Walking On The Blue Side Of Liverpool!

Last updated : 30 September 2008 By Footy Mad - Editor

Away fans are located in one corner of the two tiered, Bullens Road Stand, which is at the side of the pitch, where just over 3,000 away fans can be accommodated.

If you can, try to get tickets for the upper tier, as the view from the lower tier can be quite poor. In the rear of the lower tier there are a number of supporting pillars that can hinder your view, the seating is of the old wooden type and the gap between rows is tight.

The front of the lower tier is a lot better having newer seats and no supporting pillars to contend with. Some visiting clubs elect to take a lower allocation than the 3,000 on offer, if this applies then only the lower tier is given to away fans, which houses around 1,700.

The facilities within the stand are basic and it is really showing its age.

The catering includes amongst other things; a Scouse Pie (£2.30), Steak Pie (£2.50), Cheese and Onion Pie (£2.30), plus Sausage Rolls (£2.30). They also offer a huge meat pie for £3, which is the size of a small plate, but I wasn't particularly impressed as it seemed to be more pastry than anything else.

Lager is available from the sponsors Chang at £3.60 for a 600ml bottle, plus bitter at £3 for a 500ml bottle and even small bottles of white wine are on offer at £3.70. Please note though that the club (disappointingly) does not serve alcohol to away supporters at half time.

About a 15 minute walk away from the visiting supporters entrance, is the Thomas Frost pub on Walton Road. This Wetherspoons outlet, is a fair sized pub, that had a good mixture of home and away supporters, when I last visited.

Pubs on Walton Lane or The Spellow and Wilnslow Hotel outside Goodison are recommended. The only pub that away fans should avoid is The Royal Oak.

The city centre is usually the best bet for a pre-match drink, There are hundreds of pubs available ranging from designer types to real-ale and saw dust bars.

The pubs nearest to Lime Street Station are best avoided with the exception of the big-House (the Vines) next to the Adelphi which is worth a visit.

Nearer Goodison 'The Hermitage' (a friendly pub, 5/10 minutes walk up Walton Lane and under the bridge) on Queens Drive is also okay.

There is also a Wetherspoons across the road from Lime Street Station, plus at the station itself, is the Head of Steam. This pub is listed in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide and also has a large screen showing sporting events when on.

BY CAR

Follow the M62 until you reach the end of the motorway (beware of a 50mph speed camera about a 1/4 of a mile from the end of the motorway).

Then follow the A5058 towards Liverpool. After three miles turn left at the traffic lights into Utting Avenue (there is a McDonalds on the corner of this junction). Proceed for one mile and then turn right at the corner of Stanley Park into Priory Road. Goodison is at the end of this road.

If you arrive early (around 1pm) then there is street parking to be found around Walton Lane. Otherwise park over towards Anfield or in Stanley Park itself (the entrance to the car park which costs £6, is in Priory Road).

If you approach from the M57 (to join the M57, leave the M62 at Junction 6), and then leave the M57 at Junction 4. Take the A580 towards Liverpool, and on the the right you will reach the Walton Sports Centre where you can park for £3. It is then a 15 minute walk to the ground with a very good Chinese Chippy on the way. By parking there you are well away from the traffics jams that you tend to get at Stanley Park after the match and only a five minute drive from the motorway system.

Kirkdale station is the closest to the ground (just under a mile away). However, it may be more advisable to go to Sandhills Station as this has the benefit of a bus service to the ground, which runs for a couple of hours before the game and around 50 minutes after the final whistle. The bus drops you off within easy walking distance of Goodison.

The best route for away fans from the city centre if they want to use public transport is definitely the Merseyrail Northern Line to Sandhills where they alight and catch the special Soccerbuses; trains can be caught from Liverpool Central. If fans are buying their train tickets in Liverpool, ask for a return to Goodison Park as opposed to Sandhills even though that's where you're getting off. The advantage of doing this is that the train ticket is valid also for the Soccerbus and the additional fare is only £1 return as opposed to £1.50 that you'd have to pay on the bus if you only bought your ticket to Sandhills. Both Sandhills & Kirkdale stations and can be reached by first getting a train from Liverpool Lime Street to Liverpool Central and then changing there for Kirkdale.

On exiting from Kirkdale Station turn right and then cross the railway bridge, you will see a pub opposite called the 'Melrose Abbey', which is a recommended watering hole. Walk up Westminster Road, alongside the pub, for about 400yds and you'll see the Elm Tree pub. Turn left at the pub into Goodall Street and walk up to end of the road, crossing the junction with Carisbrooke Road and into Harlech Street. At the end of Harlech Street you will reach the main County Road (A59). Cross over County Road at the traffic lights and then proceed down Andrew Street. At the top of Andrew Street you can see St Lukes Church sat in the corner of the ground.

The main railway station in Liverpool is Lime Street which is over three miles from the ground and is really too far to walk (although it is mostly downhill on the way back to the station), so either head for Kirkdale station or jump in a taxi (about £6). Otherwise you can catch various buses from the bus station which is seven minutes walk away from Lime Street and is well signposted. Either the 19, 19a, 20, 21 or 311 will drop you right outside the ground at a cost of about a £1. The buses are run by Arriva and the journey takes about 15 to 25 minutes dependant on traffic.