Away Travel: Kidderminster 8th November
KIDDERMINSTER HARRIERS
Saturday, 8th November 2008, Kick-Off 3pm
Kidderminster Harriers F.C, Hoo Road, Kidderminster, DY10 1NB. Tel: 01562 823931
Directions by Car: Leave the M5 at junction 4 (signposted A491 Stourbridge), and after approximately five miles turn left onto the A456 and follow it towards Kidderminster. At the roundabout on the Kidderminster ring road, take the first exit - signposted A451 Stourport and at the next roundabout opt for the first exit onto the A448 (signposted Bromsgrove), before taking the first road to the right - Hoo Road. Follow as it bends round, and a few hundred metres along, Aggborough Stadium will appear on your left.
Parking: Available behind the away stand and indeed behind the home end.
Train: Kidderminster can be reached from Cambridge via Birmingham New Street and Birmingham Snow Hill or Birmingham Moor Street.
Kidderminster station is around half a mile from the ground - a ten-minute walk. Turn left onto the main road (Comberton Road) and wander down the hill towards the town centre. Near the bottom of the hill, shortly before 'Motorway Tyres', turn left into Hoo Road. Walk along for approximately 400 metres and the ground will appear on your left.
The Away Travel Club will be running two coaches to the game, departing Ely at 9.15am and The Trade Recruitment at 10.30am. Prices: £15.00 for members, £17.50 for non-members, £9 for Under 16s and Junior U's.
Admission: Terrace: adults £13, concessions £8, under 16's £5. Seated areas: adults £16, concessions and under 16s £11.
Programme: £2.50
The Ground: We've been over to Aggborough quite a few times over the last few years, and I'm sure some have seen quite enough of the place, given our dismal record there. United fans will be housed once again, in the South Terrace - a covered area offering a fairly good view, particularly from the higher vantage points. This area may be split, or travelling fans may be given the entire terrace. There is seating available in the adjacent East Stand, a steep, covered stand. Opposite is another seated construction, which doesn't quite stretch the length of the pitch, while to its left is the North Terrace, very similar to its southern cousin.
Pre-Match Refreshment: There is a bar at the front of the ground, which tends to admit away supporters, while inside the stadium one will find the famous Aggborough tucker. They serve all sorts - meals in little shiny containers, and sizeable meals at that - cottage pies, soups and even chocolate bars. Do be careful not to eat these culinary delights too close to the goal area, because stray balls will inevitably seek you out. For this reason, I'll be sticking to light confectionery.
Further afield, on Comberton Road (follow Hoo Road towards the town/station), there is a half-decent chip shop, a Subway and a pub called Railway Bell, which looks a little inhospitable, but you might want to give it a go. Just as a warning, I went into the chip shop last year, on the wet Thursday evening. My shoes had holes in and my socks were wet (when it comes to holes in shoes I take the line that it doesn't always rain, so a lot of the time this shabbiness won't be a problem), and I was hungry. I wasn't sure whether there'd be another food outlet before the ground, so I went in and bought some chips and a battered sausage. Unfortunately, once again, I couldn't find any sauce so sloped out, slightly disappointed, into the rain. A greasy, damp evening meal was made all the worse when I saw the Subway, just before the turning into Hoo Road, and realised I'd have much preferred a sandwich. You live and learn.
Opposite, next to the station is the King & Castle. It has a slightly antiquated feel inside, and looks almost like a front room of a stately home, but we're English and so long as there's beer it'll do.
Local Attractions: Kidderminster is a little known for carpets, and has a long association with making the things. Some shops and buildings even have carpets inside them, so do have a wander over them. There's also a railway museum, but the main attraction - the gift shop - is no longer in action, so this detracts slightly from the charm of the place. And if you like a river, the Stour runs through the town, as does the Worcestershire Canal. Water nice surprise.
Henry Milward
