Toon Army On The March!

GROUND
Away fans are located in one end of the stadium, in the Fosters Lager South Stand, where up to 4,300 can be accommodated (although the normal allocation is 2,100). The facilities in this stand are good with plenty of leg room and the views of the pitch are superb, as there is good height between rows. Away fans can really make some noise in this stand, so make the most of it. Entrance to the stadium is by ticket only and if tickets are still available for away supporters then they can purchase them on the day at the South Stand ticket office located between gates 9 & 10. You enter the stadium by inserting your ticket into a ticket reader which scans the bar code on the ticket. This always confuses visiting fans. Near to the stadium are outlets of McDonalds, KFC & Pizza Hut.

GETTING THERE
If you are travelling along the M4 from the west you can see the stadium on your left. Leave the M4 at Junction 11, bear left on to the A33 relief road which leads you directly to the stadium. The Madejski Complex is well signposted from Junction 11.
Kevin Gray informs me; 'Please note that as a recent visitor to Reading it is worth advising away fans that getting off the M4 at Junction 11, westbound can be a bit of a pain. On match days a long tail back can start on the motorway as far as one mile away from this junction. This should be approached with caution and patience. As kick off approaches it can take 40 minutes to complete the journey from the back of the Junction 11 queue to the designated parking sites. So allow extra time for your journey'.

PUBS
Apart from a Harvester on the road towards Reading, there are no pubs as such near to the ground. I however did locate a Holiday Inn which was around a 15 minute walk away. The hotel had a small bar inside it, but then attached had a larger Irish themed separate bar area, called Callaghans. This bar had Sky Television, but as you would expect was very crowded with away fans and served drinks at what I can only term as 'hotel prices'. Across the road from the hotel is a Harry Ramsdens fish & chip shop (take away only). To find this hotel, leave the M4 at Junction 11 and take the A33 towards Reading, turn right at the first roundabout into Imperial Way. Go down this road and you will come to the hotel on your left. There is also street parking to be found in this area.
Alcohol is available inside the stadium, where Courage Bitter & Fosters Lager (£2.80 per pint) are on offer. James Days adds; 'I would recommend heading to Friar Street in the town centre where there are about 10-15 different bars and pubs to choose from, all pretty friendly' However, I have been informed that not many of these town centre pubs allow fans in wearing colours. Next to the ground on a Retail Park are the following food outlets; McDonalds, KFC & Pizza Hut. Otherwise it may be an idea, especially if you are making the journey by train, to drink in the centre of Reading before the game.

TRAIN
Get the train to Reading mainline station and then the No 79 'Football Special' bus. The buses leave just down from the station, commencing at 1pm for Saturday afternoon games.. Once you come out of the main station entrance turn right and they are about 200 yards down the road on the opposite side - there is normally one waiting. Dave Stuttard a visiting Leicester City fan informs me; 'I would recommend getting in the bus queue no later than 45 mins before kick off as all football traffic goes down the same dual carriageway to the stadium'. The fare is £2.50 return for adults and £1.25 for children and normally takes about fifteen minutes to get to the ground. Across the road from the station is the Forum pub, which is good for a pint, but they don't allow you in wearing colours.

Thanks to Richard Stephens & Phillip Bott for helping me out with the railway bus information. Paul Willems a visiting Bristol City supporter adds; 'the bus from the station is good provided that away fans do not cause any trouble. If you do then the buses (quite rightly, editor) refuse to pick you up after the game. I have a bitter experience of this, when the slowest police escort in history by Thames Valley Police got me back to the station at 7.30 pm!'

Nicholas Small provides the following walking directions from the railway station to the ground:'I would estimate that the ground is about three miles away from Reading Station, and that unless you walk quite quickly, the journey could take over an hour: Leaving the station, head straight up the road in front of you, crossing over Friar Street onto Queen Victoria Street and heading towards the town centre. Upon reaching Broad Street, you will find yourself opposite the John Lewis store. Cross and head down a narrow passageway (Chain Street) which runs down the right hand side of John Lewis. Soon, you reach a churchyard, which you can cross, bearing right, to the corner of Gun Street and Bridge Street. Cross to the other side of Bridge Street and continue down, turning right into Fobney Street. At the end here, you will soon encounter a couple of blue footpath/cyclepath signs, which point the way to the Madejski Stadium. These will lead you down the left hand footpath alongside the busy A329, which becomes the A33 after about 1200 yards. Keep following this road and eventually you will come to a roundabout. Take the road ahead and continue walking along the roadside. You will briefly walk along a dirt track by the roadside as the A33 crosses a waterway, before walking down the bank to the towpath. The towpath now continues straight ahead towards the stadium, still following the blue cycle path signs. You can't miss it from here, but it is still at least a further 15 minutes walk away'.