[Football] Doing Southampton away (Grimsby - FA Cup 5th round)

[Poojah]

So, on Wednesday I’ll be heading to Southampton to attend Grimsby’s first appearance in the 5th round of the FA Cup since 1996, with a good 4,000 or so of my fellow fishy friends. Given the last time we played Southampton in any competition was 5 years before I was born (1978), it’s not an away day I’m remotely familiar with.

I’m working in London during the day, and staying near Waterloo that night. I expect to get into Southampton about 5:00pm ahead of the 7:15pm kick-off. Doesn’t allow a great deal of time to lubricate beforehand, but given you lot have presumably done your fair share of away games at St Mary’s I wondered if you had any words of advice for pre-match drinks in England’s 28th city.

I’ve been recommended the Dancing Man brewery, but it looks a bit of a nice spot for a few thousand northern monkeys.

See you at the Amex in the quarter final?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Don't take your inflatable haddocks with you, because the miserabilists at St Mary's will confiscate them.

 

[Yes Chef]

Sadly the excellent Unity Brewing (and their nearby tap room) recently went to the wall.

Dancing Man is very good, but a bit of a schlep if you're walking to the stadium and don't have much time.

Belgium and Blues, on Above Bar Street, is away friendly and has a wide range of interesting beers. Quite nice food too.

Good luck for the match - they were absolutely woeful when we played them on Boxing Day

 

[Poojah]

Don't take your inflatable haddocks with you, because the miserabilists at St Mary's will confiscate them.

Yeah, Barnet once tried that. So we took a few thousand inflatables…and a mariachi band.

 

[Poojah]

Sadly the excellent Unity Brewing (and their nearby tap room) recently went to the wall.

Dancing Man is very good, but a bit of a schlep if you're walking to the stadium and don't have much time.

Belgium and Blues, on Above Bar Street, is away friendly and has a wide range of interesting beers. Quite nice food too.

Good luck for the match - they were absolutely woeful when we played them on Boxing Day

Belgium and Blues looks ace, thanks mate!

 

[albionalex]

The walk from the station to the stadium is about 25 minutes, depending on how fast you walk, so if your train is at all late you won't have much time to stop off somewhere before a 7:15 kickoff.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Don't take your inflatable haddocks with you, because the miserabilists at St Mary's will confiscate them.

Too late, they have already been officially banned.

It wouldn't affect me anyway, l prefer cod.

 

[halbpro]

The walk from the station to the stadium is about 25 minutes, depending on how fast you walk, so if your train is at all late you won't have much time to stop off somewhere before a 7:15 kickoff.

They do offer a very good bus service direct, think it's about £3 return and departs from the south side of the station

 

[Jeremiah]

So, on Wednesday I’ll be heading to Southampton to attend Grimsby’s first appearance in the 5th round of the FA Cup since 1996, with a good 4,000 or so of my fellow fishy friends. Given the last time we played Southampton in any competition was 5 years before I was born (1978), it’s not an away day I’m remotely familiar with.


I’ve been recommended the Dancing Man brewery, but it looks a bit of a nice spot for a few thousand northern monkeys.

See you at the Amex in the quarter final?

Oh I do hope so !

 

[el punal]

As a resident of Southampton perhaps I can I give you a bit of useful local information. When you exit the station - it will be the south side for incoming London trains - turn left up the hill to the city centre. You will pass the Civic Centre. From there you cross Above Bar where all the main pubs/bars and shops are. You’ll know what I mean when you see for yourself. There’s a Wetherspoons - the Giddy Bridge - further up at the start of London Road which is away fan friendly, well, when the Albion are in town it is! Most of the boozers around there are your bog standard chain pubs though, but not bad.

If you go to any in or around Above Bar it’s a 15/20 minute walk to St.Mary’s. Good luck on the night!

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Too late, they have already been officially banned.

It wouldn't affect me anyway, l prefer cod.

I know, which is why I posted the advice.

 

[Justice]

That’s some trek on a Wednesday night am I missing something? why this couldn’t have been played tommorow likewise for us to.

 

[Sheebo]

Great club Grimsby - remember being on the pitch when we were relegated casually walking around shaking hands with their fans. Would love you to win then draw us in the quarters if we win…! You have a chance. Only ever done Yates pre match at Southampton which isn’t much help as it’s standard in town pub - think it had lots of Brighton in it and locals etc and was fine. All the best.

 

[Sheebo]

Yeah, Barnet once tried that. So we took a few thousand inflatables…and a mariachi band.

That penis is seen several times per weekend in Brighton on hen nights

 

[Poojah]

As a resident of Southampton perhaps I can I give you a bit of useful local information. When you exit the station - it will be the south side for incoming London trains - turn left up the hill to the city centre. You will pass the Civic Centre. From there you cross Above Bar where all the main pubs/bars and shops are. You’ll know what I mean when you see for yourself. There’s a Wetherspoons - the Giddy Bridge - further up at the start of London Road which is away fan friendly, well, when the Albion are in town it is! Most of the boozers around there are your bog standard chain pubs though, but not bad.

If you go to any in or around Above Bar it’s a 15/20 minute walk to St.Mary’s. Good luck on the night!

Thanks for that, really helpful. To be honest, if it was just me I’d probably avoid the chain pubs and go somewhere a bit more ‘crafty’, but on a matchday you have to go where the atmosphere is. If that’s a ‘spoons or a Yates’ it’ll do for me.

 

[Poojah]

I know, which is why I posted the advice.

They’ve actually done a u-turn now and inflatable haddocks are in fact allowed. Bizarrely, it was covered far more extensively than the fact we’ve beaten four sides in leagues above us to get this far in he first place.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

They’ve actually done a u-turn now and inflatable haddocks are in fact allowed. Bizarrely, it was covered far more extensively than the fact we’ve beaten four sides in leagues above us to get this far in he first place.

Good. I hope you beat them.

 

[LamieRobertson]

They’ve actually done a u-turn now and inflatable haddocks are in fact allowed. Bizarrely, it was covered far more extensively than the fact we’ve beaten four sides in leagues above us to get this far in he first place.

Aye I think it was last Friday….quite a lengthy interview with your CEO? She confirmed the U turn on air

 

[Poojah]

That’s some trek on a Wednesday night am I missing something? why this couldn’t have been played tommorow likewise for us to.

It’s a hell of a trek for most, and yet we’ve sold 4,000 tickets with several days to go. We won’t sell all 4,800 I wouldn’t have thought, but it’s not bad for a club based 250 miles north with average gates of 6,500.

We travel disproportionately well for a club of our size, in part due to the number of displaced fans all over the country. Perhaps a bizarre upside of a lack of employment opportunity in your home town.

For me, personally, it’s worked out well really. I’ve managed to tie it in with business in London which gets the wife’s back up much less than me leaving her and the kids over the weekend.

Not that I’ve actually told her I’m going to the match yet. We were out in the car a few hours ago in Leeds and passed the Southampton team bus, adorned with their big badge on the side. “Ooh, Town are playing them on Wednesday night”, I said, realising straight away I shouldn’t have said that. “Where is Southampton”, she said, Geography not her strong suit.

“Oh, somewhere near the Scottish border, I think”.

 

[Poojah]

Great club Grimsby - remember being on the pitch when we were relegated casually walking around shaking hands with their fans. Would love you to win then draw us in the quarters if we win…! You have a chance. Only ever done Yates pre match at Southampton which isn’t much help as it’s standard in town pub - think it had lots of Brighton in it and locals etc and was fine. All the best.

I played in a football tournament that weekend in Cleethorpes (on the Saturday, with the game being played on the Sunday”. There were Town fans, Brighton fans, Rotherham and a couple of others.

Must be someone on here who played in that.