Despite the disaster of relegation for many Foxes fans, people I knew felt it had been coming for a while. Last year was a good opportunity to see some Leicester away games and go to places I wouldn't often visit. I'm not a completist and at the present rate, based on 2008/09 it would take me until about 2020 to be approaching all the League grounds. There are already some I have been to that are no more - the Baseball Ground, Maine Road, the County Ground at Northampton and, of course Filbert Street - and some that will, if we believe what we read, not be there in ten years time - Anfield, Fratton Park, the Memorial Ground in Bristol. There will also only ever be 91 that I will visit as there is a place in Buckinghamshire where I would not set foot.
I've also seen Leicester at Wembley in a play off final in 1992, but that was the old Wembley as opposed to the new expensive corporate entity that has been created in North London and must host every vaguely important match to justify its existence and keep the banks happy.
Last year i managed five away trips, one of which included a stop over Saturday night but all of which included pubs. The best away day was Cheltenham, where we went down by train on the Saturday morning. We had a couple of beers, but unfortunately no food in the Swan in town before heading to the ground. Whaddon Road would be described as quaint by Estate Agents but it was a beautiful day and you could see walkers on the hills in the background.
Instead of heading back into town we set off for Prestbury and a wonderful pub called the Plough. Overlooked by the church, we sat in the garden, drinking gravity tapped beer and eating decent pub food - steak and Guinness pie for me. And Leicester won 4-0.
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