Carrow Road – Norwich City

Carrow Road – Naaarrrwwiichhhh City

Here`s one fixture I wasn`t personally bothered if we got or not. All I wanted was a decent Pool display in the cup game in front of a packed Bloomers, both of which I got. However then came the cup draw, and with a trip to Chelski awaiting the winners all of a sudden this fixture takes on a whole new meaning. East Anglia on a Tuesday night sods law one of the closest games for me and I`m stuck in the North West with work. I have been to Carrow Road on a Tuesday night previously in the cup, albeit about 6 years ago when a battling 3-3 draw was earned and an enjoyable day out it was too.
The ground has been further redeveloped since our last visit, and will hopefully give the travelling faithful a taster of awaits us next season on a more regular basis.

How to get there
By Car
There`ll be a bit of debate over which routes the best for me it`s the M6 then the A14 after J1 before you join the M1.Leave the 14 at J31 and join the A11. The 11 takes you in to Norwich then take the A146 into the city. At the traffic lights turn right and follow the outer ring road: Left at the roundabout. Turn right at the next lights. Follow the inner ring road round to the right, over the river and the ground is on your right. If in doubt follow signs for the railway station until you get to the river (where the rail station is off to the left and ground on your right).

Parking – last visit I parked on the Town (County) Hall car park. No problems getting either in or out.
For the train lovers – The ground is walk able from the station. It should take you around 5-10mins to walk to the ground. From the station turn left and head for the Morrison`s supermarket and you should see the ground behind that.
By Air – if you`ve booked via the club at a princely £179 then your transfer is included in the price. I`d like to think that at that price it`ll be a limo.

The Ground
We`ll be sat in one side of the new South Stand. Room for up to 2500 and the facilities and views are good. With a well known cook at the helm forget pukka pies for the night, as fans can savour various match day specials – beef in red wine gravy & cheese, mushroom and garlic. Despite their lower league position Norwich are a well supported club and the ground lends itself to providing a good atmosphere.

Where to drink
The Compleat Angler is the usual haunt for away fans and is located opposite the train station. There are 3 pubs close to each other located on the Riverside Leisure Complex – Squares, Lloyds No1 + The Old Orleans. Be wary of getting in wearing colours, and it is advisable to enter in small numbers, purely for the bouncers discretion and not the clientele inside.

Plod & Stewards
Championship club – big time Charlie stewards. Reports over zealous stewarding regarding the heinous crime- wait for it, of not sitting on your seat?? You have been warned, OB were friendly enough last time there and Norwich are generally regarded as a friendly club.

Fear Factor Rating – 3.

An unwelcome distraction from the league, or an opportunity to visit the capital and watch Romans roubles? The fans will be divided. One thing`s for certain on our last showing we more than matched City after a nervy start and again it will lay a marker of how far we`ve come and what hopefully lies just around the corner. A long journey for most, midweek to boot, here`s hoping that it`s worth it in the end.

Onwards + Upwards