Views from the Sieve

I'll be in town for home fixtures against Tonbridge Angles on a Tuesday (19 August) and Hemel Hempstead on a Monday (25 August). I am guessing the Monday fixture is a banking holiday. I was hoping to take in a classic Saturday game as that might be the bigger crowd but Monday might not be so bad either. Just happy to get a chance to see them in person.

Based on the schedule and working in visiting in-laws and a few other things I want to do my flight may be moved but for now these are the fixtures I plan to be at.

I want to visit Slough (and Bath) as I have done a talk on William Herschel and his sister Caroline last year and then a talk on John Herschel just a few months ago for my local astronomy club. A shame an away fixture at Slough is not in August as I could have made that day a two-fer with a visit to a few things of interest in that area.

No complaints and I am guessing had I alerted the National League office of my visit they would not have changed anything just for me.

It will be great to see you. Put your schedule on here for the matchdays you're attending. I'm sure a few of us will meet up with you.

Also, let the club know you're attending, perhaps John G, a fellow USA native can arrange a couple of things for you.

COYD

I am flying your way Thursday PM and arriving into London Heathrow around 6:30 AM Friday moring GMT.

I plan to be at the 19 August match and then the 25 August match. I will be flying back home on 28 August.

I don't think I will have time to take in an away game as I need to visit some in-laws and we have a few other things planned.

Greenwich Observatory, the Herschel stuff in Slough, though we don't have time to get to Bath, Harry Potter on West End, and a trip to Coventry to the Ska Village. A visiting in-laws that I have never met on my sister's wife side of the family.

I am not a beer drinker but if we win I think a visit to a pub afterwards might be in order. I don't have tickets yet, but my season ticket mate (RayleighDagger) watches from the standing area he mentioned. So I shall be there during the matches it would seem. And we might visit the bar before the match as well so hopefully there will be time to introduce myself to as many as want to say hello. I'll post more definite plans on Saturday or Sunday I am sure.

Sack off the in-laws and go Salisbury, 85 mins from Heathrow.

Can visit Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral and then watch us get beat.

Ally Fraser wrote: Wed Aug 13, 2025 10:52 pm Sack off the in-laws and go Salisbury, 85 mins from Heathrow.

Can visit Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral and then watch us get beat.

That is compelling, especially the last phrase of the sentence.

If you're going to Salisbury, you might as well extend the trip by 1 day and go on to Bath. It's only 1 hour from Salisbury by train. And then if you really insist on visiting Slough, it's on the train line coming back from Bath to Paddington (NB you might have to change trains at Reading because the fast train probably doesn't stop at Slough).

Well, I made it. I got about 30 seconds of sleep three different times on the train but no worse for the wear yet.

Hope you enjoyed your trip to Victoria Road ! Did it match your expectations?

It seems that your visit may have (eventually) brought us some luck! Good win today, onwards and upwards.

rebeldagger wrote: Mon Aug 25, 2025 7:19 pm Hope you enjoyed your trip to Victoria Road ! Did it match your expectations?

It seems that your visit may have (eventually) brought us some luck! Good win today, onwards and upwards.

Having me in the program was what got us the win.

It did meet my expectations and exceeded it a bit. Everyone was very nice at the club. I know Thompson gets some comments on here that may be deserved or not, but that really was a nice gesture on his part to put me in the program. Mike Jones was so gracious in giving me a tour before the Tuesday match. It was not an hour long tour but that is not needed, but he took time to do that. Mike got me a free ticket to the Tuesday game, which I was not expecting. Again a nice gesture.

The stadium is a bit nicer than I thought it would be. I have watched lots of highlights and that shows the grounds a bit but not the clubhouse and bars. There are a lot of bars there but enough food options as well.

I was in the terrace area and the person beside me at the Tuesday game found out I was from the US and his question to me was "Why?" He said it jokingly, but a legitimate question. My answer was how friendly everyone has been and the fact all of the above is accessible to a visitor. West Ham would be a ticket I can't afford, or at least not afford more than once.

I do hope you appreciate the weather you have. If you read my signature line you will know how much I hate the high humidity in my area. Yesterday felt like late September weather. The temperatures between central North Carolina and here have been very close, to within a degree or two the same, but the low humidity is great here.

I was surprised how many were willing to engage in talk of the NFL. I met a fan on the train coming back from Coventry that was at the Women's Rugby World Cup. He was quite knowledgeable, and might have kept up with it more than I do. In the states I follow university sports more than professional sports. Speaking of Coventry, the Coventry Music Museum has a small section on Coventry City FC. They have a map of every English football club down to at least our level. I am not sure if they get a new map each year or this has been ongoing for a few years but the clubs are hidden behind a scratch off cover such as found on lottery tickets. I was the first one there representing the Daggers so I had the honors. I think they posted a picture of this on their Facebook page.

I am not sure when I will be able to return, but it might be a year or two. But I will be back. In the meantime I will be listening as much as possible on the MixLR channel or other audio, if our MixLR channel does not have commentary for that match. I am heading home on Thursday.

It was a fun three days, including the open house on Thursday.

COYD!

Who's your NFL team ? For your sake I hope it's not the Panthers haha