THE RECKLESS GUIDE TO
NOTTS COUNTY
Football League 2
Saturday 30th January 2010
Kick off 3.00pm
Stadium Meadow Lane, Nottingham, NG2 3HJ
Telephone 0115 952 9000
Club Colours Black & White
Nickname The Magpies
Official Club Website www.nottscountyfc.premiumtv.co.uk
Key Personnel Caretaker Manager is Scot Dave Kevan who took over from Ian McParland in October 2009. Dave had a fairly short professional career mainly with Notts County and Stoke City which was hampered by injury and retired in 1994. After coaching roles at The Victoria Ground and Turf Moor Burnley he rejoined County in 2007. Ex England Manager Sven-Goran Eriksson is of course currently the Director of Football at the club
Brief Directions By Road These directions are courtesy of Notts County FC - Leave the M1 at Junction 24 and exit onto the A453 towards Nottingham (South). Carry on the A453 until you come to the Clifton Bridge. Exit left before the Bridge and you will come to a roundabout. Take exit onto B679 Clifton Road, which becomes Wilford Lane towards West Bridgeford (8 miles after leaving the Motorway). After just over a mile turn left onto the A60 and head over Trent Bridge. Take the first right turn (at the traffic lights) after crossing the bridge and into Cattle Market Road. The ground is on the right.
Car Parking Street parking in the immediate vicinity of the ground is restricted so the best bets are the car park Cattle Market (opposite the away end £2 which gets full very early in the day) or the pay and display parks about 5 minutes walk from the ground. They are clearly signposted if you follow the above route.
Directions By Train A train from London St Pancreas should take around two hours with a possible change at Grantham. The ground is a very short walk from Nottingham Midland station. Turn left out of the main exit and then left again. Then right onto the London Road. Turn left into County Road where you will see the ground. Bus services passing the ground from the town centre are routes 6, 10 and 11.
Supporters Coaches
The BFCSA is running a coach to this fixture and seats are priced at £25.00 adults £20.00 Concessions. The coach will depart from outside the Barnet Odeon at 10.00am sharp. For further details about supporters coach travel and how to book check out the BFCSA website at www.bfcsa.co.uk. You can also phone the Coach Travel hot line on 01707 647365. Please remember that you must be a member of the Association to travel - don't worry you can join on the day. The club wishes me to point out that supporters' coach travel is entirely organised and operated independently by the Barnet FC Supporters Association. Barnet Football Club Limited cannot be held liable for any losses occurred.
Eating And Drinking Locally
The club fanzine recommends The Globe, which is short stroll over the Canal Bridge from the ground. It serves reasonably priced meals too and real ales. For the perfect pre match pint look no further than the Trent Bridge Inn which is adjacent to Trent Bridge Cricket Ground - it is only a 15/20 minute walk from Meadow Lane and a visit will give you the opportunity to gave a gander at Nottingham Forest's stadium and the fast developing cricket ground stands. Also close to Trent Bridge you will find the Southbank Bar which is another friendly pub offering good food and a varied selection of real ales including the local Mallards Brewery.
Reckless Recommendation: A detour I know but staying on the A453 and crossing the Clifton Bridge you will discover a gem which is The Riverside Farm Pub north of the river on Tottle Road next to the Riverside Retail Park. The Mixed Grill, according to a regular visitor, will defeat the most insatiable of appetites and even the bar snacks are MASSIVE! A Carvery and good prices at the bar too. Well worth the extra effort to find it believe me.
The Social Club
The Meadow Club is open to away fans before the game according to my spies and bar snacks are available alongside a decent selection of beers. The club say that Lawton's Bar behind the main stand is restricted before the game but open to all at full time although I was refused entry the last time I visited - no comments thank you!
Ground Description
One of my literary heroes, Simon Inglis once said "Despite its name, Meadow Lane is as about as rural as the Boleyn Ground is Tudor" How things have even changed since then but I was lucky enough to visit the lovely old ground in the 1980's before its re-modernisation. Gone has the charming old County Stand which was supported by stilts over wooden terracing and the tall uncovered Spion Kop terrace and the wonderful barrelled roof main stand first built in 1910. Progress has given Country a 20,000 plus all seater stadium with great views but with far less warmth. The Derek Pavis or Main Stand was built in 1994 and holds 7,000 while opposite is The Jimmy Sirrell Stand where 1,300 X Block seats will be reserved for visiting supporters. It has a nice traditional touch in the centre roof gable. The Family Stand is to the left and boasts some wonderful facilities for the young, with a crèche and tuck shop, and for the not so young with executive boxes and a bar built into the roof. The massive Kop Stand completes the picture which can hold up to 5,500. The view from the top is superb.
Rivals Obviously that team that can be seen on the other side of the river and has a silly red tree as its emblem, plus Mansfield Town and Chesterfield.
Admission Prices
We are to be accommodated in X block of the Jimmy Sirrell stand Seating Adults £20.00 Concession £12.00 Under 16's £5.00. Pay at the turnstiles on match day except Students who MUST buy from the ticket office and present a valid NUS/University card to obtain discounted ticket. Disabled supporters please contact Notts County ticket office direct on 0115 9557210
Our Last Meeting & Memories On our last visit to Meadow Lane in February 2009 resulted in a 0-2 defeat. Our only win at the Lane was October 2006 when a Tresor Kandol goal won a Johnstone's Paint trophy tie. On a brighter note did you know that Ian Hendon has scored three goals for Barnet against his old club, all from the penalty spot!
The away fixture in Div 3 in April 1998, where we were beaten 2-0 in front of over 6,000 fans, was one of those really memorable weekends for me personally. Why? Because the infamous Curry Club spent the weekend in a guesthouse owned by ex-QPR and Scotland midfielder Don Masson. I can't remember much about the whole weekend except seeing two Lee Harrison's during the game in the Barnet goal and visiting a impressive restaurant and sampling Indian Tandoori Chicken smothered with goats cheese, absolutely superb.
Overnight Stay Factor Nottingham is a city that comes alive at night and has some outstanding Asian restaurants and wicked night-clubs. So a stop over attracts a high 7/10.
Celebrity Watch, Odds And Ends
For those of you with culture in mind, the novelist DH Lawrence was born in these parts in 1885, as was William Booth founder of the Salvation Army and 19th century poet Lord Byron. For those of you without, why not pop down and see Torvill and Dean at the ice rink, Dale Winton at the supermarket, Leslie Crowther at the £1 shop, Su Pollard at the holiday camp or Richard Beckingsale in E wing.
I am sure you aware that Notts County Football Club is reputedly
the oldest football club in the world unless you come from Sheffield.
It was formed in 1862. Robin Hood is still the worlds best loved
outlaw and his legend lives on in the City. There is still a Sheriff of
Nottingham but he is more likely to be seen opening supermarkets
than collecting taxes with menace these days. Did you know that
the first recorded Earthquake in England was recorded in
Nottingham in 1180?
