Thetownend.com

Anyone else going to this? 600 tickets sold so far, with pay on the day available it should be a good crowd.
I'm actually working in Southampton before the game, so nice and easy to get to.
 

I'm going down to this one. Was thinking of catching the train from Westbury/ Trowbridge but need to check out times. I'll just get a ticket on the night as i won't be in Swindon before then. I'm sure we will take a fair few down there so should be a Good night.

Their away section holds 2000, I would've thought that we'd easily take over 1000. First away game this season for, looking forward to it...

Should be a great night, football under floodlights at a proper ground like Fratton Park, decent atmosphere.

Should be one of the best away trips this season.

If I left Swindon at 5, would I get there in time?

Yes.  It would take about 1.5 hours.

Basically its 50 mins to Winchester and 40 mins to Pompey. You have to allow time for the A34 to back up and Winchester - this is a busy traffic area but moves quite steadily and only holds you up for about 15 mins.

A bit of a tip is to come off the M4 at J14, head north, take the first right (B4000) and then follow this to the A34, it cuts out about 2-3 miles and the Newbury turn.

The A34 approaching Winnel Roundabout and M3 after it is a total lottery during rush hour, sometimes you sail all the way through, soemtimes you are crawling all the way from Winchester to Southampton.  Always sensible to allow extra time.

Thanks folks.

you have to stand up in the away end, otherwise your knees will get smashed more than at Walsall

With the roof that was put on a few years ago the view is pretty shite with the poles that are in the way!

Saying that, I'm looking forward to it!

My first away trip of the season I'll be there, dont get to many away but fancy this

I am going and the first time I have stood at Fratton Park with a roof on the away end.

gonna go too, think the two times i've seen us there we've conceded 4 - one 4-3 defeat where we almost came back to draw and one 4-1 (?) when wayne gray scored a late consolation - does that sound right?

I know we've taken some beatings down there. Most memorable has to be the game where Mildenhall ripped his knackers and Chris Hay grabbed the winner to send us top of the league. It didn't last but was enjoyable nonetheless.

My daughter, a toddler then  was given a teddy bear by the child minder. She couldn't think of a name so I named it Milldenhall. I obviously was feeling sorry for him after his unfortunate injury  :eek: She still has Milldenhall but I can't ever remember telling her it is named after a Swindon goalie.

yeah couldn't make it down for that one but fortunately it was on sky

....with one ball.

I'm in  :beers:

Yea that must be the last time we went there (unless there is a cup game ive forgotten), without looking it up that must have been 99/00 season im guessing.

Bradbury (could have been Claridge) got a hat trick

First time I went to Fratton Park, we won 4-1 in 63....Pompey still had Jimmy Dickinson and Harry Harris in that side, Dickinson held the record for most League apearances for a single club, until John Trollope also on the pitch that day took it.

Pompey's one was scored by Ron Saunders, set up by Tony Barton, a double act who'd go on to glory at the Villa.

I'm going to the game with my daughter. Only been there once when we won 3-1 midweek in the League Cup when they were in the Prem. No cover on the end then and it pissed down.

Picked Carlisle over this one, reckon there will be 1000+ for Pompey

I'm going with Mrs B as its local to me in Chichester. She has divided loyalties coming from a family of Pompey fans.

First time I went to FP was Terry Gibson's debut after we sold Shearer. Can't look at Cannon and Ball in the same light since.

Rogers on the scoresheet Reg?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtlaNHc98Lg

Sexy green socks.

Im going.

I'm not :(

Not if you walked.

I'll be there, got ticket on Wednesday. Low and behold I have appointments around Portsmouth on Tuesday, fuck me how did that happen? I'll also have to endure the banter and piss taking of my Pompey work colleague and his mates in his local boozer before and after the game and taxi the cunt back to his home at Meon Stoke before/after the game. Still someone has to take one for the team and as a colleague he's a decent bloke who has been to the CG in recent years to watch us when he's been out with me to appointments in this area. COYR COYR

If only it was a Saturday  :no:

I'll be going, never been to Fratton Park and looking forward to it - hopefully we take a good few down.

Irrationally difficult to get to from London in any reasonable amount of time though, will have to hope I can sneak out of work early without anyone noticing.

Was really looking forward to this before fixtures were announced but back at uni by then >:(

If only it was on a Saturday!!!

Can you get tickets on the gate?

Really want to get down to this one, it's piss easy to get to from East Croydon as well.

Pretty sure you can, yes

Cheers.

Jumpers for goalposts ;)

I remember losing at Pompey 3-0 with Hemerman scoring at hat-trick.

We were almost down in Div 4. The following Tuesday night Newport County put us to the sword. We were down  :cry:

......then soon along came a little man called Lou and things began to get better again  :)

No more advance tickets. Just been down the ticket office and we had 700 up front and they've gone so its pay on the gate now. They will be charging the same price for pay on the day as buying in advance - apparently. What's parking like down there?

How many do you reckon we'll take? 1200?

1200-1500 I'd imagine, possibly depending on the result at Carlisle.

ooo forgot about this one, should be able to make it from work!

Can get a bit wet if you go to far South.

Im driving from Chipnam on Tuesday if anyone needs a lift.  Probably go about 5.

A good tip, though worth noting that the police are a rather hot on the B4000 for speeding particularly near Stockcross, and joining the A34 at that point is the Newbury bypass bit which has ridiculously short slip-roads

Spot on........also the interchange on the motorways can catch you out on M27/M3.....if you are not concentrating then a trip to Bournemouth could be awaiting.

And remember those seatbelts

[Nerd]
I love road trivia/hints like that.  Thanks for sharing.  I'm the opposite of a 'blue line driver'.  It's amazing the number of people who are prepared to add miles - and even minutes - to their journey just because there's a thick blue line on the map.

As an aside, I'm no petrolhead and do have an environmental conscience.  But how the A34 is still the A34 - and not the M34 - is beyond me.  There are a number of A roads in this country - the A34, A14, A303 and A556 being prime examples - that would have been built to motorway standard in just about any other European country.  Take a look at the German autobahn map, for example, and then look at a similar map of our motorways.  The comparison is quite shocking.
[/Nerd]

[url width=380 height=503]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Autobahnen_in_Deutschland.svg[/url]

[url width=380 height=503]http://www.ciht.org.uk/motorway/gbmwayhr.jpg[/url]

 Been down the A34 today from the M40, horrible road

Also on the M6 toll, brilliant road

In my early days on the road as a salesman I used to do pretty much the same area as now and that included Hampshire and Dorset. When I used to do Soton & Pompey I used to go down via Marlborough, Tidworth and tuen left at the roundabout by the 303 just south of Tidworth. Right a few hundred yards up the road and follow this through the wallops into the back end of Romsey and then slip onto the M27.

It's a lovely meandering country road with a few narrow points but such a lovely break from the motorway. You also have to consider that this was way before the Newbury by pass and the much fought over (remember swampy?) Winchester bypass. So basically you had to trawl through Newbury and four or five miles south of there you could pick up the A34 dual carriage way. Then log jams at Winchester with the old traffic lights causing mayhem.

With hindsight Swampy should have been shot. Environmentalist, my arse. Left wing agitator and benefits scrounged more like.

Anyway I'll already be down there working my patch so travel won't be an issue for me but if I was going to go from Peatmoor and time was not an issue I'd still go the old way, for nostalgia if nothing else.

Think we will get agood win tommorow night. ;)

Have regularly travelled to Portsmouth & especially Southampton for work purposes.

M4, A34, M27 East- No problem apart from minimal (10/15 mins) at junction with M3- 1 HOUR 45 to Pompey, top wack and thats allowing for any hold ups.

Lift offered from near Gatwick or am I still the only red over here !

 :hmmm:

Andy

First away game of the season for me really looking forward to it, to what i would call a traditional football ground
Were is the best place for a pre match drink?

http://www.footballgroundguide.com/portsmouth/index.htm is your friend

Seem to remember the Good Companion being decent but that was 10-12 years ago when we played there last.

No hint of a live stream is there?

Go down the Guildhall loads of pubs down there so get off at Portsmouth & Southsea train station, also Albert Road in Fratton has a fair boozers as well. Its only about 10-minute from Fratton Train Station. There are couple of pubs along the seafront but they were rather dodgey when I lived there.

Must be quite a packed train with all those pubs onboard  ;)

 :doh: edited that now.  :-[

Might go there or the Brewers arms which is a Fullers pub

Can't wait for this now, missed my first game of the season Saturday so buzzing to get back watching the mighty STFC!!!!!! An early leave, half day booked, get into a boozer and have a few bevs!  :pint:

No

Decided to go if I can sneak out of work early enough

Used to drink in the Red, White and Blue (I think it was called).  But that was the boxing day game of many years past...who knows if it's still there (or any good).

Have decided today to go to this after the horror of getting as far as Morecambe Bay on Saturday, going to be cutting this one fine too, no idea on the quickest way so Google Maps is my guide