92 Clubs – Week 1 – 18 Clubs – 33 Trains, 1 Coach
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7
I should add several Underground and Overground trains and quite a few buses.
But of those 33 trains, only one was late and that didn’t stop me doing what I wanted. One, incidentally, a train from Leeds to London on Day 1 was actually a few minutes early. I won’t complain about that!
The coach from Birmingham to Blackburn on Day 3 was an hour late because of traffic and the seemingly endless time, it took to get across Manchester. But it didn’t mean I had to make any serious changes to the schedule.
I shall give out a few awards each week.
Heroes of the Week
This has to go to the staff of First Great Western, who got me back to London from Bristol on Day 5, despite the fact I fell asleep on the train to Bristol Parkway and ended up in Gloucester.
Another award should go to Jeff on the same day, who helped me navigate Bristol’s buses.
Most Surprising Stadium of the Week
Given the problems they have had over the years, AFC Bournemouth was a relevation. The location was good, the stadium was easy to find from the station. And the coffee was excellent too.
Best Stadium of the Week
I haven’t seen a match there but Brighton seems to tick every possible box. When Ipswich play in February, I’ll be going.
Best Signposted Stadium of the Week
It hurts me to say this, as someone who supported their bitter rivals, Enfield, as a boy, but it has Barnet.
Worst Signposted Stadium of the Week
It has to be Bradford City. You can see the stadium from the station and this draws you the wrong way, where there are no signposts at all. As I said in the Day 4 post, for a stadium with such a tragic past, it is almost disrespectful.
It should be compulsory for every football club director to go to a match by public transport, at least once a year. But I suspect, some believe that anybody who doesn’t come by car is a loser and they don’t want losers as supporters. Surely any bum on any seat is a profit.
Welcoming Stadia of the Week
Some stadia were visited in the dark or when no-one was about, but I was very welcomed at most places and especially Accrington, Bournemouth, Bristol City and Burnley.
Best Town/City of the Week
I was very surprised by Bournemouth. But then you’d expect it to have things going for it, as its problems are far less than most places. If you were going to make a day or even a weekend of the match, then it would be ideal. Obviously, you could make a longer visit with any of the London or big city clubs, Brighton, or even somewhere like Accrington or Burnley, where there are other attractions.
Dump of the Week
Is there anything right about the town of Blackpool? You can understand, why even the Labour Party has deserted it for its conferences since 2002. I must admit I have a particular dislike of the place, as I’ve never been able to find any decent gluten-free food there, but others I spoke to on my travels around the north, seemed to feel exactly as I do about the place. And they were Northerners! Most said it wasn’t their scene or something like that!
Here’s a few things that must be fixed.
- There are no maps at the stations.
- There is no details about the trams and how to find or use them at the station. The trams are unique and should be the backbone of transport within the town, as they go quickly from the very north to the very south of the town.
- The bus stops have no details about where the buses go, that a visitor would understand.
- Most pedestrian crossings are not light controlled and many of those that are, were broken or vandalised.
- Many of the public toilets appear to be almost derelict.
The football ground too, might be modern, but the club has the worst attitude to visiting fans I’ve ever found. The view is very much restricted too, because the seating has all the wrong angles. I bet none of the directors of Blackpool have ever sat and watched a game from the visiting supporters section.
Humour of the Week
Surely the sign at Burnley!
So I may be a few stadia behind, but it has been an interesting week. Thanks must go to all of the supporting people, I’ve met on my journey. One even tried to give me forty pounds on the Underground. I said no, as I want all donations to go through JustGiving, because the charity gets more.
92 Clubs – Day 7 – Burnley, Burton Albion
As I said in an earlier post, I took the morning easy and just turned up at Euston, bought a ticket and took the 11:30 train to Preston, where I changed for Burnley Manchester Road, which is the nearest station to the Burnley ground, Turf Moor. The walk-up ticket cost me £48.70, as opposed to the £13.85, I’d paid for an advance ticket, for an early train. But of course I couldn’t use that one after my troubles in Bristol! Well that is if I wanted to stay sane, fit and well.
Turf Moor
I arrived at the ground just before two after about 30 minutes walk. The trouble is that the station is on one hill and the ground is on another and the only public transport between the two is a taxi. I’ve said before, that crossing the main road by the station in Welcome to Burnley is not the easiest. I met a lady at the station as I moved on to Leeds, when I left and she agreed.
But the people at the club are very friendly and I got a good welcome there.
Welcome to Burnley FC
The receptionist took the picture, which sums up the club well, and told me about one of their former players who has suffered a serious stroke. My best wishes go out to him and his family.
She also told me, how she and a few friends were having an expedition to Brighton to see Burnley play in December, staying for the weekend nearby. Sadly, I won’t be going to Burnley this season as Ipswich play them on a Tuesday night.
From Burnley, I took the train to Leeds, on my way to Burton Albion. It was in fact three trains and I suffered my first delay of the week as it was a bit of a tortuous journey, where I had to change at both Leeds and Derby. The late train, was the service from Leeds to Derby, which was twenty-two minutes late and that knocked on. I dfo wonder how many tickets are issued between Burnley and Burton Albion
Outside Burton Albion's Pirelli Stadium
The picture sums up Burton, although it wasn’t the club or the twon’s fault. To say it was raining would be an understatement, so I chickened out walking to the ground, as pneumonia would not be something to add to my ailments. The picture was taken by a cheery taxi driver, originally from Wimbledon.
Originally, when this day was planned, I would have moved on to Bury. But walking around Manchester, late at night and in the rain, I decided that to return home would be a better idea. After changing trains at Birmingham, I was in London around ten and asleep in bed, just after eleven.
92 Clubs – Day 5 – Brighton, Bristol City, Bristol Rovers
This was supposed to be an easy day with lots of float, but as you will see it wasn’t quite as simple as that.
The aim was to get up early and take the Overground to West Croydon, where I would get the tram to East Croydon.
Croydon Tram at East Croydon
At East Croydon, I had planned to get a train to Brighton and then on to Falmer, using a full price ticket, as I was too early to use my Senior Railcard. I remembered a bit too late so ended up with two tickets, one valid only after 9:30 and the other at anytime.
The train journey was a bit stressful, as it always is for North Londoners, south of the river, but after changing at Lewes, I arrived at the most impressive stadium so far.
The AMEX Community Stadium, Brighton
Some may say the Emirates is more impressive, as it’s bigger, but they have masses of money, whereas Brighton just have fanatical fans, who have not lived, but created the dream.
From Brighton, or should I say Falmer, as the stadium is right on the station and linked to it by a wide well-metaled pathway, I made my way to London and Paddington. To make matters even better, there are modern eight-coach electric trains every fifteen minutes along the coast.
I’d booked a few days ago and it had cost me just £13.20 for the trip out and back. I do have a railcard, but surely that is good value for a day out of the capital.
I have walked to Bristol City in the past, but in this case I took a 24 or 25 bus from the city centre. It was now raining, so we took the picture in the club shop.
Inside the Bristol City Superstore
From there, it was on to Bristol Rovers, with directions from the staff at City. Does that break some unbroken rule about not talking about your local rivals.
The Memorial Stadium, Bristol
Bristol Rovers and Bristol Rugby Club share the same stadium, as the picture shows. There was no-one to take the picture, as it was now a thoroughly bad day and it was making my hay fever worse. Or it seemed like it.
Thanks at this point must go to Jeff, who I met on the bus from City to Rovers, for guiding me across Bristol on the buses.
I returned to the city centre and then I had an excellent supper in Carluccio’s there. No wine though, as I didn’t want to celebrate just yet.
It was then that it all went slighytly pear shaped.
I had booked on the 20:01 train out of Bristol Parkway to get back to London at a reasonable hour. To get there I needed to catch the 19:41 from Tenple Meads. Wherther it was my tiredess or hay fever, the warmth in the train, but an hour or so later I found myself in Gloucester, having fallen asleep. Never in my 64 years, have I ever fallen asleep and missed a station.
But not too worry too much! First Great Western put me on the 21:15 to Parkway and then on the 22:01 to London. They could have charged me for a new ticket, but they didn’t. And I didn’t play the charity card until after they’d let me on the train.
So lots of thanks to First Great Western!
A Recce to Barnet
Barnet is a surprisingly difficult club, as it lies between Aston Villa and Barnsley. So it’ll have to be done quickly on a trip between Euston and St. Pancras. In other words it’ll be two trips on the Northern line to High Barnet. I’d only ever been once before, when I was about seven to see Enfield play them with my father, but C as a child used to go regularly with her father, on their bicycles.
So to see how difficult it was, I took a trip from Euston to High Barnet and then back to St. Pancras. The times were as follows.
18:22 Left Euston
19:00 Arrived High Barnet
19:25 Left High Barnet
20:10 Arrived St. Pancras
So that short trip took just 12 minutes short of two hours.
It could be a bit quicker if soomeone was with me to hold the lights on Barnet Hill and get the platform right there. I got the wrong train out of High Barnet and had to wait for one at Camden Town, which probably cost 15 minutes.
At least the ground is well-signposted and easy to find, as these pictures show.
At least though the walk isn’t too difficult.
The Second Hand Clothes Racket
The Times on Friday had an article obout gangs collecting second hand clothes and then selling them in Eastern Europe. But it’s not just here, that it happens! Here’s a story from Dubai of all places on a related theme.
When I get bags asking for clothing to be donated through my door, they go straight in the recycling bin. If I have any clothes to go to a good cause, I take them to the Oxfam shop on my way to the station.
92 Clubs By Public Transport Alphabetically in a Calendar Month – It Could Be Worse
I have just realised that my trip could be worse. At some time in my lifetime, the following clubs have been among the 92 clubs in the Football League.
- Barrow
- Boston United
- Darlington
- Gateshead
- Grimsby Town
- Lincoln
- Newport
- Scarborough
- Workington Town
- Wrexham
- York
This isn’t a complete list but the others are easy.
92 Clubs By Public Transport Alphabetically in a Calendar Month – Day 29
Hopefully this will be the last day. And there is a match at Yeovil.
92 Clubs By Public Transport Alphabetically in a Calendar Month – Day 28
Back to Home Page Day 27 Day 29
This is another up and down sort of day with access to the grounds easy and others not from the station. I will intend to do Wigan, AFC Wimbledon, Wolverhampton and Wycombe.
92 Clubs By Public Transport Alphabetically in a Calendar Month – Day 27
Back to Home Page Day 26 Day 28
This is an up and down sort of day with access to the grounds easy from the station. I will intend to do Tranmere, Walsall, Watford, West Bromwich and West Ham.
92 Clubs By Public Transport Alphabetically in a Calendar Month – Day 26
Back to Home Page Day 25 Day 27
Another difficult and a very expensive day. Assuming, I stay overnight at Swansea, hopefully I could do Swindon, Torquay and Tottenham.
The Anonymous Widower 