FA Cup Draw: Toon Play Brighton (A)

Last updated : 02 December 2012 By Footy Mad - Editor

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Middlebrough are at home to Harrowgate Town or Hastings United.

The Mackems are away to Bolton Wanderers.

Crystal Palace v Stoke City
Brighton v Newcastle
Tottenham v Coventry City
Wigan v Bournemouth
Fulham v Blackpool
Aston Villa v Ipswich Town
Charlton v Huddersfield Town
Barrow/Macclesfield Town v Cardiff City
Barnsley v Burnley
Manchester City v Watford
Swansea City v Arsenal
Leicester City v Burton Albion
Milwall v Preston
Cheltenham/Hereford v Everton
Derby County v Tranmere Rovers
Crawley Town v Reading
Aldershot Town v Rotherham/Notts County
Middlesbrough v Harrogate/Hastings United
Accrington Stanley/Oxford United v Sheffield United
Southampton v Chelsea
QPR v West Brom
Peterborough v Norwich City
Lincoln City/Mansfield Town v Liverpool
Bolton v Sunderland
Nottingham Forest v Oldham
West Ham v Manchester United
Hull City v Alfreton Town/Leyton Orient
Blackburn v Bristol City
Leeds United v Birmingham City
Bury/Southend v Bradford City/Brentford
Luton Town v Wolves
Sheffield Wednesday v MK Dons

BRIGHTON & HOVE

How To Get There By Car & Where To Park

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To stadium is located at Falmer on the outskirts of Brighton, very close to the University of Sussex.

At the end of the M23, continue onto the A23, heading towards Brighton. At the roundabout which is the junction with the A27, take the A27 towards Lewes. After around four miles you will se the stadium on your right hand side. Leave at the A27 and take the slip road sign posted Falmer (B2123). At the top of the slip road turn right crossing back over the A27 and the entrance to the stadium is down on the right.

There is no parking at the stadium for away fans (although coaches minibuses will be allowed to park providing that they have been pre-booked with the Club) and there is a large no parking zone in force around the area of the stadium on matchdays.

Some Sat-Navs are not recognising the stadium post code of BN1 9BL. You can try instead BN1 9SD which takes you to nearby Falmer Railway Station instead.

Park & Ride

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The Club are encouraging fans to use the Park & Ride services located at three different locations; Mill Road (BN1 8ZF), Brighton Racecourse (BN2 9XZ) and Mithras House at Brighton University (BN2 4AT).
 
Probably the easiest for away fans to locate is Mill Road, as it is just off the A23/A27 junction. However, this is by far the busiest of the three, so if you have time on your hands consider using one of the other alternatives such as Brighton Racecourse. The capacity of Mill Road is 500 cars. The road is located next to a BP garage, which (if coming down from London) you will see over on your right at the top of the slip road off the A23.

The Park & Ride is open from 12 noon on Saturdays (with last departure at 2.30pm) and 5.30pm for evening kick offs. The last buses return from the stadium 90 minutes after the end of the game. The cost of the Park & Ride is included in the price of your match ticket. So just show your match ticket or proof of ticket booking (if collecting your match tickets from the ticket office at the stadium). Please note that vehicles must removed no later than two hours after the game has ended.

Mill Road isn't a car park as such, but a normal road that is closed for this purpose. Tony Hewitt informs me; 'I parked at Mill Road before an England Under 19 match. The Park and Ride was well-organised both ways.  Going in, you park parallel in the next slot and it is easy to drive in.  Buses and cars leave the road at the other end so it is completely one-way and simple. The road is divided into zones (A-E). Coming back after the game, it was well run by the stewards with only a 10 minute wait for a bus. The bus stops at all the zones so you end up close enough to your car'. Martyn Clark a visiting Leeds United adds; 'Before the game the Park and Ride was fine. We got on a coach (which was rather ancient looking) fairly quickly and it seemed well organised. I did note though, that eventhough we had arrived two hours before kick off the Park & Ride was already around three quarters full. After the game it was a completely different story. It took ages to get out of the ground and when we got to the bus pick up area, we found incredibly long queues trying to get up some narrow steps. All in all it took 1 hour 25 minutes from the end of the game to getting on a bus and moving back to Mill Road Park and Ride. Everyone (including Brighton fans) were very frustrated.'

Pam a visiting Leeds United fan tells me; 'We parked at the Park & Ride at Brighton racecourse. This park and ride was also poorly signposted and the actual car park was just a field. Returning after the game we found the area to be unlit and had difficulty in locating our car in the dark. There were also no staff around, which I found alarming. Considering that the Park & Ride is used by both home and away supporters, then this is a potential incident waiting to happen. I also dread to think what the state of the parking will be like in the winter.'

By Train

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The nearest railway station is Falmer, which is situated right by the stadium. Kevin Bartholomew informs me; 'The quickest and easiest way to get to the stadium though is by train. Falmer station is adjacent to the ground. It's three stops from Brighton central station on the line to Lewes and Seaford. Alternatively, you can avoid Brighton completely by getting a train to Lewes and changing there for Falmer. There are four trains an hour in either direction'.

Brighton Central Railway Station is over four miles away from the stadium. So either get a train, taxi or bus up to the stadium. Brighton & Hove Bus No 25 (Route and timetable on the Brighton & Hove Bus Company website, which shows bus stops) operates a regular service (every 12 minutes) up to the stadium from Central Brighton, as do Bus Numbers 28 & 29.

The Club have a scheme whereby travel to the stadium by public transport within a geographical zone is free as it is included within the price of your match ticket. Valid on both buses and trains, just simply show your match ticket or booking form (if collecting your tickets from the Stadium ticket office). The zone extends as far north as Haywards Heath station and east to Lewes. So fans travelling from London for instance only need a train ticket to Haywards Heath.

Rob Haynes a visiting Nottingham Forest Fan also found going by train frustrating; 'We stayed in Brighton so walked to the station and arrived at 13.30 to find a huge queue snaking around the concourse. Whilst it generally quite well organised it didn't add much to the pre-match experience to have to stand and wait for such a long period before getting on a packed train to the ground. Fans that left it later no doubt had an even longer wait. After the game we walked straight from the away end to the train station. At 6pm (the game finished before 5pm) I was finally moving and on my way into Brighton centre. All generally organised okay but again such a frustrating wait and such a waste of time! Trains again jammed back to Brighton. Thankfully no trouble but potential for trouble after needle game is multiplied by the time it takes to get in and out the ground. I feel sorry for any Brighton fans having to experience such long waits, especially in poor weather'. Alternatively you could consider parking/staying in the pleasant town of Lewes and getting a train from there to the stadium.