Robins reliant

Cheltenham Town v Darlington

Coca-Cola League Two

Saturday 30th January 2010, 3pm

Nearly four years after our last meeting at Whaddon Road, Cheltenham are back in League Two.

Man to watch Barry Hayles. Now 37, he's maintained his scoring record this season for his eighth club, despite the Robins' struggles.

Full match previews on the Loidland website.

Whaddon Road, once you've got your bearings, is a straightforward amble from the town centre in a slightly down-at-heel (by Cheltenham standards) suburb. £20 (concessions £14 and under 16 £7) in the In2Print Stand alongside the pitch. Advance credit card bookings for collection on day (01242) 573 558. There are 991 seats in all, so plenty of room. Disabled fans are charged £12 to include admission for a helper. Clubs with greater demand might also be offered room in the In2Print Stand, with seats on the corner wing alongside the pitch. That stand had good toilet facilities - better than most at this level, while the catering was pretty good, with Pukka Pies, coffee and snacks. - tickets available at the turnstiles only. It's now no smoking in the stand, but a smoking area is provided. The programme on our last visit cost £2.50 for 64 pages and was a pretty good read, if no surprises, including nine pages on the visitors.

Cheltenham Town FC: The Abbey Business Stadium, Whaddon Rd, Cheltenham GL52 5NA Tel: 01202 573 558 History: Formed in 1892, joined Birmingham Combination and later Southern League. Promoted to Football League, 1998/99.. Record Attendance: 8,326 v Reading FA Cup, Nov 1956 Honours: Conference champions 1998/99, Div 3 play-off winners 2003 Capacity: 7,289 Last season: Record victory: 12-0 v Chippenham, FA Cup, 2 Nov 1935 Defeat: 1-10 v Merthyr T, SL, 8 March 1952 Nickname: The Robins. Colours: Red and white stripes. Manager: Mark Yates Chairman: Paul Baker Players in: Players out: Martin Devaney (Watford), Graham Ward (Tamworth), Chris Murphy (Redditch Utd) Famous fans/players/connections: Andy Gray (player). Click for Streetmap of ground

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From the North (M5): Leave M5 at junction 10 - follow the road (A4019) towards Cheltenham. Keep straight on through the traffic lights until you come to a large roundabout (PC World/Curry's on the right and Macdonalds on the left), turn left, follow directions below: From the South (M5): Exit M5 at junction 11, follow sign to Cheltenham, you will then be on A40, at first roundabout follow signs to Cheltenham, at next turn left. Follow this road (Princess Elizabeth Way), turning right, then left round Coronation Square, to big roundabout, go straight over. Now follow directions - About 500 yards up this road, you will come to double mini roundabout, go straight over. Keep going about 300 yards, then turn right, follow this road over level crossing until you come to roundabout. Go straight over (sign-posted Prestbury) about 200 yards turn right (Albert Rd), follow this to the end. At roundabout turn left into Prestbury Road, about 200 yards on right, turn right into Whaddon Road, the ground and car park are 300 yards on left. Park and ride Free buses leave Cheltenham racecourse every 20 minutes at Prestbury, with fans able to park on the eastern end of the racecourse car park which fronts to New Barn Lane. Supporters will be dropped off at the junction of Prestbury Road and Whaddon Road. For evening games, coaches leave between 6pm and 7.30pm. Supporters will be collected after the game, 9.15pm and 10.25pm. There is no general parking at the ground and parking nearby is restricted.

The stadium is around three miles from Cheltenham Spa station, off the B4632 Prestbury Rd, in a residential area. It's fairly well sign-posted, half a mile out of the city centre. The coach park is next to the main stand . If arriving by train, best to catch a bus into the town centre and walk. From the High St, turn into Winchcombe St. Keep going past the former cinema to the end of the road; turn right is ¼ mile right turn, ground on the left. Bus - Bus "A" from Clarence St and High Street runs every 12 minutes along Whaddon Road and stops outside the ground; buses D runs every 10 minutes from the railway station and runs to Clarence Place in the town centre, close to where you catch the A to Whaddon Rd, if required. So A bus is every 12 minutes and D is every 10 minutes . Also delete “and E” as the E bus is no more. 2010 fares are £1.60 single or £3.00 for a day rider (unlimited travel better value than a return).

Taxi costs about £6 from the station to ground. Best to order a pub pick-up after the game, to avoid the traffic. Suggest the Sudely Arms as a pick-up spot. Starline Taxis, were reliable 01242 250 250 Darlington FC Supporters' Club Coach £25, time TBC Contact: 01325 243911 Payment for each coach trip must be either paid for in full before travel, or a 50% non-refundable deposit paid in advance. Anyone wishing to travel on the coaches must join before the day of travel.

Train times (To be updated for rearranged evening match): Darlington 08.13-arr Cheltenham Spa 11.50; rtn 18.12 arr 22.21(fares from £54 rtn) London Paddington 08.15-arr Cheltenham Spa 10.22; rtn: 18.01-20.14 (fares from £18, offpeak return £56) Birmingham New Street, 11.12 arr Cheltenham Spa 11.50; rtn 18.12-18.56 (fares from £11)

Cheltenham is a pleasant spa town, associated with racing, the Ladies' College - and er, football. There's a detailed local tourism guide in the Cheltenham council website and for something alternative, a tongue-in-cheek run-down in the Pockett Guide to Cheltenham as the "fun capital of the British Isles"

Tourist information: Visit Cheltenham, 77 Promenade, Cheltenham, GL50 1PJ, open Easter Monday 9.30am-1.30pm. Tel: 01242 522 878 accommodation line: 01242 517 110

The Kemble Brewery Inn, 27 Fairview Street A 15 minute walk from the ground, five minutes from The Sudeley Arms. A DAFTS recommended real ale house in a terraced side street, which is worth finding. It can be busy and standing room only on match days but it has a good choice of real ales (Smiles and Taylor's Landlord on our visit), also Archer's beers. This Victorian pub, converted from a butcher's shop 150 years ago, has a cosy "front room" atmosphere with a fire in winter and a beer garden in spring. It serves simple, home-cooked food - a satisfying smell from the kitchen. Hot baguettes were about £1.80-1.90. Open all day Saturday, 11.30am-3pm and from 6pm weekdays. Click for streetmap We used to like The Varsity at the Restoration, 55-57, High St, Cheltenham, a large Barracuda pub in the town centre, but our spies have warned us to strike it off the list. Three words: John Smith's Smooth. Just up the road, The Swan, 37 High Street, Cheltenham, is a good central real ale pub. A contemporary style but has some real ale and the food is pretty good. Behind the pub is a pay and display car park. Recently, has been taken over by Banks and the three hand pumps now only offer beers from the extended Marsons family but the London Millers say is still well kept. The back bar has been taken over and is now a Moroccan restaurant. DAFTS recommended Also now suggested, centrally, is The Bank House 15-21 Clarence Street, GL50 3JL (01242) 240940. A new Wetherspoons right next to the A and D bus stops. Handy for a quickie whilst waiting for the bus to the ground. Standard Wetherspoons establishment. Has a second bar upstairs if the downstairs one is crowded. Bayshill Inn, 85 St George's Place, 01242 524388 Friendly town centre local, although it's dropped out of the CAMRA guide. Small bar and larger lounge. Lunches served. A good place to start, if arriving on the bus from the railway station. A little detour from the ground, half a mile walk from the station, near the council offices. Click for streetmap. Cheltenham Motor Club, Upper Park Street, GL52 6SA - about 1.5 miles south from ground, off A40. 01242 522590 Wide choice of real ale in the naturally transport-themed club house, recommended by CAMRA, whose members are welcome. Open weekdays, 7pm-11pm, Sat 12pm-3pm, 7pm-11pm. Click for streetmap Near the station The Midland, over road from station No frills boozer near the station (nearest the Birmingham-bound platform, cross the pedestrian crossing and turn right, next to a Spar shop). It has a pool table and TV, with the racing on. Boddingtons and 6X. All the usual fast-food and restaurant chains can be found in the High Street, while the council website has a good eating out guide, as does the Electricrobin.com site. There's an interesting Californian-style restaurant The Storyteller in North Place. If you are looking for a curry that is handy for the ground and a bit upmarket, there is Curry Corner,133 Fairview Road. A very good curry can be found at The Everest 3 Portland Street, Cheltenham, GL52 2NZ, 01242 221 334, while the Indus Tandoori Restaurant 226 Bath Road Tel: 01242 516676 is recommended as the town's best - a taxi ride from the ground in the Montpelier district. Thanks to Robert Coldwell

At the stadium Cheltenham Town FC Social Club A very pleasant, well-run club-house, which looks out onto the pitch - a great view, pity we couldn't have stayed there during the match! As well as the Tetleys, they had a real ale on, which eventually ran out, unfortunately. Two types of cider and lager. Good service, TV screens and a welcoming atmosphere. They seemed happy to welcome the 20 or so on the Supporters' Club coach for an evening game - not sure what it would be like for larger groups. DAFTS recommended Near the stadium The Cat & Fiddle Inn, 65 Whaddon Rd , closest to the ground, has now closed. Not that we really liked it much. The Sudeley Arms, 25 Prestbury Rd 01242 510 697 Real ale alternative near the ground, CAMRA-recommended. Between town centre and the ground (less than 10 minutes walk). A good stopping off point for those walking in or who want some grub. Decent Flowers Original/IPA , Goff's Jouster's Ale, Boddingtons. Neat pub, a bit on the small side, but divided into three rooms. They also serve food, with a decent lasagna and chips. Chippie opposite. DAFTS recommended, also recommended by the club's web-site. Click for streetmap The Greyhound, 198 Hewlett Road, GL52 6UQ. 01242) 242839. Real ale alternative, near to ground. A friendly community pub with an enthusiastic landlord selling two or three local real ales. Has a large bar with adjacent pool room, skittle alley and dining area. Garden at rear. Pub is currently under a 18 month reprieve after it was bought by a property developer intent on closing it and turning it in to flats. Strong campaigning by the local CAMRA branch and the local MP ensured that Cheltenham council refused planning permission so the pub has until April 2010 to demonstrate its viability. Fox & Hounds, 116 Prestbury Rd 01242 523 095 A bit shabby, but a friendly pub, with pool. Further along Prestbury Rd, past BP petrol gararge, next to second hand car lot (10 minutes walk from ground - can see floodlights from road). Jouster's Ale (foaming but not the best), Tetleys, Boddington's, four ciders.

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Surfing there...

There's the Official website, which has been revamped and includes a ground guide. Also the Robins' Nest unofficial site, which is for stats and club history only. While the Robins.com is the local paper site and a little short of stuff.

Last away match:
Morecambe, Saturday 13th February

No responsibility is taken for accuracy, if in doubt check before travelling.

© DAFTS 2010