We made it to Wigan

We had to wait until the next half term before we could start visiting football grounds again. My in-laws wanted to see the Isle of Man as we have a distant family connection to the place. So a road trip through Lancashire was on the books!  We booked some tickets to see Wigan (the Saturday kickoff suited us and we appreciate the fact that ticket prices are so reasonable). We like many of Martinez's players for their good play and good attitude.  As soon as we booked the tickets I sent an email to the Wigan customer relations person and mentioned that it would be our first trip to the ground hoping that they might offer us a behind the scenes tour. Unfortunately they said that it was not enough time and that they were going to be busy. But it would have been more than we were expecting and we would get to see the ground anyway. But we tried to leave enough time so have a little explore. The match was against West Ham, who were on a spell of good results. After our visit to Upton Park, we also had a soft spot in our hearts for the Hammers, so you could say we were neutrals for this one.

Driving in to Wigan on game day involves sitting in alot of traffic, and when we finally arrived we didn't have as much time as we hoped. The ginger-nut biscuits I had brought in the car were just not enough to keep us going. We needed some stadium food! Luckily Wigan's own fish and chips restaurant was very good, and good value too.  After a pies and chips for the boys and fish and chips for me at their takeaway we had just enough time for a spin through their tiny shop. It was crowded but the staff were friendly and they had a good selection of things. We needed to get to our seats, so we hurried along and only realised too late that there was not many program sales people and we didn't want to go back so we skipped a program and went into DW Stadium.

We had great seats, in the Boston Stand just in the centre of the length of the pitch and a few rows back. It was a sunny clear but cold day. There was a good family atmosphere at the game and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The away fans were remarkable that they stood and cheered through the entire match. Their songs  drowned out the meager drumming and chants from the Wigan fans.  When you watch a game live you have to pay attention as you might miss out from seeing the goals as there is no replay. I missed Wigan's second goal that way.

*** 10 years later I have now found this blog post and decided to publish - though it isn't finished.

Wow! I can't believe I did this  and don't remember at all setting up this blog.

I've visiting many many stadiums since this, but the thrill is still there for me. 

My sons are proper teenagers now and we all still love the beautiful game.

Much more to come from this blog! Thank you to my 10 years back self for doing this.

Time to Ramble On to Wolverhampton

We followed the back roads towards our final destination - Wolverhampton. It had all gone so well so far, I  had this foreboding feeling that we might not be allowed onto the pitch or the shop would be closed or something. While the back roads rolled along and we followed signs for city centre and asked a workman while sitting in a red light. He kindly told us to just carry on. We saw tram lines and suddenly a tram scuttled by. The boys really wanted to get out of the car. As we came to a particularly tricky roundabout, we decided to just turn off, stop for a bite to eat and ask for more directions.We saw a Sainsburys and decided to get some sandwiches that we could eat outside. While we were eating we asked for directions which were very simple. The last few minutes of driving are one of the best  parts travelling to the stadium, as the excitement builds. Pulling into the stadium we parked easily [it didn't cost] and were very exited to see the home of the Wolves;I tried to ignore my worrying feeling and just soak in the atmosphere. I have always like the Wolves, partly because I had heard that teenage years without Led Zepplin. When we got out of the car we went straight to a statue of Billy Wright, an old player, took some photos and then we went to the wolves shop. It was very big and it was quite busy. We especially liked their new away kit. After examining all of the merchandise, we asked a passing employee if he thought we might be allowed in to see the stands. He mentioned the name of a volunteer for the club that acts a tour guide for the club. We walked around the the reception and asked for him. This tip from the man outside really was perfect as the elderly man was a wonderful host for us. He took us everywhere and showed us amazing kindness the generosity with his time. We did make one mistake of saying we liked Wolves partly because their colours included orange, and I like orange. He gasped and said, "IT'S GOLD!!" Oops, we really should have known better. Apprently it represents the city council's motto "ut of darkness cometh light" with the gold and black representing light and darkness. He soon forgave us, I think. The trophies and other silverware on display shows that they are a team with a long history. The family were important merchants in the city and the team used their grounds but were soon able to buy the lease. We learned that Molineux and the Wolves were one of the first grounds with floodlights, have been among the first to feature in televised football matches and have hosted England International and European Cup matches. Our guide suggested we visit Molineux House next but I knew the boys had had enough so I nodded and smiled. Highlights of our experience were a visit to the kit room and a chat with the kit manager who was busy ironing and sorting the shirts. Another unique item that we got to see was a solid wooden box that the team use as a talisman. They must tap the box with their boots on their way out of the changing room for good luck. The stadium was gorgeous and our visit spectacular. Wow, the welcome that we had in the Black Country was amazing, one we will not forget.

Our Friends from Poland - Walsall FC

We took some back roads to Walsall, which we later realised took us a lot longer to get there than if we had gone on the main roads. But I prefer small roads to the M6. We found the stadium quite easily and from the way we arrived, it looked sort of abandoned. There was a small Park Inn hotel next to the stadium and we parked in their car park. We walked around the outside of the stadium and found our way by foot to the main entrance and the shop. This was better. There were some signs of life. The stadium has a small retail park next to it with a plenty of parking, though it must be busy on match days. We had a good poke around the shop, taking lots of photos and had a nice chat with the lady working there. She joked about the nervousness the club has about always being in a relegation battle in League One. She hoped it would be better the upcoming season, but wouldn't hold her breath. They have recently had a tumultuous few seasons, with fans disagreeing with the owner and the managers changing frequently. There were some good deals at the shop, selling old tops for around 5 pounds, but we weren't buying. One of George's classmates father is a Walsall supporter (though I had never noticed his shirt) but when I saw the Swallow Logo, it did ring a bell. Of course the boys had noticed it. I like their kit.

We went back out and into the main entrance where we rang a bell and waited for someone to come so that we could ask if we could go into the ground. A young girl came and very kindly offered to take us in for a quick look. She was able to answer a few of our questions about why the club are called the Saddlers, despite the fact that they have a swallow on their logo. We thanked her and made our way back to the car, stopping for a minute to chat with a young player from their development side.

After a little drink and biscuit in the car, we headed off to Wolverhampton (on the small roads again).

Bagged the Baggies

After an enormous breakfast of cereal, fruit, pastries, toast and waffles washed down with juice and tea, we set off for West Bromwich, one of our favorite Premier League teams. We had to go through Birmingham city centre to do this and were only following a rough idea of the roads we were looking for, but we found our way perfectly though the Hawthorns is further along the road than we thought. We pulled into the ground opposite the McDonald's  through some lovely wrought iron gates. There was the Pukka Pie van parked alongside us and the boys perked up, but I reminded them about what we had just eaten. We carried on into the shop and took lots of photos. They were selling off last years kit and they had a long sleeved shirt that just fit George for 5pounds that we couldn't resist. As we paid, we asked the shop assistant his advice and he pointed us towards the reception area and we headed that way.

The person working there was very friendly and offered to call over another employee who could take us through. I believe he was a maintenance worker, and I must admit that he didn't know very much about the club. He was not able to tell us why West Brom are called the "Baggies".  I have now looked into the matter and I have learned that he is not alone in knowing the exact reasons. There are many explanations. He did explain that the Hawthorns stadium was built on the grounds of a meadow of hawthorn trees and the bird on the shield is a "throstle" or thrush that lived in the meadow.

We got some great pictures of the ground and have a lovely chat about America with some of the people hanging around the reception area. The wrought iron fence made a nice backdrop for some more photos. We headed off, excited to visit more clubs. Next stop, Walsall.

The Blues, Birmingham City

Our last visit of the day was to Birmingham City. It is easily accessible from the centre of the city and well-signposted too! We parked on a side street and walked a block or so up a small hill to the ground. St Andrew's is perched on a high place in the city and there must be some nice pictures of the ground you can find on the internet.


We arrived first at the reception area of the ground and went in to ask at the front reception area. Without a hesitation the lady at the desk cheerfully took us up the stairs behind her and into the upper section of the stadium. We took some photos of the pitch and stands and came back down with her. While she went back to work we noticed some of the odd displays that they had in the reception area. This included a statue of Jesus with the Bible and a guest/date/diary book with old dried corsages around it. We saw some of their silverware on display as well as a current team picture. We asked her about the statue of Jesus and she said that they had it out of respect to the local community. (Maybe a St Andrew connection?) I thought there must be more to the story, but I can't find anything about it on google. Any one reading this have any ideas? She very kindly gave us a few old programs that the boys have enjoyed reading.

We left the main stadium and headed over to the shop which is just up the road another minutes walk. Inside was cramped and full of things. We took some good photos and headed to the hotel as we were exhausted after our long day of adventures. So far it had been wonderful, but how could tomorrow top today?