The long haul to Darlo

Darlington v Hereford United
Saturday 12th April 2008 Kick-off 3.00 pm.
Football League 2
Darlington Arena
Neasham Road
Darlington
Co Durham
DL2 1DL
Phone 01325 387000

With our northern friends changing the name of their stadium as often as some people change their socks, it might be as well, at this point, to tell you that it is currently known as "The Balfour Webnet Darlington Arena".

A far cry from the delights of Feethams, the Arena is a modern stadium opened in the summer of 2003 and situated on the edge of the town on Neasham Road. It is completely enclosed and all seated providing accommodation for around 3000 visiting fans in the East Stand at one end of the ground. The facilities for fans inside the stadium are very good with a large concourse providing room to move around with your carefully selected beverage and hot pork pie.

Admission :- Adults £16, Seniors £11, Students £11, Children 10-16 £7 and U10's FOC. (From Official Darlo site). Early bird tickets can be purchased on-line or by phoning the Darlo ticket office on 0871 855 1883 and show a saving of £1 per person. It is not known what, if any, charge is made for credit card use.

TRAVEL BY CAR...Join the M5 North at Worcester then at J4A join the M42. Continue to the end of the M42 and join the A42 before joining the M1 North and then the A1(M). Leave the A1(M) at Junction 57 and take the A66 towards Darlington/Teeside. Continue straight along the A66 going across two roundabouts taking the first exit at the first and the third exit at the second (sign A66 teeside). At the third roundabout you can clearly see the stadium just over on your left. Turn left at this roundabout into Neasham Road for the stadium. Parking at the ground costs £5 per car but there is some street parking as you continue passed the ground towards the town. The postcode is DL2 1DL and distance is just over 230 miles from The Street. You should allow a drive time of four and a half hours at least.

HUISA coaches depart from outside Legends at 8.30 am with a fare of just £15 thanks to sponsorship from the Talking Bull fanzine. Places can be booked through the Club office on 01432 276666.

FUNBUS departs at 8.30 am from The Street and is fully booked.

REFRESHMENTS...Special thanks to Darlo fans Quakerz and Nick for their help and advice. There are a couple of bars at the ground which both allow visiting supporters as well as watering holes within the concourse of the stadium. For those who want to venture into the town, the usual fare can be found at the local Wetherspoons outlet, which trades as The William Stead in Crown Street. There is a veritable clutch of good Real Ale Pubs in Darlo and a personal favourite is the Number Twenty 2 in Coniscliffe Road. Other gems include Quaker House in Mechanics Yard of High Row while The Britannia in Archer Street was the 2005 Darlo Camra Pub of the year. If in doubt, head for the Market Square where you will find a good selection of alehouses including the excellent Hole in The Wall, which has several pumps, Sky TV and does highly regarded Thai food at reasonable prices.
A comprehensive guide can be found at www.btinternet.com/~duffnort/DAFTS2.index.html

Enjoy...and three points please GT!

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