BRISTOL ROVERS 18.01.11

HOW TO GET THERE

CAR
Exit M5 at junction 16 (Signposted Filton) and join the A38 (South) towards Bristol City Centre. The ground is about five miles down the A38. You will pass the large British Aerospace works and further on, you will pass on your left the Inn on the Green and the Gloucester pubs. You then pass the Wellington pub on your right and continuing along the A38 Gloucester Road, turn left into Filton Avenue. The entrance to the Club car park is the second right down this road.

PARKING
The club car park gets very busy and is not really an option. There is a lot of street parking in side-roads off the main Gloucester Road and round the Wellington Pub that should be ok.

TRAIN
The main station is Bristol Temple Meads which is right in the city centre. This is a long walk from the ground and a taxi would be recommended. Alternatively you can get a local train from here to Montpelier (not the French city), but this is still about 1½ miles from the ground.

If you arrive at Bristol Parkway a good bet to is to get a taxi from here to the ground and avoid the city centre all together. There are a couple of good pubs that serve cheap food and drink behind the church that is next to the station.

PUBS/FOOD
There are a lot of pubs within a short walk of the ground, with most of these being based on the Gloucester Road. The ones closest to the ground can be a little territorial and quite lively. Here is a few to choose from;

The Royal Oak- Used to be called the John Cabot and is a busy pre-match pub. We visited a couple of years back after the game and had no trouble, although it used to have a bit of a reputation. They serve between 4-5 real ales as well as a good selection of lager. They have a good range of food and have recently gone quite up-market, which may put some of our usual crowd off!

Sportsman and Annex Pubs- These are located in the back streets a fair old stroll from the ground. They are designated ‘away fan’ pubs and offer good facilities. The main pub has a lot of pool tables, TV’s and lagers. The Annex is the more popular area and offers a good range of real ales and comfortable surroundings. A decent menu is also on offer.

The Gloucester Arms- This is a large pub 5 minutes from the ground and popular with both sets of fans on a match-day. They serve cheap food and drinks, but not necessarily good quality ones. A good option on a small budget.

There are hundreds of takeaways along the Gloucester Road and this is the student area of the city so there are many cheap restaurants.

MEMORIAL STADIUM- Capacity 12,100 (around 3,000 seats)
Charismatic is one way to describe the ground and don’t let the word ‘stadium’ fool you into thinking it is going to be some bowl of seats offering covered, uninterrupted views and 1st class facilities. The ground has been slowly developed since they moved in with the rugby club in the 90’s and is starting to get a homely feel about it.

Away fans are housed on an open terrace along one side of the pitch, which offers no roof and basic facilities. There is space for 1,100 fans, so you should have plenty of space and a decent view.

The rest of this terrace is for home supporters and has a small stand (Uplands Stand) located at the back. This is seated and covered.

To the left of the away terrace is the South Stand, which is a temporary seated stand that sits behind the goal and is covered. This has a section of seats for away fans and may be the better choice if the heavy rain continues.

On the opposite side of the pitch is the DAS Stand, which is a strange structure not common at football grounds. It has a small terrace at the front and a seated area behind. The roof is formed of executive boxes that have seats on balcony’s and a press box. To left of this stand is a small stand similar to the South Stand.

Behind the goal to the right is a medium sized terrace that is covered and makes its way round the corners of the pitch. This is known as the Blackthorn End and has a rugby clubhouse building at the back of it. There is often quite a bit of noise created in this area and their fans are well known for singing ‘Goodnight Irene’.

SAFETY
The Rovers fans that I have met in the past have always been a good bunch who love nothing more than a chat and a gallon of proper cider. They have a completely differing attitude to that of their city neighbours and offer a friendly welcome. They do however have an element that like top cause trouble but would expect no problems in a match as low-key as this one.

PRICE- Tickets available on the day or in advance from HUFC.