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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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