Solitudinarian

Oh aye, almost forgot... I'm not sure how feasible this would be for those of you travelling over but Cliftonville are currently on the look-out for young Mascots to lead the players onto the pitch. If any of you are bringing kids with you then you might be interested in having a look here: www.cliftonvillefc.net/boltonmascots.

That's not strictly true, I think it's just something publicans say to stop Celtic and Rangers fans going mental at one another. Obviously, though, there will be some pubs here and there who associate football shirts with riff-raff and would be a bit arsey about letting you wear them but, let's be honest, I can't see a Bolton top sparking much ire over here (that said, I know of someone who has divided loyalties between Cliftonville and Wigan...) As has been said, however, our Social Club will be open on the day of the game and you'll be made more than welcome in there.

Ticket details were announced yesterday... http://www.cliftonvillefc.net/welcome2.html ... and I think there are plans to make them available for purchase online sometime soon. I'll keep you posted.

They came along in 1880, a year after us. And then had the gall to beat us in the first Irish Cup Final.

The end credits are the best thing about that video.

No, though the person sitting behind you will! Generally anyone who wants to stand in the seated areas can do so in the back rows (where they won't be blocking anyone's view).

Pitch Whenever Sky Sports broadcast a game from Solitude, the likes of Helen Chamberlain and co on Soccer AM would regularly wet themselves over how it was like a 'real' football match - big muddy scars on the pitch everytime there was a challenge, with sticky, boggy patches appearing in various areas at the first sign of rain. Drainage problems meant that adverse weather conditions would very often lead to postponements and, last season, it reached the stage where rain on a Wednesday or Thursday meant it was nearly certain that Saturday's match would be off. Opposing players used to hate visiting Solitude during the winter because the sludge would often be at ankle-depth and, as our manager frequently pointed out, 90 minutes on our pitch was like 180 on another. There was actually a game in February of this year where things got so bad that you could barely see ANY grass whatsoever and our successful application for a new 3G surface has completed the latest renovation at the ground, which will be officially re-opened when Bolton visit next month.

Cage End Just as Liverpool fans have the Kop, Celtic the Jungle and Bolton the ... er, I don't know what you have, so too did Cliftonville have the Cage End terracing. So called because of the chicken-wire which rose from ground to roof, the Cage was home to the most vociferous elements of the Reds' support and was often famed for the intimidating welcome it reserved for visiting goalkeepers. Three years ago it made way to a new 1400-seater stand, within which are new changing and shower facilities, boardroom, office space, media rooms and all that sort of business. The first game in front of the new stand was a Premiership fixture with Linfield live on Sky Sports. 4-0 defeat. Completely shite. Floodlights Ever tried to illuminate a cathedral with a candle? That's what our old floodlights were like towards the end. They were so bad that, whenever we played live on TV, we had to bring temporary lighting in just so the viewers at home would be able to see properly. Night fixtures at Solitude were a nightmare for TV and radio commentators, who often struggled to make out which players were which, while photographers regularly complained that the lighting was too poor for them to take pictures. These lights were replaced just over a year ago by new 35m constructions which, with 800 lux lights, meet full UEFA requirements and bring Solitude up to sufficient standard to host European games. The official switching on of these floodlights (also seen above either side of the new stand) came when we faced Celtic in a friendly game last October, which we won 3-0. Bit of a ridiculous scoreline.

Solitude Brief history After playing at the Cliftonville Cricket Grounds in their early years, Cliftonville moved to Solitude in 1890 and, while the penalty kick was conceived of a mere 20 miles away in Killyleagh, the first spot-kick in international football was taken (and missed!) at Solitude, which was the home of the early international teams. Ours was the first ground in Ireland to experiment with floodlights. On December 19, 1889, we played host to Distillery and a series of street-bulbs were hung on wires and draped across the pitch at a height but were, inevitably, constantly hit by the ball and frequently fell off. During the game, the wight of the bulbs meant they all started sliding towards the middle of the wires, bringing all the light to the centre, and virtually touching the pitch. And we lost 7-0. Great night, that. A number of further attempts to play floodlit football came and went, failing for a host of reasons ranging from the lights not being bright enough to the shadows being "confusing" for the spectators. Never seen a fucking shadow before?! Anyway, I do not for one minute expect your supporters to be impressed by the facilities at Solitude. They're a million miles away from what you'd be used to at the Reebok Stadium or the various Premier League grounds you visit on a weekly basis. I did, however, note one interesting comment on the Matty Burrows goal thread on this forum. One of your contributors remarked that it was scored at what looked like a 'real' old-style football ground and, if that's what you like, then that's what you'll get here. Solitude has changed virtually beyond all recognition in the last 10 years and hopefully these pictures will give you an idea of exactly what's gone on... Main Stand Formerly the main base for Cliftonville supporters, this is no longer in use following a recommendation/ warning from the local Health & Safety bigwigs, although supporters can still stand on the terracing in front. Away Stand This used to be covered terracing and, 10 years ago, was the first part of the ground to undergo a facelift with visiting supporters now offered an approximate 850-seater facility.

Cliftonville Football Club Brief history The oldest Football Club in Ireland, we were formed on September 20, 1879 by a young businessman by the name of John McCredy McAlery who fell in love with the game while on honeymoon in Scotland (bet the missus was chuffed). Our first match came just nine days later and was played at Cliftonville Cricket Grounds (opposite our current stadium) and we lost 2-1 to a team of rugby players. An embarrassment from which I'm not sure we've ever really recovered. As well as founding the Reds, Mr McAlery also played a key role in the formation of other local clubs and of the Irish Football Association, while the era's international teams were very heavily made up of Cliftonville players including McAlery himself who played at right-back and famously left the field in tears following a 13-0 defeat to England. Swines. We have won the League title two-and-a-half times. After sharing it with Distillery in 1906 (somebody hurry up and invent goal difference ffs!), we claimed it outright in 1910 and quickly grew bored of such triumphs, eventually not bothering our arses again until 1998. Indeed, we instead preferred to concentrate on testing everyone's patience by constantly finishing bottom of the table and applying for re-election which, thankfully, was granted on eight times in 10 years (1937-47), three times from 1948-56 and then 11 consecutive seasons from 1957-68. We didn't have many fans. We abandoned our Amateur status in 1970 and, against all odds, claimed the Irish Cup nine years later with a dramatic last-minute victory over Portadown, which booked our first ever venture into Europe and a memorable Cup Winners' Cup date with FC Nantes Atlantique. The first leg took place at Solitude exactly 100 years to the day since Cliftonville's formation and finished 1-0 to the visitors. Undeterred, we visited France for the return game fully confident of overturning the deficit. There were seven goals in the match, it doesn't matter how many went our way. Since then, we've played a further 18 matches in the various European competitions with possibly the most memorable being a 2008 UEFA Cup meeting with FC Copenhagen. Quite what they were doing in the same qualifying round as us is still cause for much discussion but it was nevertheless an incredible experience. Again, 11 goals. Nevermind who scored them. After struggling against relegation for the most part between the mid-90s and mid-2000s, the appointment of former player Eddie Patterson as manager has transformed our fortunes with regular title challenges and European places having been enjoyed in recent years. This season In pre-season, we faced Macclesfield Town (lost 2-1 but missed a ridiculous amount of chances) and then beat FC United by the same scoreline. The competitive campaign kicked off with a Europa League Second Qualifying Round tie with HNK Cibalia of Croatia and, after beating them 1-0 at Windsor Park (our nominated home venue due to ongoing redevelopment work at Solitude), we held out for a 0-0 draw and an outcome which made headlines of sorts across Europe with various media outlets picking up on the fact that a team of full-time professionals had been beaten by a side made up of plumbers, brickies, teachers, students and civil servants. UEFA arsed us around by making us play our away game with CSKA Sofia just five days later which meant that our players were getting back to Belfast on Friday night, spending the weekend begging bosses for time off work and then flying out to Bulgaria on the Monday morning. Unfortunate to lose 3-0 at the Vasil Levski Stadium (two late goals put an unfair spin on things), we led 1-0 in the return leg in Belfast only to once again concede twice in the final minutes to seal a 5-1 aggregate loss. Just like our meetings with HNK Cibalia, the ties with CSKA made headlines around the continent as well. The first leg is noted for quite possibly the worst miss in the history of football ... ... while the second is best remembered for the involvement of CSKA midfielder Spas Delev, whom it later emerged was ineligible to compete. Cliftonville appealed to UEFA but, because we had not flagged the issue up within 24 hours of the game, our case was thrown out. Bastions of fair play are UEFA. Twats. Domestically, we were forced to play a host of fixtures away from home but have recently returned to Solitude and are doing reasonably well in the Premiership - fourth place, five points behind leaders Glentoran with a game in hand. Our cause probably hasn't been helped by the fact that we sold 18-year-old striker Liam Boyce (who scored against CSKA) to Werder Bremen on Transfer Deadline Day. A load of English clubs (including your good selves) had been tracking him and, to be honest, it still seems a bit odd that a player went from Cliftonville to the Bundesliga.

Probably not . Not quite sure what outside impressions of Belfast are but don't worry about anything out of the ordinary happening. As others have said, there won't be any trouble outside of that which you seek or make of your own doing. And, though I'm aware of how many people see Cliftonville with regards the perceived political persuasions of our supporters, don't be afraid of being English! Nobody cares. We've played plenty of English sides over the years with no hint of bother whatsoever. In fact, in the summer just past we faced FC United at an alternative Belfast venue because the pitch was being relaid at Solitude and invited their supporters along to our ground the night before for a drinking session with our fans. Make no mistake, our supporters will go out of their way to make you feel welcome (which sounds more ominous than I meant it to!) Please be warned that my next post will be the much-promised Internet-breaking guide to Cliftonville, Solitude and Belfast. Apologies for what you're about to endure...

I think it's virtually the same as in England. Yes, I know the place. Never been in it, though, because it's a wee bit out of the road. Anyway, I'll be back soon to bore you all with details over the significance of this match and will hopefully be able to provide some useful info regarding getting around Belfast be it via bus or taxi.

Behave. Many thanks, though I dare say I'll be working on various bits and pieces in the lead-up to the game. Have you anywhere in particular lined up for a drink? I'm naturally going to suggest our Social Club - our fans always like mixing with opposition supporters, especially on occasions such as this. We played FC Copenhagen in the UEFA Cup a few seasons back and so good were relations between both sets of fans that a few Copenhagen lads are actually coming from Denmark to see us play Newry City tomorrow! On a more general note, I'm always keen to hear what people in England know of Cliftonville. We've been live on Sky Sports a few times in recent years and, having worn my Reds' shirt on a brief spell in England earlier in the year, I was surprised by the amount of people who knew who we were. What's the general consensus among Wanderers' fans... or is this literally the first time you've ever heard of us?

I'm not sure this has been reported in the various videos and links doing the rounds, but the best thing about the goal is that it was an injury-time winner. Could have done without it, to be honest.

May God have mercy on your soul . I've just signed up here for anyone who would like any questions answered about Cliftonville, Belfast, the stadium you are kindly re-opening or anything else that crosses your mind ahead of the match next month. Hope to see as many Bolton fans at Solitude as possible, you'll all be made more than welcome.