LINCOLN UNITED

Sunday 25th October 2009, Kick-Off 3pm

Sports Pavillion, Ashby Avenue, Lincoln, LN6 0DY  Tel: 01522 690 674

Directions by Car: From the A1 take the Newark exit signposted Lincoln. Follow A46 to south of Lincoln where the road splits into Lincoln South and Lincoln North. Bear left onto Relief Road (Lincoln North). Continue along Lincoln Relief Road (A46) until reaching the roundabout, with the exit for Birchwood. Take this exit - Skellingthorpe Road for approximately one mile, and at the 30 mph sign turn right into Ashby Avenue. The entrance to ground is 200 yards along on right. (LN6 0DY)

Parking: There should be sufficient space around the ground, and adjacent sports pitch as well as in the surrounding roads.

Train: If you're travelling by train it's worth noting that services are slightly reduced on Sunday, which will affect travellers more noticeably after the game. The first train after the match, according to the Internet, leaves at 6.10pm and will take you via Newark Castle if you're returning to Cambridge or nearby.

I've looked at the map on the Internet, and the walk from the station looks like a terribly boring one, but I've seen people walking up and down the hills from Stroud town centre to Forest Green's ground on top of the hill in Nailsworth, so I'm sure there'll be a couple of walkers. Chaps, this is for you.

The ground is around three miles from Lincoln Central station. From the station entrance, turn left in St Mary's Street and left again into the High Street, crossing the railway line. Across the other side, turn right into Tentercroft Street and follow it round to the left as it becomes Ropewalk and keep to the left side of the roundabout as it becomes Tritton Road. Follow the road for ages, past the Chieftan Way trading estate and fields and all sorts, until you reach a cross-junction with Skellingthorpe Road. Turn right into this road and follow it until you see Ashby Avenue on your left. If you reach loads of trees and a lake, you've gone too far. Wander down Ashby Avenue, and the ground should make itself known, albeit hidden slightly away, after around 200 yards.

Bus: (with thanks to Lincoln United supporter Graham Williams) From central Lincoln, for example Lincoln Central train station, the ground at Ashby Avenue is fairly accessible via the local bus service. Buses to Birchwood (service Number 66) and back into Lincoln, are scheduled to run every 30 minutes on a Sunday daytime.

For a timetable, visit www.stagecoachbus.com. In the top left (Departing From & Arriving) boxes, type in Lincoln, and then Birchwood. Download the Timetable for Number 66 buses to Lincoln-Hartsholme-Birchwood; it includes the Sunday Timetable.(Also, you can download a Lincoln City Leaflet that includes a map showing the Number 66 bus route shaded in pink on page 2). The Number 66 (Birchwood) Timetable bus times shown for Lincoln - Scampton Avenue are fairly appropriate.

When leaving the Lincoln Central train station building, walk straight ahead to the main road (St Marys Street) and cross over to the other side using the pedestrian crossing. Upon reaching the other side of the road, turn right and Lincoln bus station is very close to the train station (under 5 minutes walk).  Catch a Number 66 (Birchwood) bus at Lincoln bus station and ask the driver for Ashby Avenue, Lincoln United FC (eg. buy a return bus ticket).

For the return journey from Lincoln United's ground to the bus station, there are bus stops on Ashby Avenue. Upon exiting the ground, cross the road, walk a short distance to the right and catch the Number 66 (Birchwood to Lincoln) bus at a bus stop shelter on the opposite side of the road from the football ground. (Note buses may approach this bus stop rather suddenly around a bend in the road).

The Away Travel Club will be running a coach to the game, priced at £18.50 for non members, £16 for members and £9 for under 16s. It is due to leave Ely at 10.45am and The R Costings Abbey Stadium at 11.30am. Contact the club on 01223 566500 to reserve your place.

Admission: £8 for adults, £4 for concessions and under 16s.

Pre-Match Attractions: There's a story about Lincoln I enjoy recounting, but don't always get the chance to, so I'll share it with you now. Before our last visit to Lincoln, a limp defeat in the relegation season, my friends and I had a wander into the city centre. Smashing castle and cathedral (though we were a bit disappointed that one had to pay to get into the cathedral) up the hill, with some nice views.

Anyway, along that street which leads up the hill is a Yates' wine place, which we popped in to. Being under 18, we avoided alcohol, and stuck to cola, but got talking to some shifty looking City fans. We put on rougher accents, and pretended we were tough, but even through the faux-grit of our voices couldn't hide our dismay when one of the Lincoln number hadn't even heard of their former and our current player, Stuart Bimson.

And there's more. A couple of them admitted they intended to act like silly sausages in the ground, and true to form, after a few minutes, two of them were ejected for acting like silly sausages. How we laughed. But we weren't laughing when Luke Guttridge placed two successive free-kicks into the shins of the wall, or at the end of the season. So I'm not sure who had the last laugh really.

Programme: £2

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