FOREST AWAY: Wolves, Wednesday 3rd December – Fan Guide
Although the Malmo game was a bit of a simple saunter to three Europa points, I found it fascinating to watch the away end enjoy their evening at the City Ground. During the game a recognisable tune floated across the stadium; perhaps like me you found it familiar but couldn’t quite place it immediately. Then I visualised a rooster strutting with a small guitar type instrument whistling a happy tune and realised it was the opening song from Disney’s Robin Hood.
I wasn’t sure if this was a coincidence or not, but I suspected it wasn’t. A social media message by @Svarrr223 on Twitter confirmed that the Malmo fans had concocted a new chant to this same tune to mark their visit to Nottingham. The words apparently were this, although it may be lost slightly in translation:
‘Here is Anes Mravac boys,
Here is Anes happy gang,
We will rob the whole of Nottingham,
And get home with three points’
Delightful. I won’t deny I’m actually quite jealous that the Malmo supporters could create and then have an entire away end joining in with this. They were fantastic all night and surely one of the best followings we have ever seen at Forest. What I think makes fans stand out the most is when they are willing to be more creative and do something unique. We’ve seen it plenty of times at Forest over the years; when a new chant gets a bit of traction it creates a spark in the crowd and a bit of life.
Maybe we have lost a bit of that lately. The only one of note I can think of recently was the splendid re-working of the old Steve Stone song to incorporate Sean Dyche and Ian Woan which filled the away end at Graz for the first ten minutes or so of that game. Anything ‘new’ these days usually seems to be something we have heard umpteen other clubs singing already and I’ve been wondering it it’s about time we got our collective heads together again and found some new stuff to sing. In the not-too-distant past we have been pretty terrific at it. The Cooper years was a pretty solid patch for us – Super Cooper, Waka Waka, Orel Mangala he makes me smile – and the more recent Hudson-Odoi and Murillo offerings have been wonderful additions to the song book, but it’s been a bit harder recently it seems.
To be honest, I’m aiming this at me as much as anyone. My own creativity has dwindled too of late. I’ve helped deliver a few decent tunes over the years – the Eric Lichaj one, Antonio 99 Red Balloons and, my personal favourite, Allez, Allez, Phillipe Montanier. I do partly blame the Premier League for this although I’ll admit it’s a weak excuse. But the diminishing opportunities for big Saturday’s out and all rammed into pubs and on trains does limit the frequency of testing some new songs. All of the three examples I’ve just noted came to life on trains or in a pub, the breeding ground for great football chants. Mainly, though, I’m probably just getting too old to be as creative as I once was, and spend a few hours each week inventing new stuff.
I’d love a few others to take on that challenge. Do something different, not just what you’ve seen another club sing. Let’s get original again, and it’ll definitely have the right impact on the atmosphere.
AWAY DAY NO. 10 – Wolves, Wednesday 3rd December
Last Visit: A fine 3-0 win in January of this year, perhaps most notable for Morgan Gibbs-White opening the scoring and silencing the South
Bank.
Famous Visit: Another 3-0 win, this time in November 2014 under Stuart Pearce. Three goals in the last 25 minutes from Britt Assombalonga, Matty Fryatt and Henri Lansbury earned the points for the Reds.
Away End: Away supporters are stretched out across the full width of the Billy Wright Stand on one side of Molineux. It’s up there with the away sections in the Premier League, mainly due to the shallow depth and how the distance between away fans leads to about four different songs being sung at once.
Sunglasses / Hat Requirement – 0/10
TRAVEL
RAIL: There are plenty of options outbound from Nottingham across the afternoon and into the early evening. Services are usually around two hours, including at least one change at Birmingham New Street (certain trains also involve a change in Derby) and the last feasible train is 16:54 which arrives at 18:41 and allows ample time for the 15-minute walk from the station.
A train back is do-able, departing at 22:38 and arriving into Nottingham at 00:21, again via Birmingham New Street.
A standard return via Trainline is £36.60.
ROAD: Probably the preferred option for most on a Wednesday night. There are a couple of routes to take; either the A42/M42 or the A38. Both will get you to the M6 at Birmingham. It’s possible that normal routes and sat navs will try and take you into Wolverhampton off the M6 at either Junction 9 or 10. This will certainly take you in the most direct route but it may be busy, especially around rush hour, and you’ll have to get through or round the city centre to get closer to Molineux. So it may be better to try and leave the car before you reach the middle of town if you can walk from there.
Alternatively, stay on the M6 a little longer and shortly after Jct 10 the M6 will branch off into the M54. There are a couple of suggestions if coming in this way.
Leave the M54 at Featherstone (I think this is the first junction) on the A460. This road will take you pretty much directly to Molineux, but before you reach the stadium there is street parking available at certain locations along the way. The closest spot will be to turn right onto Cross Street North where in 2023 we found street parking available on this industrial estate. You are very close to the stadium here so spots will fill up quickly.
The other option is to stay on the M54 for one more junction and use the A449 at Coven Heath to head in from the north towards Wolverhampton Racecourse. In between the Racecourse and Molineux is a housing estate that has previously served us well for parking. It’s a 15–20-minute walk to the ground from here and also offers a fairly quick escape route back to the M54 after the game.
Hopefully one of these recommendations will work for you, but I’d suggest taking a look yourself before travelling.
PUBS
The dedicated away pub at Wolves has recently changed and is now Twelve, a short walk from the train station and only 10-15 mins to Molineux. I don’t know anything about this place but it does look a step up from the usual away venues.
Wolverhampton is notoriously difficult to get access to pubs and bars across town. You’ll have better options a little further out, which might tie in with the parking recommendations above. Pubs closer to the Racecourse might offer some options, specifically the Stile Inn which was great stop for us in 2022 but we did have the persuade the doorman to allow us entry.
For the last two visits, we have visited the Emerald Social Club. This is actually very close to Molineux (on the Cross Street North parking option referenced in the previous section) and, while it seems to be a home only place, we have been welcomed and had no issues. It’s a typical club house with a big hall full of tables, plus they serve food at a very reasonable price from a little hatch in the corner. It’s a great place and ideal for a quick stop before a cold and damp midweek game.
Safe travels and we’ll see you in Wolverhampton.
You Reds!
Matt