Just in case the game beats the weather, here is all you need to know.

To many it will always be the Bescot Stadium, however it is now called the Banks's Stadium in a sponsorship deal with a local brewery, however most Walsall fans refer to it as the Bescot.

Opened in 1990 after the club's move from Fellows Park, its probably the ground that most travellling football fans have seen but not visited due to its location about 200m from the M6.

Since its opening it has had an extra tier built on one of its ends meaning that its current capacity is 11,300.

Getting There

From M6 South:

Leave the M6 at Junction 7 and take the A34 towards Walsall (beware though of speed cameras on this stretch of dual carriageway). At the end of the dual carriageway turn left at the Bell Inn public house into Walstead Road (sign posted Bescot/Bank's Stadium, Bescot Station Park & Ride, not sure if these have been changed). Continue straight on this road for two miles, passing another pub called the Tiger on your left. You will come to the Stadium and entrance to the away end on your right.

Leaving the ground it may be easier to go to Junction 9 which is fairly near the stadium as most will know, heading South on the M6 is easier than going North and may be quicker than the earlier route coming in.

Car Parking:

There is a good sized car park located at the ground (cost £3) and behind the away stand, which lends itself to a quick getaway after the match. Bescot Railway Station also offers car parking for £2. Alternatively there is some street parking to be had off Wallowes Lane. Avoid parking on the nearby Morrisons Supermarket car park (built on the site of the old Fellows Park), as unless you can prove that you are shopping there, you run the risk of being wheel clamped'.

By Train

if you go by train, Banks's Stadium has its own station,called Bescot, situated behind the away end only a few minutes walk from the turnstiles. Trains run there on a local line from Birmingham New Street and the journey time is around 20 minutes. There is a regular service on Saturdays along this line and you should not have too many problems getting away after the game.

The Away End

Away supporters are situated at the Dains Stand which is situated behind one of the goals, the end nearest the M6 to be exact, its a compact little end holding around 2,000 fans, at the beginning of this week Saints had sold around 1,500 tickets so it will be fairly full on Saturday, one drawback of this is that there are supporting pillars that will obstruct the view, one advantage though is that like Southend & Hartlepool the end is conducive to making a noise, Walsall's average attendance this season has been 4,346, so we should have around a third of the crowd and plenty of chance to make ourselves heard.

Drinking Etc 

 The stadium is a little isolated and the nearest bars are around a ten minute walk away, there is a supporters club on the ground, however you need to get there early as last year it filled up completely with Saints supporters The nearest pub to the ground is called the Fullbrook and is not advised for away fans.

However there is a pub by the Bescot Station whichis handy for those on the train as well as a couple of pubs on the drive in to the Stadium from Junction 7 the M6.

The first you come to is the Bell which is some way out from the stadium and then the Tiger which is a lot nearer, both however are within a couple of miles and handy to drive in to the game fairly late, with low attendances it means that traffic isnt that heavy and parking is plentiful even next to the stadium itself. 

Photo: Action Images

kcaj1164retsof added 21:50 - Dec 16 it won't be happening anyway - I hope! (bad weather). Having said that, I trust travelling fans will get plenty of advance notice. Why? We don't appear, to me, to be capable of beating anyone at present. The reason for this is that, with Barnard injured, our chances of scoring enough goals to win games is severely limited.
0

Cheltenham Town Polls