CourtOffside - AFC Bournemouth Forums - Blogs http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php CourtOffside - The AFC Bournemouth Fan Scene. A place for AFCB supporters to relax, chat, write and be creative. en Sat, 19 May 2012 10:28:09 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/images/courtoffside/misc/rss.jpg CourtOffside - AFC Bournemouth Forums - Blogs http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php A New Beginning....Maybe http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=299 Mon, 07 Nov 2011 20:36:20 GMT After the match on Saturday, there has been a lot of talk of progress. Many quick to wind up the previously unhappy because of back-to-back wins. ... After the match on Saturday, there has been a lot of talk of progress. Many quick to wind up the previously unhappy because of back-to-back wins.
If you look at 6 points, why not you might think?
I couldn’t get to Preston, but was there for Scunthorpe and I feel the score / result papered over a few cracks, for now
When I do go to away matches, I always regard an away win as a brilliant surprise, not something to be expected, but enjoyed nonetheless. I appreciate injuries have hampered team selection, but I get that same brilliant surprise feeling at HOME now, when once I shouted believing we couldn’t be beaten. We now invite opposition onto us and hit them on the break.
For long periods we were under the cosh, unable to get out of our own half with every ball seeming to be picked up by the opposition and we resorted to the high ball – for which we simply can’t compete.
I was praying for Bradders to make a change when an almighty mix up gave Wes the chance to score – which he did fantastically. I feel that this goal saved Bradders because without it we looked ready to concededand on another day, with better Scunny shooting boots we would have been in real trouble.
So, for me, formation/tactics are still a problem and I’m not sure that lessons are being truly learned.
However, for me there is one area in which progress is being made – heart
Against Bury I felt we gave up with a whimper. No-one seemed to care, no-one wanted it enough. Playing for the team I support wasn’t enough.
That was gone on Saturday. People played as I’d like to think I would play, giving every last drop for the club. On top of that Fogden was a revelation, his work-rate and tenacity stood out a mile. Malone was superb also, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one that noticed how good Mark was when he came on. I keep imagining him and Macdonald on the pitch and there would be a midfield that could really compete.
So maybe Bradders hasn’t won me over with his tactical no-how (yet) but if he can motivate players to play like that every week, the results will come, bringing the confidence and hopefully the ball on the grass play that I so enjoy

UTC ]]> grocklefree http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=299 A bittersweet day that made me proud http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=298 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 08:23:25 GMT Last Saturday I felt very proud to be an AFCB fan. I know we lost but there were off field events that had me leaving the ground on Saturday very... Last Saturday I felt very proud to be an AFCB fan. I know we lost but there were off field events that had me leaving the ground on Saturday very proud of our club and all in it and yes in this instance from the very top down. I had the honour of hosting lunch with Mark Ovendale’s widow and their sons at the clubs invitation. A simple request turned into a joint initiative that worked perfectly on the day, despite several nerves! This blog is basically to describe how it all came about & a warning now it is positive!


About a month ago football fans were rocked with the news that Mark Ovendale had been diagnosed with cancer. The Friends of Dean Court immediately contacted the club asking if we could have a collection for the hospice Mark was in out of respect for Mark. I was contacted by Neil Vacher, who said the club would like to do something longer term than a one off collection so between us we decided to open the Just Giving page for the Mark Ovendale Appeals. I spoke with Mark’s wife Rhianon, as we wanted her permission to set up Appeals in Mark’s name as well as to discuss what charities Mark wished us to support in his name. She discussed it with Mark and phoned me back with a choice of 4 charities, we chose 2 and started up the Appeals, endorsed by the club and most importantly imo Mark himself. Sadly a few days later Mark lost his fight against cancer. I spoke to Rhianon a few times during that time and she told me that the Appeals had given Mark peace of mind that his wish to use his illness to raise wider spread awareness of this horrible disease and to raise funds to fight it was already being carried out.

We all know the pleasure that Mark gave thousands of football fans during his life; this is his legacy after his sad death. I was one of many present at DC when the minute’s applause was held. A few days later I received a phone call from Dave Roberts, associate director at AFCB, he was aware that I was in contact with Rhi because of the just giving appeals and asked if I could help the club out with inviting Mark’s widow and children to a game. I assumed, as it turns out wrongly, that I would be used purely as a go between and was happy to help out. We decided on the Hartlepool game, as it was the day after the Friends of Dean Court quiz and it gave enough time for Dave to really plan a special day. I was surprised then to receive a further phone call from Dave inviting me to have a meeting regarding the day, as he wanted my input.

I met with Dave and spoke with Eddie Mitchell via phone ahead of the meeting. Eddie told me that he and his young daughter Jessica hade been walking around the pitch the day after the minutes applause and had stopped to look at the flowers laid for Mark. Knowing Mark had been a goalkeeper he & Jessica repositioned the flowers, one lot each side of the goalmouth, using the holes where the posts go as a makeshift vase and a 3rd lot in the centre circle. A few days later whilst he & Dave were tending to club business they noticed that the flowers were now dead in a corner & removed the cards. Dave read one of the cards and was very touched by it & decided there and then that he wanted to do something for the children, in the discussion that followed between them Eddie told Dave to arrange a special day as he saw fit.

Following Dave’s call, I went to meet him and we chatted about the quiz and the match day plans. I received a lot of support from Dave in particular with the quiz, he promised Friends of Dean Court a couple of raffle prizes as well as some smaller prizes for quiz teams, which I was able to pick up a few days later. He also ensured that we received advertising for the quiz on COWS. We then discussed the match day and what the club wanted to do on the day to ensure that it was special for Mark’s children. What started as a simple conversation quickly turned into a joint effort, I think we perhaps all surprised each other with our passion both for the charity effort and our desire to ensure Mark’s family received a real warm AFCB welcome and a day they could look back on fondly.

It was easier than I thought it would be talking to both Dave & Eddie, we weren’t talking club business which fans & board often disagree on, we were talking charity and honouring an ex player, we found we shared a common ground. Prior to this I had never met Dave & whilst Eddie knew who I was we had never really had more than a brief conversation along the lines of good game today, ref was crap today or similar! There was the expected distrust between fan and board member, we didn’t know each other personally and needed to find a way to start building a working relationship and some trust between us. Dave & Eddie both learned that fans are not all just about “why aren’t we signing the next Pele”, they learned not only are we passionate about our club but using that to the benefit & good of others. I learned that they are not just about saying no you can’t have the next Pele because he costs too much! I will admit I was surprised by both of their passion to get this day right, as I believe they were mine.

Dave & I spoke a few more times via phone and finally had a schedule for the day we felt fitting and that Dave knew he would be able to pull off. We agreed that the day was about the children and decided we wanted to keep it as low key as possible. It was more important for the children to be able to relax and enjoy it than be paraded around making them feel like an exhibit. I was shocked to be asked by Dave to host the lunch on the clubs behalf, I had an existing relationship with Rhianon and Dave felt that the family in general would feel more comfortable with it being less formal. The directors would all play their part as well, I had all of their support & I knew that if I felt it wasn’t going right then one of them would step in and take over from me. It was unchartered territory for all of us. There were a few last minute nerves, panic something would go wrong but we weathered them!

I woke up Saturday buzzing from the success of the quiz night and both exited and nervous about the day ahead. It doesn’t feel natural going to football in a suit, football is jeans and replica shirts not suits to me but Saturday was different. I had a responsibility on behalf of the club and us fans to ensure that Rhianon and the boys received a warm welcome. The last time I saw Rhianon was about 11 years ago, her oldest son had been a mere toddler at the time & the younger one wasn’t even a twinkling back then!

Upon arrival Holly informed me that Rhianon, her mum Linda, step dad Ray & Jacob & Evan had not long arrived and had been taken upstairs to the restaurant. Off I went to join them, with Dave hot on my heels. Introductions and the initial welcome were made and Dave ran through the itinerary for the day. Dave went off to find Danny from the community sports trust who had been allocated to look after the boys at various stages of the day. While he was gone we discussed the quiz night and the Just giving appeals, the journey down from Wales, general relaxed chitchat. Dave returned with Danny who took the boys off down to the changing room to meet the squad, while the adults continued to relax and chat. When the boys returned I took everyone down to the board room where we enjoyed drinks with Jeff Mostyn & Steve Sly and I was able to take a back seat and watch Jeff do what he does well, schmooze!

Following drinks in the boardroom it was back upstairs to eat. Whilst the adults were impressed with the menu, the kids just wanted chicken nuggets! Fair play to the chef plates of nuggets and chips soon appeared for the kids, complete of course with the all too vital tomato sauce! Us adults enjoyed our starters (A delicious spicy carrot soup in my case!) whilst the 4 boys on our table happily wolfed down their simple meals. Danny had re-appeared with brand new complete kits for the boys, I’m sure he got the biggest smiles of the day! Having eaten the boys all went off to change into their new kits, their excitement about being mascots was wonderful, for them it was to be the highlight of the day and there was relief all round as Danny collected them to take them out. Of course us adults got to enjoy our main course and pudding in peace! (Mushroom risotto and a rather delicious fruit mousse thing!)

It was around then that I really started to feel proud of us as a club and how far we have come in the last couple of years, Mark played at the old DC, his family had never seen the new ground. When I was told that we beat Man Utd in all ways, I was very proud. The restaurant does look fantastic and the quality of the food is brilliant. The staff are to be commended, they were polite and exceedingly professional. We wanted for nothing and they got the balance just right in being attentive without being either in your face or non existence. Huge compliments all round regarding the meal and facilities.

After lunch we took our very nice posh seats and watched the boys walk out with the team. They were full of smiles, which for their mum right now was priceless. At half time we were further spoilt in the restaurant with coffee and cakes.


The family were overwhelmed by the amount of people who stopped by to say hello and welcome them, VP’s, current squad members, board members, ordinary fans. Ray told me they had never felt such warmth and felt thoroughly at home and stated that as an outsider you can feel the club was a family club from top to bottom. He was impressed by the whole set up and said they appreciated that although the club had worked hard to make the day very special for them all whilst also keeping it informal, that had helped them cope with a bittersweet emotional day. Dave was fab on the day, popping back and forth to make sure it was all going well, accessible if I needed help, which certainly settled my nerves as official host.

Eddie kept a very low profile, he was there if needed but stayed very much in the background. He wanted the focus to be firmly on the children, the day was for them. He was embarrassed when answering a knock on his box door to be greeted by a big smiling face and handed some sweets as a thank you & was more interested to hear if the kids had enjoyed themselves than he was in hearing a thank you. Eddie did ask me to make sure that the family got to see the new wall of fame and asked for them to choose a photo of Mark to be placed there. Personally I thought that was a lovely touch, letting the boys choose their favourite picture of their dad for the wall.

That was our next stop, we enjoyed a leisurely walk around the stadium, passed the new wall of fame and then on to have a look at the whole new youth set up in the East stand, the gymnasium, the physio room etc. Listening to an ex players family being so enthusiastic & complimentary over the facilities perhaps made me realise what we do have now and how much we have progressed as well as the fact that perhaps I have not really appreciated what we do have now.

After the tour they all set off back to Wales, tired but full of smiles. It was a hard and no doubt very emotional day for Rhianon. I received excellent feedback from them, they left Dean Court with a very positive view of our club, the facilities, the board, the staff and the fans. Me I was just proud to be a part of this great club of ours. We’ll no doubt have good and bad times in the future but that will be a day I remember for a long time for good reasons. Both Dave and Eddie have told them to come back anytime they like, they will always be welcome, they have told me that they will be back because the day was perfect in every way.

I stated a couple of weeks ago I am not afraid to criticise when I think it necessary while at the same time being equally unafraid to say well done when something is right. Today I feel the latter. Dave in particular put a wonderful day together for Rhi and the boys, Eddie sanctioned it all and should receive his share of the praise. They got it right and I would like to say thank you to them for that. As fans we should be proud that our club treat ex players families with such respect and hold them in as high regard as we do.

On behalf of Ray, Linda, Rhianon, Jacob, Evan and the friends of Dean Court, thank you Eddie and Dave.

The Mark Ovendale Just Giving Appeals are still running. To donate to Cancer Research go here and to donate to Marie Curie Cancer Care go here. Thank you. RIP Mark ]]> bmb http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=298 Player raffle - end of an era http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=297 Sun, 17 Jul 2011 08:03:48 GMT ---Quote (Originally by Paddy)--- can only echo what has been said, So sad to see it go but a big well done and more importantly a thank you to...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paddy View Post
can only echo what has been said, So sad to see it go but a big well done and more importantly a thank you to those who have been involved.
We were so lucky to have people like Paul who gave up their time to raise so much money for the team.
Thank you to everyone who has or still does do work for the club that is sometimes unpaid and unrecognised. ]]> djd http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=297 Attendances on the up and.... http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=296 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 17:39:41 GMT
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hampshire_Red View Post
Why are the BIC selling AFCB tickets? Surely that's the job of your ticket office...or have I missed something?
It may be because the BIC can take credit/debit cards and AFC ticket office can't . ]]> djd http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=296 Steve Jones http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=295 Mon, 17 Jan 2011 06:48:51 GMT
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveJonesLegend View Post
Love it, Love it, Love it :-D

Jonesy scores and he wants 1 more...

can't think of a single reason why we wouldn't want him here, he was a great player for us and certainly knows how to score a goal, let's hope he does become a member of the new forward thinking cherries, we've have the howe years now it's time for Bradders and Co!!:-D ]]> Mightyreds http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=295 Rovers by Train http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=294 Sun, 28 Nov 2010 21:44:52 GMT Next weekend sees us make the short journey to Bristol to take on the Gas! I say short because by road it's a relatively painless journey, subject to this damn cold weather improving of course. However by train there is no direct line and it's going to require a change.

Bristol from Bournemouth is a trip up to Southampton and then change for a Cardiff service with First Great Western. This will obviously be an appealing one for those of you unfortunate enough to live in Southampton not so nice from Bournemouth.

Journey time is coming in at approx 2hr 45mins from Bournemouth which is obviously considerably longer than by road. From Southampton journey times are around 1hr 45mins.

Football ground guides says the closest station is Filton Abbey Wood around about a 20-25 minute walk to the ground.

A group save 4 return is coming up on the first great western site at £15.85 each, so although maybe not the most appealing on journey time the fare is looking pretty reasonable if you take this option. Based on that figure then the adult retrun fare is around about £32. ]]> utahred http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=294 Orient by Train http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=293 Mon, 15 Nov 2010 20:37:57 GMT The trip to Brisbane Road or the Matchroom Stadium as it's officially known is one of our "local" games this season with it being served by London Underground. This means just one train up to London and a jaunt on the tube, not too much stress involved there.

The good news is that after the last few weeks where SWT services have been disrupted due to engineering works in the Christchurch area, there are no works on SWT's London-Weymouth mainline this Saturday.

The 09:59 from Bournemouth will get you to Waterloo at 11:49, or the 10:22 from Bournemouth will arrive at 12:20, ideal for a bite to eat and a few beers before the game. The Tube trip is a realatively short one also, the ground is closest served (apparently) by Leyton underground station and the TFL website says that it's just a 25 minute journey from Waterloo.

Return services from London Waterloo depart at 05 and 35 minutes past each hour, the 05 service being the one that stops at New Milton, Christchurch and Pokesdown (for Boscombe).

With it now being so close to the match I've only looked at walk up (on the day) fares, the best value as should be becoming well known to you is the Group Save tickets, a group of 4 from Bournemouth to London Return with underground is £88.20, which is just £22.05 each. If you have a railcard then the day travelcard is coming in at £29.10 and full fare on the day is £44.10

Hopefully we'll have a really decent following unfortunateley once again I'll be working but hopefully I may be able to have a chat to a few of you on the way out of London when you'll be able to tell me all about McQuoids latest Hat-trick. ]]> utahred http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=293 Wednesday by Train http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=292 Tue, 21 Sep 2010 11:33:41 GMT No doubt one of the most anticipated trips of the season is the one to Hillsborough! I won't be making this one, mainly because I'll be too busy ensuring the rest of you either get there or back (not sure which).

As far as keeping this cheap, it's not the easiest of ones out there so I've done my best to find what I can.

Commonly the cheapest way to do these longer journeys is to break the journey up into seperate tickets for seperate legs. The London - Sheffield route is always very busy and heavily subsribed so cheap fares are not easy to come by!

The best I've found for St.Pancras to Sheffield £20 per person, travelling on either the 09:55 or the 10:55. Returning can also be done for £20 each on either the 18:47 or 19:27. It can be done for £17 on the 18:27, but I suspect that'll be a little tight on time after your mammoth journey on the tram.

As far as getting to St.Pancras is concerned you're going to struggle to do better than the group save. A Super Off Peak travel card is £44.10 each from Bournemouth, that's a return ticket to London with underground travel to get across London and back. That is £29.10 each for a group of three or £22.05 each in a group of 4. Not the cheapest fare in the world for people on their own or if there is just two of you, but in that case use your railcards to get 1/3 discounts. (That's the railcards I know you all have having listened to me earlier in the season!!!!!!!!!) :D

Also available are singles to and from Waterloo leaving you needing to buy your underground up there. (particularly suitable if you have an Oyster card). Singles to London currently start at £15 each travelling on either the 07:22 or 07:59, and singles back are currently £10 each on any train given train after 21:05 (you will need to specify which one you will travel on though). Again with these advance fares discounts are available with your railcards.

For anyone travelling from Southampton, Super Off Peak day travelcards are £34.40 each or £22.70 in a group of 3 or £17.20 in a group of 4.

I've had a look at Megatrain both from Bournemouth and Southampton to London and back, and for St. Pancras to Sheffield and back, and there's not really any way to make that work for you unless you are only travelling one way and only want to come back as far as Southampton. It could be made to work though if your going to make a weekend of it.

Having now broken it all down and gone to all the effort to give you every option that I can, I'm now going to say that the simplest option and only listed last because it was the last one I checked, is to buy two singles from Bournemouth to Sheffield and Sheffield to Bournemouth. This is coming in at £37.50 each way routed via London. That if you have a railcard you can use (16-25/Senior/Forces/Family) is £24.75 each.

With a railcard that is a no brainer if you ask me at just under £50, but if you are looking to save money and can travel in a group you can do it for around £60 rather than £75 if you really work the above info.

Finally, Hillsborough is a long long way from the train station, but is served more or less directly by the excellent Sheffield trams. Simply take the Blue Tram to Hillsborough and make the short walk to the ground from there. The Blue tram will take you through the city centre giving you a chance to hop off for a drink or two and hop back on when you're ready. A day tram ticket is £3.50 allowing you to hop on and off as you please all day long.

It's a lengthy post this one and I haven't read it all back, if you have any questions either PM me or post them on the Away by Train thread on the main board.

Finally I hope you enjoy your trip to Sheffield and that you can make some savings with this information. Sing a song for me :(!

UTCIAD ]]> utahred http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=292 Brighton by Train http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=291 Mon, 20 Sep 2010 15:12:07 GMT Here is the somewhat overdue blog for travel to Brighton. It turns out that this takes longer and is more effort than I first anticipated, so, please... Here is the somewhat overdue blog for travel to Brighton. It turns out that this takes longer and is more effort than I first anticipated, so, please accept my apologies for my slow progress getting these written up.

The nearest station to the Withdean is apparently Preston Park (around a 10-15 minute walk) and you will have to make changes at Southampton Central and Angmering to get to this stop with a journey time of around 2 1/2 hours from Bournemouth. I'd imagine though many of you would rather head into Brighton itself for a few drinks and then make the 5 minute hop from Brighton to Preston Park nearer kick off.

On the day fares are pretty reasonable for this one particulary if you have a railcard. Walk up prices are £17.20 return, with the potential for a third off that with a railcard.

The best option though is the group save ticket. Get a group of 4 of you together and the fare is just £8.60 each and an additional £1 for any kids you take along. Remember with group save that if you are 2 adults and 2 kids it's still the cheaper option with the children travelling on an adult ticket.

Some people may be tempted to travel via Clapham Junction, to avoid travelling on the stopping service along the south coast and also on a service with a Buffet to Clapham. This takes around 3 hours but is more expensive at £31.70 each or £15.85 in a group 4.

If you buy a cheap ticket along the south coast don't be tempted to travel via Clapham you will almost certainly be charged for a full standard single approx £34. ]]> utahred http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=291 Huddersfield by Train http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=290 Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:58:43 GMT Next up on our travels is the 2nd of 3 lengthy trips in a row with a journey to the Galpharm the ground in question. Huddersfield like Tranmere... Next up on our travels is the 2nd of 3 lengthy trips in a row with a journey to the Galpharm the ground in question.

Huddersfield like Tranmere is a trek if you're going by train but as always... although the journey time is lengthy it does give you plenty of opportunity to get the beers in!

This one though if I'm honest looks a bit of stinker with the fares not looking all that attractive. Walk up prices for this one are £105 or £70 with a railcard and if I'm honest there's not really any worthwhile saving to be had by booking in advance.

Two advance singles are currently £91 (or £61 with railcards). These savings when you consider that you tie yourself to specific trains are not in my opinion really value for money. I'd suggest if you do this by train pay the on the day walk up price and have some flexibility over your journey.

As with Tranmere this is once again a bit of a trek to the ground from the station as well with 15-20 minutes the estimate at http://www.footballgroundguide.com/huddersfield_town/

As well as the cost of this one you'll also have to contend with more than likely two changes in both directions meaning plenty of scope for things to go wrong with your best laid rail plans. Add in to that the 0600-0800 departure and the after midnight return and I'm thinking this is one to not bother with the train on, you'll be better off seeing if a crowd of you can get in a car and make someone stay sober and drive you. ]]> utahred http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=290 Tranmere Away by Train http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=289 Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:39:36 GMT A journey to the Wirral awaits the Cherries for our second league away trip. This as is often the case for us is a pretty lengthy journey for our... A journey to the Wirral awaits the Cherries for our second league away trip. This as is often the case for us is a pretty lengthy journey for our travelling support with a journey time upwards of 5 hours. Those making the journey by train will need to be leaving somewhere in the region of 8am and won't be getting home til nearly OR gone midnight.

Walk up fares for this trip are not going to be cheap, off-peak returns are coming in at £94 and £100 depending on if you go cross country or via London. Obviously railcards can help you out with these fares but you are still looking at £60-£70. Not one to just turn up on the day and buy your ticket.

The good news is though that there are as always decent savings to be made against these fares if you buy your tickets in advance. Currently the cheapest fare available to Birkenhead Central is £40 and tickets back are currently starting at £22. With a young persons railcard I've managed to get that down to £40.90 total. That I don't think is too bad when you consider the distance you're covering.

I will though say that the return journey on the fares above is a monster and is part of the reason it's so cheap, other quicker and better timed options are available up to the £40 single price.

Nb for Kennymc...... You can knock around 30 minutes off any journey times I quote from Bournemouth and this case the £41 becomes roughly £37 from Southampton Central.

If you do take the option to go by train then the ground is apparently around a 20 minute walk from the station which makes it I guess somewhere in the region of DC to Bournemouth station. Not a short walk but one that can be made none the less. For directions to the ground have a look at http://www.footballgroundguide.com/tranmere_rovers/
which tends to be pretty good and is a useful source of information when you're going away. ]]> utahred http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=289 Southampton by Train http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=288 Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:31:06 GMT We have been blessed! After waiting over twenty years trips to St Mary's are coming along like buses. W/c 9th Aug I'm sure you're all aware we will be making our first journey to turn over the Scummers!

Obviously our easiest away trip of the season (both on and off the field) it seems like the obvious option for going by train.

St Marys is from memory a 20-30 minute or so walk from Southampton Central station and is clearly signposted. A similar distance as DC from Bournemouth station.

Fares from Bournemouth are £11.50 return which means a bargain £5.75 if you travel in a group of 4 adults. With walk up fares this cheap advance booking isn't really necessary if you ask me.

Journey time is between 30 and 50 minutes depending on the service you use but remember that Group Save tickets are NOT valid on Cross Country trains.

Other fares from other local stations are listed below with the individual return fare first and the group 4 fare second.

Poole - £12.30 - £6.15
Christchurch - £9.80 - £4.90
New Milton - £7.90 - £3.95

Return services are pretty frequent too with the 22:31 stopping train or the 22:51 fast service both good options. A word of note though, the 22:51 is the last train that goes beyond Poole if you are Hamworthy or further west you need to make that service. ]]> utahred http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=288 Charlton by Train http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=287 Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:25:17 GMT It's time! The fixture list is out and it's time to start making your travel arrangements. First games don't come much better if you ask me, a local trip with a decent away capacity this is one of the best trips for travelling by train.

Demand is likely to be high for this match so if you're going to buy advance tickets get in early for the best fares.

The ground is served most locally by Charlton station which is just a short walk from the ground although some sites recommend taking the underground to North Greenwich (Jubilee Line) and then hopping on a bus.

This being a London game tickets can be bought at a reasonable price on the day if you're travelling in a group and for convenience this is what I'd probably suggest. Group Save for 4 people to Charlton is £20.80 each, and if you want a TFL travelcard (gives you use of all tube lines and buses) it's £22.05 each. For groups of three that's £27.70 and £29.40 each respectively. A reminder though Group Save needs to be bought at the ticket office so
leave some queueing time or buy in advance at the station.

The best fares available at the moment on advance tickets are £12 each way with another third off for those with railcards. That's hardly any saving compared to the walk up fares and ties you to specific trains
so probably not the best option for this game.

As far as journey times go there's no planned engineering works so journey time Bournemouth to Waterloo is a little under two hours with just a short 10-15 minute hop down to Charlton.

If you have any quetions post them on the Charlton by Train thread and I'll see what i can do to help.

UTC and lets take as many as possible to cheer the lads on in our first game back in League One. ]]> utahred http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=287 Away By Train http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=286 Tue, 08 Jun 2010 10:49:35 GMT The new season is now quickly approaching. The fixture lists are out next week and we are already able to see the shape of the squad after Eddie’s... The new season is now quickly approaching. The fixture lists are out next week and we are already able to see the shape of the squad after Eddie’s splendid work in the transfer market over the last seven days. Surely everyone is now eagerly anticipating next season and looking forward to witnessing another fantastic season. Throw in to that the prospect of many more local(ish) matches next and I thought it was time to start trying to save you people some money on your travels.

Whilst I don’t claim to have all the answers and there may well be on occasion a cheaper way to do things, I am going to try and give you the tools you need to find the cheapest rail fares to our away games next season. The guide will hopefully be a match by match guide over the season, giving rail times, routes and fare options as we go, hopefully posted up to three months in advance to give people the best chance of cheap advance fares. In addition to that you will have this general guide to fall back on giving you ideas and tips on how you can save money on ALL your rail journeys.

The main point of this blog will then be to make you aware of the many simple ways to save money on your train tickets. A lot of these methods have very specific restrictions on them and you will need to be aware of these restrictions as failure to comply and a meeting with a ticket inspector could well result in you being more out of pocket than if you’d just bought an on the day “walk up” ticket. Remember that not following the terms and conditions of travel is seen ad fare evasion and you can be (and many are) prosecuted for it.

Below is the break down of what is available to you.

Group Save – Not rocket science this one, groups travelling together can save money. This is available in groups of 3 or 4 or multiples thereof. If three are travelling then one person travels free if four are travelling then two people travel free, so you are basically halving the fare. These tickets are available “Off Peak” but only with some Train companies. South West Trains offer this facility Cross Country do not. Be aware though, passengers travelling on Group Save tickets MUST travel both ways together in their entire group. Failure to do this leaves every member of the group at risk of a penalty fare or at having to buy a whole new ticket. These tickets are available on the day of travel from the ticket office, or if there is no open ticket office from the Guard on the train. You cannot buy these tickets from the vending machines.

Advance Tickets – These are tickets bought up to three months ahead of time and are restricted to specified trains. You pay less for reducing your flexibility and for committing to the journey way ahead of schedule. Advance tickets are sold as singles not returns so you would need to buy a ticket to for instance Brentford and also one back from Brentford to make the round trip. These tickets are designed to fill quieter trains and as such you will be booked on a specific train and your ticket will only be valid on that service (subject to disruption caused by the railway), if you’re going to buy these tickets it’s best to leave yourself a little extra breathing space on your timings after the games, if you get held in the ground and miss your train home you’ll need to buy a replacement ticket or visit the ticket office to get your ticket amended. In addition to the saving you can make with these tickets you can also use Railcards (see below) to buy them making further savings.

Railcards – There are many railcards available and for me to summarise them all would be a mammoth task, so you’re going to have to do some research yourselves here, but I will outline the most common ones.

16-25 Railcard – This is what was known as the young persons railcard and qualifies the holder for a 1/3 discount on their train tickets. Accepted nationwide and only £26 this is a no brainer if you are either aged 16-25 or 26 and over but in full time education. This Railcard can even be used on Peak services.

Senior Railcard – If you are 60 or over you qualify for a senior railcard. These also give 1/3 off fares but at “Off-Peak” times only. Also costing £26 you’ll make decent saving with 3 or 4 away days.

Network Railcard – Available to any Adult this gives 1/3 discount for the railcard holder and up to another three additional adults and 60% for up to four children. This railcard is valid for travel after 10am only (with a few exceptions) and can only be used within the “Network Railcard Area” Link - http://www.railcard.co.uk/clientfiles/File/map.pdf This railcard is £25

Family and Friends Railcard – Any adult can buy this Railcard but it can only be used in the presence of a child. Gives 1/3 discount for up to four adults and 60% discount for up to four children. The biggest advantage with this one is you can have two “holders”. The railcard holder must be present to use it so this allows you to name both Parents allowing either parent to take the children on day trips if the other isn’t available. Valid only “Off-Peak) this Railcard is £26

Also available are Disabled Railcards, Forces Railcards and numerous others. Some information can be found here http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/railcards.aspx with additional onwards links from that page.

Finally and this is where it becomes more time consuming and potentially confusing. It is possible to save money by using a system called split ticketing. These chances are not easy to find but are completely legitimate if you can find them. The basic idea is that it is sometimes cheaper to buy two tickets for one journey. For instance it could be cheaper to buy a Bournemouth to Basingstoke and a Basingstoke to Waterloo ticket than it is to buy a Bournemouth to Waterloo. (IT ISN’T THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE). If you stumble across one of these for one of the longer away journeys you could save yourself a tidy sum.

If all of those ideas are not enough for you then my last suggestion is to get yourself a job on the railway. You can save a fortune :p

If you have any questions then please feel free to PM me or if you think it’s a topical one for everyone, post it in a thread and I’ll do what I can to answer your questions.

For obvious reasons the ideas and suggestions here in are provided solely by myself and are in no way to be considered advice for or on behalf of SWT or any other rail company nor should they be considered 100% accurate and you should check all terms and conditions of any Railcards or Tickets you purchase and the National Rail Conditions of Carriage before travelling. ]]> utahred http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=286 Forthcoming events at DC http://www.courtoffside.com/forum/blog.php?b=285 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:56:18 GMT *An Evening with Frank Bruno Friday 23rd April 2010* Also featuring Laura Saperstein, Steve Bendall, Charlie Hayle and Big Joe Eagan £50.00...
An Evening with Frank Bruno
Friday 23rd April 2010

Also featuring Laura Saperstein, Steve Bendall, Charlie Hayle and Big Joe Eagan

£50.00 per person and includes a 2 course dinner

One Off Charity Memorabilia Auction on the night!!

For further details or purchase a ticket then please call 07957 897 205 or 07828 263 253




Easter Carvery Lunch & Easter Egg Hunt
Sunday 4th April 2010

Two course carvery with an Easter Egg for each child
£9.95 Adults
£5.95 Children under 12’s
Under 5’s FREE

For further details or to make a booking please contact Diane Rackley on 10202 726398


An Evening with the Dark Destroyer
Nigel Benn
Friday 30th April 2010

3 course meal

£45.00 + VAT per person

For further details or to make a booking please contact Rob Mitchell on 01202 726322



Shoot 4 Business 5-a-side
Friday 21st May 2010

At AFC Bournemouth’s Dean Court
9am to 5pm
Team Entry £450 + VAT

For further information or to book your place then contact Nicole on 01202 714805




Next Home Match
AFC Bournemouth v Accrington Stanley - Saturday 27th March 2010 3pm KO

Hospitality just £64.63 per person for a delicious 3 course meal and Executive Seats

For more information, please contact Holly Maxwell on 01202 726337 or email reception@afcb.co.uk
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