So a Midweek trip to Selhurst Park with despite the Wolves blip saw Saints in their best run of form for while. Working nearby I could easily walk to the ground but instead chose to get a tram to Harrington Road and do a few pubs from the East side of the ground I had not done before. First stop was the Albert Tavern. A definite locals showing Sky Sports and a standard choice of drink. After getting my San Miguel I moved to find a seat, and low and behold see Classic Rock journalist (& Palace season ticket holder) Dave Ling at the opposite table. According to his blog, he now lives in Hastings so this pub is now a bit out of the way from his travel arrangements I would have thought.
Anyway, onwards I went to the Portland Arms. This is a recently re-opened pub now concentrating on the Gastro element. It was alright with multi coloured chairs and tables, and did have Sky Sports and Moretti, but would not call it a place to spend an evening. Still pubs in the area which were once in number, are now becoming rare as I walked past the boarded up Gladstone and the sadly demolished Port Manor on the way to Norwood.
The final stop before the game was Palace home pub and an ex-wetherspoons called intriguingly The Shelverdine Goathouse. An unusual but poor selection of ale, it was mainly craft based, though I did find a Praha. Difficult to comment due to the number of football fans in there what it would normally be like, but I seem to remember in its previous incarnation there was a dartboard which is now sadly gone.
Due to Saints deciding small allocation take ups are the way to go I was stuck more in a corner for the game rather than a more central position in the Arthur Waite. This must have made the view awful for the people more than 11 rows back due to the poles in the way.
The game was nearly all Southampton and screamers from Redmond and Armstrong gave us a 2-0 victory which perhaps should have been more. Things are looking good.
# posted by Rich @ 7:43 PM
