As you probably know, our game at Middlesbrough kicks off at 5.20pm on Saturday, and it’s live on Sky Sports.

If you’re driving in, the best bet is to stay on the A19 until you reach the junction with the A66, then  follow the A66 through the centre of town. By this time you will have picked up signs for the Riverside Stadium.  Your best bet is to use one of the private car parks along the river, which are all priced at £4, as there is no parking at the stadium itself, though these take a while to clear after the game.  But if you fancy street parking you can turn right at the stadium exit from the A66 (as opposed to turning left to go directly to the Riverside) and from this area it’s a 15-20 minute walk to the stadium.

It’s about a mile from the railway station, and if you don’t get rounded up for an escort, you’ll need to follow these directions.  From the main exit, turn left onto Zetland Road and left again into Albert Road. Go under the railway bridge and turn immediately right into Bridge Street East, going past the Bridge Inn and then take the next right into Wynward Way. The stadium is down this road. The railway passes the stadium as it continues east to Saltburn, and there was talk of providing a new station at the nearest point to save us the walk, but nothing has ever come of it.

As the stadium was built on a ‘brown field’ site (i.e. a post-industrial wasteland) there are no pubs or takeaways nearby, so if you fancy a swift half or two, you’ll have to head into the city centre. One option is ‘Doctor Browns’ which is ten minutes’ walk away from the ground at the bottom of Corporation Road. Otherwise, you might be able to get into the ‘Bridge Inn’ (see directions from the railway station above). It’s not really supposed to be for away fans, but you might be in luck if you’re not wearing Leeds colours.

The Riverside opened for the start of the 1995/6, after the Club had decided Ayresome Park (it’s home for the previous 92 years) could never be brought up to the standards demanded by the Taylor report. Since the opening they have filled in the corners to add a further 5,000 seats and bring the total capacity up to 35,100, but in recent years they haven’t come close to filling this as they suffered first from mid-table mediocrity in the Premiership and then relegation.

As with all the identikit stadia built round the country in recent years, the facilities are very good, but it’s completely lacking in character. There is plenty of legroom and a decent view, and the food outlets have a good choice of scoff, though whether they serve alcohol on the day of our visit remains to be seen. We’ve managed to sell out our complete allocation of 4,075, and Boro’s official website it getting very excited at the possibility of the total attendance exceeding 21,000. Wow! Ticket prices are £28 for adults, £18 for over 65s and £15 for the under 18s.

All in all it sounds like a good day out, live on national TV. Let’s make some noise!

Photo: Action Images via Reuters