Milton Keynes Dons FC

Milton Keynes Dons 0 Tottenham Hotspur 5 - League Cup 3rd Round

Because Milton Keynes is famous as a new city, visitors to the borough could be forgiven for assuming that it has no history - nothing could be further from the truth! By the time of the Roman conquest in AD 43, it is thought the area was extensively settled and farmed. A major Roman villa, containing some of the finest quality mosaic floors, was excavated at Bancroft Park. The occupants erected a large stone mausoleum on an adjacent hilltop, on the site of an earlier cemetery. The remains of the villa have been preserved and on-site interpretation panels give a good impression of the building and account of life in Roman Milton Keynes. There were other Roman buildings in various parts of the borough and several areas such as Haversham, Stanton Low, Emberton and Olney were extensively settled. Olney has latterly become home to MK Gould, a football legend when gracing the park pitches of Harlow (him of the Gouldmobile - Ed)

The football club has attracted a lot of publicity and criticism following on from the relocation and subsequent name change of Wimbledon FC. There has been a lot said and written on this issue. Emotions have been strained. The pieman does not agree with the way a football club can be taken away from supporters and believes that a very dangerous precedent was set. (Floating on the stock exchange can also remove a club from it's fans - Ed) However, it did happen and we have to get on with life.

MK Dons currently play at the National Hockey Stadium which is only a few hundred yards away from Milton Keynes Central railway station. A new stadium is being constructed at Denbigh and will host football from the start of the 2007-08 season. This site will be nearer to Bletchley railway station. The Pieman saw his only other Senior match in Milton Keynes in February 1993 when Milton Keynes Borough beat Oxford City 2-1 in the South Midlands League at Manor Fields, Bletchley.

The National Hockey Stadium is only a few minutes walk from Milton Keynes Central railway station and with regular services to/from London, the West Midlands and the North West, this venue is ideally placed. The stadium is, in truth, a bit odd looking. The main stand is decent enough and would not be out of place elsewhere, at the end of the ground housing the home fans there is cover and I guess comparisons could be made with Luton Town. The opposite end (usually used by home fans) is completely open and the forecast was not good for the evening of the match. I am pleased to say that the light rain endured did not inconvenience us too much. Opposite the main stand is another (uncovered) stand which MK Gould informs me is usually used by away fans.

This was only the second occasion (the visit of Luton Town being the other) that MK had sold out this all seated venue and it was the first occasion that they had hosted a Premiership club in a competitive fixture. They resisted the temptation to raise the prices to an unrealistic level (THFC take note regarding UEFA Cup Group Stage matches) and this will have helped in attracting floating local support. Tottenham Hotspur were comfortable winners on the night but the home side competed well and for the first half hour gave as good as they got.

True football fans will always brave the elements to support their clubs and it seems parent & child packages are available in Buckinghamshire.

Attendance: 8306
Admission: £16
Programme: £2 (obtained for you Stan)
Mars Bar: 50p
Fare: £8.65 from Zone 6 with Gold Card discount

BADGER'S BLAST - AFC Wimbledon supporter, colleague of the Pieman and fellow member of the Rat Infestations Old Boys with Ciderman & the Worley Brothers, Badger Atkins has been invited by Pie & Peas to give his view.

Frustrated was my first reaction when the Simple Pieman told me he was off to MK to watch his beloved Spurs. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not frustrated that the Pieman was making the journey along with his faithful partner Matt (the ‘Tonto’ to the Pieman’s ‘Lone Ranger’), just frustrated that my prayers had gone unanswered and that God hadn’t seen fit to open up a large chasm beneath the National Hockey Stadium and swallow up the place where the MK Club-Thieves have moved their circus.

How much do we AFCW fans dislike the Franchise scum, ooops, sorry, I meant Franchise Consortium. Well, according to certain Fans Stadium terrace songs, some of the AFC faithful would like them to stick Milton Keynes up their bottom, or varying words to that effect. Whilst I’m unsure that this is physically possible (…although that Pete Winkleman is a fairly broad bottomed chap), it does give a general idea of the warm fuzzy sentiment that AFC fans hold in the hearts for MK.

It’s very disappointing to see Martin Allen pulling the strings at Franchise FC. Then again, having worked with a Barnet fan, I have heard it mooted before that Mr Allen isn’t necessarily motivated by principles, as his hasty jumping-of-ship from the Bees to Brentford might have shown. Anyway, I’m most disappointed that he’s actually quite a good manager and he seems to have halted their previously rapid freefall down the leagues. Curse you Martin Allen, bring back Danny ‘relegation’ Wilson !

I can’t speak for all AFC fans (like most niche groups in society these days, we have our extremists too, plus one or two fans that don’t so much speak as ‘grunt’) but personally I don’t resent Franchise that much anymore. I cheer when they lose, support anybody playing against them (including Spurs) and will do a little dance when they go bankrupt, but until then, what is done is done. We have our own club and have moved on.

MK could have tried to get into the league by themselves through a non league team working their way up the ladder, but times change and now you can buy and move clubs. Honest endeavour and capitalism don’t always go hand in hand. Probably won’t be long before they sell football club franchises at Tesco, after all, they do sell everything else.

I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t want MKD to fail, to slide past us on the pyramid, pausing only so that we could beat them twice in a season on our way past. However, with our current manager being as tactically inept as General Custer, I’m not sure if it is more unlikely that we will rise much further up the pyramid, or that MK will come down to our level. Hope springs eternal.

All that remains to be said is, would Tottenham Hotspur PLEASE (please, please, please) beat the Franchise. It would be “One small victory for football, one giant victory for the deep seated resentment of the AFC faithful”… although on a realistic level I fully accept that there’s no guarantee of Spurs beating anybody !!!

The Concrete Cow response by MK Gould

THE WOMBLE & LETTUCE FC

FACT

Milton Keynes Dons FC are the best thing to happen to football in a long time. And if you don’t believe me then read on….

SPORT

I know this will be hard for some of you, but I’d like you to close your eyes and imagine that you were back in school. I’d like you, and this might be harder, to imagine that you were one of the best sprinters in your year group. Not the best, but one of the best. Then answer the question, “Would I be picked for the school athletics team?”. You answer a resounding “Yes!”. And this despite you being deeply unpopular at school and despite the unfortunate acne that remained with you throughout your teenage years. The reason is that school athletics is a SPORT, and reward is given for purely sporting reasons. Now you’ll probably remember that the most popular, academically gifted, attractive pupil was often the one who also happened to be picked for all the school sports teams – but that was an unfortunate coincidence! And if you don’t believe that after all these years then you really should be seeking therapy…..

BUSINESS

Marks & Spencer sell a range of products to customers. It wants the customers to be delighted with its product quality and service – but its aim, pure and simple, is to produce maximum value for its owners. It wants to make a nice profit. It is a BUSINESS.

PROFESSIONAL SPORT

Every year, in Oslo, an International Athletics meeting is held. Maybe your old school friend – you remember, the head boy/girl who was invited to all the parties – competes there still. The organisers invite the best athletes from around the world….and also invite the most popular athletes – the ones that are going to sell tickets and attract a TV audience and please the sponsors – despite them maybe being a little past their sell by date. The reason for this is that Professional Athletics is a SPORT, run on business lines.

PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL

The Premiership and Football League (lets call them Professional Football PLC to simplify things) are no different to any other trade association. Their aim in life is to create wealth for their members. Income is generated by multiplying volume by price. In football terms this can be translated into the number of spectators (multiplied by the admission price), shirts sold, Sky subscriptions purchased or sponsorship gained. A popular team playing quality football will generate greater demand for tickets and the greater the demand for tickets, the more seats sold and a higher price that can be charged. There are of course other factors at play here, such as the state of the economy and the relative wealth of the fans, but I think you’ll see where I’m coming from. The reason for this is that Professional Football is a BUSINESS, run on sporting lines. To demonstrate this lets imagine that your pub side, watched by a handful of locals hoping they will be able to share in the after match refreshments, had a good run of success on a Sunday morning. The good run doesn’t just last for a month, or even a season, but 10 years on they’d won every match by a cricket score – still watched by the same group of locals. Would they now be playing in the upper reaches of the Premiership, and challenging for the prize of the Champions League? Of course not. Rationale for Membership of Professional Football is based on business not sport!!

THE ORIGINS

But Professional Football PLC has a problem. It agreed its membership at a time when Queen Victoria was on the throne. In the days when we had an empire, no health service or minimum wage. In the days when women had no vote, and when the majority of the population worked in the factory, or the fields. In the days when even the smallest villages were linked by steam train. The Industrial Revolution had peaked and the landscape of the North West of England was indeed one of dark satanic mills. It was established at a time when football was still primarily a sport.

But the 20th Century saw massive change. Two World Wars, the decline of Manufacturing, growth of service industries, increase (maybe only temporary!) in leisure time and length of retirement – and growth in the Professionalism of Football. The pace of change has effected every aspect of our lives except one……, Football !! So, the membership profile of this particular trade association has remained, uniquely, largely unchanged for 100 years.

Between 1901 and 2001 the population of England & Wales rose by 60%.

In the same period the population of Rochdale increased by only 24%, Bradford by 12%. The large scale immigration from India and Pakistan – countries where cricket dominates as a spectator sport – has masked a decline in real terms in potential fan base of the traditional paying football punter.

Over the same period towns have been created out of villages with Milton Keynes growing 500% (a rate of increase which is showing no signs of slowing), Chelmsford 338% and Basildon 2,200%. Whilst their populations were happy at first to support the teams of their forefathers, lack of ticket availability in all-seater stadiums and a need to create their own sense of community, of belonging, leads to a demand for their own teams. And we’re now in a time when society won’t wait until tomorrow. If society wants something it expects it NOW!! And to meet this need by ploughing investment into an existing non-league team is too risky, too slow.

THE PROBLEM

But Professional Football PLC, like other businesses before them, do recognise the optimum location of its “branches”. And the picture is somewhat different to the “map” agreed 100 years ago. They can see the benefit of tapping into the relative wealth of, for example, Milton Keynes. But the only tool at their disposal has been by promotion and relegation from the Football League. But they recognise that this is painfully slow, and has great risks – for the investor and themselves. What would happen if Man Utd slipped down the Football League and were replaced by your local pub side. Sounds great, you say, but would be a financial disaster for all.

Rochdale’s highest attendance so far this season is 3,218. Bury is even lower at 2,912. A ranking of club average attendance based on ground capacity shows the bottom four to be Rochdale, Notts County, Bury and, at the bottom, Darlington. These clubs do not add value to Professional Football PLC, but it is high risk to rely on relegation/promotion to resolve the imbalance. Notts County are 5th and Darlington 10th so unlikely to go down. And Dagenham & Redbridge, currently 2nd in the Conference attract an average crowd of 1,456.

So this imbalance has to be remedied by other means.

THE SOLUTION

As a football fan you have the right to expect to be able to continue to support your club. But you have absolutely no automatic right to keep your status amongst the elite 92. And with bankruptcy and relegation the only way out then the unfortunate truth is that the best option open to the Pete Winkelmans of this world is to buy your franchise.

Milton Keynes Dons, despite the protests, are already the 2nd best supported team in the 2nd Division. And with a new stadium being built with a 20,000 plus capacity look to be going from strength to strength. This week they played against Premiership Tottenham Hotspur, to a sell out crowd of over 8,000. The team they replaced were not mourned. The opposition fans sang no songs in protest. Wimbledon, and I really don’t mean to be disrespectful (particularly as a number of my family live within a stones throw of Plough Lane), were the Professional Football PLC version of the pub team on a good run. They didn’t attract fans through the turnstile. A match against them was never the first one you looked for in the fixture list. You wouldn’t switch the TV over from Eastenders on a Monday night to watch them play. And this had nothing to do with sport. In short – they were the unpopular zit infested kid at school. The owners of Wimbledon knew they had something of incredible value, and they sold it. And, Professional Football PLC rubbed their hands with glee.

THE FUTURE

Celtic and Rangers have long been mooted as interested in moving from the Scottish subsidiary of Professional Football International PLC and joining their English friends across the border. Assuming that there are no plans to expand the league to 94 and assuming that neither club wish to apply to join the English non-League and try for successive promotions, then buying – or being given - a franchise looks the best option.

Woolwich Arsenal in the early 20th century, Wimbledon in the early 21st. I promise you won’t have to wait as long for the next. But who will it be……?

Thanks to both Badger Atkins and MK Gould for their balanced contributions - Ed

The camera shy MK Gould (left) with his minder

Photographic contributions courtesy of Casey Jones

Chelmsford City FC

Chelmsford City 1 Maidstone United 2 - FA Trophy 1st Qualifying Round

Isthmian League

The Modern town of Chelmsford was created in the Middle Ages. At the time of the Domesday Book (1086) the land on the site of the modern town centre belonged to the Bishop of London. About 1100 Bishop Maurice built a bridge across the River Can. As a result traffic which used to travel through Writtle was now diverted through Chelmsford. Then, in 1199, Bishop William obtained a charter from the king. The charter gave the bishop the right to hold a weekly market near the bridge. In those days there were very few shops and if you wished to buy or sell anything you had to go to a market. Once the market was up and running merchants and craftsmen would come to live in Chelmsford. So a town was born. In the 19th century Chelmsford became established as a centre of trade and industry. Guglielmo Marconi established the world's first radio factory in Chelmsford in 1899, and the town was also the birthplace of broadcasting, as the location for Dame Nellie Melba's pioneering radio recital in 1920.

The Pieman first saw football in the town in 1986 at the club's former ground 'New Writle Street' (right) which was situated next to the County Cricket ground. After a period of time sharing the facilities at Billericay Town's 'New Lodge', it is good to see Chelmsford City back playing in the town at Chelmsford Sport & Athletics Centre.

Harry Hotspur had been unable to get time off primary school to join me on the trip to Besiktas and therefore I was keen that he should not miss out on this one. We travelled via London Liverpool Street and in both directions caught Norwich inter city services. Buses 54 & 56 from directly outside Chelmsford station will take you to the bottom of Salerno Way from where you can see the ground a few hundred yards away.

This aerial photograph was taken prior to Chelmsford City moving to the stadium

The club have clearly done a lot of work in getting this athletics venue up to the required standard for senior football. The main stand is excellent but you will pay a little more to sit here. On the opposite side there is further seating but the downside of this is that this area is lower and your view could be obscured by standing spectators.

Directly behind each goal is some limited temporary terracing which does assist the fans in providing some atmosphere - the travelling Maidstone United fans certainly took advantage of this with vociferous chanting throughout the match. It certainly reflected the remarkable return of the former football league club, having gone under some years back.

The start of the match was delayed by 15 minutes whilst the ground staff marked the penalty areas. It appears that the Maidstone United keeper, Pat Mullin, had noticed that the penalty area was too small. Chelmsford took the lead early in the match but were pegged back just before the break. In blustery conditions both teams struggled to make the important breakthrough but with two minutes left Maidstone scored a fine goal. There was still time for former Spurs man Jeff Minton to miss a penalty for Chelmsford who also missed a sitter before the end.

Chelmsford City are to host a Kareoke night at the new clubhouse in the near future and the Pieman wonders if our musical hero, Karaoke Bob Gilligan, will be participating.

Attendance: 859
Admission: £9 (Hotspur £3)
Programme: £2 (obtained for you Andy, Stan and Glyn, the barman in Phil Butler's local, the Prince Albert in Ely) - this really is a superb value publication
Hotspur's Burger: £2.50
Bus from station: £2.80 return
Fare: £4.15 cheap day return from Boundary Zone 6 with Gold card discount (Hotspur £1)

The Pieman's initial visit to New Writle Street

Besiktas FC

Besiktas 0 Tottenham Hotspur 2 - UEFA Cup Group Stage

Turkish Football Federation

Straddling the Bosphorus, its skyline studded with domes and minarets, İstanbul is one of the truly great romantic cities. Its history tracks back from Byzantium to Constantinople to its place at the head of the Ottoman Empire. Today it hums as Turkey's cultural heart and good-time capital. In this sprawling, continent-spanning city you can tramp the streets where crusaders and janissaries once marched; admire mosques that are the most sublime architectural expressions of Islamic piety; peer into the sultan's harem; and hunt for bargains in the Kapalı Çarşı (Grand Bazaar).

This was unknown teritory for the Pieman and a Wednesday lunchtime flight from Stansted with Turkish Airlines saw us arrive in Istanbul after dark. That evening we visited a local restaurant and sampled some good quality local fare washed down with the local EFES Pilsen. Istanbul is a sprawling mass and the following morning provided the opportunity to explore. En route to the Grand Bazaar, Ciderman and I encountered a local who exchanged pleasantries but soon made off when we told him that we did not want our shoes polished. As he fled he dropped a brush and when I called him back he insited on cleaning my shoes free of charge. Reluctantly this took place and I offered him some money which he and his colleague (where did he come from ?) deemed to be insufficiant. Pieman wondered how his free shoeshine could cause such a situation and refused to pay anything (These people want EU membership - Ed).

The Bazaar is one of the largest covered markets in the world with more than 58 streets and 4000 shops, and has more than it's fair share of rubbish along side quality items. There is a sliding scale of prices depending on how much money the retailers think they can fleece you for. In Turkey this is acceptable commercial practice (and these people want EU membership - Ed) and an example of this is the box of Turkish Delight obtained for Mrs Pieman. This was bought for half the price originally quoted. The buffet breakfast at our hotel was good and substantial and Ciderman and I did not eat again until late afternoon. We opted for one of the up-market fast food type establishments, Bereket Halk Doner Restaurant and it was here that the Pieman supplimented his Lamb and Potatoes in sauce with Macaroni in Yoghurt. A pleasant combination indeed.

It was difficult to know what to expect at the stadium. Turkish fans have a reputation for their passion and it has be said that the Besiktas crowd fully lived up to this. However, there was not a hint of unruly behaviour and their repetoir of songs chants and collective movement was second to none in my experience. They were a true credit to their club and in the end proved to be honourable in defeat. I will not dwell on the match as other media outlets will go into detail but this was the best performance from Tottenham Hotspur so far this season and the victory was more emphatic than the 2-0 scoreline suggests.

The 35,000 capacity BJK Inonu Stadium is located on the European side of the Bosphrus, close to the Dolmabahce Palace. The nineteenth-century palace housed the Sultan's last harem before the fall of the Empire, and was also where Ataturk, founder of the Republic, died in 1938. Simon Inglis (The Football Grounds of Europe) claims "There are few more restful spots in this bustling city, except, of course, on match days." This Pieman had entered the ground earlier in the afternoon and his linguistic skills tripped him up when he was escorted on to the roof when looking for the toilet. We believe he was mistaken for an employee of Channel 5 who were covering the match. At this time a group of people rushed into the stadium and started to clean the seats. Guess which part of the stadium they forgot to clean ? (and these people want EU membership - Ed)

Hughes, Throp, Sheils and other devotees applaud a fine display from Tottenham Hotspur plc

On both flights to and from Stansted, we were accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) who were performing near the Besiktas ground on the night of the match (the Pieman accompanied by an orchestra - surely not! - Ed). This was an interesting experience, particularly as seats had to be booked for some of the instruments. On the outward flight, a retired BT employee from Walthamstow and another not retired (just very relaxed) were forced to drink vast quantities of free booze by a member of the RPO (his name was Martin Chivers!). On the return leg, The Pieman enjoyed a lengthy conversion with Francois Rive, a cellist and Barnet supporter. These flights can be tedious but a conversation which engulfed Hendon FC, Turkish Delight, Blogging, Pittsburgh Steelers, Poole Pirates Speedway, Tiger Woods and the legendary Frank Worthington, made it seem like a domestic flight. Great company - thanks Francois.

Finally - The Pieman would not be a good journalist if he did not acknowledge the sizeable charitable donation made by Rosie and Chris in Istanbul on the eve of the match. It seems they did not have enough cash on their persons and volunteered to go to the cashpoint to make a substantial withdrawl. Well done gentlemen. (give these people EU membership and a Blue Peter Badge - Ed)

Attendance: 26,800
Admission: 36,00 Turkish Lira
Programme: Besiktas do not issue programmes
Gents Toilet Facilities: 3 urinals and a hole in the ground
Fare: Tram 1.3 Turkish Lira (Flat fare for public transport within the City)
Photographic Services: Peter Lee

Bemerton Heath Harlequins FC

Bemerton Heath Harlequins 4 Shrewton United 1 - FA Vase 1st Round

Bemerton Heath Harlequins FC

Wessex League

The story of Salisbury began 2,500 years ago when an iron age fort was built on Salisbury Hill about 2 miles north of the modern town centre. In the 6th century AD the Saxons invaded the area. In 552 Saxons and Celts fought a battle at Salisbury Hill. The Celts were defeated and fled westwards. The fort probably lay abandoned for centuries. However by the early 11th century a settlement had grown up on the site of the old fort. In 1003 the Vikings raided Wilton some of the survivors may have fled to the safety of Salisbury Hill and founded a new settlement. The new town had a mint and a market. About 1069 William the Conqueror built a wooden castle to overlook the settlement and keep the inhabitants in line. In 1075 a bishop moved his seat there. However Sarisberie, as it was called, was a small settlement, much smaller than nearby Wilton. It probably only had a population of a few hundred.

In the 20th century Salisbury continued to grow quite rapidly but it remained an agricultural town. Today one of the main industries in Salisbury is tourism which is what attracted the Pieman family this weekend.We arrived in Salisbury at lunchtime and after a meal wandered over to the splendid cathedral, Mrs Pieman and Daughter went in and were very enthusiastic when recounting later (Daughter really liked the colourful stained glass windows). However, Harry Hotspur and I were on FA Vase business and set off walking to the Westwood Recreation Ground, the home of Wessex League side, Bemerton Heath Harlequins.

As was true of Long Melford and Cornard United (visited by the Pieman last season), Harlequins ground is surrounded on three sides by conifers. This gives a real enclosed effect for small venues and apart from anything else, assists in the retrieval of wayward shots. The fourth side (behind one goal) houses the turnstile block, clubhouse, tea bar and dressing rooms. Above this complex is an executive type veranda from where the game can be viewed.

The stand is a decent structure affording a good unhindered view of action. Surrounding the playing area is a brick wall which combined with all other aspects gives this venue a very professional appearance.

Bemerton Heath Harlequins triumphed 4-1 to progress in this national competition but not before having to overcome a resilient Shrewton who more than held their own before the break. With a little more luck they would have led at the break. The home side were worthy winners though and the screamer that almost burst the net in the closing minutes was the icing on the cake.

Hotspur complained of stitch after the match, so I invested in a bus ticket to get back to Salisbury station. There appears to be a very regular service on Saturdays.

If I lived in the area though, I think I would be concerned over the non collection of waste material. For example, this pile of rubble (right) has been lying around for years !

Attendance: 100
Admission: £5 (£2.50 Hotspur)
Programme: 50p (obtained for you Andy, Stan and Glyn, the barman in Phil Butler's local, the Prince Albert in Ely)
Tea: 50p
Hotspur's Hot Chocolate: 50p
Fare: Free for the Pieman courtesy of South West Trains
Bus Back to Salisbury Station: £1.20

Thatcham Town FC

Thatcham Town 3 Abingdon United 1 - Southern League Division One South & West

Southern League

The village (Town?) is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the country. People have lived here since prehistoric times: The Mesolithic village, discovered near the Sewage Works in Lower Way Lane, being of particular note as one of the finest temporary settlements of nomadic hunters ever found. Hearths and flint knapping floors were uncovered, as well as flint and even bone tools, and the remains of numerous animals, including elk, beaver, wolf and pine marten!

A midweek, after work, jaunt for the Pieman and a relatively easy venue to reach. Waterside Park is only a few hundred yards from Thatcham station and can be reached via London Paddington and First Great Western trains.

I arrived with plenty of time to spare and went exploring on the town side of the railway line. There are a number of new housing estates in this area and in their midst I stumbled across a fine fish & chip shop. I opted for saveloy & chips and was not disappointed. Near the railway station is the pleasant Swan public house on Station Road. I felt obliged to wash the food down and enjoyed a pint of Southern Glory (Eldridge Pope). I did think it odd as Eldridge Pope ceased brewing some years ago but it appears Burtonwood brew this for them.

Refreshments dealt with it was onwards and over the railway crossing, over the Kennet & Avon Canal to the ground and what a fine venue it is. The main covered stand seats about 280 and either side of the dugouts on the opposite side are additional open seated stand each holding a further 38 seats. The playing surface was in great condition and this aided a decent match between two sides that wanted to play attractive football. Thatcham always had the edge and were worthy winners, scoring twice in the opening 25 minutes and adding a third with a couple of minutes to go. Abingdon United scored with virtually the last kick of the match, direct from a free kick.

The 21.47 train got me back to Paddington just before 23.00, I changed to an inter city service at Reading which saved me 20 minutes.

Attendance: 85
Admission: £7
Programme: £1 (obtained for you Andy, Stan and Glyn, the barman in Phil Butler's local, the Prince Albert in Ely)
Saveloy & Chips: £2.55
Southern Glory: £2.25
Fare: £7.45 cheap day return from Boundary Zone 6 with Gold card discount