Away Travel: Mansfield Town 20th Sept '08
MANSFIELD TOWN
Saturday 20th September 2008, Kick-Off: 3pm
Field Mill, Quarry Lane, Mansfield, NG18 5DA. Tel: 0870 7563160
Directions by Car: Leave the M1 at Junction 28, and take the A38 to Mansfield. After around six and a half miles, as the road eventually becomes Stockwell Street, turn right at the crossroads into Belvedere Street (A6009). After around quarter of a mile, turn right into Quarry Lane, where Field Mill may be found.
Parking: £2.50 for a space at the ground, otherwise, opt for street parking. Be advised, the nearby retail park does not permit matchday parking.
Train: Mansfield can be reached, from Cambridge, via Nottingham - a journey of a little over three hours.
The station is a 5-10 minute stroll from the ground. Leave the station and turn left onto and along the dual carriageway, away from the town centre. With a retail park on your right, go straight ahead at the first set of lights, along Portland Street and right at the next lights into Quarry Lane. You should be able to see the ground from the station, if you look intently enough.
The Away Travel Club will be running a coach to the game, priced at £14.00 for members, £16.50 for non-members and £8 for Junior U's and Under 16's. It is due to leave Ely at 10.45am, and the Trade Recruitment Stadium at 11.30am. Contact the club on 01223 566500 to book your place.
Admission: £16 for adults, £10 for Students and OAPs, £8 for 8-16 year-olds, while under 8's go free.
Programme: £2.50
The Ground: One of the best arenas in the division, Field Mill has undergone significant redevelopment since the turn of the century, and is now completely covered and seated. The stands are a little detached from one another, giving the ground a slightly disjointed look, and with the Main Stand rather smaller than its cousins, there are wafts of Lincoln City's Sincil Bank. United fans are likely to be housed in the North Stand, behind a goal. The steep construction, not dissimilar to Rushden's away end, should afford travelling supporters a good view of the action, particularly at higher vantage points.
Pre-Match Refreshment: There is a bar at the ground - 'X' bar, which admits away supporters for a charge of £1, while The Talbot pub on Nottingham Road is not a million miles away. Otherwise, the town centre is a brief wander away along Portland Street, where a wider selection of the usual food and drink hideouts will be found, as well as a bustling market square.
Local Attractions: Mansfield is in Nottinghamshire, and is the largest town in the county. I shan't pinpoint a particular point of interest, but do have a wander around the town and the market, and while you're there look out for Richard Bacon, who grew up in the area. If you do visit one of the town's public houses, don't forget to have a big breakfast in the morning, in preparation.
Mansfield is twinned with Mansfieldtown in Ireland and Stryi in the Ukraine - a city in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. And, in 2007, Channel 4's 'The Best and Worst Places to Live in the UK', named Mansfield as the ninth worst place to live. Charming.
Henry Milward
