FOREST AWAY: FC Midtjylland, Europa League Last 16, Thursday 19th March – Fan Guide

Do you remember the first day of the summer holidays when you were at school? The most exciting of times when life stretched out beyond the horizon, and your imagination ran wild with what the next few weeks had in store. Every day was a new adventure. Playing football, turning up at your mates house to wreak havoc, sitting on a beach somewhere. Just endless joy. Returning to school wasn’t even a flickering whisper in the back of your mind. In all honesty, it felt like this particular summer was going to run forever.

Those were the days my friend, we thought they’d never end.

The first day of summer was Seville. The fun we had. How the fucking hell are we here?!

Graz was magnificent; how we drank and how we laughed. Utrecht was surreal, winning away in Europe and hearing the blasts of ‘You Reds’ all over Amsterdam. Braga was wet and the game was drab but a charming few days nonetheless with a massive following of Reds to Portugal, and Istanbul was a barmy and beautiful trip that can’t ever be forgotten.

There came a point each summer where your mum or whoever would plant a new pair of black shoes in front of you, maybe hand you a crisp new shirt and you’d gulp at the realisation that things were coming to an end. Suddenly, that beaming horizon was turning darker and coming at you fast and those late nights and even later rises were going to be halted. Reality was chomping down hard. There was still fun to be had for a few more days yet but there was now that little knot of sadness just weighing you down ever so slightly.

Our sixth foray into Europe threatens to be our last, certainly when a team that needs at least one goal to overturn a first leg deficit has forgotten how to score. There are arguments, understandably, about how this is the right time to fall away, to end our European odyssey in a focussed effort to preserve our Premier League status, but I can’t really face that just yet. For a club that can count on one hand the number of European quarter-finals they have featured in, we need to remember how precious this is.

In Istanbul, as the Fenerbahce fans tried to whistle us to death I remember what I was thinking. Just one more trip at least. Now I’m thinking it again. And I’ll be thinking it again in Germany or Portugal should it somehow go right for us on Thursday night.

I can’t ever want to let go of this. And I know maybe it is the way it needs to be, but I just won’t give in to that. I have dreamed of these days for so, so long and I’ll always be happy I got to experience them, but I just can’t shake the thought of 700 or so Forest in a tiny little away end in the middle of nowhere having our own Cologne 1979 or Dynamo Berlin 1980 moment. Celebrating the continuation of our 25/26 summer. Against the odds, finding the result we need to keep this glorious escapade alive for another few weeks at least.

We’ll sing, we’ll laugh and we’ll do our best to drink Herning dry. There will that little knot of worry somewhere deep inside of me but I’ll hide it under several of Denmark’s finest ales.

These are the days my friends, I hope they never end.

 

AWAY DAY NO.22 – Midtjylland, Europa League Last 16 Second Leg, Thursday 19^th March, 6:45pm (5.45pm GMT)

~ While certainly not acting in any official role I’ve agreed to be the nominated fan representative in the UEFA information documents that Nottinghamshire Police submitted back in the summer. This doesn’t have any specific role attached to it but I’ve been trying to help fellow fans as much as I can across our four games so far, and this will continue in Denmark. The co-operation between club, Nottinghamshire Police and ourselves has been very welcome so far and has hopefully made things easier for those travelling. Should there be any items not covered in this guide that you want to find out please let me know. I’d suggest the best option is to e-mail us at [email protected] or DM us on social media, preferably Twitter / X should you need to.

~ Travel insurance – don’t forget to sort this; I’m not an expert in it but you can shop around a little and can also look at getting cover which lasts over a certain period which can then cover the further games. I’ve paid around £21 for cover that lasts me an entire year. For a single game you can source insurance for only a few quid.

~ We’ve experienced a fair bit of variable weather so far on our travels. It snowed on our first full day in Istanbul but was pretty mild on the day of the game. Unfortunately, it seems like we might miss the increase in temperatures that are set to arrive in the UK on Thursday; Herning is generally low 10°’s across the rear end of the week, although it could certainly be cooler in the ground on Thursday evening.

~ The Danish currency is the Krone. I’m informed that there will be little issues paying on card in most venues / shops, but for those who are looking to take some cash the current exchange rate is 12 Krone for £1. However, when shopping for relatively low values of cash it’s unlikely you’ll get this rate.

 

Getting to Herning / Midtjylland

There seems to be three main routes to get to Herning where the stadium is. There are flights into Billund around 45k south of Herning, Aarhus which is about 100k away and then there are flights into Copenhagen which is around a 3–4-hour train journey away.

I suspect most will have a plan by now but it’s worth noting Billund, although the closest of the above options, does not have a dedicated train station. You will therefore need to look at a plan to head north. Car hire seems pretty reasonable although I didn’t get into too much detail; I know a few have opted for this.

There are a couple of train stations not far away which should be okay to reach, either on public transport of in a taxi. A station called Give, around 10-15 minutes north of Billund, looks the best option that I can see. From here it is about half an hour on a train to Herning, an according to DSB.dk it is 80 Krone on most services for a single ticket. Services leave Give at 29 minutes past the hour every hour. Return services back to Give depart 59 minutes past the hour on the Friday morning but it’s worth thinking about how you get back to Billund from here as I expect taxi services won’t be as plentiful from this small station.

I know some have also looked at taxis from Billund to Herning but this isn’t a cheap option so try and have something booked beforehand if you can to avoid being stung.

From Aarhus, it is an approximately 1hr 30mins train which costs 172 Krone for a single journey. There are typically a couple of services per hour so you shouldn’t have much difficulty, whether travelling on the Wednesday or on matchday.

Herning station is very close to the town centre so if staying centrally it shouldn’t be too far a walk when arriving.

 

Collecting Match Tickets

Tickets can be collected from the Fox and Hounds pub in the centre of Herning between 10am and 3pm local time. As usual, your passport will need to be shown.

There is no requirement for your passport to be taken to the ground this time.

 

The MCH Arena – About the Stadium and How to Get There

Opened in 2004, the MCH Arena has a maximum attendance of just over 12,000 but I believe this reduces for UEFA matches.

Away fans are located in one corner of the stadium. I believe there will be some restrictions to views by steel fencing that surrounds the away section.

As I understand it, Forest were able to slightly increase the away allocation by placing the official club dignitaries / players friends & family / hospitality seats next to the away section and reducing the segregation areas, allowing more tickets available for Forest supporters.

The stadium is a 45-minute-walk south from the town centre. The official advice is that there is no public transport and that supporters will need to rely on either walking or using a taxi. There is a station called Herning Messecenter in close proximity. Danish police advice that Forest supporters should not use this station as it is on the wrong side of the stadium, and that the ‘train can’t (take) that many people’. However, it may be a useful option for those struggling with the long walk. Trains from the main Herning station only take a few minutes. If the walk is a concern and for some reason a taxi isn’t an option then I’d suggest having a chat with one of the Notts Police or club officials who will be visible in the designated fan areas.

In a rare treat, beer will be served in the away end and we will be able to drink in the stand. A draught beer is around £6.50 and cash and card payments are accepted. Hopefully the queues are a fair bit shorter than at Fenerbahce.

There are no plans to hold Forest supporters back at the end.

 

Pubs & Bars

Herning is a compact town and it seems like most of the main bars are within close proximity of each other. The central hub is Torvet Square. The aforementioned Fox & Hounds acting as the designated ticket point will likely be busy on matchday but nearby are what look like some good choices.

~ Murphy’s – We were contacted by Tori from the venue who would like to let Forest fans know they were very welcome. They open at noon and will be open until 2am on the Wednesday and 03:30am after the game on Thursday. Until 5:30PM, pints of Carlsberg and Tuborg will be 40kr (£4.63) and bottles of the same beer will be 22kr (£2.55). They will also be playing Forest songs if someone can provide them with some requests!

~ Bart – a sports bar with big screens, darts and pool tables.

~ Heidi’s – Another bar we have spoken to directly and who are keen to invite Forest supporters along. This looks a bit like a beer hall type place with draft beers from 39kr (£4.50). Supporters must be 15 years of age to enter. They open from 4pm until late on Wednesday and from 11am on matchday.

~ Café Garibaldi – A couple of weeks back when first beginning to pull some ideas together for this guide I noticed this place. It doesn’t advertise as a bar, more of a café but obviously it would be a shame not to pay a visit. I asked PC Simon Travell to scope it out during the recon visit and have been advised that there won’t be any issues with Forest fans visiting but it is only a small venue, holding 90 inside with a similar number outside. They will be open from 10am on matchday but close at 10pm. I’m going to tentatively propose we try and arrange a big group photo outside here at some point on matchday.

A couple of other spots I have spotted online and think look pretty decent:

~ Petit Bar

~ Bodega Gadespejlet

It seems like there is potential for a very good pub crawl over a pretty small area.

Finally – there was a few examples in Istanbul of fans being taken advantage of with inflated prices after being enticed into bars. There is nothing at all to suggest this will happen in Denmark, but it’s worth a check of a standard beer price, especially as many seem to be offering deals to persuade Forest supporters to visit their venues.

***

Thank you to PC Simon Travell of Nottinghamshire Police who provided the images featured and useful information in the guide.

Obviously there are a few less of us this time. Wishing each of you a safe and exciting journey.

If this is to be the last European away guide then I’m incredibly grateful to all who have read and enjoyed them. But see you in Porto, yeah?

Cheers and COME ON YOU REDS!

See you over there!

Matt