At last we come to the end of our run of long-distance away games, with our second and final trip to Plymouth Argyle. Sky TV have been kind enough to bring the kick-off forward to 12.30 tomorrow, making it all but impossible to get there without an overnight stop.

The ground is well signposted from the outskirts of Plymouth. You need to take the A386 exit from A38, stay in the left-hand lane on the slip road, then take the second exit from the roundabout you come to at the top (signposted City Centre A386). After just over a mile you will see the sign to Home Park on the left-hand side.

There is quite a large car park next to the ground, which is free. It is operated on a 'first in before the game, first out after the game basis', so if you are last in, then on average it takes around half an hour to clear. The car park is normally full by half an hour before kick-off. There is also the Life Centre car park just beyond Home Park and some street parking to the north of the ground, the opposite side from the city centre.

It will of course be impossible to get there from Leeds by train before the game, but I'll still include directions from the station for the benefit of those of you who live nearer to Plymouth. You have to turn right outside the station, then right again at the bottom of this road, going under the railway bridge.

Just continue up the hill and it's a 20 minute walk uphill through the park, with Home Park will coming into sight by the time you've hiked all the way to the top of the hill. In the 1980s some of the locals used to hide in the bushes to ambush away fans who were walking to the ground this way, but I'm told that Plymouth is a bit more civilised these days.

As usual there are a number of pubs which don’t admit away fans, but one that usually tolerates our presence is the CAMRA listed ‘Britannia’ Wetherspoons, which is just off the main A386 between the city centre and home park. But they don’t allow away fans to start singing songs. As if we would! There is normally a van nearby selling pasties, which is probably a better bet than the burger vans near the ground.

Another option if you’re coming in by car is the Cherry Tree pub on Ham Drive, which is a right turn off the A386 as you come in from the A38, and a 10-15 minute walk from the ground. Going the other way from the A386 will bring you to the Hyde Park Social Club which also welcomes visiting supporters, but charges £2 for entry. Alcohol is normally available inside the ground.

During 2001 Home Park was transformed, with three sides of the ground being completely re-built. Both the ends and one side of the ground have been replaced by single tiered, covered all seated stands, and the corners between these stands have been filled so that the ground is totally enclosed on those sides.

This just leaves just the Grandstand at one side of the pitch as the only remnant of the old Home Park. This classic-looking stand was refurbished a couple of years ago, but dates back to 1952, and gives Home Park a bit of character, a relief from the bland modernity of the other three stands.

Away fans get one side of the Barn Park End, where the usual allocation is 1,300, but this can be expanded to up to 2,022 on special occasions. Quite strangely the official Leeds website said our allocation would be -1734, and we’ve had a few restrictions on our travelling numbers over the years, but a negative number of tickets would literally be a new low.

Perhaps I should stop being sarcastic and assume it’s supposed to be 1,734. They cost of £26 for adults, with concessions at £21, £16 and £10, and they did of course sell out. Plymouth only have a handful of tickets left for the home stands through their ticket exchange scheme, and they could all be gone by the time the game kicks off.

And as far as the actual facilities in the away section are concerned, the stewarding is usually quite relaxed and there have been good reports of the traditional pasties sold inside the ground, but the on the downside that the concourse can get a bit cramped.

Enjoy!

Some of this stuff came from www.footballgroundguide.com .

Photo: Action Images

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