92 Clubs – Week 3 – 16 Clubs – 28 Trains, 3 Trams, 3 Metros
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7
Day 15 Day 16 Day 17 Day 18 Day 19 Day 20 Day 21
Perhaps not as many clubs, as I would have wanted, but there was a lot of public transport.
I also had a late train, but that actually helped me at Hereford on Day 12, by giving me some extra time.
As with Week 1 and Week 2, I’ll put in a few awards.
Heroes of the Week
Everything went fairly smoothly and no-one really stood out, except for some very cheery people who sent me on my way.
Most Surprising Stadium of the Week
This has to be Morecambe in possibly the town that surprised me most. The whole town deserves an award for going from being a place berated in various papers for benefit tourists, to a place, where you’d be pleased to go for a few days.
Best Stadium of the Week
Huddersfield was the first of the new stadia to be built. It has a grace and engineering-style beauty that so many modern stadia lack. Access from the train is pretty good too. And the staff at the stadium I met, were friendly too. If the club make it to the Championship, they will be a welcome addition to the League.
Best Signposted Stadium of the Week
There wasn’t really one, but Manchester United and Newcastle with their own tram and metro stops are the easiest to find from the station. Newcastle probably wins because of the station in team colours and the fact that it’s so near to the ground.
Worst Signposted Stadium of the Week
A pedant would say Leyton Orient, as I don’t think I saw a single signpost after the Underground station at Leyton. But then you pass umpteen bus stops, all with maps showing you where the ground is located.
They could also include Millwall, but as the ground effectively has its own station at South Bermondsey and soon will have another at Surrey Canal Road, it is rather irrelevant.
So it has to be Manchester City, where there is no information at Piccadilly station and you have to get a bus from Piccadilly Gardens a short walk away. And then the bus doesn’t give any indication you are arriving at the stadium.
Best Town of the Week
Only Morecambe deserves any award. Just as with Hartlepool last week, they have done their best with very limited resources. The Town really shows up Blackpool to be the real dump it is. It was a pity I had so little time there on a very busy Day 21.
Dump of the Week
It’s a toss-up here between three places, Manchester, Leeds and Milton Keynes. I think I’ll give it to Milton Keynes because of the fact that it would be an impossible place to live without a car and even then the signposting leaves a lot to be desired.
The problem with Leeds and Manchester, is that their buses are so badly organised and totally unusable by visitors except with a guide. But that also applies to Blackpool and Bristol.
I haven’t really caught up much, but I’m keeping going.
92 Clubs – Day 21 – Milton Keynes, Morecambe, Newcastle
althoughy, I only visited three clubs it was one of the longer days including eight trains, three on the Newcastle Metro and two taxis.
Milton Keynes is one of those stadia built where the land was available and not in a place convenient for public transport. But it would appear that publicf transport is not of much account in the city of roundabouts and few signs. As I went to the stadium in a taxi, I couldn’t see many signs to either the stadium or the station. This caught me out years ago, when I drove to the city to get a train to Warrington. In the end I got a rare parking ticket, for leaving my car in the wrong place.
Outside MK Dons Stadium
I wasn’t there long and was quickly on a train to Crewe, where I changed for Lancaster on my way to Morecambe.
The town was a bit of a surprise, as I thought it would be like Blackpool only smaller. It is smaller, but it is in much better state than its larger resort down the coast. You wouldn’t see anything as tasteful as this on a roundabout in Blackpool.
Outside Morecambe Station
The stadium is new and a bit of a way away from the town centre.
Outside Morecambe's Globe Arena
But it looks pretty good and as the town was nice although a bit blowy, I’ll be back, if Ipswich play there. The beach looked a good place to walk too!
Morecambe Beach
It would be three trains from Morecambe to Newcastle, via Lancaster and Carlisle. I’ll say more on this journey later.
On arrival in Newcastle, I took the metro to St. James’ Park.
St. James' Park, Newcastle
They’ve even got the Metro station in the club’s colours.
St. James Metro Station in Newcastle Colours
Is this unique?
I was on the train to London on time and in bed before midnight.
when I looked at the schedule at the start of yesterday, I thought a lot of things could go wrong!
Nothing did!
The Anonymous Widower 