The trip to Leeds – with the Dieters Bar Jacks – was my 2nd Swans away game in 5 days and one which we’d all been looking forward to since the fixtures were released back in June.
The fun started with a 7am departure from the Liberty Stadium, with Lance – as per Tuesday – at the helm of the ‘bus’. We also welcomed a new member to the DBJ’s – in the shape of Chip (and no it’s not the one off Soccer AM).
With the rain dying away we quickly ran up the miles and before long we’d reached Strensham services on the M5, our first stop on the 265 mile journey up north. After a quick strecth of the legs and visit to the loo we were once again on our way – with Helmut and Hans deeply engrossed in their newly acquired copy of the ‘Saturday Sport‘ (rather than each other for once).
This was the case until we reached our next stop or rather requested pee stop for Sick Bag to relieve himself. I can’t even remember the name of the services, but it was up north somewhere. This was also where we bumped (literally in Helmut’s case) into David Morgan – the Swans director and some Swansea based Leeds fans (which I’m not even going to start going on about…). They were travelling separately I hasten to add!
So after a very brief stay , Lance once again began clocking up the miles quicker than Ben Johnson on speed. As a result, we duly reached Wakefield – some 30 minutes from Elland Road – at around 11:45 and it was time to grab some nosh at a local watering hole. What better place to stop than the Swan & Cygnet!
The service was friendly and the food was both tasty and reasonable. The raspberry cheesecake was so scrumpious that it deserved a picture of it’s own!
So after topping up our energy stores with some further liquid refreshment it was time to hit the road for the final leg of our journey to Elland Road.
The excitement was now starting to build and with Elland Road in site and a throng of Swansea and Leeds fans mingling nearby, we parked up in Car Park B and headed straight for the nearest programme seller (having been advised to avoid the ‘Old Peacock’ pub). With my programme now safely tucked away in an A4 cover and Game carrier bag – we headed off to the turnstiles, some 75 minutes before kick-off.
—- ?Sent using a Sony Ericsson videophone