It was my first visit to Deepdale that stood out the most. Standing on the now non-existant terrace in the pouring rain as Forest looked set to go down to defeat to the solitary goal. That was until big Jon Olav Hjelde plundered a header in from close range sending the away contingent wild.

Later games have never been quite as memorable. We visited on the last day of the season the year after, finding ourselves in the seats behind the goal when the old terrace had been condemned. I think we've lost every game since after battling for a draw that day.

It's always a trip I look forward to though, perhaps one of the best outside of the obvious trips.

We can't go another away game without scoring, surely...

The Ground

Preston have spent heavily on re-developing all sides of the stadium and now possess one of the smartest grounds in the Championship. With the completion of the Invincibles Stand in 2008, Deepdale is finally completed and with a new increased capacity of over 24,000. Opposite to the newest construction is the Tom Finney Stand whilst behind each goal are the Bill Shankly and Alan Kelly stands. All four sides are single tiered with three of them having the unique aspect of the faces of the Preston heroes depicted in the seats. The Invincibles Stand does stand at a similar height as the other three but this is due to a large number of hospitality boxes that have been incorporated into it.

Away fans are housed in one half of the Bill Shankly end with a typical allocation of 3,000 tickets. However, should the visiting club require it then occasionally the entire end can be made available which doubles the amount.

The Football Museum

A must see for any football fans...

The museum is joined on to the stadium and as is now free to enter. Every period of football, including domestic and international sides, is covered with hundreds of priceless pieces of memerobilia such as the ball used in the 1966 World Cup final and Maradona's actual shirt from the 1986 quarter final against England. There is also a small wall dedicated to the Forest European Cup winning team and several other mentions along the way round.

Upstairs, there is a highly enjoyable interactive area which allows people to commentate on Match of the Day and then watch the episode as well as a free table football which includes action replays on a screen next to it. In this section is also a feature on Preston North End and a viewing platform that offers views of the ground.

The entire walk round will take a while if you want to see everything but is definitely worth it. Incidentally, this may be the last chance it will be open when Forest visit Preston. It is apparently moving to Manchester in the not too distant future.

Surrounding Area

If you decide against the football museum or have time for both then there a a couple of good pubs within walking distance of Deepdale. The Sumners is more traditionally popular with Forest supporters and has the added benefit of a large beer garden should the weather be up to it. Directly across the road is The Garrison which seemed predominantly home fans last time but there were red shirts mingling freely all the same. To reach these pubs head away from the ground down Tom Finney Way for around five minutes. Sumners is on the right and The Garrison is across the road.There are actually several pubs all within close proximity of Deepdale in all directions so it is not difficult to come across one. Never done the town centre but I believe it is around a ten to fifteen minute walk.

Travel

Trains are relatively simple. Head up to Manchester on trains that leave at fourty-five minutes past the hour or via Derby/Crewe on services that depart at eight minutes past every hour. From Manchester, connections to Preston can be found from Oxford Road station. For the return journey, trains leave Preston station at 17.47 and 18.47. The station is in the town centre about a twenty minute walk from Deepdale.

In car, leave the M6 at Jct 31 and onto the A59 (Preston Road). After a mile take the second left at the roundabout onto Blackpool Road (A5085). After 0.7 miles bear left onto Park Side and then left into Deepdale Road. There are a few car parks near the ground and street parking is easy enough to find.

Official Skills coaches depart from the Brian Clough Stand car park at 10.30am and costs £14.50.

Tickets

We have been given an initial allocation allocation of 1,476 unreserved tickets priced at £20 adults, £12 senior citizens/young adults (16-20), £5 juniors and under 7's are admitted free of charge.

Tickets are on general sale from Saturday 6th March with around 400 remaining.

Its been a while since ourselves and Doncaster have been this far apart in a league table. After becoming something of a bogey team for us the tables seem to have turned in our favour; especially when considering their demolition in Nottingham a couple of months ago.

The primary objective will be to engineer our first ever victory at the Keepmoat although recent events have taught us that it wont be easy.

The Ground

The Keepmoat is basically a smaller version of Leicester's Walkers Stadium. We will be able to judge for ourselves at the game. The capacity is a modest 15,200.

The North Stand end is home to away supporters and can hold up to 3,344 which includes 2,500 being directly behind the goal with the remainder being in the corners at either side.

Surrounding Area

The Keepmoat is relatively close to the town centre. New grounds tend to be built on land out of town which brings obvious problems in terms of pubs and travel but the Keepmoat is walkable (20-25 min walk) from the town centre and is served by local buses that run regularly from town.

Doncaster town centre has a Walkabout, Wetherpoons and a Yates' within close proximity to each other in the centre of town. There is also a Hogs Head amongst other various pubs on the high street. You cannot go wrong for a drink in Doncaster town centre. There is a cracking little cob shop across from Walkabout too.

Slightly away from town on the road to the stadium (near the old ground) are a few pubs that allow away fans in. The first is the Park Hotel whereas further down the road is another pub which I unfortunately can't recall the name of. Anyone in this bar the year we played the last game at Belle Vue will recall the rather over zealous bar maids who refused point blank to serve anyone until the singing had stopped. On our arrival it seemed to be mainly Doncaster fans inside although as time progressed Forest gradually took over. The large Santa that was on a shelf in the pub was soon being tossed around the bar and a couple of older Reds treated the rest to a version of some old terrace favourite that I had never heard before. Funnily enough, we would come across Santa a short while later... in the arms of a policeman at the turnstiles to the away end!

Travel

Trains are regular with fans able to pick between a change in Sheffield or Grantham. Sheffield is a touch longer but will work out cheaper if the group saver option is used.

A standard price from Nottingham to Doncaster return is £19.30 (£12.75 with railcard) although this can be reduced by purchasing tickets to Nottingham-Sheffield and Sheffield-Doncaster separately bringing the cost down to £14.80 (£9.80 RC). This also works for any of the routes taken (ie Chesterfield or Grantham)

By car, leave M1 at Junction 32 and follow M18 into Doncaster. Follow signs for Doncaster racecourse. There is parking at the ground in the form of club car park or street parking.

Official Skills coaches depart from the Brian Clough stand car park at noon and costs £10.

Tickets

As of Friday afternoon there were less than 500 tickets remaining from an allocation of 3,200.

They are priced at £23 for adults and everyone else is £17.

So, here we go again. The tables have well and truly turned since our last visit with the clubs sitting at opposite ends of the table and a proven difference in class between the two.  

If football was straightforward then we'd go there and rip them apart and probably run up a cricket score. Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that and it could well be a tough game in store as Forest attempt to record their first ever victory at Pride Park.

The Flag Day back in August will undoubtedly add an added layer of tension to this encounter and both sets of fans would love nothing more than a victory on the 30th January. I'm sure Derby have all kinds of surprises in store for us again that we can laugh at...

The Ground

Pride Park was one of the pioneers of the dull 'bowl' stadiums that have sprung up in the last decade. While it is more impressive than similarly designed grounds such at Leicester's Walkers Stadium, it still is a lifeless venue not helped by the Derby supporters who, along with Norwich, must be the most ridiculous set of fans in the country. Don't get me started on the bunch of kids to the right who nick everyone else's songs including the old Sheffield Wednesday chant which they have adapted to 'Forest ran away'. The only set of fans running last year were those unfortunate enough to be in the pub where a severed sheep's head came crashing through the window. Not to mention the bunch that got chased around Frankie & Bennie's near the ground!

The only section that differs from the rest of the ground is the Toyota West Stand which is two tiered and has a large block of corporate boxes at its left end. As the stand rises above the rest of the ground, the roof dips back down again to join up with the Derbyshire Building Society Stand and the Cawarden Stand behind each goal. Down the other by-line is the UK Diggers Stand. The overall capacity of the stadium is around 33,000.

Away fans are housed in the Cawarden End with the entire stand usually being made available giving around 4,500 tickets although Forest were allocated just 2,700 in total this time around. This despite us giving them 4,500 at the City Ground earlier in the season.

Surrounding Area

Set in the middle of Pride Park industrial area, there is a lack of anything around the ground. The Harvester pub a few minutes from the ground is only pub that springs to mind with most pubs back in the city centre which is around a fifteen minute walk.

Across from the station is the Merry Widows and The Flowerpot which, has developed into a potential flash point of late ever since the invasion by a group of Forest on the way to Port Vale a couple of seasons ago. The police will ensure Forest fans are escorted to the ground once off their trains. Gaining entry to any pubs in town may prove difficult but there are quite a few places to drink should the police be avoided.

Travel

Services depart Nottingham at a frequent rate and take around half an hour. After the game, Derbyshire Constabulary will be out in force to sheperd Forest supporters out of town as soon as possible and cram us into the carriages again so the return timetable will probably not be adhered to. A return costs just £4.60 but not worth buying one as they won't get checked.

By car, follow the Brian Clough Way (A52) to Eastgate before bearing left onto the A601 St Alkmund's Way. At the next roundabout, take the first exit onto Station Approach (B6000) which leads down to the stadium. Parking is available around the industrial estate or leaving the car in the town centre and walking is another option.

There are a few public transport buses that run from Nottingham to Derby including the Rainbow 4 from Wheeler Gate and the Red Arrow from Victoria Bus Station.

Official Skills coaches depart from the Brian Clough Stand car park at 10.45 and costs £8.

Tickets

Tickets are £30 adults, £18 for senior citizens and £13 for under 16's.

The process of getting hold of tickets involves a postal application and there is apparently little chance of being successful unless you have been to five-six away games..