Ulternative Alster Fan Club

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All you need to know in order to join the White Knights in their crusade against the Saracen Warriors on either 16/17/18 Dec 05

History of Saracens

Founded in 1876 the Saracens Football Club was started by the Old Boys of the Marylebone Grammar School and its first fixture was at Primrose Hill playing fields with the famous red star and crescent emblazoned on the equally famous black jersey.

The Saracens name can be traced back to the famous desert warriors led by Saladin in the late 12th century. They were renowned for their extreme mobility, and powers of endurance, which when allied to their bountiful enthusiasm, rendered the Saracens invincible… But not on the weekend of 16 December 2005 though! McCall’s white knights and army of fans will be looking to tame the fez and cut them down to size.

How to get there

Based in Vicarage Road, Watford, Saracens is easily accessible both from London and Luton airport. Please see following link for details of directions/map.
http://www.saracens.com/about/findus.php

Silverlink Trains operates services in and out of London Euston, should you be flying into Heathrow, London City or simply based in London. ‘Silverlink’ also serve Birmingham International with (almost) direct trains and they will be cheaper than Virgin Trains's service from Brum.

Southern Railways runs an hourly service direct from Gatwick to Watford Junction

You can get all train departure information on the National Rail website http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

Luton airport is served by local buses running from there into Watford. I'd allow roughly an hour to get there. Luton is about the same distance from Watford as Aldergrove is from Belfast. So i guess a taxi would come in at between £20 and £30 and would be the best way to get here from Luton if there are four of you.

If you fly into Stansted which isn’t the best way, I can't improve on Stansted Express to Liverpool Street, Circle Line to Euston Square and Silverlink to Watford Junction from Euston.

Where to stay

There are a host of inns in Watford including ‘The Southern Cross’ and ‘The Wellington’ .

Here’s an accolade that one of the fez army (thanks TonyTaff!) put on their messageboard:

“I can recommend The Southern Cross (the beer was damn fine and the missus liked the quality of the room!) which has 11 rooms.”

“I suspect the Wellington has fewer rooms. They are close together, should your party need to use both venues for beds. Both serve Real Ale, should you wish to try that!”

Real Ale eh? “Don’t gimme that! Fill up thon bar with a few hundred gallons of pish warm lager, Guinness, and a clatter of Magners” I hear you say.

Futher thanks to a chap called “large” for this little snippet:

"There are no fewer than five Premier Travel Inns within five miles of Watford town centre. The nearest of which is about 7-8 mins from the ground."

Please visit http://www.premiertravelinn.com/ for details.

"The White House, mentioned above, is 1 minute from the High Street and just under 10 from the ground and is A’OK. Though I'm not sure of the prices nowadays."

Alternatively, if you wish to stay in London, the Jury’s Inn on Pentonville Road, Islington is a popular haunt for rugby fans, having had legions of Munster fans descending on it previously for their various European campaigns.

The hotel is situated 5 mins from Euston station for the train to Watford and rates are competitive. The area is close to Islington’s bustling Upper Street.
See http://www.jurys-london-hotels.com/jurysinn_london.

This is definitely my recommendation ‘cos then you can pop round to my house for a bit of a jive, vol-au-vents and cheese on a stick.

Useful Numbers:

Jury’s Inn: 020 7282 5500

The Southern Cross: 01923 256033

The Wellington Arms: 01923 220739

Red Lion: 020 8421 9051

White House Hotel: 01923 237316

Boozing

I have been advised by the fez army that the ‘Red Lion’ on vicarage road is the local rugby friendly hostelry but the downside is that it gets rammed on match days, nevertheless we can be assured a good welcome there.

The town also has a ‘Walkie ’, which for those who are based on the mainland will know is antipodean slang for the rather spit and sawdust ‘Walkabout’ chain of aussie theme bars.

Not for the fainthearted the Walkie’s speciality is the ‘snakie and black’, a potent mixture of lager, cider and blackcurrant rammed into a plastic glass. In my experience if taken in large quantities it tends to enable one to see through time or an overwhelming compulsion to get nekked or to make one dribble in a corner and try and climb into ones shoes… perfect for the discerning Ulster fan.

These are just a couple but to name a few… Please refer to the following link for further info on ale houses in Watford. http://www.sportnetwork.net/main/s104/st2470.htm

So there you go… all you need to know in order to paint Watford white and keep the red hand flying high. So lets respond to this call to arms and support our mighty White Knights in their European crusade against the deadly Saracens.

-Jamesie (our man in Londonistan)