Hard to believe that the Riverside is 31 years old, although the ground hasn't changed much since then, but some of the information has, so even if this isn't your first visit to the Riverside, you might want to have a quick catch up.

The Ground

The stadium was first opened in August 1995 and was one of the first waves of larger new football stadia, it originally held 31,000 but they quickly filled in a couple of the corners to add 4,000 extra seats to bring it up to its current capacity of just under 35,000.

Three sides of the stadium are built in the "bowl" style similar to Pride Park and Stoke's Britannia Stadium, with the main stand being of a different design with two tiers.

The Away Section.

Visiting supporters used to be housed in the South Stand behind one of the goals, but now they have been moved to the East Stand (towards the South East corner) at one side of the stadium and although 3,000 can be accommodated here for League games, for this game we will get the minimum number they can give us, just over 2,000. The sight lines are very good with as you would imagine no stanchions etc obstructing the views.

In the past policing and stewarding has been quite vigorous with a sometimes draconian reaction to standing etc, although reports in recent years suggest that this has relaxed a little, we advise you to be careful as in the past both police and stewards have been known to eject first and ask questions later.

Middlesbrough is not a particularly hospitable place and care should be exercised not just around the ground but in the pubs both before and afterwards.

Getting There

By Car

Take the usual routes up to the M1 and then head north on this motorway, in the area of Leeds follow directions to the A1M signposted Teeside Newcastle etc, stay on the A1M till its junction with the A168 signposted Teeside & Thirsk, head on this road till it joins with the A19 and follow this road right into Middlesbrough and then follow signs to the football stadium which is fairly near the centre on the main ring road.

Parking

Although there is no parking for cars at the Stadium itself unless you have a pass, there are plenty of private car parks offering facilities in the vicinity of the ground, although it should be noted that its notorious for the time it takes to get out of the area, sometimes up to 45 minutes after the final whistle.

The ground is about 1 mile or in walking time 15 to 20 minutes from the town centre and there are plenty of car parks there that do offer an easier escape after the game, possibly at a cheaper rate than near the ground.

Post Code for the stadium SAT NAV: TS3 6RS

By Coach

Our friends at Nicks Saints Away Travel may have some space on their coaches to the game if you are either making a late decision to go or don't fancy a long drive yourself.

By Train

The train station is in the Town Centre again around 1 mile or 15-20 minutes walk from the ground, which is well signposted.

Drinking etc.

In the direct vicinity of the Riverside there is literally nowhere to have a drink apart from in the ground itself, Corporation Road a main road leading into the town centre has plenty of pubs most of which are away fan friendly, as long as you aren't too loud or obnoxious and is about a ten minute walk from the Riverside, Doctor Browns a big pub that has Sky TV etc and is a favourite amongst visiting supporters on this road being the designated away pub.

f you like real ales and the smaller micropub craft breweries, then you are in luck. As in Middlesbrough Town Centre, there are five Micropubs, all located very close to one another. They are; the Infant Hercules (Grange Road), Sherlocks, The Slaters Pick, The Twisted Lip (all in Baker Street) and the Devil’s Advocate (Borough Road).

There are a few pubs around the train station as well, but unless you have come by train its a bit of a walk and you would literally have to walk past the pubs of Corporation Road to get there.

Quirky Facts About Middlesbrough.

1. The Tees Transporter Bridge is one of Middlesbrough’s most recognisable landmarks. Opened in 1911, the structure offers the chance to learn about the town’s industrial heritage, while viewing platforms provide impressive views of the river and surrounding area. For those looking to make a day or weekend of a visit to the Riverside, the Tees Transporter Bridge is a historic and fascinating attraction well worth visiting.

2. Middlesbrough fans consider their biggest rivals to be Sunderland & Newcastle, although neither the Geordies or The Mackems reciprocate the hatred that much.

Darlington & Hartlepool are the closest football teams, but most of the inhabitants of those two towns follow Boro, other than these clubs it's down to Yorkshire for a rivalry and no one down there is too bothered about Middlesbrough.

3. Smoggie is a colloquial term used to refer to people from the Teesside area of North East England. The term relates to the area's notoriety for its high levels of pollution from local industry, which resulted in a thick smog that often blanketed the region

Despite popular belief that the term originates from the 1960s, its earliest recorded use is in the 1990s, as visiting football supporters Sunderland coined the phrase and began to refer to the locals as "smog monsters", which was later shortened to "smoggies"] Despite its origins as a term of derision, "Smoggie" has since been adopted as a term of pride

4. Strangely enough Middlesbrough has a few famous people, footballer & manager Brian Clough, hails from here as does Chris Rea who famously drove home each year for Christmas to the town & also wrote a song called the Road To Hull, which after a name change was a big hit.

Paul Rodgers Lead vocalist of bands such as Free, Bad Company, and Queen + Paul Rodgers,is ranked among Rolling Stone’s "100 Greatest Singers of All Time", but only 2nd to Chris Rea by the Smoggies.

Other notable Smoggies include comedian Roy "Chubby" Brown, Captain James Cook (1728–1779) the world-famous explorer, navigator, and cartographer, Chris Kamara, (born 1957) ex-footballer, manager, presenter and analyst on Sky Sports & Don Revie, (1927–1989) footballer and manager, managed Leeds United and England in the 1970s.

5. The Parmo is a local delicacy and originated in Middlesbrough. It consists of a breaded cutlet of meat, usually chicken with cheese and white sauce toppings; it is widely available at local restaurants & takeaways.

Riverside Stadium

Capacity: 34,742 (all seated)
Address: Middlesbrough, Cleveland, TS3 6RS
Telephone: 01642 929420
Ticket Office: 01642 929421
StadiumTours: 0844 499 6789
Pitch Size: 115 x 75 yards
Pitch Type: Grass
Club Nickname: Boro
Year Ground Opened: 1995

All Photos Via Reuters