I was wondering what experiences you’ve all had at home or away games, traveling to and from away games,the things you’ve lied to your wife about to get out of something so you could go to a match etc…etc,but not the actual game itself.
One of my memories goes back to late 70’s early 80’s,a night game at Tranmere Rovers (a Friday night I think),I don’t know if they’ve still got it,but they used to have an indoor bowling green as part of the supporters club,me and a few of my mates were having a drink in the supporters club before we went into the ground.We noticed the bowling green and had a stroll round it,as we got to the far end we noticed a door,we thought,eye,eye,whats behind there then,we pushed it open and found ourselves on the terraces,needless to say we all got in for nothing… 
Exactly the same thing happened to me, except it wasn’t Tranmere, it was Wrexham, and it was the 1990s, and no bowling green was involved, and I hadn’t had a drink, and I was on my own, and I didn’t end up on the terraces. But apart from that…
What happened was that I’d driven to Wrexham and parked, and was heading for the pub to meet friends but was desperate to urinate and so I went through a door to find a toilet and had a wander round, up and down a couple of corridoors and nobody said anything and I went through another door or two, and I ended up in the ground and I asked a copper if I could hop into the away end because I’m in the wrong bit and he said sure and I got into our end and was able to use the disgusting loo they had in there. So free entry to the game, only problem was that it was about 2 o’clock and it was so boring hanging around for an hour. That might have been the last time I bought a programme at a game, that was how bored I was, I needed something, anything, to read.
I remember standing in the queue at the bescot to buy me and my wife 2 tickets to sit in the blue rinse brigade side, well you get a better view on the halfway line.
And my old mate Derek the bus driver came up to me and asked me if i wanted 2 free tickets, only problem was they were up in the heavens behind the goal, but it was saving me nearly £50 so we took them.
Sitting there looking at the ants (that’s what the players looked like from that height) i said to my wife “i am not going to enjoy this” so up we got and started to have a wonder looking how to get to our usual seats, sure enough, we got through a couple of unmanned doors and found ourselves in the Bonser suite, and from there we managed to get to our usual seats, where Derek stood up and shouted “how the ■■■■ have you managed to get there on those tickets?”
as the steward started to eye us up 
We blagged our way into loads of grounds years ago, I can remember Wigan, Rochdale, Carlisle (I won’t reveal how, but let’s say we were trying it) but the best was Hereford.
We came out the pub About 5 to 3 and headed to the ground, we could already hear the Walsall end singing and we had a great turnout that day. We saw the players and officials entrance and headed in, there was know one to be seen, so we walked along the corridor, through a door and straight out into the pitch surround whilst the team were just kicking off. We saw a copper and said we have ended up in the wrong area, and he marched us round the pitch to the away end, and as we arrived there, we bloody scored ! I can’t remember who did but it was just feet away from us so we celebrated the goal with the players and climbed into the away end ! I think we won 3-1 but was so ■■■■■■ I don’t remember getting home. I do remember still being in Hereford that night thought !
Loads over the years!
Trevor Francis getting me a lift to New St off the Blues directors when he thought I was a stranded Blues fan after I’d grabbed him and tried to blag a lift on the bus thinking he was the bus driver…has to be up there.
Some bloke from Burnley rang his wife to pick me up from the station and drop me at Turf Moor one year when our train was running late.
My own personal favourite was when this fat business man type fell asleep on the train when me and my mate were coming home from Forest. Mate being an archetypal 6 foot 5 ginger Geordie who for some reason supports Forest. This fat bloke was snoring his head off after a bit too much chardonay and was really getting on my nerves, so I pinched his shoes, tied the laces together and put them up on the luggage rack. He was getting off at Darlington so I woke him up just as we were approaching Darlo. He got up and realised his shoes wern’t on his feet and went into a sort of rage /panic right in our faces going mad we’d nicked his shoes. Another passenger pointed them out just in the nick of time before the train pulled away, he put them on, tried to walk and fell off the train just before the doors shut.
Probably don’t have a book’s worth but certainly a fair few chapters.
Shared quite a few drunken escapades on here over the years so I’ll go for something different.
We arranged for my son to be mascot at Preston a few years ago. As Away mascot you only have to pay for a match ticket so we thought it would be just a case of rocking up, hanging about and then the lad having the thrill of leading the side out alongside Andy Butler. All very exciting.
Anyway, we get there and get the full tour and grub which was ace because the home mascot had paid £250 for the privilege. Then at about 2:20 we were told to hang around the tunnel area, get the boy into his Walsall kit and then await further instruction. So he stands there for a bit and high fives the players as they come in and out together with the Preston equivalent of Swifty who for some reason is headless.
Tom Bradley sees us hanging about and says “come into the dressing room, meet Dean and the boys”. Brilliant. The players were a bit in and out of the dressing room for the next 20 minutes as they went through their pre match routines. So the lad is filling his boots getting autographs and photos whilst I’m chatting happily away with Smith and O’Kelly. Recalling Smith’s debut at Sunderland and sharing Anfield ‘84 experiences and a Wimbledon home hat -trick with O’Kelly. Kick off getting closer and closer. Adam Chambers on the table getting assaulted by Whitney (a very rough “rub down”) and the rest of the lads reading their little packs, those not involved (Mckuillken, Hewitt and the injured Andy Taylor) begin shuffling out. 2:45 and we are still in there. Everything incredibly relaxed and calm. My son sat next to Romaine Sawyers like he’s in the team. It was actually me that said to Smith, “shall we go now?” I kind of wish I hadn’t because I think we’d have heard the team talk and literally walked out with the team.
Five minutes later and he’s out on the pitch warming up with his new mates. And five minutes after that we were one down after a calamitous Downing own goal.
There’s a lovely video on YouTube of the Preston “tunnelcam”that captures a fantastic few minutes of my son, Andy Butler and Richard O’Donnell chatting away.
Gotta say, Tom Bradley - what a fella. Smith and O’Kelly wonderful. The signed shirt from the day, now framed has pride of place.
Got into Ashton Gate without paying once simply by not getting off the coach quick enough, which was promptly parked in a compound behind the away terraces But beyond the turnstiles.
I remember Getting to the playoff game against Bristol city late, so banged on the door telling the steward i had had to go and move my car, so he just let me in
Tom Bradley was a great bloke saw him when i was playing semi pro with a recurring injury problem he couldnt help but pointed me in the direction of someone who could after over a year of pain i was sorted in a few months and back to normal.
Northwich away in the FA cup in the 90s was fun for all the wrong reasons looking back with an older head.
Turned up to Upton Park in the early 90s for a Liverpool game with some scouse mates. Fresh from work, although we’d spent all afternoon in the pub. Still in suits and ties. Stood out like dog’s balls all night but the fans had a good laugh with us. Got kettled all the way back to the tube station and had a good time baiting the locals who couldn’t understand why we had the suits. Got escorted all the way to Euston mainline because the police would not accept that we lived in London.
Went for a curry after and I drank too much and ended up vomiting through the letter box of the local Conservative club. Happy days.
In the late 80’s I was living near Sevenoaks in Kent. Me and a mate used to go and watch the England internationals at Wembley. We went to a midweek evening match on the eve of a national railway strike. After the match we went for a few pints around Charing Cross. When we eventually got to the station we found that all the trains had stopped running earlier than we expected.
We were explaining our plight to a station official when a train driver walked by. When he heard where we needed to get to get back to he said he could give us a lift as he had take his train back to somewhere via Sevenoaks.
Can confirm. Wife and I have travelled in the cab a few times after asking nicely. Great for when you sleep past your station and the Mail train is going the other way.
Perfect end to a perfect evening… 
That old chestnut again eh mate …
The times i saw it work was unreal, i think the guy on the door had a brother that worked at Edgbaston cricket ground
And we have paid to stand at numerous grounds over the years, then just waltzed round the ground into the more expensive seats 
Pretty sure I also got into the game that way.
It was a Friday too.
Not sure if it was a Friday or a Tuesday, but definitely a night game. I too entered the ground via the bowling club.
I recall after the game it was raining half-end duckers as the plastic Scousers tried to get us before we could get on the coaches.
What was wrong with a good Labour club letterbox? 
It’s a matter of respect, and proximity.