Brentford - The Final Away Chapter of 2007/8

Brentford FC v Hereford United
Football League 2
Saturday 26th April 2008 KO 3.00 pm.
Griffin Park
Braemar Road
Brentford
TW8 0NT
Phone 08453 456442

There were strange goings-on in Brentford back in 1889. The local Rowing Club members needed an alternative sport to play during the winter months and a meeting was called to discuss all possibilities. After several hours, and no doubt a few glasses of London Pride, the meeting closed having decided to form a football team and Brentford Rowing and Football club was formed. However, another meeting was called because it was felt that the two sports would require separate clubs and Brentford Football Club became a reality. The following morning, when the Fullers ale had worn off, another meeting had to be called when they realised that no-one knew if it was to be Association or Rugby. After playing at various venues, they settled at Griffin Park in 1904 and it has remained their home ever since.

Visiting fans are accommodated in the Brook Road end in a Stand that has similar characteristics to The Floors2Go in that it provides seating for 600 in the upper tier and a covered terrace below which has a capacity of around twelve hundred. It was built in 1986 and is affectionately known to Brentford fans as "The Wendy House".

Record attendance: 38,678 v Leicester City, FAC R6, 1949.

The Official Brentford site are advertising the following prices for The Brook Road Stand:
Seating - Adults £19, Senior Citizens/Students (NUS Card) £13 and Juniors U16 £5.
Terrace - Adults £18, Senior Citizens/Students (NUS Card) £12 and Juniors U16 £5.

COACHES
HUISA Depart at 9.30 am Fare £12 (Club Office 01432 276666)
HUMADS Depart Malvern 8.30, Legends 9.15, Monmouth Dixton Road 10.00 am. £15 (Reg 01684 572945)
LEDBURY Jeremy Wolfe on 01531 634387.
FUNBUS Departs The Street at 9.30 am Fare £12/13 (Young Ben 07812 144831)

TRAIN/TUBE Hereford to London Paddington then District Line (towards Wimbledon) tube to Earls Court (11 minutes est.) followed by Piccadilly line (towards Heathrow) tube to South Ealing (16 minutes est.). Exit right from the station and it's a 15/20 minute walk to the ground down the Ealing Road or much less on a 65 bus!

BY CAR Hereford to Gloucester then take the ring road around Gloucester following signs for A417 (Cirencester). At the top of Birdlip (Air Balloon Pub), take care to again follow signs to the right for Cirencester. Continue on the A417 passed Cirencester where it becomes the A419 and continue to the M4. Join the M4 east towards London. Membury services provides a convenient break after about 8 miles. Leave the M4 at Junction 2 and take the A4, going around the Chiswick Roundabout so that you end up coming back on yourself. Continue along the A4 and at the first roundabout take a left onto the B455 (Ealing Road). The ground is located about half a mile down this road on your right. Brentford FC offer the following advice for parking... "from the Chiswick roundabout, take the A4, keep in the right lane (sign Staines/Hounslow) and go straight on for 1.5 miles to junction/lights. Here, turn left onto Boston Manor Road (sign Brentford A3002). Somerset Road, which leads to the best parking area, is to the right after about a mile." Distance is around 140 miles and you should allow three hours. Postcode is TW8 0NT.

Brentford is best described as a fairly typical "working class" area of London. Mainly a mixture of Victorian terracing and estates of high-rise flats. Though the new development down by the river is glass and chrome yuppiedom personified. Very, very expensive, very, very trendy....... and utterly ghastly.

ALEHOUSES. Well for starters, Griffin Park is known for having a Pub on each corner of the ground. They are the Royal Oak (a small locals pub) that is usually the least busy, The Griffin (serves Fullers real ale) nearest the away end, The Princess Royal & The New Inn. The New Inn is the favoured pub for away supporters. The Magpie and Crown, a well thought of Real Ale Pub, on Brentford High Street is five minutes from the ground. It offers four rotating ales and PROPER CIDER but is reported to only do lunchtime food in the week. For those wishing to venture a little further from the ground, The Coach and Horses at Kew Green is a Young's Pub which is a bit more up market but well worth the extra if you want something better than a typical football pub. Bees fan Wilfbee has recommended the Globe or the Lord Nelson, particularly for those wanting a bite to eat before arriving at the ground. Both these Pubs are to the north of the A4/M4 flyover (Junction 2) on Enfield Road and are a 10/15 minute walk from Griffin Park by using the pelican crossings. The Lord Nelson has an eating area in which children are welcome and a beer garden. The Brewery Tap can be found at 47, Catherine Wheel Road towards the river near Thames Lock and serves all the Fullers range as well as boasting a truly awful Pub pianist! The final recommendation is The Wagon and Horses at 26 Kew Bridge Road. This is again a Fullers house with the addition of Carling, Stella, Carlsberg and 'Bow. Meals are available from around a fiver and there are tables outside for fine weather.

COYB

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