FOREST AWAY: Brentford, Saturday 31st October – Fan Guide

He won’t have known it, and I highly doubt he would have cared, but on Friday night at Portman Road Neco Williams wrote a little bit of history for him and his teammates.

When the ball hit the back of the net early on in the Ipswich rain, the Reds scored in a fourteenth consecutive away league game. I do stress this is only a league record, one that stretches back to a Morgan Gibbs-White goal in a 3-1 loss at Aston Villa in January of this year. Of course, we did not score a couple of weeks later in Braga.

Neco’s strike took us one game clear of the thirteen game away scoring streak set under Sabri Lamouchi in the 2019/20. This run does have the caveat of the final three games taking place behind closed doors in the summer of 2020 due to the pandemic, and that we were a second-tier side at the time.

Having trawled back through the entirety of our post-war record (please don’t make me go back any further than that!), I think I’ve established how it fares compared to every season back to the resumption of the Football League in 1946/47.

Working backwards from 2019/20, there were a number of occasions when we managed to get to eleven consecutive away league games scoring at least one goal. I’ve listed the core season but frequently the sequence stretches over two seasons:

2013/14

2012/13

2005/06 (this run unfolded in the direct aftermath of Gary Megson departing)

1987/88

1968/69

There are also a few instances where we managed to reach 12 games:

1994/95 (no surprise here given how outstanding we were away from home)

1952/53

1951/52

You might be surprised to not see many contributions from the Clough era. We did definitely record numerous solid away goal runs but nothing that topped the seasons shown above. As we know, the Clough sides often were resolute at the back and 0-0 away draws are a factor across this period.

This leaves two final entries. Having researched backwards in time, as soon as I hit the 1950s I could sense that there was a lot of goals scored in this era. Not only were we a really good team as we grew through the decade, culminating in the 1959 FA Cup triumph, but we also played a good chunk of it as a second-tier side, and even a third-tier team for two years. Furthermore, we had some bloody good strikers in this decade under Billy Walker. Wally Ardron, James Barrett and Tommy Wilson were all prolific at times throughout this time.

Across 1954/55 and 1955/56, Forest recorded a goal in 16 consecutive away league games. This run was brought to a halt by a 3-0 loss at Leeds in October 1956. The following season, Walker’s side went an incredible 18 straight away league games across 1956/57 and 1957/58. Twelve of these came in the latter half of the promotion campaign from the Second Division, with four added the following season in Division One. The sequence that began at Fulham in December 1956 was finally ended as the Reds drew a blank at Wolves who would finish that season as league champions.

The Forest team of 2026 can therefore now claim the third longest post-war record in away games, but theirs is the only one of the highest four entries formed exclusively in the top flight. And importantly, it is a record that is currently still going. Here’s hoping for Game No.15 at Brentford this weekend.

AWAY DAY NO.5: Brentford, Gtech Community Stadium – Saturday 31^st October, 3pm KO

Last Visit: A surprising 2-0 win in January, perhaps most memorable for a sublime Taiwo Awoniyi goal that secured the points.

Away End: One of my personal favourites in the Premier League. Forest fans will be house in the steep banked corner. The view is great and the sections kicks up a load of noise.

One drawback is the excessive stance from Brentford staff upon arrival to the ground. Searches are entirely disproportionate and it should be expected that stewards will request to look inside wallets. For the last visit to the Gtech there was additional support from NFFC and Nottinghamshire Police following complaints made after our previous fixture in 2024.

It is recommended to arrive early and, where possible, reduce carrying items that can be searched.

Sunglasses / Hat Requirement: It’s generally okay but sun can hit you a bit closer to the front as the image below shows, but mainly on warmer days. 5/10.

TRAVEL

RAIL: Trains from Nottingham are frequent down to London across Saturday morning, taking around 1hr 45 mins. A standard return fare is the rather terrible price of £83.10 on East Midlands Railways, but only £66.50 on Trainline.

For those coming down from St Pancras, the Piccadilly Line is closed so you will need find an alternative route.

Given it will be around 45-60 minutes to make your way from the St Pancras / Kings Cross it will likely be around 6pm before you are back to make the first trains back to Nottingham.

The Gtech is served by a few different stations so plan your journey to work out which one suits you best.

The closest overground station is Kew Bridge, which is pretty much next door, but I recall this being closed after one game. The other overground stations close by are Gunnersbury, Kew Gardens and South Acton. There is also Brentford which is in the area of the old Griffin Park and is around 25 mins walk away. Linking to pub recommendations below, Chiswick overground is also a good option for a slow pub crawl down the river before the game.

Gunnersbury, Acton Town and Kew Gardens are both also on the underground, with Chiswick Park and South Ealing other options further afield. Acton Town is on the Piccadilly Line which isn’t operational but the District Line also serves this station.

ROAD: The M4 heading pretty past the stadium does make it easier than most London clubs to get in close to the ground. I’m aware some parking is available around Ealing but this is likely to be paid street parking or in car parks with a fee. I know of some who have found a spot on a drive etc on a parking app which could be worth a look.

You could also look at stopping short of the junction close to the stadium and find a nearby rail or tube stop which will take you in towards the ground. Last season we used Osterley which was okay to reach off the M4 (M1>M25>M4 from Nottingham) but this looks like a non-starter as it is reliant on the Piccadilly Line.

I have also previously suggested Staines which is not far off the M25 the junction after the M4 interchange. It’s only 21 minutes from Staines to Brentford using South Western Railways services, but I haven’t ever tested this one myself.

Alternatively, you can avoid the M25 and try and park up at one of the north London stops like Edgware, Stanmore or potentially Watford Junction. I’ve also had it recommended to use Rayners Lane which, like Stanmore / Edgware, is also reachable from Junction 4 of the M1.

PUBS

It’s a bit of a shame that this fixture has fallen once again in the colder months. A visit down the nearby River Thames in nice weather is a great pre-match. Obviously these pubs are still open and definitely worth a visit but most will be huddled inside.

There are a few down on the stretch towards Chiswick, but the Bulls Head and the City Barge are particularly good, plus there are options you’ll continue to pass as you head towards the stadium. Last season, arriving a little later, we drank in the One Over the Ait next to Kew Bridge. This was a mix of home & away fans and was a very good stop. The away was only a ten-minute walk or so from here too.

I regularly make suggestions to potentially drink deeper into London for away days in the capital but I thoroughly recommend a Brentford pub crawl should you have the time. There are a few very close to the stadium which may be home fans only but in the vast majority you’ll have no issues.

The enclosed pub guide provided by the Met Police shows many of the options, and as shown drinking around the old Griffin Park is still very much an option which may work well if coming in from that direction at Brentford Station or South Ealing. I particularly like the Globe and the Kings Arms in this area.

The aforementioned bars down on the river are not shown on the map but they can be found near Oliver’s Island shown on the far right.

Have a good trip if you are travelling.

You Reds!

Matt