Southampton FC: The best pubs for home and away supporters near St Mary's | OneFootball

Highlights

Most fanbases of Championship clubs may be penciling in Southampton as a must-do for the current Championship campaign if they haven’t played them away from home already.

There’s many clubs that have been a staple of Championship football over the last decade, though Southampton have been anything but and that always means there’s extra enthusiasm to go there from a footballing perspective.

But it’s not always that viewpoint that allures fans.

Quite arguably even more crucial for many is the day out itself, the socialising elements that extend far behind merely scanning through turnstiles and watching a match for 90 minutes.

Especially for fans who work during the week, the weekend of football presents one of few limited opportunities to get out of the house, out of the workplace and enjoy an afternoon or evening in their favourite respite - so a lot goes into deciding which games to attend.

When money’s tight, you can’t necessarily go to all 46 matches across the course of the season, so it’s important to know as much as possible beforehand in order to ensure that you’re doing the ones that are really worth doing.

And one element that plays a key role in that is the quality and accommodating availability of pubs near the ground.

It’s no secret that a lot of football fans love a drink - and who can blame them?

With that said then, let’s take a dive into the situation at Southampton and see what pubs are closest to St Mary’s Stadium for not only traveling supporters but also the Saints faithful when attending home fixtures…

What are the best pubs for home and away supporters near Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium?

We’ve decided to analyse fan reviews from Football Ground Guide, which generally provides a handy insight for supporters up and down the country.

Southampton’s profile on the site is no different, however, options appear to be rather thin on the ground when looking for pubs that are actually close to the stadium.

It reads: "There are not many pubs located close to the stadium, so the choice for away fans is limited.

"One exception around a ten minute walk away from St Mary’s is Browns pub on Millbank Street. This pub which also has Sky Sports normally has a mixture of home and away fans in attendance.

"Just a couple of minutes walk away from Browns on William Street, is the Tap It Brewery. Housed in an industrial unit, the brewery is open for games and offers a selection of craft beers."

Meanwhile, the description of Southampton’s pubs on matchday does praise the Rockstone pub and the Guide Dog pub - both renowned for their real ales - but they’re both 20 minutes or more away from both the stadium and the station so it could be a good idea to give them a miss.

Unfortunately, away fans are warned against drinking in pubs near the ground on St Mary’s Street, which includes the Kingland Tavern, Joiners and Isobar, although they may well be good pubs to visit if you're a home supporter.

Are there any pubs near Southampton train station?

Traveling by train routinely proves a popular choice for fans, and it’ll likely be exactly that for away supporters as it’s often more manageable than coach trips for long distance journeys - which Southampton will be for quite a lot of clubs.

It’s even useful for home fans who don’t necessarily live in Southampton, of course.

Southampton central is located in the city centre, so you'd assume that there's lots options nearby.

However, an account from a Bristol City supporter handily informs that the Standing Order Wetherspoons - usually one of the most popular watering holes for fans pre-match - only allows entry to home fans and bouncers are on the door, so those traveling should forget about this one.

That supporter says that he instead decided to drink at the Yates Wine Lodge which is located in the central shopping area, while also noting that away fans were in strong numbers in Slug & Lettuce next door.

Is it better for supporters to drink in Southampton city centre or near St Mary’s Stadium?

The consensus seems to signal that enjoying a drink on matchday isn’t too simple in the city centre for away fans, which will be a bit frustrating given that St Mary’s is a 24 minute walk from Southampton Central.

That walk may be fine for some, but for others, it feels like a better option to simply get a taxi to the area of the stadium and drink there, with a few pubs available as mentioned previously.