Whaddon Road – Cheltenham Town

Whaddon Road – Cheltenham Town

It`s probably a little known fact but Cheltenham`s` record attendance is against the Pool, 10,389 – albeit it being 73 years ago in the cup. However Saturday`s gate will be boosted by a large travelling contingent and the noise no doubt generated in this tight knit ground will make it sound a lot nearer to that sort of crowd numbers again.
I was struck when I first visited Cheltenham, the town reminded me very much of Tunbridge Wells, a well to do array of shops in a Victoriana setting.
Not what I expected at all, a bit like our opponents on Saturday, I thought that they gave one of the best displays by a visiting team at Bloomers this season, and despite their lower position last week they recorded a great win at Owdham, I can just imagine Richie`s face now. Altogether now – aaaawww.
Back to Saturday + it`s down to us, we`ve put ourselves in to a great position let`s hope what looks to be our easiest game of the remaining 3 (yes I know we always batter Scunny) brings us our 11th away league victory of this fantastic season.

The ground
Whaddon Road is a tight little ground. Away fans are located behind a goal in the Carlsberg Stand (I like it already). Steep in design it holds 1100 fans, but leg room abounds. Trough available includes bacon baps! It has a scoreboard on the roof, and has a Perspex ‘windshield`; perhaps it should have been called the Daewoo Stand. Wonder if it has a 5year guarantee?

How to get there
By car, take the good old M5 to junction 10 and take the A4019 towards Cheltenham. Keep straight on through the traffic lights, until you come to large roundabout (there is a PC World & a McD`s on the left), at which you turn left. Continue up this road going over a double mini roundabout. Keep going for about 300 yards and then turn right into Swindon Lane. Go over the level crossing and straight over the next roundabout (signposted Prestbury) passing the race course on your left. The race course is the base for the free park & ride to the ground. Turn right into Albert Road (signposted Gloucestershire University) and at the bottom at the roundabout turn left into Prestbury Road, (the ground is signposted from here) and then further down Prestbury Road, turn right into Whaddon Road. The ground is down on the left.

For the virgin lovers among us – the train station (Cheltenham Spa) is over 2 miles from the ground, so if your like me and don`t like using the old shanks` pony grab a joey to take you to the ground.

Where to drink
At the ground, the Robins Nest allows fans in for a small fee, probably to cover the pay of the 1 armed washererupper (young people please use google for Robin`s Nest). Otherwise the closest pubs to the ground are the Greyhound & the Fox & Hounds. Slightly further away are the Sudeley Arms & the Conservatory, on Prestbury Rd. If you pass the ground you can use the Parklands Social Club and for 4 sovs park your motor in their car park too.

Plod & Stewards
Reports of over zealous stewarding weren`t witnessed by myself on my previous visit to this ground and the OB kept a low profile, however a large contingent, added by the Muckers` growing reputation may mean things are a little different this time round.

Fear Factor Rating – 2.

Destiny is in our own hands, our away form has been our saviour this season but we seem to struggle at the bottom end teams` grounds of the league. Here`s hoping that we turn in a Jack Sparrow performance and that our arrows at straight in the Robins` hearts come Saturday afternoon.

Onwards + Upwards