That was my first visit to Gresty Road. It is good to have a ground 5 minutes walk from the station.
I had a quick look in the club shop to buy a badge and was impressed by some of their souvenirs - etched crystal glasses and tankards. A bit more classy than our shop with its garden gnomes.
Pre-match in the Corner Bar, I said hello to the group of Hibs fans who had ventured down and seemed to be having fun. The range of real ales confused me so I ended up getting a pint of Cunning Stunt re-spoonerised which was slightly embarrassing. I also met the lad who dressed as Superman at the Play-off final and is now featured in I think every non-league programme each week as part of a betting advert. He said he remembered the photo being taken as the photographers were in his face all match waiting for a good opportunity, and later scoured the internet for it, but it wasn't until a Wrexham fan at his work plonked a match-day programme on his desk that he saw it. His pleas for an appearance fee by way of some free bets were turned down.
At the ground I was pleasantly surprised to hear they really do play Dario G as part of the pre-match music (Sunchyme and Carneval de Paris) and now have Life in a Northern Town as an earworm.
I did get a bit confused that the entrance to the stand was from the top, as at half time I walked to the bottom expecting to find the exit, and then had to walk back to the top again. It reminded me slightly of Luton with a strange walk up the steps to get in.
On the pitch we were lucky to get a point, but this was a relatively poor showing from Oxford compared to most of the games this season, rather than being outclassed. Perhaps Bulman being shopped out to Crawley has hit dressing room morale a bit.
A quick stop at the fish and chip shop for £2.99 chips and stewed steak and gravy before catching the 5:30 train back to London, which raced back in an hour and a half, entertained by a group of Chelsea fans on their way back from Man City who couldn't believe we regularly take 800 fans to places like Crewe. I did of course remind them that we had won at Wembley more recently than them.
Mat Mitchel-King was on the train back as well, and kindly autographed my programme, and I wished them luck for the rest of the season. The programme was a good read and a definite improvement on Hereford's offering. I hadn't realised David Platt was a product of the legendary Crewe academy, and chuckled to read they had the chance of a sell-on fee when they sold him to Villa, but opted for a slightly higher transfer fee instead.
A quick journey across London on the tube, straight on a train back to Guildford and home by 8pm - quite a result being back 3 hours after the final whistle from a ground 200 miles away.
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