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I arrived on the direct South West Trains
service from London Waterloo (hourly on Saturdays) to Yeovil Junction
station. Immediately outside the station is a bus stop which is served by
the 68 bus into the town centre every 30 minutes (it is timed to meet the
train from London). As the bus pulls out of the station you realise that
the station is well out of town, right in the sticks! It wound along
country lanes for about 5 minutes before the town centre suddenly
appeared.
I got off in the Town centre outside Loyds TSB (ring the
bell as the bus enters pedestrianised area). This stop is also served by
bus 1 which takes you right up to the ground, make sure you catch one that
says 'Abbey Manor Park' on the front. For anybody arriving by rail, ask
for a 'Plus Bus' with your rail ticket for an extra £2.80 which is valid
on both services. I had a few minutes before the 1 bus so I popped into
the Mermaid pub just a few yards away. Good beer, good food and nice
atmosphere with friendly regulars. One or two Glovers fans on the 1 bus
pointed me in the right direction upon arrival at Huish Park. The 1 is a
circular service, catch the return bus from the same stop after the
match.
My first impression of Huish Park was that it was a very
friendly place. Before entering the stand I went to the gents, where,
above the urinals was a bouquet of flowers with a small sign reading
“Please do not move the flowers! We hope you enjoy your time at Huish
Park”. How nice! There was also a sign outside the ground welcoming all
Huddersfield Town fans, players and staff.
I was body searched upon
entry but hardly noticed the stewards after this. No police inside the
ground and a relaxed atmosphere about the place. The public address system
sounded a little dated, and the slow but enthusiastic
announcements/team readings etc would have been more at home at a poorly
attended village fair than a professional football match but it all added
to the nice feel of the place.
I was in the Copse Road terrace
with around 400 other following supporters. The atmosphere wasn't as good
as I was expecting having heard a lot about the ground from others but
maybe with more in the away end and during a better season for the home
side, this would be different. There was a large contingency from the
local primary school in the Agusta Westland Community Stand immediately to
our right which created some unusually high pitched noises whenever the
home side were in possession!
At half time the food was fairly bog
standard, pies, hot dogs, Tetleys tea, coffee Aero hot chocolate. Usual
stuff and usual prices.
A very enjoyable away game is the
conclusion despite the dull football and the 1-1 draw. Will visit again if
the opportunity comes up. Would recommend checking the weather before
choosing where to sit as wouldn't want to be on that open terrace on the
rain! There are usually seats allocated in the away end of the Cowlin
Stand for those not brave enough or without waterproofs! Ticket prices
increase by £2 on the day though I think. |
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