Cans & Megabus Away Guide: Everything Sunderland fans need to know about the trip to Shrewsbury

Who Are These Jobbers?

Shrewsbury Town gave little Donny Love a home. I hope they’re treating him well - little Donny hasn’t been the same since he was the star of Max Power’s Instagram account and we’re all just happy he’s found a loving club to take care of him.

Oh, little Donny, with that cheeky smile and can-do attitude - what a trooper, what a star.

He’s the kind of person that just brings a little light to the dark world. I can already see him now, on his tricycle, eating drumsticks and glue, like it was the most normal thing in the world. Thank you, Shrewsbury. Thank you, for treating our boy so well.

Do they have any other players? Who cares.

Photo by Malcolm Couzens - AMA/Getty Images

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What’s The Ground Like?

As hobikit football stadiums go, Shrewsbury’s Montgomery Waters Stadium really does hit that dictionary definition. Four identical stands? Check. Plonked in a field well outside the town centre? Check. Devoid of our character or anything of relative interest within striking distance? Check, check and check.

After leaving their spiritual, ramshackled home of Gay Meadow in 2007, the Shrews have been at this soulless vacuum of a stadium. They do, however, have a safe standing section at the top of South Stand which houses the Salop ultras.

Sunderland fans are in the opposite stand where you’ll have an excellent view of Shrewsbury fans singing songs about Adam Johnson.

Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

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How Do I Get There?

Shrewsbury, like Hull and Scunthorpe, seems to have that uncanny knack of being much further away than you actually think. If you’re taking the car down, it’s just the four-and-a-half hours to this quiet Shropshire hamlet.

Take the A1(M) down to junction 35 before joining the M1 heading south, leave at junction 23A at East Midlands Airport and head west on the A42. As it becomes the M42 leave for the M6 passing Birmingham before exiting at junction 10A for the M54 and subsequent A5 as you near Shrewsbury. Follow this to the B4380 and the ground is on your left hand side.

While there is a large car park at the ground, this is for permit holders only and you’re not allowed to park in the adjacent retail park. There is a car park at Meole Brace Bowling Club (£3 per car) which can be found on Meole Rise (SY3 9JF).

If you get lost put SY2 6ST into your sat nav.

If you’re a big dawg getting the train, Shrewsbury railway station is a handy two miles away from the ground. Football special buses run from the town centre bus station to the ground for £2.50 or you can get the 8, 16, 23, 25 or 544/546. Taxis can be at a premium in Shrewsbury close to kick off, so it’d be wise to book one in advance. Alternatively, you could just walk and drink in the leafy surroundings in which you find yourself.

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Where Can I Get The Sesh Started?

As we’ve established, Shrewsbury is nice and has a number of nice pubs to match it’s nice vibe. Nice. While the club does put on some form of Phoenix Family Fun Day-style fanzone at the ground, you can take the short walk to The Charles Darwin on Sutton Road for a more, you know, pub experience.

However, the main action is in the town centre where every pub oozes history. Step into the Tudor facade of Loggerheads on Church Street for a hearty ale somewhere you imagine Guy Fawkes would have supped. Take a stroll around the corner and you’ll find The Bull Inn on Butcher Row, a hostelry that can trace its life back to the 17th century. If you’re not all Tudored out, get yourself in Three Fishes Inn on Fish Street.

If you fancy something with a much more we’re-going-to-the-football vibe then head to The Salopian Bar on Smithfield Road where you can admire all the commemorative Shrewsbury Town scarves. And, if you must, the go-to Wetherspoons outlet, Shrewsbury Hotel, is on nearby Bridge Street.

Photo credit: Shropshire & Beyond

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Is There Anything Worth Doing Around Here?

On Saturday, you can let yourself in for a truly horrifying experience. Hosted in the eerie darkened Shropshire countryside, is the reawakening of a classic bone-chilling event that is making a comeback nobody wanted...BUT ENOUGH ABOUT THE MATCH HAHAHA.

Join the Films In A Flash crew as they host a 20th anniversary screening of The Blair Witch Project. Set in the spooky surroundings of Haughmond Hill in nearby Upton Magna, you can re-live the horror that scared everyone shitless in 1999. The event opens at 6pm with the film starting at 8.15pm.

Buy your tickets here.

If you haven’t had your fill of staring blankly at a load of old shite at the Montgomery Waters Stadium, then head back there on Sunday for the Shrewsbury Town FC Antiques, Collectors & Vintage Fair. Billed as “the ideal opportunity for you to find something perfect to complement your home, collection or wardrobe!”, there could be no better way to erase the memory of a third consecutive defeat.