So what's the best solution? Plymouth is roughly a 260 mile each way trip, and for a Saturday afternoon kick off the team will probably travel on Friday. If they decide to go back to Gillingham they'll be back late Saturday or early Sunday morning. Carlisle is roughly 335 miles by the shortest (and usually quickest) route. Realistically too far for the team to travel on the day, even for an evening kick off, assuming the club is going to take the match seriously, and so they'd need to travel on Monday for another overnight stay. So, assuming they do take the replay seriously, in which case most of the squad that travel to Plymouth will also be required against Carlisle, should they travel to Carlisle straight from Plymouth (a mere 390 miles, but 200 miles less than the return to Gillingham and then up to Carlisle) arriving in the early hours of Sunday morning, or stay overnight on Saturday in Plymouth and travel to Carlisle on Sunday so they can train up there on Monday, or make the return trip to Gillingham, travel on Monday and train on Tuesday morning? Sod's law that this combination of matches has given us the two longest possible trips within 3 days of each other, with very little financial reward at the end of it unless they actually beat Carlisle at the second attempt. Perhaps if they'd have given it a bit of thought before last Saturday and actually won (or heaven forbid, lost) this scenario would have been avoided. And if they're not going to take the replay seriously they might as well have lost on Saturday.
Tim, I am very pleased that you introduced the law of "Sod" It gives me the perfect excuse to say " Sod that" .....with my extra mileage, I wouldn't get home until at least 6am on Wednesday after the cup replay. To be a little more serious. - we need points more than a cup run - perhaps it wouldn't have been so dreadful if we had lost the original tie.
The problem with any cup is they can be a nuisance, that said losing last night cost us £20k, losing at Carlisle would cost us £27k, between them that's £47k that could have been used in January to strengthen the squad which in turn could help our league position. What any of that has to do with travel arrangements I don't know.. hey hum
Certainly don't envy any fans who are making those trips. Especially the gruelling trek to Carlisle on Tuesday.
Fly Newquay to London City, less than a 100 notes each, do it in an hour and 10 mins non stop Although Newquay is an hour from Plymouth then just under the same again from London to Gillingham, so it kills the time saving a bit.
brb - I take it that you will be travelling to these exotic destinations by Flying Pig Airways ?....... although it seems that grumpygit implies that you use the same corporation for home games !
You had me worried for a minute --I had to check the airline company on our holiday booking for next year -- not Flybe, but still bad planning - I will definitely miss one home game - maybe two.............. if we're in L2 it might not be bad planning !
