Last weekend, my friend, my grandad and I headed to Accrington for what will hopefully be my first of many away trips to watch the Lads. With us unfortunately not being able to go to Bolton, it feels a fitting time to recap the day.
The day kicked off with a quick trip to the co-op to get (soft) drinks for the 2-and-a-half-hour bus journey to Lancashire. Excitement flowed through me and my Granda’s veins- my first ever away game, his first in a number of years. The day was set to be one to remember.
Arriving at the bus stop at 8:45, we discussed the upcoming match with the few lads that were already accustomed to the League One away culture, and we all gave our predictions. Of course, I predicted 3-1. The bus arrived and we set off for the short trip south.
The journey was easy, with no bumps in the road so to speak. Everyone seemed to be an expert on the quickest route to Accrington after the hundreds of games we played down there last season.
Then we stopped off at a lovely little pub, The Brown Cow. In there we caught most of the first half of the Newcastle match, accompanied by a few lovely Liverpool supporters. There was of course a massive cheer when Liverpool equalised; followed by an even bigger one when the Reds took the lead. We loaded back onto the bus at 1:45, ready for the final stretch of the travel with a few pints in us.
We arrived at the ground. It was only then when I realised the sheer size of our stadium, it really struck me when looking at the Crown Ground, holding about ten times less seats than the SOL. We are a bloody massive club, aren’t we?
There was jubilation as we saw the signs “Four bottles of lager/cider for £10”, although apparently last season had an even better deal. With four more drinks inside myself, my granda and my mate, we headed to our seats.
The match itself was an odd one, and kind of felt like a pre-season game. Anyway, we all know how it turned out with Jack Ross’ side heading back to Wearside with all three points.
