Birmingham City FC
St Andrews
Where To Drink

Most of the pubs near to the ground can be quite intimidating for away supporters and are not recommended. However there is the Brighton pub on the Coventry Road which does tolerate away fans in small numbers. This pub is about a ten minute walk away, going past Woolworths & Morrisons on your left. Simon Lorch a visiting Chelsea fan adds; 'On our last visit to St Andrews, we managed to find a friendly pub within proximity of the ground. The pub is called The Cricketers Arms and is about 10 minutes walk, maybe less. To find the pub (with your back to the away section) walk along the road ahead of you going away from the ground (not the road going right up by the stadium, but the road going towards Woolworths), until you get to Morrisons on your left. You can walk through Morrisons car park heading towards the store then join the road next to it, which is called Little Green Lane. The pub is 30 seconds from there on the left. The pub itself is shared between home and away fans but all the Birmingham fans were very friendly. The pub is small but you can drink outside where there are beer tables'.

It is best to drink in the city centre and get a taxi to the ground (about £6). If you are walking to the ground from the city centre, then  you may care to stop at the Anchor Pub on Bradford Street, renowned for its range of real ales on offer, and named Birmingham 'CAMRA Pub Of The Year' on more than one occasion. Although there are a number of Blues fans that frequent the pub they tend to be of the CAMRA bearded variety and therefore as long as you don't turn up mobbed handed, you should be okay. The pub is situated just behind where the Digbeth coach station is being rebuilt. Otherwise alcohol is served within the stadium. 

If you coming by train, or decide to drink in the city centre beforehand, then if you like your real ale, then you can't do much better than visit the Wellington Pub on Bennetts Hill. With 16 real ales on tap, including 12 guest ales, this is somewhat of a mecca for real ale drinkers. In 2008 alone, the pub served over 2,000 different beers! To find this pub, then assuming that you are coming into New Street Station by train, then as you come onto the passenger concourse at the station, so straight up the escalators in front of you. At the top of the escalators turn left and then proceed towards the 'Foot Locker' outlet. Turn left at this store and then right and proceed down the ramp past McDonalds. At the bottom of the ramp turn left into New Street and walk along the pedestrian area. Bennetts Hill is the fourth turning on the right (there is a Barclays Bank is on the corner). The Wellington pub is about two thirds of the way up Bennetts Hill on the right hand side. There is also a handy Wetherspoons outlet called the Briar Rose (which is no smoking) on Bennetts Hill as well. The Wellington does not provide food, but has no objections to you bringing in your own. There are a couple of taxi ranks nearby that you can use if you wish to get you to the ground. You can get more info on the Wellington pub website , including a live 'beer board' showing which ales they are currently serving.

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