1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):

I always enjoy a trip to West Brom. Nice stadium, good team, and friendly supporters. Plus, relatively cheap tickets.

2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?

Me and my mate got a train into Birmingham, then walked through the city (stopping for food at McDonalds) before getting on the metro to The Hawthorns. The walk took about 10 minutes, but it would have been longer if a fellow blue hadn’t of pointed us in the right direction!

3. What you did before the game pub/chippy.... home fans friendly?

We asked a couple of home fans where a good pub was with a T.V (so we could watch Arsenal destroy Spurs). We were told of an away friendly pub, so we followed them there. We got there to find that half of the furniture was broken/damaged, and that there was one tiny T.V. We left straight away. We then found a pub called the Royal Oak, which was on the main road. We managed to get a couple of seats, and sat down with some drinks and watched the match. There was a good mix if home and away supporters, and plenty of chanting. The bloke next to us had a lovely mixed grill, which smelled heavenly! We then headed to the ground, placing a cheeky bet en route.

4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?

We got to our seats just before kick off. Very good seats too. The away end is good, with a large concourse, and good views of the pitch. The rest of the ground is really tidy. There is a giant stand to your right, and a really small stand to your left. This gives the stadium a uniqueness that you don’t get at a lot of modern day stadia (City, Arsenal etc..).

5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..

The game itself wasn’t a classic. They took an early lead through Shane Long, but we equalised just before half time through Hazard. Spent the entire half time break queuing up for a beer. They were serving all sorts, but I stuck to Carlsberg (£3.20). Just as we were exiting the concourse, we heard a giant cheer. We polished off our drinks, and ran up the stairs to see the West Brom fans celebrating. Odemwingie had just put them 2-1 up. For the rest of the game, we dominated, with Sturridge missing chance after chance. Stewards were laid back, and I saw no trouble. We were stood for the full match, and received no hassle for it. West Brom fans were okay. Loud after their goals, but silent throughout the rest of the match.

6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:

We left the stadium, and took one of the most long winded detours of my life. We had to walk around the entire stadium, to avoid clashing with home fans. This took at least 10 minutes. Got to the station, and jumped aboard an over-crowded metro train back to Birmingham station. Had a quick drink, then got on the train home.

7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:

I found it to be a great day out, definitely one of the best this season. All pubs are away friendly, and not overly pricey! West Brom are a really good team and I wish them the best for the rest of the season. Would love to get them in the cup (away), but if not, I will just have to wait until next season to come back!