Scottish Away Days

This edition of my blog focuses on the failings of Celtic to provide a decent away day; it may prove to be controversial considering my positive take on Ibrox, but I assure you I am completely indifferent between the two. Travelling to Celtic is a two-sided coin; on one side, compared to other grounds, it is easy which is a given considering it is located in Glasgow and only requires a short train journey to get there and costs just £1.90 for a return. However, the other side to this is, when comparing it to Rangers, I personally believe that the train journey required is not just as easy considering the use of the subway for Rangers (which has to be the best in the world based on it's simplicity). On top of this, as expected, the queues to use the train are a nightmare after, and sometimes before, the game. In reference to pre-match, the ability to stay in the city centre relatively late-on and choose whatever watering hole you wish is a plus - again, spoons is the usual su...

Welcome back to anyone reading!! In this instalment, a positive light is shed on an unlikely and novelty contender; Livingston FC. Having been confined to the third tier of Scottish football as recently as 2017, Livingston's remarkable rise was quick and, as of now, not likely to be as short lived as most thought - on top of this, they already provide a premier league day of footballing better than most of the staple teams... One of the key factors in this argument is location; the train fare from Glasgow Central is only £11.20 whilst driving takes less than 45 minutes. The importance of this is better understood when you consider the location of the stadium itself; a 5 minute walk from the Livingston shopping centre. This combination results in a pre-match experience of easy and efficient travel along with equally as easy 'bevying' in the Spoons directly adjacent to the ground. Class. Livingston's stadium, formerly the Avondale Stadium, has achieved infamy amongs...

Looking to the other end of the scale, the first of the away days that I found to be not so enjoyable was Dundee, not to be confused with Dundee United. The negatives revolving around a trip to Dundee begin with the transport; most easily surmised by the fact that a return ticket costs £40. However, other contributing factors to the poor journey are the knackered train they provide, seemingly built as long ago as Dundee's last trophy success (League cup 1973), and the fact that the journey is an hour and a half long. Possibly the worst aspect of a trip to Dundee, with respect to any residing from Dundee, was the location of the. The ground, Dens Park, is situated in area that as soon as you enter it has a 'seedy' feeling; the place is dour and located a fair up-hill walk from anything that could be described as lively, including any decent pubs. A tip for any future travellers would be to stay at the retail area for as long as possible, venturing to the ground just in tim...

For my first proper instalment of this blog series I decided to start on a positive note, detailing a day out that was so good it was worth having to visit the lesser of Scotland's two great cities; Hearts. A trip to Hearts inevitably begins with the train journey across the central belt and this is where the first advantage/tip lies; always get the train from Queen Street, the trains are long and frequent meaning you're never troubled for space. The trains also only last about an hour which means the trip isn't as long as it seems and is the perfect journey time for some pre-match refreshments. The downside is the return ticket amounts to £25. Once the train has arrived, the 15 minute walk to the Gorgie is littered with pubs welcoming away fans ensuring that you're never left wanting. In terms of the stadium itself, Tynecastle is one of the larger in the country with a capacity of around 21,000; this means is that whilst I personally prefer a side-on view of the pitc...

Hello, welcome all. In this blog I look to blow the full-time whistle on one of Scottish societies most pressing and current matters; what clubs promise the best and worse away day experiences for football fans across the country. With over 200,000 people attending football games in Scotland's top two leagues every week, the idea of an 'away day' is a staple part of the Scottish Saturday afternoon, coupling this with the stark realisation that an average away trip costs just under £30; including ticket, programme, pie and cup of tea (and this is without transport and the necessary time spent in the watering hole) it is clear that knowing the specific away day trips that are worth, and not worth, the money or time involved is essential to any football fan. The idea of reviewing different football away days is a challenge considering that each away trip is viewed subjectively and each individual opinion is likely to differ; for example, little factors such as being seat...