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.