If you've still got a ticket stub from the great Boxing Day floodlight failure farce you will save 50% of the ticket price, or at the turnstiles on the day, not that I blame anyone that feels they spent enough dosh the first time round!
Still, February's now a tough month with six matches, (there are seven in March!), and the lads could do with as much support as possible, promotion could be a lot closer after this game, and Aldershot is one of the easier trips which we can at least make by train this time around.
You don't have to worry about tickets until the morning of the game when you can purchase a £15.30 day return from London Waterloo or £28.10 from Southend stations which covers underground travel. (Both the 22.04 & 22.34 services will get you back between 01.00-01.30)
The train journey takes between 50 minutes and an hour from London Waterloo with around six services per hour, but some require a change at Woking.
Examples (direct services only unless stated)
London Waterloo 17.25 - Aldershot 18.08
London Waterloo 17.55 - Aldershot 18.40
London Waterloo 18.25 - Aldershot 19.42
Aldershot 22.04 - London Waterloo 22.58 (change at Woking)
Aldershot 22.34 - London Waterloo 23.27
Aldershot 23.04 - London Waterloo 00.04
Give yourself an extra 90 minutes from Southend stations changing at West Ham, (Fenchurch Street for Bank), or Stratford/Liverpool Street depending on how you enter the capital.
Aldershot is in the Group Save area that can cut fares in half if four of you can travel together, and any various travelcards will make it even cheaper.
To find out more, go here:
www.daysoutguide.co.uk/groupsave.aspx
If you want to purchase tickets in advance go to www.southwesttrains.co.uk.
Directions
Aldershot Town play at The EBB Stadium, (the Rec to you and me), with the railway station around a fifteen minute walk away from the ground, though you do have to go through that park, let's hope it's not been raining.
Upon leaving the train station, go down the station approach and turn right into Windsor Way passing the Holy Trinity Church on your left. The road bends to the left and leads into Victoria Road. Turn right along Victoria Road and at the bottom of the road you will see the floodlights in front of you.
Station; bottom left, the blue blob. Recreation Ground; top left, to the right of the high street.
Well known for it's connection to the British Army, this led Aldershot through rapid growth from a small village to a Victorian town, which is still acknowledged as the 'Home of the British Army'.
The Phoenix rising from the flames is due to the present set-up being founded in the spring of 1992 just after the closure of debt-ridden Fourth Division Aldershot Football Club.
That club, founded in 1926, had been a League member since 1932 and was a founder member of Division Four, where SUFC had many battles in the past, including a horrible 6-2 defeat back in October 1984 which I remember feeling very cold at! (May and Shepherd for us!)
After climbing up the league pyramid they won promotion back to the Football League on April 15th 2008 by winning the Conference National with a record 101 points!
(Thanks to www.footballgroundguide.com for stadium directions.)