R's on The Road.......... To West Bromwich Albion

Tomorrow the R’s once again find themselves in front of Sky’s Monday Night Football cameras away from home. This time their opponents are West Bromwich Albion. Here are a few hints and tips to help you along the way.



The Stadium.

Current Capacity – 26,500

The club was formed in 1878 by workers from Salter's Spring Works in West Bromwich, and have played their home games at The Hawthorns since 1900. They were renamed West Bromwich Albion in 1880, becoming the first team to adopt the Albion suffix. Albion was a district of West Bromwich where some of the players lived or worked. Albion's main club crest dates back to the late 1880s, when the club's secretary Tom Smith suggested that a throstle sitting on a crossbar be adopted for the crest. Since then, the club crest has always featured a throstle, usually on a blue and white striped shield, although the crossbar was replaced with a hawthorn branch at some point after the club's move to The Hawthorns in 1900. The Hawthorns became an all-seater stadium in the 1990s, in order to comply with the recommendations of the Taylor Report. At an altitude of 551 feet (168 m) above sea level, The Hawthorns is the highest of all the 92 Premier League and Football League grounds.
Away fans are usually housed in the Smethwick End and usually have to share this with some of the home support. The facilities in here are ok but you will find that if you are on the tall side of the scales that you will struggle for leg room.



The History between the teams.

At West Brom (17)

West Brom 9
QPR 3
Draw 5

The Hawthorns hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the R’s, with their last victory being a 1-0 win back in 1999. Stuart Wardley bagged a 52nd minute winner for the R’s that day.

How to get there.

By Car:- The post code you need for your sat nav today is B71 4LF.
People using the Motorways are advised to use the M40 - M42 – M6 – M5 route due to the roadworks being done on the Motorways in the Midlands. Upon leaving the M5 at junction 1, head down the A41 towards Birmingham and about a mile down the road you will hit your destination.
Street parking as well as private match day car parks, costing in the region of £4-5, is available to you.

By Train:- The closest railway stations are The Hawthorns which is about five minutes walk from the ground and Smethwick Rolfe Street, which is about a 15 minute walk from the ground. The Hawthorns is served by a Metro service from Birmingham Snow Hill station, whilst Smethwick Rolfe Street is served by local trains from Birmingham New Street. The Metro service takes eight minutes to the Hawthorns from Birmingham Snow Hill and trains run every 15 minutes.

Pubs 'n' Grub.

Two pubs are worth trying if you fancy a beer before the game. The Park Hotel which is located just off the M1 and roughly a 10 minute walk to the ground is worth a try and holds a friendly and safe environment, so I read. Parking is also available here at £5 so it holds some appeal. An alternative is The Royal Oak, which is half a mile past The Hawthorns and has also greeted friendly away followings.