RTG’s totally and utterly (we hope) indispensable guide to this season’s away grounds.
THE OPPO – Birmingham City
DATE – Tuesday 20 February.
KO TIME – 7.45pm
The referee for this fixture is confirmed as Mark Halsey of Lancashire.
THE GROUND – St Andrews, Birmingham – click here and here for maps of the area – the circle near the middle shows where the ground is.
St Andrews is just east of the centre of Birmingham, and is handily placed for the M6, M5 and A45 from the east midlands.
Away supporters are seated in one half of the Railway Stand’s lower tier.
Tickets are now on general sale.
GOING BY CAR?
Travelling from the north east, get yourself onto the A1/A1M southbound; just after you pass junction 45 (for the A64 Leeds/York road) you’ll see signs for the M1 – so take the M1 southbound. You join the M1 at jcn 48 and you need to stay on it until you reach jcn 23A. Then leave the M1 for the A42 (signposted Tamworth and Birmingham) – after 14 miles this becomes the M42. After another 14 miles, leave the M42 at jcn 9 then join the M6.
Stay on the M6 until jcn 6 then join the A38M Aston Expressway. Take the second turnoff for the inner ring road.
At the top of the ring road turn left, onto the Ring Road East. Go straight over at the first three ‘islands’ and at the fourth, turn left towards Small Heath – St Andrews is just up the road on the left.
There’s street parking just off the ring road and also many local businesses make their car parks available for a small fee on match days.
GOING BY TRAIN?
The nearest train station is Bordesley, a 10 minute walk away from the ground, served by trains from Snow Hill.
When you arrive at New Street you can either take a cab to St Andrews or it’s a 20 minute walk.
For train times for that day, check the National Rail website.
ALTERNATIVELY…..
If you’re feeling flush, fly from Newcastle to Birmingham – the airport’s just down the road from St Andrews.
Not so flush? Take the ALS coach and tell them we told you to.
STOPPING OVER?
Ibis Hotel, Bordesley Pk Rd, Birmingham tel 0121-506 2600
Formule 1 Hotel, Bordesley Pk Rd, Birmingham, tel 0121-773-9583
Hotel Campanile, Aston, nr Birmingham, tel 0121-359-3330.
These hotels are all within easy walking distance of the ground
SCRAN AND BOOZE
There are plenty of pubs in the city centre but the pubs closest to St Andrews can be quite intimidating for away supporters, local police advise you to choose your watering hole with care! You might be just as well waiting until you get into the stadium than getting a pint or two in there – and as a bonus, the balti pies are said to be recommended.
LEND US A FIVER I’M OUT OF CASH
There are ATMs from Lloyds TSB, Nationwide and Nat West on Coventry Road, less than half a mile away from the ground.
THIS SEASON
Currently 2nd of 24:
P30 W17 D6 L7 F49 A30 Pts 57 GD 19
HOME FORM
P15 W9 D4 L2 F26 A15 Pts 31 GD 11
LAST 6 MEETINGS
09/08/06 Sunderland 0 Brum 1
25/02/06 Brum 1 Sunderland 0
26/11/05 Sunderland 0 Brum 1
25/02/04 Brum 0 Sunderland 2 (Tommy Smith x 2) FAC5R
14/02/04 Sunderland 1 Brum 1 (Kyle) FAC5
12/04/03 Brum 2 Sunderland 0
Credits: Birmingham City FC, Link, Thomson Local, Rough Guide to English Football, Soccerbase, streetmap.co.uk, Yellow Pages, The AA, BBC, National Rail.
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