FOREST AWAY: Brighton, Sunday 1st March – Fan Guide

Spain, Austria, Holland, Portugal, Turkey, and now Denmark.

It’s another intriguing and exciting destination on our grand European tour. I was personally pleased we avoided having to repeat the trip to Betis, although Midtjylland does bring a more complicated itinerary and a much smaller allocation. I’ve seen a few numbers mentioned in regard to the likely allocation – I believe our very best amount will be around 750-800 but this is higher than what Midtjylland are obliged to provide, and may include the hospitality allocation home clubs are expected to provide. Based on some previous British clubs who have been there, it could be less than 500. Hopefully we will find out quickly.

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The away end on Thursday, who largely came dressed as Minions, spoiled the vibrancy and the noise they brought along by ripping up large swatches of seats and lobbing pyro onto the pitch. Their was at least the lovely moment where the City Ground lit up the stands in response after we had scored the goal to settle the tie.

I’d seen a few comments before about how we should reciprocate the restrictions on Fenerbahce fans that we faced in Istanbul. I didn’t really agree; I think showing some tolerance with their pre-match and not making them sit around in the ground for hours would show it could be done and that the treatment of Forest fans in the first leg was unnecessary. Obviously the story has now shifted to their behaviour in the away end, whereas I saw nothing but co-operation and excellent conduct by the 1200 or so Forest in Turkey.

Sadly, there is a theme of British fans not being treated in the way that we deserve, when all we want to do is follow our team. It’s been fine in some places but we have seen over the top measures put in place for reasons that are hard to explain. Perhaps the reputation of the past still lingers, although I find it frustrating that the actions of people decades ago still impacts us now.

I also found it quite sad to see so many empty seats across the ground for a European knockout game. The prices, especially in the premium areas, have been misjudged. Evidence of this could be seen by how many crammed into the wings of the Clough Stand compared to the blocks directly adjacent. We have to stop seeing these games as cash grabs and focus on filling the stadium. A year or two ago I would have thought it was nigh on impossible that a European game at Forest would fail to sell out but this is what happens when the pricing gets out of hand. I note that the same level of pricing has been implemented for the next round and it will be interesting to see how it sells, given we are a step further in the competition and play at home first.

The club should be thinking whether it’s more important to try and extract more money from their supporters or witness a full and noisy City Ground for these occasions. We know that they may very well not return next season and so I’d hate for us to waste the potential of these night to throw some extra money into the coffers. It could also be considered that these high prices people are paying are creating that extra layer of pressure. There was some notable disappointment on Thursday that certain key players didn’t start (although most understood this) but maybe it also leads to easier disenchantment when the value on show doesn’t match the high price of admission. I don’t know, but there isn’t an unfathomable connection between frustration and apathy in the stands and the level of performance on the pitch.

Above all, we continue to urge the club to think about how expensive this season is and help us out more. We have seen that, despite how many people they told us were on the season card waiting list waiting to take our seats, there is not an infinite amount of people willing to turn out come what may. So protect the people that do.

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Finally – this week was the last at NFFC for the club’s Supporter Liaison Officer, Alex Tatner, who I believe has taken the opportunity to move on elsewhere. Alex has been a big help for us over the last couple of years, and we are grateful for his assistance on many matters. We wish him well.

 

AWAY DAY NO.21 – Brighton, Sunday 1^st March, 2pm KO

Previous Visit: A penalty-shoot out win in the FA Cup quarter-final last season. In amongst everything we have witnessed in recent years, Ryan Yates converting the winning penalty and then leading the ‘We’re going to Wembley’ chant was among the very finest moments.

Memorable Visit: Last season in the cup was the most memorable of all of our trips to the Amex. Another important fixture was the 0-0 in October 2022 was a little bit of a turning point for our first season back in the Premier League, although it perhaps wasn’t a particularly memorable 90 minutes!

Away End: Forest fans will be housed in the South Stand, using entrances 28 & 29. It’s a decent end right behind the goal. I always find it a bit odd how they have the little pockets of seats right at the back; the views from there are still good but having sat there once it felt quite removed from the rest of the away section.

Sunglasses / Hat Requirement: I’m going to go quite high for this one, although I don’t remember any major glare issues in the past. 7/10.

TRAVEL

RAIL: It appears the first couple of services involve a bus transfer, either to East Midlands Parkway or Long Eaton so might be worth planning your journey accordingly to get straight to one of these stops.

The 07:17 (bus to Long Eaton) gets into Brighton at 11:53 with a change in London. The 07:44 (bus to East Midlands Parkway) arrives at 12:38. The first train without bus disruption departs from Nottingham at 08:15 and goes via Grantham and London, arriving at 12:35.

Right next door to the stadium is Falmer Station. It’s the only rail link to the ground and it shows. Queues will often build up closer to kick-off when leaving Brighton Station although there frequent services to meet demand. It’s after the game when the main issues arise with everyone looking for those first few trains following full-time. The away end is on the far side from the station but we have found if you get a move on immediately you can often get a fair way up the queue. Otherwise you face a fair old wait.

If travelling back to Brighton you’ll need the platform closest to the stadium. If heading the opposite way towards Lewes you’ll need the other side.

It’s a 10–15-minute ride from Brighton to Falmer.

The trains back to Brighton after the game are fairly regularly – you’ll end up queueing to get the first one you can, but the first realistic service is at 15:54 which you might just make if speeding out of the away end, but it’s unlikely. After that the next scheduled services are 16:17 and then 16:23.

Fares are currently around £75 but have a look at breaking up your journey into individual returns as that can help save a few quid.

ROAD: There doesn’t seem to be a reliable way of getting in or out of the area around the stadium easily. Car parks around the ground offer a relatively straightforward option but it will be a long time before you are back on the road afterwards.

As the Amex is situated just off a busy dual carriageway and isn’t particularly close to any built-up areas it’s also hard to rely on finding any street parking a little further out.

For the last couple visits we have taken advantage of the aforementioned travel pass and parked at Lewes. This is only one stop up from Falmer and takes seven minutes. A normal return costs £5.19 but your match ticket will allow you to travel for free. After the game, the trains are busy but possibly a little less chaotic than the other side which is headed south into Brighton.

You can park at Lewes although the car park isn’t huge. We did struggle to find a spot last season but did manage to find another car park around the corner; there may also be some free street parking on a Sunday.

After the game, try and plan your route from Lewes to avoid heading back past the ground. Your sat nav will very probably take you this way and you end up getting caught up in the congestion that you are trying to avoid. There is another escape route but it might just take a bit of pre-planning.

Ahead of the cup game last season we were issued a Visitors Guide in advance of this game by the Brighton & Hove Albion Supporters Club and the following might be of use for some. I can’t say for sure if the information still applies but I would assume it does:

There are currently two free Park & Ride schemes. One operates from Brighton racecourse BN2 9XZ and the other from Mill Road BN1 8ZF at the bottom of the A23, which makes this the most convenient for visiting fans. But it fills up quickly, so get there early. It opens two and a half hours before kick-off.

You can buy a parking space near the ground from the club website but it’s expensive and you have to book well in advance. Nothing on the day. Even at £15 per car this sells out, so secure your spot early by booking online at BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com/tickets. You will receive a parking voucher to display in the window of your vehicle.

 

PUBS

There are plenty of good drinking spots in walking distance of Brighton Station, but nothing in the vicinity of the stadium. This again lends itself to using Lewes if driving down as there are some decent pubs close to Lewes Station.

The Lansdown Arms across from the station has been busy with Forest fans on both of our last couple of visits, while just a bit further up the road is the Royal Oak which was also a popular place for Reds before the cup game.

Some of these places might not open until noon on a Sunday, but there will be other options a bit further away I expect.

 

 

Have a safe journey.

Up the Reds.

Matt