me £8.95 but it was an incredible bite to eat, everything about it was lovely, even the chips although I'm not sure why there were chips in a breakfast.
Millwall fans, people have some BIG opinions on them. They built themselves up a reputation as hooligans during the 1980s but nowadays they have grown out of it whilst the police have cracked down on the fighting. Today it's just a load of teenagers who got some Stone Island jeans for Christmas and think they are hard when really, one punch from someone in their 40s whom they "give it to" would ruin them.
Whilst there, there was one man who got ejected for jumping the barrier and trying to attack 800 Coventry fans. I won't go into too much detail but whilst he was out of order doing that it was partly our fault for provoking him. If you were at the game then you know what I mean but what I'm trying to say is that Milwall is nowhere near as bad as it used to be so you'll be safe going there. But always keep a look out.
Milwall is a decent away day because the fans will always provide you with some banter, and it's in London so you can take your pick of what you want to do before and after the match. Down to the money, £26 for the ticket, £23.50 for the train ticket, £8.95 for the all day breakfast, and £6 for the couple of drinks I had. That brings our Milwall total to £64.45 at the very least.
The third club review was supposed to be Derby County but my plans have changed since then so it's going to have to be my home club of Coventry City when we play Oldham Athletic on Saturday. I'm hoping to do 3 more before the end of September and like I say, hope that I can get close to 30 clubs before the end of the year. Thanks for reading!
Monday 5 September 2016
Review of the 92 #1 - Fleetwood Town
My first ground review takes me up to Fleetwood Town, in the Coventry City end albeit, but I promise not to be biased due to the fact that the club I am reviewing is the one that beat mine 2-0. Speaking of which, if you want to see my match report on the game itself then follow the link below to do so.
Fleetwood 2-0 Coventry - http://aviewfromthestandss.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/my-twelfth-1617-game-fleetwood-town-vs.html?m=1
I've made it clear that I didn't particularly enjoy the match experience, but I'm not going to let that mar my first review I do. First things first, this isn't my first trip to Highbury so it can't be added to my personal tally however the blog tally can now be put to 1/92. It's a long road to complete them all but one I am determined to complete.
On to the club, the first basis you have to cover is travel. Personally I got a lift there, I also managed to get it free without paying petrol because I'm a bad person... Let's say if you went though it was be £10 for petrol. I wouldn't recommend going on the train if you are going for just the day however, the nearest rail station is Poulton-le-Fylde, 5 miles from the ground.
I suppose you could go in to Blackpool North which is easily accessible from Preston and get the tram, taxi or bus but in my opinion it wouldn't be worth it if like I say, you are in and out on just the one day. The reason I mention this is because a lot of people like to do the full weekend in the nearby city of Blackpool. For this the train would probably be the best thing because parking would be a task and a half to stay for 3 days. Ticket prices are quite steep considering what it is you're paying for, £23.50 (adult) for a seated ticket is ridiculous considering it might well be the smallest ground in the league.
As for the nearby attractions, if you completely forget Blackpool and talk more about Fleetwood itself then there's not much to do in the area. There's a chip shop near the away end as well as a fairly decent little clubhouse for both sets of fans which offers £3.30 for a pint. If you want to drink then do so here because the away end doesn't sell alcohol. Which brings me on to my next point.
There is one very small place to get food and drinks in the ground, a back of van type thing. There are 2 things you can buy food wise, a Rollover hot dog and a selection of pies. Unfortunately I couldn't see what the wide selection of pies were because by the time I got there (half time) all that was left were no hot dogs and just the one pie left. So I took my chance and spent £3.50 on a Meat and Potato pie accompanied with a cup of tea for £2, coffee and Bovril were both available for the same price.
It was very decent and I would certainly recommend it, but get in there early, otherwise there will be nothing left and you'll be stuck with the confectionery items. But seriously, who goes to a match and just eats a bag of Malteasers? Whatever you prefer I suppose! The tea could have been better but it was adequate enough. All in all you get value for money when consuming food and drink at the home of the Cod army.
Now on to what makes football work, the fans. Fleetwood fans aren't exactly famous for their large numbers or great atmosphere, but can you blame them considering they were a non-league team just 5 years ago? They were making a bit of noise to be fair to them but nothing more than you see at other grounds, Don't be prepared for a banter contest with their fans because not only are the noise-makers on the other side of the pitch, but also there is about 30-40 of them.
One little thing that annoyed me about Fleetwood was that their goal music was the tune of Captain Pugwash, some people would describe this as "tinpot". I'm probably just bitter considering it signalled that we were beating beaten by a team that 18 years ago did not even exist, us on the other hand were a Premier League side. Times change though and I'm not here to talk about the demise of Coventry City.
All in all, Fleetwood is a decent little ground with nice food if you get there quick enough and is a stones throw away from Blackpool should that be what you wish to do. The only slight worry is the cost, say you are an adult who goes with a mate and pays £10 petrol. That's £23.50 for your ticket, also, you'll probably want a pie and a drink at half time. Another £5.50. That brings your grand Fleetwood Town away trip price to.... £39. Not including the couple of pints you might have pre-match.
The second ground review could be any one of three clubs, Millwall in with Coventry City fans again on September 10th, Aston Villa in with Nottingham Forest fans on September 11th, or if worst comes to worst it'll just have to be Coventry City when we play Oldham Athletic on September 17th. It could potentially be all 3, but also could be just the one. I really don't know just yet, although if you enjoyed reading this brand new series of posts then let me know! Thanks for reading!
Fleetwood 2-0 Coventry - http://aviewfromthestandss.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/my-twelfth-1617-game-fleetwood-town-vs.html?m=1
I've made it clear that I didn't particularly enjoy the match experience, but I'm not going to let that mar my first review I do. First things first, this isn't my first trip to Highbury so it can't be added to my personal tally however the blog tally can now be put to 1/92. It's a long road to complete them all but one I am determined to complete.
On to the club, the first basis you have to cover is travel. Personally I got a lift there, I also managed to get it free without paying petrol because I'm a bad person... Let's say if you went though it was be £10 for petrol. I wouldn't recommend going on the train if you are going for just the day however, the nearest rail station is Poulton-le-Fylde, 5 miles from the ground.
I suppose you could go in to Blackpool North which is easily accessible from Preston and get the tram, taxi or bus but in my opinion it wouldn't be worth it if like I say, you are in and out on just the one day. The reason I mention this is because a lot of people like to do the full weekend in the nearby city of Blackpool. For this the train would probably be the best thing because parking would be a task and a half to stay for 3 days. Ticket prices are quite steep considering what it is you're paying for, £23.50 (adult) for a seated ticket is ridiculous considering it might well be the smallest ground in the league.
As for the nearby attractions, if you completely forget Blackpool and talk more about Fleetwood itself then there's not much to do in the area. There's a chip shop near the away end as well as a fairly decent little clubhouse for both sets of fans which offers £3.30 for a pint. If you want to drink then do so here because the away end doesn't sell alcohol. Which brings me on to my next point.
There is one very small place to get food and drinks in the ground, a back of van type thing. There are 2 things you can buy food wise, a Rollover hot dog and a selection of pies. Unfortunately I couldn't see what the wide selection of pies were because by the time I got there (half time) all that was left were no hot dogs and just the one pie left. So I took my chance and spent £3.50 on a Meat and Potato pie accompanied with a cup of tea for £2, coffee and Bovril were both available for the same price.
It was very decent and I would certainly recommend it, but get in there early, otherwise there will be nothing left and you'll be stuck with the confectionery items. But seriously, who goes to a match and just eats a bag of Malteasers? Whatever you prefer I suppose! The tea could have been better but it was adequate enough. All in all you get value for money when consuming food and drink at the home of the Cod army.
Now on to what makes football work, the fans. Fleetwood fans aren't exactly famous for their large numbers or great atmosphere, but can you blame them considering they were a non-league team just 5 years ago? They were making a bit of noise to be fair to them but nothing more than you see at other grounds, Don't be prepared for a banter contest with their fans because not only are the noise-makers on the other side of the pitch, but also there is about 30-40 of them.
One little thing that annoyed me about Fleetwood was that their goal music was the tune of Captain Pugwash, some people would describe this as "tinpot". I'm probably just bitter considering it signalled that we were beating beaten by a team that 18 years ago did not even exist, us on the other hand were a Premier League side. Times change though and I'm not here to talk about the demise of Coventry City.
All in all, Fleetwood is a decent little ground with nice food if you get there quick enough and is a stones throw away from Blackpool should that be what you wish to do. The only slight worry is the cost, say you are an adult who goes with a mate and pays £10 petrol. That's £23.50 for your ticket, also, you'll probably want a pie and a drink at half time. Another £5.50. That brings your grand Fleetwood Town away trip price to.... £39. Not including the couple of pints you might have pre-match.
The second ground review could be any one of three clubs, Millwall in with Coventry City fans again on September 10th, Aston Villa in with Nottingham Forest fans on September 11th, or if worst comes to worst it'll just have to be Coventry City when we play Oldham Athletic on September 17th. It could potentially be all 3, but also could be just the one. I really don't know just yet, although if you enjoyed reading this brand new series of posts then let me know! Thanks for reading!
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