Shrewsbury Town

There’s a song that goes around, sung by the supporters of one club toward those of a club about to be relegated: Que sera sera, Whatever will be will be, You’re going to Shrewsbury! Que sera sera. This is because Shrewsbury Town haven’t been in the second tier since 1989, and in their 130-plus-year history they’ve only been that high for 10…

Two of their longtime rivals, Chester City and Hereford, actually went out of business; “phoenix” versions of each are now a few levels below the Shrews in the pyramid. Wrexham are also a rival, though it isn’t clear why. They will also get worked up about Port Vale, Wolverhampton, and Walsall….

Officially called the Shrewsbury Town Foundation Women, they play in the West Midlands Regional Women’s Football League, tier 5. Home games are at the same place as the men’s

They come out to “Catch Us If You Can” by the Dave Clark

The old place, from 1910, was called Gay Meadow, and when this one opened in 2007, it didn’t actually have a name. So people just called it the New Meadow. If this seems quaint, consider that Barcelona’s Camp Nou is, in Catalan, simply New Field. Now known for sponsorship reasons as Croud Meadow, it’s no Camp Nou but is a very nice ground. It…

GETTING THERE: It’s around two miles out from the center of town and the train station, but bus 27 from St. Mary’s Street to Brooklands will save you most of that effort. PUBS: There’s a Fan Zone at the ground, but the only pub nearby is the Wild Pig at the Brooklands Hotel on Mill Street, right where the bus from town would drop you off. It has…