FOREST AWAY: Tottenham Hotspur, Monday 21st April – Fan Guide

Since the moment that Ryan Yates’ penalty snuck through to send us to a first FA Cup semi-final since 1991, things got a bit hectic.

Two days after the shoot-out win at Brighton, a busy period began as I asked Forest about Forza Garibaldi / the Fan Advisory Board having some dialogue with the club about various Wembley related topics. I must admit, there was a degree of self-preservation at play; the 2022 Wembley trip was a rather exhausting process and we wanted to take some of those experiences to improve it this time around. A semi-final at Wembley is a slight strange one to weigh up; it’s undoubtedly a huge occasion but it’s effectively a game to try and go back again for the final.

I’ve perhaps always leaned towards the idea of semi-finals being played elsewhere, although the excitement a return to Wembley and the obvious advantages that a bigger allocation can bring have somewhat changed my view. We should also consider that for a club starved of such days, and with the ecstasy of 2022 whetting the appetite, it feels like one to try and make as memorable as possible. It may count for something too against the Wembley regulars of Manchester who will not have the same anticipation for this game as we do.

For us, there are a few strands around the game that we felt we could help with and be involved in. There will, of course, be a special Wembley guide landing next week but before then there are a couple of other bits that feel like they would be best being communicated earlier to allow people to plan accordingly. I’ll try and get that out over the next couple of days, maybe a pre-guide ahead of the main edition.

Forest have been great in responding to our request and we, along with members of the FAB met with club officials five days after the Brighton game to discuss the ticketing plan. Such things are always going to end up being divisive but I was pleased to see that a method of sales was applied that recognised match going supporters but also extended acknowledgement of those lower memberships who had attended the cup games. We have received some feedback which was critical of the decision to retrospectively make cup games carry a certain weight in the ticket sales priority but did feel that this was a reasonable approach given what this did was reward those who still attended the relatively unglamorous and, in the case of Ipswich, inconvenient KO times without doing it solely to earn a better chance of a Wembley ticket.

I was also pleased that feedback passed on in the days prior had clearly been considered as part of the decision-making process, something I have raised previously as an issue with the FAB. Another strong point from the club was that they had purposely introduced the first sales window, even though it only contained a relatively small number of supporters, to address their dedication to attend 3 cup games which would include an awkward and long journey to Exeter and / or Brighton. Given the awful journey home from both of these, I’m also going to propose that, in the event of a FA Cup win, all supporters who attended both get a winners medal!

I do think it matters that loyalty is recognised. That small band of supporters were always going to earn a ticket but making a separate window was, I felt, a really good idea to show that appreciation for their support.

Dialogue with the club has continued – and is continuing – across a few fronts since but there has also been a call with a team from the FA / Wembley to discuss various logistics, including the protocol around fan areas and flag guidelines. This will also be covered in the upcoming Wembley guide(s), as will recent comms with East Midlands Railway who we have been speaking with to try and assist with matchday travel and in the anticipation the huge queues of 2022 can be avoided.

First up, however, is a trip to Spurs.

FAN GUIDE: Tottenham Hotspur, Monday 21^st April 2025

Last Visit: A 3-1 defeat

Famous Visit: I’ll be tight on the rules and only allow visits to the new stadium, which means there isn’t really one to choose from. Both games have finished 3-1 and largely unmemorable.

Away End: As per our previous two visits, Forest supporters will be be housed in the lower corner of the stadium. It’s a decent view, somewhat similar to the Emirates although having the hospitality seats directly behind can be an annoyance.

Sunglasses / cap necessity: 1/10 (this would increase considerably if it wasn’t a 8pm KO)

 

TRAVEL

RAIL: While a return journey by train looks possible it’s not as straightforward as you might like. First of all, various services include a bus replacement service between Nottingham and East Midlands Parkway, so just check your options before travelling. The return service from St Pancras departs at 23:35 (there is a 22:35 but this might be too early to make it back) which does also involve the bus replacement from East Midlands Parkway. The service arrives into Parkway at 02:32 but isn’t due back to Nottingham until 03:24 so it would be worth trying to find a way home from Parkway rather than spend an extra chunk of time trying to get back to Nottingham.

Alternatively, use the East Coast Line via Grantham which can work out a fair bit cheaper and get the 11pm train back from Kings Cross. You won’t make it back to Nottingham on a train but leaving your car there might prove a more efficient option.

And just remember to always look at splitting your journey up; on the direct line the best bet is usually to get a return to Kettering and then from there to London which can save a fair few quid off the approx. £70 return journey.

There are multiple stations connecting with the stadium and they are best documented on this map from the Tottenham website. Which one you use will, of course, depend on your circumstances and where you are coming from / headed to.

> Seven Sisters is on the London Underground and can be reached easily from Kings Cross / St Pancras on the Victoria Line

> Tottenham Hale is one stop along from Seven Sisters and also has a rail line which connects into Liverpool Street. See advice below about using this line from Cheshunt if driving.

> White Hart Lane is the closest stop to the stadium on the London Overground and is best reached from Central London from Liverpool Street.

>Northumberland Park is another rail line which is quite close to the ground and also has some services direct from Liverpool Street / Cheshunt.

All of these stations will be very busy after the game. We have used Tottenham Hale for the last couple of visits and each time we had a short wait to enter the station with queue control methods in place.

ROAD: With it being a bank holiday, there is an added risk that roads will be closed but a quick glance on the Highways Agency suggests that the M1 will be unaffected, although I will take another look before travelling on Monday.

I’ll regurgitate the usual info here for that I usually offer in this guide that parking out from the ground and using tube / overground is probably wise, although there may be less parking restrictions with it being a bank holiday.

> Stanmore / Edgware / Cockfosters are all underground stations with decent size car parks offering a pretty simple route into London although best to plan your route to work out the best way to and from the ground. Cockfosters might be the best shot out of these on the Jubilee Line as you can head down and change at Finsbury Park and across to Seven Sisters / Tottenham Hale. The full duration of this, according to the TFL app, is 33 minutes

> Cheshunt – Just off the M25 and a nice big car park. We used this last season and it was very straightforward. It’s only a short journey to Northumberland Park / Tottenham Hale from here and you can also go straight through to Liverpool Street if you want better pre-match drinking options.

> Luton Parkway – Cuts down the driving as it’s located just a few minutes’ drive off Jct 10 of the M1. Parking is a few quid in a big multi-storey and you can usually get a decent priced return into St Pancras (if travelling in a group go for the Group Saver option which will save a third on fares).

 

PUBS

Official advice remains that there is no longer an away pubs near the stadium, although I believe last season Forest fans were okay at the Antwerp Arms and the Elmhurst.

If you have opportunity then both the St Pancras area and Liverpool Street are well connected to stops around the ground. The pubs close to Liverpool Street have been busy with Forest on both of our previous visits.

While not a usual recommendation in this guide, drinking / eating in the ground I have found is a step up from the usual and can be a decent fallback option.

 

We’ll see you down there.

You Reds

Matt