Lightening the mood...

[stillmanjunior]

On Friday night I saw that Gary Neville flew back from Spain for the day to watch Salford's game with Hartlepool.

What are the greatest lengths you've gone to in order to attend a City match?

Notable mention goes to Fraser's trip to Histon in 2004. After missing the coach he ended up travelling via train, bus, taxi to get there just in time...and witness a 5-1 defeat. Cost him a fortune.

Mine was probably not long after that. Team Bath "away" on NYD 2005. I endured a heavy night and think my head was still over a sink an hour before kick-off. Managed to get a lift in and was basically slumped on the Bristol End terrace for the first half. Felt a bit better when we came back from 1-0 down to win 4-1 with some excellent goals. One of the most ill I've ever felt, no idea how I managed to attend a football match, I could barely move without my head spinning.

[Mark Tanner]

Great thread, mine was Grimsby in the FA Cup.

Travelled from Aberystwyth after working on the Friday. Got back to Bath at around 1am, up for 5-6ish for to get the coach to Grimsby. Coach trip back to Bath then up again on the Sunday for an early train back to Aberystwyth, which takes around 6-7 hours on a Sunday.

Thoroughly enjoyed it though, great to be one of the 200 odd there that day!

[Manchester Romans]

Mine was in November 1987. I was living in Hamburg at the time so when we were drawn away to Chelmsford in the First Round Proper of the F.A.Cup I decided to get the Hamburg-Harwich ferry to watch the game. The ferry crossing took 22 hours, plus the train journey to Chelmsford and a longish walk to their old ground, so it took pretty much 24 hours to get there. After the game, which we won 2-1, I headed straight back to Harwich and the night boat back to Hamburg. The Hamburg-Harwich route was axed a few years later, so this remained a once in a lifetime experience.

[comrade powell]

I'll leave Kermit to relate his efforts to get to the Torhout match, which I doubt will be surpassed.

I would guess mine would be a trip to Stalybridge. At the time we lived in south Somerset and most of my away trips were by train in the London area. However, I occasionally would drive up to Bath to catch Sue Gillard's supporters coach. In those days it left, shall we say, a little earlier from Twerton, so I would leave home at around six and probably didn't get back much before midnight. The return was even later that day as the coach developed problems. We literally coasted the last 2 miles down the motorway to the M5 services for repairs and I, from memory almost single handedly, pushed the thing the final 200 yards. It didn't help that someone preferred to simply stand back snapping the episode!

[comrade powell]

And Kermit, do remind us of your trip to the game in Kent via France!

[SASCHA]

Maybe not the greatest distance but certainly the most frustrating walk.
Kermit was already on his third pint by the time Mr Powell had taken us around the outskirts of Halesowen.
Our destination was the pub and yes Kermit was heading for the same place, but didn't follow our leader.

[LB]

This is in danger of becoming like the "Four Yorkshiremen" sketch!

Having been to Italy in 1977 for the Anglo Italian Cup games, how about Parma via Gatwick Airport, Rimini and Montesilvano! It is a bit of a cheat really, as that journey wasn't made on the same day, although we did travel from Montesilvano (where we were staying) to Parma and back for the first game, which according to Google is a round trip of about 560 miles.

[comrade powell]

Our destination was the pub and yes Kermit was heading for the same place, but didn't follow our leader.

And therefore missed out on a very pleasant walk through the local cemetery...

[stillmanjunior]

I'll leave Kermit to relate his efforts to get to the Torhout match, which I doubt will be surpassed.

I'm sure Fraser (again) and Mark Scott had their own Torhout story where they turned up at the wrong ground.

When the former returned he said "I've just watched us draw 0-0 with the Belgian equivalent of Odd Down".

[Ashley]

I've walked to 2 away games, does that count?

[Marc Monitor]

Not if they are Odd Down, Team Bath or Larkhall.

Mine, like I am sure many, is North Ferriby away. I am not sure I travelled so far for Cardiff matches.

[stillmanjunior]

I've walked to 2 away games, does that count?

I walked to Paulton from Peasedown for a friendly. And to Odd Down from...Rush Hill, for another friendly.

Also ran to Twerton from the flat and back for a pre-season game. And walked to the Woking play-off final as I knew parking would be impossible. I basically bounced back up the hill on the way home.

[Dave]

2 years of working through the night on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays while going to the majority of aways at the time was tough, regularly awake for the best part of 60 hours some times. I'd definitely die if I did it now. The aforementioned Grimsby cup game probably the worst. Finished a shift, straight from work to coach, boozed too much watching Paulton in the pub then only found out I was filming just before kick off. Had to walk across the top of their main stand to drop down into gantry, half cut with swirling winds and only the North Sea visible. Filled my pants. Straight back to work when back in Bath.

Other than that, five of us packed into a tiny motor for Gateshead on a Monday night, severely punished all the way there by Paul Hill's brain damaging Blink 182 cds at full volume, and having to walk for what seemed like 4 hours through the night to bed down in semi homoerotic conditions in Newcastle was a fairly gritty effort for all involved. Worth every minute though.

[comrade powell]

I'm sure I've described it before, but it will be new for recently joined forum members...

Swaythling away in the cup (they are now Eastleigh, but their ground was in the middle of nowhere then). Travelled down with the London Branch in car of Phil Weaver's brother. Wild, windy and wet (similar to recent weather) - at least 3 other City cars following us down country lanes, assuming we knew the way. Saw the floodlights, parked in car park and dashed for clubhouse. Barged into a wedding reception with speeches in full flow. It was the nearby rugby club...

[Ashley]

Not if they are Odd Down, Team Bath or Larkhall.

Mine, like I am sure many, is North Ferriby away. I am not sure I travelled so far for Cardiff matches.

They were Radstock so ill take that!

[stillmanjunior]

I'm sure I've described it before, but it will be new for recently joined forum members...

Swaythling away in the cup (they are now Eastleigh, but their ground was in the middle of nowhere then). Travelled down with the London Branch in car of Phil Weaver's brother. Wild, windy and wet (similar to recent weather) - at least 3 other City cars following us down country lanes, assuming we knew the way. Saw the floodlights, parked in car park and dashed for clubhouse. Barged into a wedding reception with speeches in full flow. It was the nearby rugby club...

I went to watch Longwell Green Sports v Horndean in the FA Vase recently. Arrived early and, again, the weather was absolutely foul. Didn't fancy sitting in my car for 45 minutes, or inside the ground, so went in search for the clubhouse. Jogged through the rain into a building which I assumed was the clubhouse. Opened a door expecting to see a nice, cosy bar with somewhere to sit and enjoy a pint of orange squash.

Instead I'd accidentally gatecrashed a Zumba class at the village hall.

[LB]

I'm sure I've described it before, but it will be new for recently joined forum members...

Swaythling away in the cup (they are now Eastleigh, but their ground was in the middle of nowhere then). Travelled down with the London Branch in car of Phil Weaver's brother. Wild, windy and wet (similar to recent weather) - at least 3 other City cars following us down country lanes, assuming we knew the way. Saw the floodlights, parked in car park and dashed for clubhouse. Barged into a wedding reception with speeches in full flow. It was the nearby rugby club...

I think I was in one of those cars!

[comrade powell]

And another oldie but goody...

Wealdstone away back in the 70s. I lived a few miles from Lower Mead, their old ground in Harrow - two hours before game, driving into local supermarket car park. Followed by Alan Wheatley and other City fans, as they assumed I knew the way to the ground and had been trailing us for some five minutes.
Perhaps you were in that car as well, LB!

[LB]

Very possibly! I do recall going to Northwich with Alan Wheatley and doing the usual thing of heading for the floodlights only to find ourselves at Witton Albion's ground instead.

[Colin Voutt]

Our destination was the pub and yes Kermit was heading for the same place, but didn't follow our leader.

And therefore missed out on a very pleasant walk through the local cemetery...

Don't you mean route march?

[comrade powell]

Apologies if the pace was too fast for you!

[stillmanjunior]

Very possibly! I do recall going to Northwich with Alan Wheatley and doing the usual thing of heading for the floodlights only to find ourselves at Witton Albion's ground instead.

I had a manic day earlier this year when we were away to Hayes & Yeading. I had to be in London by midday-ish for a suit fitting before a wedding where I was best man. I forgot all about it until being reminded the night before when I was on my fourth or fifth drink at the Legends Evening. Managed to get to the place in Shepherd's Bush and jumped on a train to Maidenhead, arriving at the station by half 1. Perfect. The dashing around helped clear my hangover, too.

Only problem was I decided against using the map on my phone, believing there was no way I could go wrong from the station to Maidenhead's ground. Incorrect. I wandered off in the complete opposite direction and could gradually hear the shouts of players, so followed the noise. As I got closer I looked out and noticed that the shouts were from a local league Saturday game on a roped off playing field. I had walked nearly two miles in the wrong direction and had a bit of a dash to get back in time.

[turnstyle13]

I was a member of Kermit's car load of funsters who went to Dover via Le Harve, but as he was the brains behind the trip he can tell you all the story.

My own was 17/1/98. BCFC at home to Salisbury. The night Super Graham Colbourne scored 4 and we won 5-0.
Why was it an effort to be there?
Because at something near to 16.00hrs I was in a very wintery Stuttgart airport.
Once back to Heathrow it was Bus to Reading, Train to Baff Spa and Taxi to the Azteca. And I got there just as the 5th goal went in (header at Bath end).

[Peteboa]

I Certainly miss the conference away days, cracking days out in northern towns with cracking industry. Tamworth on a Tuesday night was also brilliant with a great noise made by the legion, it really felt as if we'd arrived.

[Ashley]

The Gateshead Monday night trips were legendary!

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