All you need to know if you are making the journey to the County Ground this weekend.
Postcode:
SN1 2ED
By car:
We seem to be getting all of our "local" away trips out of the way early on this year; Swindon is another relatively straight forward trip - until you reach the dreaded Magic Roundabout! Head out of Southampton on the M3, leaving at Junction 9 towards the A34 Newbury. Come off the A34 after 28 miles and join onto the M4 towards Swindon. Exit the M4 at Junction 15, then follow the A345 (Queens Drive) to Drake's roundabout. Turn left towards the Magic Roundabout, The County Ground will be visible from here. Our advice for taking on this infamous roundabout - take a deep breath, keep your wits about you, and pray that you come out of it on the other side!!
Parking:
If you manage to make it through the magic roundabout, you will be relieved to hear that there is ample car parking near the stadium at the local cricket ground, priced pretty reasonably. There is limited street parking around, but you will need to arrive in plenty of time to grab a space.
By train:
The ground is walkable from Swindon train station and will take you around 10-15 minutes. Leave the station, cross the road and proceed up the road between the two pubs (Great Western and Queen's Tap), continue to end of road. Turn left, proceed along Manchester Road, through traffic lights as far as you can go. At the junction turn right. The County Ground is about 300 yards up this road on the left.
Pubs:
There is a variety of choice available if you fancy a pint before the game. The cricket club mentioned above is normally open to both home and away fans and offers a cheap and cheerful option. Elsewhere, The Merlin comes highly recommended due to it being only a five minute walk from the ground.
The Stadium itself:
The County Ground is a fairly typical league stadium, dominated by two large stands that run the length of the pitch, and two smaller areas behind the goals. The 15,728 all-seater ground's predominant feature is one of the stands behind the goal, which offers no protection from the elements - as Saints fans who made last year's trip will testify!
Saints have been given 1,116 tickets for the seated area on one side of the Arkells Stand. Should all these seats be taken, there are an additional 1,548 seats available in the Adkins Family Stand behind the goal, but as mentioned, you may need to bring an umbrella!
Last time at the County Ground:
Saints fans and players alike will want to forget about the side's last trip to the County Ground. Alan Pardew's side crashed to a miserable 1-0 defeat back in August last year, falling foul of a ninth minute Sean Morrison header and then failing to muster an equaliser despite a series of late substitutions.
Despite their 3-0 victory over Saints in the first round JPT clash, the Robins have had a far from ideal start to their league campaign, following their impressive efforts in reaching the play-offs last year. In the league, defeats to Brighton and MK Dons, and draws against Hartlepool and Brentford mean that they sit precariously above the relegation zone with just two points, whilst they also crashed out in the first round of the Carling Cup, losing 2-1 at home to Leyton Orient.
Travel Club Info:
Travel will depart from the Stadium at 11:30am and will call in at Winchester, Eastleigh and Chieveley services priced at £13 each.
