[theo_luddite]

Another well researched thread jjamez.

If I can be just a weeeee bit picky, Finland isn't considered to be part of Scandinavia, that's Norway, Sweden and Denmark according to the Swedes, Danes and Norse I've met on business trips to that part of the world. It is considered to be Nordic, which is perhaps where the confusion comes from, but it's mainly considered to be in the Baltic region by the folk that live slightly to the west of them. That said, Wiki says that only Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania make up the Baltic states, but other Google searches also include Finland. Just to add to the confusion, whilst the languages of Norway, Sweden and Denmark are very similar, the differences sometimes being as much just dialect rather than a full on change of language, Finnish is is very similar to Hungarian. How did that happen?

Any road, back to the match. If you are driving up or down the M6 get off at J9. Head towards Walsall, hang a right at the first roundabout then another right shortly after you pass Morrisons, which is built where Bescot Stadium Fellows Park used to be. There's some limited parking at the gound, but the shopping centre car park next to the ground used to allow match day parking, might still do and nearby Bescot Station car park is free.

Coming down the A38, you might be a little, but not much, better off going across the A5 to the A461, at the wonderfully named Muckley Corner, than going down the Birmingham Road. It's 6 of one and half-a-dozen of the other when you get to the ring road which way round is best from there. Either way there's frequent changes of speed limits, speed camera's that may or may not be working and more traffic lights and roundabouts than you can shake a stick at.

Nearest boozers to the ground on the Wa'sall side of the M6 are The Sir Charles Napier and the Bradford Arms (where else would it be?). On t'other side of the M6 there's a fair selection in Wednesbury. PS - The Earl of Bradford owns huge tracts of land in the West Midlands, including Weston Park where he hosts what used to be The V Music Festival and is now Camp Bestival. It's a bit like that Devonshire bloke that owns huge bits of Yorkshire and Derbyshire, Why they can't live in the bits they are named after has always confused me.

You just missed it by the way



'elf and safety.
Mind your heads - the away stand nearest the M6 has the largest 2 screen electronic advertising hoarding in Europe on it's roof. Just sayiing.
Mind your pint - the refreshments for the away fans are sold beneath the stand to your left as you look at the pitch from behind the goal. It's about a third of the way between the right wing corner flag (when attacking) and the goal. Badly mis-hit shots from outside and inside the box are known to rocket into there there on a regular basis, causing no end of spilled beers, dropped pies and black eyes for the unsuspecting.