Elsewhere on this forum, it was suggested that South Elmsall and Dinnington are called or are dumps to watch
football. Where is the biggest dump you have watched a game, the city, town or village not the ground? Denaby
comes to mind, with Maltby and Parkgate not far behind and I did not like Handsworth at all. Millwall, around the
old ground was really horrible. Not a fan of Hartlepool either. Darlington okay and York even better.
I do like watching games in Chesterfield and Sheffield. Stamford was very pleasant and a surprise as I knew nothing
about the place. I always enjoy going to Wembley, usually more for the day out than the result unfortunately. Derby
I can do without as something always seems to go wrong when I go there like County moving a game to the training
ground or being forcibly escorted on to the football special train when I had travelled there by coach and have had a few
run ins with their hooligan element when they played at the Old Baseball Ground, now that was a dump. Horrible railway
station too. Some good pubs' over the road from it though.
Hatfield Main not situated in the prettier side of town, Dunscroft pretty horrible and I was mistaken for the turn in
a nearby pub once. A very strange landlord and some equally strange characters in the place. Brodsworth Welfare in Woodlands
could be an unpleasant experience for strangers.
Goole somewhere I have grown to like to visit. Sheffield Club can be an enjoyable day out, some good pubs if you
know where to look in Dronfield. Harrogate Railway a good day in Starbeck. Buxton and Matlock very pictersque, the railway line
to the latter from Derby very pleasant indeed.
Birmingham another city where I usually get hit by fists or stones. Not on my want to go back list. Eastwood is, though not
with the person I travelled there with the last time - was drunk by half past eleven in the morning and did not get home until
four the following morning and claimed he had spent over £150 that day, think the majority was spent on lager.
Newport in Wales was a strange place and I always associate it with Sheffield United's worst ever performance, losing four-nil.
I like Hillsborough, the suburb not the ground and enjoy Crosspool when I visit Hallam, often more enjoyable than actually watching
the Countrymen.

What did you find strange about Newport?

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More like a large, spread out village than a town, very few people about even though there was decent weather.
The police there very lax, letting we United supporters drift away from their escort to the ground to visit various
public houses. Cannot remember there being many County fans at the match either. Horrible performance by
the side from Bramall Lane, it agreed by the majority of we Blades to be the worst performance in living memory.
Very little traffic. It just felt like a natural backwater where nothing much ever happens somehow. Haven't been
back since unsurprisingly, probably changed a great deal and possibly for the better, since I was there.
I liked Cardiff apart from the game against Wolves. Only two places I've been to in Wales.

Thanks Blade. The reason for asking was that I spent the 84/85 season living and working in Newport, so went to Somerton Park on many occasions that season. I know what you mean about lax policing, I often experienced Newport fans in one bar and away fans in the opposite bar within the same pub (which did lead to problems on some occasions!).

The worst violence I have ever witnessed involving football fans was whilst down there. It was a local derby against one of the Bristol clubs, I cannot remember which. A large group of Newport fans had congregated in one corner of the ground, the Bristol fans were put at the same end of the ground but in the other corner. However, Cardiff were not playing until the following day, so a largish group of their fans attended the game and they were "housed" between the Newport and Bristol fans. Newport, Bristol and Cardiff fans all at the same end of the ground! It got interesting, but the main problems were later after the game. Let's just say Newport town centre suffered that evening.

I must say I enjoyed my year down there, I was made to feel very welcome by the Newport fans. On one occasion I even managed to get a small group of Newport fans to travel to Oswestry to see Worksop play there as the Tigers team had a former Newport player playing for them. Interestingly (or not) the season I was down there Neville Chamberlain was the leading scorer for Newport who later went on to sign for the Tigers.

I would say at that time Newport certainly felt more like a rugby union town than a football town, especially with strong rugby union sides in the neighbouring valleys. I did see a Wales B v France B rugby international at Rodney Parade. As the teams were being announced/lined up there was a great reception for the Welsh, as they announced the French team I stood there politely applauding, when from behind me I heard "we've got a Frog in front of us lads". Without thinking I just turned round and said "it's worse than that lads, I'm English!" After that we had a great time at the game, they then took me to a drinking club where they would not let me buy anything all night. Happy days! However, I have not been back to Newport since '85. When we played them in the FA Trophy this season I would have preferred it to have been an away game! Even then we got within about 5 minutes of forcing a replay.

I hear that Newport County may be playing home games at Rodney Parade next season.

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Blade, I thought the title of this thread was going to be about going to the toilet !!

Stoke a bit of a toilet, only been there once, but ended up being a witness in a law court at Burslem. Went
by car but returned by train as far as Sheffield, the driver arrested. Had no money by the time I got to Sheffield
so had to call my dad on the phone to get a lift to Donny. The driver let out late that night found that all his tyres
had been let down. Was fined £200 when the norm was about £40 then. I wasn't a very good witness as I had
been knocked out when the police arrived.
Arrived twenty minutes late, still managed to get attacked by two Stoke fans and United lost. Police letting Stoke
supporters into the away end ten minutes before the final whistle. Not a good day out. An expensive one for my
friend.

Millwall has to be up their, but you don't get to see much of the surrounding area now, if you go on the train it stops right outside the ground, where as before you had to get off at Bermondsey and run for your lives, avoiding Bricks,petrol bombs etc.
Portsmouth and Fratton Park area is a dump, wasn't impressed at all, even the toilets are like Frickley's old ones outside, pee up a wall basically.

Had quite a lot of coins and small stones thrown at us in The Den, then had bottles and bricks thrown at the car
as we made our way from the ground. We parked next to the United coaches, only they moved them to another
part of the carpark. Three of our number wearing red and white scarves. No police to be seen, plenty of Millwall
fans though.
Hard to find by car too, only found it by following the team bus, which we spotted at The Elephant And Castle.
Some really horrible blocks of flats near the ground.
Probably the worst toilets in league football where at Oxford United's old ground in Headington, I walked it from
the station, very nice once you got out of the town centre. First time I met Shred, a legend among United fans,
told me to ask the Oxford fans for directions to the ground when I asked him for them - don't think he knew where
it was either. Probably more interested in finding a pub. It was a long, long walk. Caught the bus back.