R's on the Road........... to Nottingham Forest

This Saturday two streaks are on the line as Rangers' 16 game unbeaten start of the season goes up against Forest 27 match unbeaten home run. Will one of the streaks come to an end or will both sides end up playing out a draw? The stats are on Forest's side as Rangers have never won at the City Ground. Will Warnock's charges re-write history? We shall see!
Here's a little guide of what to expect on your visit to the City Ground.



The Stadium.

Current Capacity - 30,576



The City Ground has been the home of Forest since 1898 and undergone some major redevelopments so that it could be one of the host stadiums for thr Euro 96 tournament. The stadium is the tenth largest outside the top division behind Newcastle United, Middlesbrough, Sheffield United, Leicester City, Leeds United, Southampton, Coventry City, Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday.
Contrary to popular belief the name "Forest" does not originate from Sherwood Forest, but from the Forest Recreation Ground just north of Nottingham City Centre which is where the club first played upon its formation in 1865 (though the name of the Forest Recreation Ground does in turn derive from a time when that ground was part of Sherwood Forest).
The club have announced plans for a brand new 50,000 seater stadium which would possibly be located in Gamston and is part of the FA's World Cup bid for 2018/2022.
Away fans are housed in the lower tier of the Bridgford End. Upto 4,750 fans can be held in the end. The facilities in this end are pretty good and the view of the pitch is unrestricted. A lot of noise can be made here so do make the most of it on your visit.

The History between the teams.

At Forest (28)

Forest 17
QPR 0
Draw 11

Amazingly Rangers' have never won on their travels to the City Ground.
Last season the R's, then managed by Paul Hart(yawn!), went to the City ground in high hopes as Nigel Quashie made his return to the R's starting eleven. Despite being totally outplayed and thrashed by an unstoppable Forest side that were flying high in the table 5-0, this was probably one of the most enjoyable away days of the season last year. The travelling support were superb and didnt stop signing even though the team were truly shocking! the old songs that were sung during the second half really made it a good laugh and the journey home was a bit less painful.
The streak was close to being broken two seasons ago as the R's drew 2-2 12months ago. An exciting end to the first half saw Forest score a penalty in injury time, only for Matteo Alberti to go up the other end and poke home an equalizer just 90 seconds later and ensured the teams went in level at the break. It was Alberti getting himself on the scoresheet once again early in the second half to set the R's on their way but a Chris Cohen leveller from close range made sure that the two teams shared the points.



How to get there.

By Car:- The postcode required for the City Ground today is NG2 5FJ
There are two routes you can use to get to the City Ground and I will quickly give you an oversight here now.
The most common route is to go up the M1 and leave at junction 24, heading down the A453 towards Nottingham and then joining the A52 heading towards Grantham and then join the A6011 into Nottingham. The ground is on the A6011 opposite the cricket ground.
The other way is as follows - Leave the M1 at Junction 21a (Leicester East) and follow the A46 dual carriageway towards Newark. After around 20 miles take the A606 towards Nottingham. At the first roundabout that is the junction with the A52, take the 4th exit onto the A52, signposted towards Grantham. At the next roundabout turn left onto the A6011 towards Nottingham. The ground is about a mile down this road.

As for parking, there is a large car pack situated at the ground and there are other car parks in and around the area of the ground to park in so it should be pretty easy to park up.

By Train:- The ground is walkable from Nottingham railway station (20mins). As you come out of the main station entrance, turn left and then left again. Follow the road down to the dual carriageway and then turn right. The ground is about 3/4's of a mile down the dual carriageway on the left, just over Trent Bridge.

Pubs 'n' Grub.

The Meadow Club on Meadow Lane has now become the 'unofficial' pub for away supporters it adjoins Notts County FC. The Trent Bridge Inn and Larwood and Voce do not allow away supporters in. There are a large number of food outlets around the ground including a McDonalds, which is less than 5 minutes walk down Radcliffe Road. If you have time to spend in the city centre there are a vast number of pubs, clubs and eating places. For those of you who like a bit of culture when it comes to a good old fashioned pub with some light hearted entertainment then I would highly recommend Hooters, although it is not suitable for some of our younger viewers.