Saints travel to Liverpool on Saturday, if you have never been to Liverpool before or you just want to know all the info, read on for the top tips. Anfield is situated about 1 1/2 miles north of the City Centre and originally was the home of Everton before a dispute with the landlord saw the Toffee's move across Stanley park to Goodison and Liverpool FC formed to play in the ground.
The Kop is still one of the most spectacular home ends in England if not Europe and is a single tier of seats reaching far back, in the old days it was a compact terrace that in its heyday held 24,000 people and is acknowledged as being one of the first clubs where the fans openly chanted in support of their team, the club anthem You'll never walk alone was taken up after Liverpool band Gerry & The Pacemakers took the old show tune from Carousel to the top of the charts and although other clubs notably Celtic have tried to claim it as their own, it is undeniably Liverpool's.
When the first bars of the record blast out from the PA system, the Kop is a mass of red & white although nowadays all parts of the ground join in, say what you like about Liverpool, but there really isn't anything like this anywhere else in England.
Although it has to be said that when the game kicks off the atmosphere calms a little, perhaps due to the fact that there are so many football tourists in the ground who are there not to be part of the atmosphere but to record it on their mobiles.
Anfield is very hemmed in as a ground and what strikes most people is how small it is, it literally squeezes seats into every nook and cranny with little leg room and you can see why considered a new stadium, before developing Anfield, having said that , it perhaps creates a cramped atmosphere that you rarely get at stadiums nowadays with the supporters packed in and seemingly almost on the pitch.
The recently expanded main stand has added around 8,000 to the capacity, although some will say that this has given the ground a little bit of a lop sided look and detracted from the atmosphere.
I don't particularly agree with that, the fact that all the stands are different shapes and sizes I would say gives it more of a feel of football grounds of old that had that variation and quirkiness that stood them apart from other clubs.
Getting there.
By Car
Take the M6 north and then take the M62 signposted Liverpool, follow this motorway till its end (beware of the 50 mile speed limit and cameras as you near the end) and then follow the road onto the Queens Drive A5058 and stay on this road for about 3 miles, turn left into Utting Avenue, at the corner of Stanley Park where Utting Avenue meets Priory Road, the ground is about 300 metres straight ahead
By Train
Mainline trains arrive at Lime Street Station about a 1 1/2 mile walk to the ground, there are plenty of buses that run past the ground or you could walk to Central Station about 2 mins from Lime Street and catch a train to either Sandhills or Kirkdale Station, about 5 mins by train and a 15 min walk to Anfield, alternatively cabs are cheap, about £6 from the city centre and cost effective if there are 3 or more of you.
Parking
Parking is very limited around the ground, the only big car park is on Stanley Park the entrance is on the aforementioned Priory Road, which is £8 and takes a while to get out of, otherwise its street parking or small business's etc that do the usual trick of renting out there car park.
Whilst car crime is much reduced on Merseyside, it still happens so be wary, always pay the kids who "mind your car" whilst your at the match, remember to pay half in advance and the rest when you return to your vehicle. For those that feel a large dog can guard a vehicle very effectively, remember that they cant put out fires.
The Away Section
Saints have around 2,000 seats in the Anfield Road End, this is a block short of a full allocation, but few clubs take that nowadays due to having to pay for unsold tickets, clubs like Liverpool make the smaller clubs decide on the allocation a month in advance, perhaps due to the fact that they would rather sell those extra 1,000 tickets to their own fans at £50 rather than to away fans at £30.
Although this is a relatively modern stand with the facilities underneath being very spacious, the view from the end is a little disappointing, at the back the low roof of the seating above can obscure the view if everyone stands up and also some seating has its view blocked by stanchions, add to that a low rake on the terrace itself and its not the greatest away section in the country.
Drinking Eating Etc.
There are some great town centre pubs if you are staying over or arriving by train and a visit to the home of the Beatles in Matthew Street is always a lively experience even if you aren't a fan, what was formerly the Head Of Steam on Lime Street station itself (to the right as you come off the platform) is now a Weatherspoons but still worth a visit . But in the City centre you really cant go wrong it has something for everyone.
Anfield is well served by pubs in the surrounding area, the Arkles behind the Anfield Road end is the usual pub of choice for away fans, although there are plenty of home fans there as well, it gets very packed with people spilling out on the street, a short walk from the Arkles, (turn left at the side of the Arkles with the ground to your right and keep going straight) is the Flat Iron named for its odd shape and resemblance to the Flat Iron building in New York, although a home fans pub it welcomes away fans.
For those who like their football history, The Sandon Pub just by the Kop was where Liverpool were originally formed and it has great significance to Liverpool fans, on match days though its like being in the centre of Oslo just after a plane load from Dublin have arrived for a stag weekend
Oakfield Road at the Kop end of the ground has a few pubs but as you would expect is packed with home fans, but its easy to find a decent pub within a ten minute walk of the ground here. If you want fast food then behind the Kop is the place to go with a plethora of chip shops with seemingly long queues, don't worry about that they soon get through them.
The ground has the usual selection of food and drink including alcohol.
Local Points Of Interest
Liverpool has reinvented itself as a tourist destination over the past couple of decades heavily focusing on the Beatles, Matthew Street has the Cavern Club and is a mecca for all Beatles fans, likewise at the Albert Dock there is the Beatles museum along with several other good museums focusing on Liverpool itself, apart from the Beatles one, all are free.
The city centre itself is divided into quarters, the Beatles Quarter is self explanatory as is Chinatown, the newest though is the recently dubbed Little Southampton, this is the area of the City is where all the new signings for Liverpool have bought houses.
Capacity: 54,074 (all seated)
Address: Anfield Road, Liverpool, L4 0TH
Main Telephone No: 0151 260 1433
Main Fax No: 0151 260 8813
Ticket Office: 0151 260 8680
Ticket Office Fax: 0151 261 1416
Ground Tours: 0151 260 6677
Pitch Size: 110 x 75 yards
Club Nickname: The Reds
Year Ground Opened: 1884
Home Kit Colours: All Red With White Trim
Official Web Site: www.liverpoolfc.tv