 Friday, 27th Jun 2008 19:34 Help and advice for those that just can’t wait for August and are planning to follow the R’s in their pre-season campaign this July - includes flight and train times and prices. A debate on the poor quality of the opposition in our recent pre-season campaigns is still to come, as are individual match previews for each of our games this summer the day before they kick off, but for now LFW is simply aiming to help you get to them. The QPR first team start at Conference side Stevenage and end up with Chievo Verona at home via Scotland. In addition the reserve side, no doubt with a few first team players in the mix, have three games against local non league outfits. Details on how to get to the away games follows - I’m happy to make any amendments or additions if anybody wants to get in touch loftforwords@yahoo.co.uk. Stevenage Borough The Game QPR open their pre-season account with a visit to Conference outfit Stevenage Borough. Former Crystal Palace boss Peter Taylor was in charge last season but left when the club failed to even make the play offs. The set up at Broadhall Way is clearly worthy of a higher level than the Conference and Graham Westley, who returned to the club as manager for a second time this summer, will know the top five is a minimum requirement next season. Rangers travelled to Stevenage two summers ago with Gary Waddock as manager and won 4-1 with goals from Ainsworth, Donnelly and Gallen (two). This match replaces the previously advertised match at Oxford which clashed with a wedding at the Kassam Stadium. The Ground Broadhall Way was the reason Stevenage were refused entry to the league when they won the Conference in 1996 but has since been redeveloped on all four sides and has a capacity of 7,100 both standing and seating. The ground has it’s own club house for pre-match drinks. By Car Stevenage is just a relatively short hop up the A1 for London based QPR fans. Leave the motorway at junction seven and join the A602 towards Stevenage. After going straight on at the first roundabout the floodlights should become visible at the next one over to the right and free parking is available further up on the left. A journey of some 33 miles from Loftus Road. By Train Stevenage is served by a mixture of local and high speed services out of Kings Cross station. Luckily, unlike Peterborough, a cheap day return ticket from London can be used on both GNER and FCC so I’d advise the faster options - for instance the 1252 arriving at 1315. Coming back the 1803 arrives at 1832. A cheap day return ticket will set you back £12.50 and can be purchased from the station on the day. Once there leave the booking hall and turn left towards the town. Take the stairs on the right before the bridge over the dual carriage way and head along the A602, Lytton Way. At the roundabout by the police station, take the second exit into Six Hills Way then take the third exit at the next roundabout remaining on the A602 past Asda. After about 3/4 mile you will arrive at a roundabout by the fast food restaurants and the ground should be dead opposite. Windsor and Eaton The Game Those not involved with the first team friendly at Northampton the following night will have a chance to strutt their stuff out west as a QPR 11 takes on Southern League outfit Windsor and Eton. The Royalists have dropped down the non-league pyramid in recent years and finished 8th in the catchily named Southern League Division One South and West last season. Billy Coward played for both clubs. The Ground Stag Meadow now has terracing around all four sides following recent building work and has a capacity of 4500. By Car Head out of West London on the M4 and leave at junction six following signs for Windsor. Continue on the A355/352 Windsor/Eton over the Thames and a flyover until you reach a very large traffic light controlled roundabout where you should take the third exit into Imperial Road (signposted M3, Ascot, Lego Land). Turn left at the next t-junction with traffic lights into St Leonards Road and the ground is opposite the Stag and Hounds Pub (might come in handy that place!). 21 miles, 45 minutes in the middle of the night, speed cameras along most of the route. By Train Windsor Central and Windsor Riverside stations are both about a mile and a half from the ground. Central station is served by trains from Paddington, Riverside trains run from Waterloo through Clapham Junction. The last train of the night leaves the Central station at 2332 (change at Slough for London) and tickets are £8.20 for a cheap day return. Northampton Town The Game After nearly half a century without a game these two sides met seven times in six years prior to last season when miraculously the R’s pulled somebody different in the League Cup First Round.The Cobblers have become something of a bogey side to us recently with just one QPR win in those seven encounters and a humiliating 3-0 league Cup defeat on our last visit here. Northampton finished in the middle of League One last season under former Southampton boss Stuart Gray and boast former R Giles Coke among their number. The Ground Northampton moved out of their three sided ground that they shared with the county’s cricket club in 1994 to the purpose built but rather charmless Sixfields Stadium which is right out of the town close to the M1. One giant main stand towers over three smaller single tiered structures and QPR fans have been housed either behind the goal, in the smaller side stand or a mixture of both in our recent visits there. The car park is massive but has only one exit which is about half an inch wider than the average car an empties out onto a T junction, a roundabout, another roundabout and finally a third roundabout. Expect getting out of the car park afterwards to take longer than the actual trip home. Tickets QPR fans will be housed in their usual stand behind the goal and tickets for this one are priced at £12 adults, £7 seniors and under 21s, £4 under 16s and free for under 7s. No advance sales, pay at the turnstile on the night. By Car Almost as easy as Stevenage really but slightly further this time and up the M1 rather than the A1. Leave at junction 15a and follow the A43 towards Northampton. At the first roundabout take the second exit (essentially straight on) onto the A45 and follow that until you come to the ground - it’s about three and a half miles from the motorway. It really is that simple - about 68 miles from Loftus Road to the car park at the ground. By Train Northampton, as you’ll know from the news bulletins, is on a particularly unreliable and busy stretch of the London to Birmingham line out of Euston. Try the 1723 or 1755 London Midland services from Euston, arriving at 1828 and 1859 respectively. Coming back there are return services at 2216 (arriving 2332) and 2247 (0014). Now at the moment both a cheap day return (£21.30) and saver return (£25.20) are available on the above services and, allegedly, can be purchased on the night from the ticket office. I’m surprised to see these discounted fares being offered for rush hour trains out of London so if you’re sure you’re going to this game it may be worth booking them in advance just to be sure - if you get stung for a standard return on the night that will cost you £44.40. Once at the station the ground is the thick end of two miles away out of town so a taxi may be your best bet (remember to book a return pick up, the Sixfields really is out in the sticks). If you’re going to walk it then it is a relatively simple, but long, trek. Come out of the station and turn right so you’re walking back over the tracks on the main road - the A428. Then it’s basically a case of following that road out of the town pass the express lift shaft (used for testing lifts) the rugby ground, a Wickes store and the Leisure Centre until you get the retail park with the cinema, Pizza Hut and Sixfield s Stadium. About halfway along the A428 meets the A4500 in a strange triangle shaped junction, just follow it round to the left as it becomes the A4500 and keep on walking. Hayes and Yeading The Game In all likelihood this is going to be another game for the second string side against the team created by an amalgamation of the Hayes and Yeading clubs last summer. Hayes of course gave us Les Ferdinand and for that we must forever be truly thankful, Yeading on the other hand gave us Lee Charles. In fairness though we got Andy Impey from there prior to Chippy Charles so it’s not all bad. The newly formed club play in the Conference South. The Ground Church Road was the home of Hayes prior to the merger and Yeading’s old ground The Warren is now used for youth and reserve games. Terracing stretches around three sides with seats in the main stand. By Car Take the Hillingdon exit from the A40(M) and turn onto the A437 Long Lane. At the end of Long Lane turn left onto Uxbridge Road westbound then after three sets of lights turn right into Church Road opposite Adam and Eve pub - God bless these non-league teams and their grounds next to public houses. By Train Hayes and Harlington is the nearest station - served by stopping trains between Paddington, Ealing Broadway, Slough and Heathrow Airport. Tickets are likely to set you back between five and ten pounds return from the centre of town. From the station turn right, walk through the shopping area to the end of the part pedestrianised section. Turn left into Botwell Lane then right at roundabout after the swimming pool into Church Road. Ten minute walk this. Falkirk The Game QPR return north of the border this pre-season for the first time since 2004 when a Jamie Cureton goal secured a 1-1 draw at Inverness. A visit to Falkirk’s new stadium is the first of two matches with SPL opposition in the last week in July. The Bairns were promoted to the SPL three seasons ago and have since consolidated their position with consecutive seventh placed finishes. Former QPR goal poacher Andy Thomson spent time in this part of the world after leaving Loftus Road. The Ground Falkirk the town has a population of about 35,000 and is basically dead in the middle of Scotland, inbetween and slightly north of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Falkirk the football club are one of several Scottish sides who built new stadiums with two or more open sides. Newly promoted Hamilton Academicals have the same set up but Falkirk’s is more impressive with a giant main stand and smaller effort behind one of the goals. When they first moved in in 2004 only the main stand was there - must have been a strange place to watch football then. A Withdean Stadium style ‘golf stand’ has been erected in one corner to boost the capacity by 1000 seats. It’s basically not finished - take a hard hat. Falkirk share their patch with East Stirlingshire - a Third Division side often said to the be the worst football team in Britain. Tickets QPR fans will be housed in the North Stand where tickets will set adults back £15 and juniors/seniors £8. There will be, as you would expect, no advance sales and fans will have to pay at the turnstile on the day. By Car M40, M42, M6 then onto the A74(M) at Carlisle. About 90 miles later leave the M74 at junction four and join the M73 signposted Stirling, Kincardine Bridge, Glasgow. Eight miles later turn onto the A80 which then becomes the M80 and shortly after that happen you want to branch off onto the M876 which will take you around the north side of Falkirk and eventually joins onto the M9. Finally leave the M9 at junction six and follow the A904 towards Falkirk until the ground appears on the left. Quick warning, many online maps (including Multimap) still have the old Falkirk ground Brookville Park marked down as the club’s home. This is a trip of some 420 miles from Loftus Road and a seven hour drive on a clear day. By Train Falkirk Grahamston Station is a mile away and served by ScotRail services from Edinburgh. It’s an epic journey this one and not easy to do all in one day. The 0700 GNER service from Kings Cross will have you in Falkirk for 12.14 with a change in Edinburgh (arrive 1137, depart 1203).You can only get back as far as Doncaster or Derby on the way home so an overnight stay is probably recommended and you can head back down south at 0920 on Sunday morning, changing at Edinburgh Waverley onto the 1030 London train which is back in the smoke at 1511. Cost wise, hold tight, this is going to set you back £102.40 for a saver return or £91 for two singles purchased in advance. Save a further £9 by getting the 0615 Saturday morning train rather than the 7am. If you give that a go then from the station to the ground it’s left and along the ring road A803 to the right. Turn left into Weir Street and at the bottom of the street turn left onto Kerse Lane. Go straight on and you will eventually reach the stadium on the right. By Plane Christ never thought I’d see the day when I had to discuss flights in the travel guide. To be honest plane is the only way to do this trip in my opinion. Flying EasyJet from Gatwick at 0700 Saturday morning and returning at 2105 (90 minute flight time) will set you back £65 if booked today via kayak.co.uk. Edinburgh airport is 15 minutes from Edinburgh Waverley Station and from there it’s just as above. For times and prices of flights to include both Scottish matches see below. Kilmarnock The Game Our mini Scottish adventure concludes with a second match against SPL opponents as we visit Rugby Park to face a Kilmarnock side that narrowly avoided relegation last season. Managed by former Bradford boss Jim Jeffries Killie finished 11th out of 12 last season and boast former QPR players Paul Wright and Michel Ngonge among their former charges. The Ground Rugby Park has been redeveloped on three sides and with a capacity of just over 18,000 is very similar to Burnley’s Turf Moor. Away fans are usually housed behind one of the goals and the pies are, apparently, the stuff of legend among regular travelling supporters north of the border. Kilmarnock the town has a population of around 45,000 and is located between Glasgow and Ayr. By Car A40, M40, M42, M6 up to Carlisle then onto the M74 until junction eight where you branch off and join the A71. Take the A759 towards Kilmarnock from the A71. Eventually the ground will appear on your left. Another 413 mile trip from the Bush this one and again you’re looking at seven hours at a reasonable speed. By Train Other side of Scotland this time so it’s West Coast mainline to Glasgow out of Euston and that presents a rare chance to use the London-Scotland sleeper service after the match. If you’ve never tried it I’d say give it a go, it can be an interesting night if you get stuck into the beers. There are plenty of trains from both Euston and Kings Cross to Glasgow during the day, 1029 arriving in Kilmarnock at 1625 (change at Glasgow arrive 1454 leave 1548) would be my pick but you can mix and match. The sleeper service home leaves Glasgow at 2341 and arrives into Euston at 0700. There is a connecting service that leaves Kilmarnock at 2200. At the moment the cheapest return fare for this is £102.90 although it may be worth giving ScotRail a call to see if there are any sleeper discounts available that night 08457 55 00 33. I’d give that a go personally, sounds like a laugh. Kilmarnock train station is at the top of John Finnie Street - walk down this street against the flow of one way traffic then turn right into Portland Road at the junction by the court building. Take the second left at the traffic lights into South Hamilton Street and proceed to first right which is Rugby Road - 15 minute walk or thereabouts, similar to Watford in distance. By Plane This being an evening match necessitates an overnight stay for those flying which again may make the sleeper train service a more attractive idea if you’re back at work the day after. Easyjet flying from Luton Airport at 0835 to Glasgow International on the Tuesday then returning at 1735 on Wednesday will set you back £52 at the moment and that price is also available from Stanstead and a £56 ticket can be bought flying from Gatwick - although obviously not at the same times. *Note* I'm reliably informed by board user SuffolkHoop that RyanAir are currently offering return flights between Stanstead and Prestwick for free. The actual cost is around £20 once tax and all the other add ons are taken into account but it's still a great deal. Going to both Scottish games? Chances are if you’re going to one of these games up north you may well be wanting to go to both and have a few days up there. To do this on the train it’s the same £102.90 saver return price based on going up to Edinburgh from Kings Cross on Saturday morning at 7am, and coming back on the sleeper train from Glasgow on Tuesday night after the Killie game. If you’re wishing to fly then based on going up on Saturday morning and coming back on Wednesday there is a £69 return fare available based on flying Easyjet from Gatwick to Glasgow at 7am on Saturday and coming back at 1435 on Wednesday. Again it seems that Kayak.co.uk offers the best fares although I’d give cheaptickets.co.uk and the Easyjet website a go as well see if you can better that price. ScotRail offer a direct train from Glasgow Central to Falkirk Grahamston every hour at 22 minutes past - journey time is 45 minutes. Discuss your plans on the Message Board Two users have commented on this story Click here to add your thoughts I was just reading your article about pre-season arrangements for QPR fans travelling to Scotland. I don't know if you know, but there is a hotel within the grounds of Kilmarnock's Rugby Park if anyone needs somewhere to stay overnight. Website is http://www.theparkhotel.uk.com/ if you need it. Hope to see you all there - Cameron Just a bit more info, train travel from Prestwick airport is reduced by 50% provided that a plane ticket/voucher is presented. This means that a train ticket to Falkirk will be about £7.50. In addition, the return fare with Ryanair is only £20.00, ( I've just checked), first out last back (from Stansted). So the whole day would only be about £50.00 including match ticket. You could soend the money saved on deep fried Mars bars! - Al Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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