FOREST AWAY: Arsenal, Saturday 23rd November – Fan Guide

I’ll admit, the frequent international breaks aren’t as much of a chore as they were when were in the division below. It used to be rather painful to have a blank weekend only to be scheduled to have a Tuesday night at Preston a few weeks later. There is, I should point out, a visit to Man City coming up midweek on the horizon but it’s a gloriously rare experience in the Premier League to be headed somewhere far flung in the middle of the week.

The Newcastle defeat did, however, leave just a little bit of angst given we couldn’t follow up a week later and get that result out of system. And now we face another humungous test where we put this rather marvellous away sequence on the line again at just about one of the toughest places you can go.

The nice thing is that we could shake off the Newcastle game without too much worry; little bits of excited chatter about Europe and the like are also countered by realism that we are going to still lose plenty of matches. That said, it’s a nice feeling to be headed to the Emirates thinking about how we could unpick them; how we have the means to take them on.

It’s about to get very hectic. The international breaks have been put behind us and we are about to get a real sense of just how good we are in the weeks ahead.

Onwards and (hopefully) upwards!

 

GENERAL INFORMATION – ARSENAL

Last Visit: August 2023, 2-1 defeat despite a brief bit of hope at the end after Awoniyi’s late goal.

Not too far away from the Emirates, the remains of Highbury are still largely standing having been converted into residential houses and apartments but with much of the old façade still in place. It’s worth a look if you have a bit of time to kill.

 

TRAVEL

RAIL: For Arsenal, a combination of overground and underground stations serve the stadium. Finsbury Park, Highbury & Islington, Holloway Road and Arsenal are all walking distance to the Emirates. If travelling down into St Pancras then the Victoria Line will get you up to the first two very quickly.

PC Adam Stephenson, Dedicated Football Officer for Arsenal FC, advises: ‘Supporters travelling to the stadium can utilise all stations in the area but be advised that Holloway Road usually shuts early and will be closed post-match due to it being very small and it cannot facilitate large numbers of fans passing through it’.

For the direct route from Nottingham to St Pancras a return fare is coming up at £66.09 using the SplitSave option via Trainline which involves buying a return to Kettering and return from Kettering to London.

An alternative, especially with Finsbury Park, being a stop on the East Coast Main Line is to get across to Grantham or Peterborough and head down that way. The issue with this route is it actually takes longer and is more expensive to get to Peterborough than it is for the second leg, but it can still work out cheaper and faster without having to navigate through the underground system. Have a look as well at the group saver options as I believe they operate on both legs and you could find that a split standard return of around £52 via Peterborough can actually be done for a fair bit less if travelling in groups of 3 or 4.

ROAD: Besides driving in towards the stadium, which I’ve never found particularly appealing parking a little out of London seems like a good bet. There are plenty of options here but four in particular I think are worth a look:

Cheshunt (Overground) – This is probably a better option for Tottenham and West Ham but it can work for this one too. Cheshunt is easily reachable off the M25 (not far from M1 junction) and has a decent sized car park and regular trains into London. To get to Finsbury Park you’ll change at Tottenham Hale and it should take around 30-40 minutes. So a bit of travel time but also quite straightforward.

Cockfosters (Underground) – You can reach this off the M1 or Jct 24 of the M25. It’s a tube stop with a sizeable car park and a 20-25 minute tube ride to Finsbury Park / Arsenal / Holloway Road which all serve the Emirates.

Edgware (Underground) – Another a little bit further out but a straightforward parking option you can reach just off Jct 4 of the M1. Don’t park in the Sainsbury’s car park, use the dedicated commuter one which is closer to the station and works out cheaper. You’ll need to change at Kings Cross and can then jump onto the Victoria Line to Highbury & Islington or Finsbury Park.

Luton Parkway – This option, just off Jct 10 of the M1, cuts right down on the car journey. Trains are pretty regular and you can be at St Pancras in around half an hour with the same short hop on the Victoria Line towards the stadium. Unlike the above options, this isn’t part of the London travel pass zone so a return fare will be £13.69. However, if travelling in a group you can get a discounted fare which works out at £8.60 if travelling in a group of 4 or £8.96 for a group of 3. Just keep in mind there are restrictions with travelling on certain trains from here; the discount won’t always apply on the very quick services.

PUBS

PC Adam Stephenson: ‘It is advised that away fans drink in Central London, Kings Cross / Euston area.

‘The Hercules pub on Holloway Road usually accepts away fans (though not an ‘away pub’ or the stadium will open 2hrs prior to kick-off – local beer ‘Camden Hells’ served and not too much more expensive than the average London pub price!’

There is indeed numerous pubs around Kings Cross / Euston which are likely to be the main destinations for Forest fans, although Wolves fans coming into Euston on their way to Fulham may have a similar idea.

Closer to the ground, we have previously advised of at least one option near Finsbury Park; the World’s End which hosted many Forest fans before the League Cup game a few years back. Official advise suggests this won’t accommodate away fans but if you find yourself in that area short on options then it’s worth a try.

A more reliable source of pubs is around Highbury & Islington. There are a couple of places very close to the station; the Famous Cock and the White Swan Wetherspoons virtually next door. 2-minute walk away is a Brewhouse. A little further afield we drank, along with other Forest fans, in the Vineyard last season which was a decent pub.

Regular readers may wonder where the Q&A is we usually hold with an opposing fan. We’re going to give it a little rest, maybe indefinitely. It’s a time-consuming part of the guide and with it being our third season in the Premier league, it become harder to find anything new to ask. I doubt anyone feels too strongly about this either way so consider this a trial of not featuring a Q&A and we could always look at bringing it back down the line. Maybe we’ll think of a new feature for a future instalment.

If you are travelling, drive safe and we’ll see you down there.

You Reds

Matt