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Epic journeys to St.Mary's


DrBarry1976
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As a diversion from the melt-fest, I'm trying to find a fan who routinely makes the longest journey to St.Mary's.

 

Ideally a season ticket holder who gets up at the crack of arse, cycles from their straw hut to a boat across the water, then gets on a bus to a train into Southampton. Then walks to the ground.

 

Ok, maybe that's unrealistic. But that sort of thing. An epic round trip that a fan makes every fortnight to watch the Saints. Not talking away games.

 

Anyone do this kind of thing? Or heard of someone who does?

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There are some who make occasional epic journeys from far-off lands, but I know of several season ticket holders who travel from the north of England for pretty well every game.

 

I've got a season ticket and do a round trip of 400 miles for a home game. Only one away game is further for me. There's your opening bid.

 

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There are some who make occasional epic journeys from far-off lands, but I know of several season ticket holders who travel from the north of England for pretty well every game.

 

I've got a season ticket and do a round trip of 400 miles for a home game. Only one away game is further for me. There's your opening bid.

 

that really is impressive commitment.

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Couple of strong opening bids. Multiple modes of transport and crossing water is worth bonus points if such a human exists...

 

maybe not home games, but interested to hear if there are Isle of Wight residents that travel to Northern away games.

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I know it's not Saints but on the way back from Huddersfield we met a guy on the train that has a season ticket for them, and lives in Devon . He retired to Devon 3 years ago because his wife wanted to, but he would only do so if he could travel back to watch Town. He drives to Wakefield, where his son lives and then they both get train to game before doing the reverse journey home (never stays overnight) .Said he does minimum of one home game a month but sometimes more if there are decent fixtures.

 

 

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Edited by Lord Duckhunter
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The guy who sits next to me, for about 18 months anyway, used to drive down from the highlands of North Scotland.

Not sure that he still lives up there now but bloody hell thats a journey and a half !

 

If that's the same guy I know, he used to drive down for a midweek match, then drive back even if we had a home game on the weekend: Reason...... he had to feed the cat!!!

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Sorry for slight deviation from Epic Journey to SMS, but still an Epic journey, but for an away game ........

 

Late 90's, I'd arranged our skiing trip to France to have an early flight back arriving in Manchester (when back in UK on holiday from Dubai I live in Leigh Lancs) at about 1330, on

the off chance I might be able to sneak off to Anfield if we arrived back on time!! As it was we left Chambery a bit late but made up time and landed at Manchester on schedule and amazingly

for Manc Airport our airgate only took a few minutes to connect. I'd already got the ok from Mrs EoA to give it a go if we were on time, and as soon as the doors opened I was off in a flash leaving poor Mrs EoA

to look after our 4 kids and collect the suitcases and ski stuff and get home(amazingly we are still happily married!)

It's a wonder I didn't get stopped by security the speed I legged it through the terminal. No queue at Immigration,just managed to catch the only train that would get me to Lime St in time for the match buy the skin of my teeth.

Jump in a taxi and ask to go to Arkles Pub The game was All Ticket and my hope was that there would be somebody in there with a spare ticket!! This was in the days before I had a mobile phone or Internet so no way of contacting anybody.

Traffic was a nightmare, taxi driver said it was always like this when a game has sold out!!

Nobody in the pub when I got there. legged it down to away turnstile area, once again hoping somebody might be trying to sell a spare, no luck!! Disaster, so near yet so far!!

A policeman came up to me and asked what I was up to, when I explained he said it's ok you can pay at the gate for away supporters! Joy of joys.

On getting searched I had to show the Duty Packet of 200 fags I'd got for Mother in Law at Chambery.. Mrs EoA could only take her 200 through so I had to take my allocation to the match!!. Got some pretty strange looks.

Just time to quaff a pint before KO and join the fellow Saints fans on the terraces.. I'd been up since 0430, was dog tired and stressed but here I was ... I'd made it.

4-0 down at Half Time wasn't on the script!! Final score 7-1 but great Gallows Humour from our ot made it bearable, especially when we pulled one back to make it 5-1, and a resounding 'we're going to win 6-5" echo'd around the away end!!

 

Any other time a 7-1 stuffing away from home would make for a really horrible day, but somehow with all the highs and lows of will I or won't I get there in time, will I won't I be able to get in etc etc just made it such a memorable day.

 

Mrs EoA had already heard the score before I got back in and asked "well was it worth the effort"?

 

Too bloody right it was :lol:

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I used to do a commute from south Wales, but that's only one return train. Apart from that one time when I was trying to get my Bucharest ticket and it took 8 hours there and back via Eastleigh for some reason due to weird train shenanigans. Still, got back in time to see Wales lose to Serbia in Cardiff that evening though.

 

Also due to train times I always had to drive from south Wales for midweek games when I had my first ST in 2001/2 and despite sprinting to the car on the final whistle once had the joy of a 10 mph rolling roadblock for 5 miles on the A34 at around 11pm which stuck about half an hour on my journey time despite the road being completely empty in front of me...

 

Honorable mention for walking all the way from Sports Centre when Lowe removed the free bus tickets, and somehow getting back to Hedge End with nothing resembling a weekend bus service after 5pm nowadays. :D

Edited by The9
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I regularly flew over from Brussels to Southampton airport when I worked there, in fact I got to speak to Jelle Van Damme as he was often on the same flight !

Once flew to LHR, hired a car, drove down in driving rain only to find that the evening match v Palace was postponed !

Would be much more difficult nowadays as there are no longer direct flights from the two places !

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My father-in-law drives from Botley every game. Leaves home at 2-15, parks in Siemens cafe park in Northam, in his seat by 2-25. God I pity him at the moment. Even worse, I flew home at Christmas and got three games in, one goal for, six against.

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I, and quite and number of others rely on Southern Railways. Well, it's not so much rely as hope. When they work it's fine, but they have a strange habit of random cancellations due to staff shortages, and then blaming the staff for being dead or mortally ill, and then never have relief crews.

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