Best away Day?

[Pintolager]

After completing the away fans survey, it got me thinking of best away days. Not just for the stadia, but the whole experience - ease to get to/from, reception of hosts etc and I include grounds from everywhere you have visited, not just in the Championship.

My favorite is possibly Derby - easy to get to, good for pubs and in my experience, the locals are fine. Apart from Derby, I would add Torquay and Plymouth, though not really grounds you can do in 1 day

[Mr1Croft]

With the possible exception of pubs, Cardiff City.

Wigan was also a very good day out and was one of the most welcoming.

[Jenny]

Yeovil has been my favourite away trip for over a decade now. Also enjoyed West Ham away.

[GazLaz]

West Ham season before last was the best in many a season.

[Dagenham Rover]

West Ham was just totally different, programmes being sold by corner shops allsorts, a bit intimidating but a brilliant day out.
I'd been before with Hammers supporting mates but never looked at it from an away fans point of view and never thought we'd be playing them in the league

[Chris Black come back]

Yeovil has been my favourite away trip for over a decade now. Also enjoyed West Ham away.

REALLY??? The ground is a shithole, miles from the town centre, which is itself miles from civilisation. The train station is miles from the ground, we always lose there and the terrace is uncovered.

[BobG]

I've seen us win there though CB nah nah nah nah nah!

Cheers

BobG

[not on facebook]

York city,propper ground and great drink and city,only 19 mins on the train so piss Easy to jib.

[wilts rover]

I'm with Oslo on this, York, always loved the trip there.

Crawley is probably the most welcoming ground I have been to.

[donnievic]

For sum reason I always like going millwall

[RobTheRover]

Scunthorpe is my favourite.  I just love how we are all jam packed in and if you reach out you can touch the crossbar.

[IDM]

Difficult one this, as far as experiences go beyond the result alone.

I recall a FA Cup tie away at Chester's old ground in the early 80s - my dad sat in the stand and let me go on the terrace alone (I would have been 12/13 maybe?).  It was a crap game, we lost 3-1 ish, and even then I think we were held back in the terrace a while after the game.  My main memory of that game, is after the final whistle, the locked in DRFC supporters chanting the "beer, beer, we want more beer" chant.  This was being belted out amongst others by a blind supporter, which I remember vividly.  I was delighted to recognise the same blind supporter at the KM this season, some 30 years on.

But, back to the point, does Wembley 25 May 2008 count as "away"?

[Jenny]

Yeovil has been my favourite away trip for over a decade now. Also enjoyed West Ham away.

REALLY??? The ground is a shithole, miles from the town centre, which is itself miles from civilisation. The train station is miles from the ground, we always lose there and the terrace is uncovered.

The terrace being uncovered is one of the many things that I love about Yeovil. It is a proper football ground and even when we have got beat I have always enjoyed my trips down there. When we are in the same division it is the first game I look for. I guess it is each to their own - I am generally not bothered about how accessible a ground is from the station or how many pubs there are in the vicinity. I like proper traditional away days and for me, Yeovil ticks most of the boxes.

Difficult one this, as far as experiences go beyond the result alone.

I recall a FA Cup tie away at Chester's old ground in the early 80s - my dad sat in the stand and let me go on the terrace alone (I would have been 12/13 maybe?).  It was a crap game, we lost 3-1 ish, and even then I think we were held back in the terrace a while after the game.  My main memory of that game, is after the final whistle, the locked in DRFC supporters chanting the "beer, beer, we want more beer" chant.  This was being belted out amongst others by a blind supporter, which I remember vividly.  I was delighted to recognise the same blind supporter at the KM this season, some 30 years on.

But, back to the point, does Wembley 25 May 2008 count as "away"?

I hated Wembley, I don't find games like that enjoyable. Was the same for the Conference final and the JPT - the occasion is too big and it gets to me. I spent both play off finals stressed to the max and couldn't even wind down for the celebrations. They simply aren't enjoyable, way way way too much resting on them to enjoy the game and occassion.

[Rover By The Tyne]

Brentford anyone? Few pints at kings x beforehand, pub on every corner of the ground, crammed in like sardines in that terraced end makes for a great atmosphere (same with Peterborough), and obviously the ground where and many others witnessed the greatest ever moment as a Rovers fan.

[BillyStubbsTears]

For me, it's all about the visceral nature of the experience. For that reason, sanitised mono-bowls in faceless, Anericanesque retail parks on bright, breezy afternoons (and yes, sadly, that means the KMS) is the very antithesis of the true football experience.

It needs to be a night match. Urban/industrial location. In the daytime, a football ground is nothing special. People go there, rather than to the shopping centre because they rationally choose to. But at night, the football ground is the ONLY place. Glowing and glowering above the adumbral world below. Drawing people to it. To where the experience is.

The stadium has to be chaotic. Jarring, clashing architectural styles, each reflecting its own historical context. None of the soulless uniformity that is de-rigeur today. (Modern football architects deserve their own special circle of hell for the featureless obscenities they have foisted upon us.)

Ideally, the away end should be cramped, uncomfortable, intimidating. You are not there to be entertained. You are there to see your team fight against the odds whilst nominally stronger opponents, with thousands of home fans roaring them on, try to destroy you. You need to share the claustrophobic, nowhere-to-run-so-we-make-our-stand-here experience that the players are going through.

The crespuscular, febrile feel of a night match in a traditional, city centre stadium, against bigger opponents is what makes football for me. I've surprised myself by realising that my consistently favourite experience in recent years has been going to Bramall Lane.

[Jenny]

What a beautiful post BST.

It has made me think of Vetchfield in 2004. What a night match that was.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Cheers Jenny. I've just put the Thesaurus away...

Actually, for the couple of hundred old folk who were there, that legendary LDV match at Wigan is the finest ever and always will be.

It had everything. It was a night match in the grimmest of post-industrial settings. A rotting corpse of an old ground. A far stronger opposition. A heroic performance from a side that was on its way to becoming, fleetingly, something very special.

And the sight of dozens of Dinny fans sliding on their arses down that mud bank. Legend.

[Colin C No.3]

Your very descriptive post 'fits' my choice perfectly BST, Burnley.

With the added bonus that it's just 4 miles down the road for me.

JR has been quoted as saying that he 'longs' for us to emulate the achievements of Wigan & Hull Tigers....I mean City, & go on to reach 'the promised land' of the Premiership. Two clubs he obviously feels we can be 'likened' to with regards to our recent histories, progressing from the lower divisions to eventually reach 'the summit'. Again Burnley, I would argue, could be more likened to ourselves than both Wigan & Hull. A club surrounded like us, by 'bigger' neighbours, eating away at their following. There were less than 11,000 at their home game against Charlton on saturday & yet today they sit impressively in 2nd spot behind QPR.

[IDM]

Jenny, I expected nowt vs Leeds at Wembley, just soaked in the occasion.  I thought the stadium itself is superb and several quantum leaps ahead of the previous stadium.

The performance, and the win, was a bonus.  Then the after match partying was pretty good too

[colin cramb]

Leyton Orient away first game back in div 3 

[turnbull for england]

i went on Kev Rogans Thorne Bus for the LDV Wigan game, The New Years day came in similar weather at Chesterfield was another cracker, Les Robinson tucking penalty away and Stevie Adams causing Praise and Grumble to melt down when he said he was glad he was tripped as he was about to fall down knackered anyway

[Drover]

For localish grounds,I,ve always enjoyed and had some great times at Scunthorpe and York with Hull + Huddersfield being good too.Further afield,Strangely for some reason Rochdale has always been a favourite for me and talking of the non-bowlesque modern stadia,I have loved the charm of Hereford,Exeter and Wrexham over the years.

[SkellowRover]

Over the last few years my top 3 would be Newcastle, West Ham & Brentford for various reasons from the stadium and atmosphere regardless of the result to the result being everything at brentford.

Back in the day i loved trips to Millmoor, Bootham Crescent, Boothferry Park & Field Mill

[Jonathan]

Gainsborough Trinity - pie and peas!

Some great shouts on here though. Scunthorpe for the results, York for the proximity, West Ham for the day out (and the beers under the stand). Newcastle for the sheer awe inspiring scale of the stadium. Loved the old Field Mill back in the day, the atmosphere and the huge blue metallic stand to the left of the away end. We've been lucky to experience so much at both ends of the spectrum.

The main thing I miss is covered terracing behind the goal. Loved the Shay and London Road for that.

[Jenny]

I went to The Shay a few weeks ago and they now put away fans in the new main stand which was very disappointing - I had gone on the basis that I expected to be on a terrace behind the goal.

If you are talking about food, it has to be Kidderminster all the way, nothing will beat their scran.

[Drover]

OH and I enjoy Yeovil too Jenny.

[RobTheRover]

For me, it's all about the visceral nature of the experience. For that reason, sanitised mono-bowls in faceless, Anericanesque retail parks on bright, breezy afternoons (and yes, sadly, that means the KMS) is the very antithesis of the true football experience.

It needs to be a night match. Urban/industrial location. In the daytime, a football ground is nothing special. People go there, rather than to the shopping centre because they rationally choose to. But at night, the football ground is the ONLY place. Glowing and glowering above the adumbral world below. Drawing people to it. To where the experience is.

The stadium has to be chaotic. Jarring, clashing architectural styles, each reflecting its own historical context. None of the soulless uniformity that is de-rigeur today. (Modern football architects deserve their own special circle of hell for the featureless obscenities they have foisted upon us.)

Ideally, the away end should be cramped, uncomfortable, intimidating. You are not there to be entertained. You are there to see your team fight against the odds whilst nominally stronger opponents, with thousands of home fans roaring them on, try to destroy you. You need to share the claustrophobic, nowhere-to-run-so-we-make-our-stand-here experience that the players are going through.

The crespuscular, febrile feel of a night match in a traditional, city centre stadium, against bigger opponents is what makes football for me. I've surprised myself by realising that my consistently favourite experience in recent years has been going to Bramall Lane.

You are Giles Brandreth and I claim my £5

[scuzzer]

Was on the same bus for the Wigan and Chesterfield games, they were truly great days.

The thought of coming home soaked and covered in mud now is so alien that I can hardly believe it happened but indeed it did and it was much more enjoyable than the happy clappy manufactured plastic atmospheres of today's game. The whole 'matchday experience' stuff makes me want to gip!

[Pintolager]

I don't know how I forgot Newcastle in my opening post...a great experience all round, was just knackered climbing upto the 7th tier or whatever it was and I've always found Geordies as very hospitable folk too. As for food, I loved the pasties they did down at Plymouth, hence part of the reason for me mentioning them

[swintonrover]

Scunny, Stevenage and Pompey. They're exactly how football should be.