First off... a big fat f**k you to the premier league for being so considerate of the travelling fans, away to sunderland on new years day. Anyway, Seb, Dom, JK & Phil all reluctantly agree to the trip... (sebs idea as its one of his new grounds he''s not done, Dom & JK say ''what else we gonna do on new years day''... sorted). Get closer to the time and Phil backs out citing monetary issues... to the displeasure of the other three. Hoping to get a coach with premier but they keep faffing about, and when JK booked the match tickets he didnt take up the option of the free coaches as a safety net so they are scrambling around 2 days before hoping to get some form of transport. Seb manages to get the three on a minibus for £20 each... result. Downside its leaving at 7am from Aston, so early wake ups unfortunately. We all make it to the social and relieved to see the minibus waiting... Get on and sit at the back as the 3 noobs... bus is near enough full with 12 including the driver on board, a couple of the hardcore that got on hadnt even been to sleep. Journey starts, JK sharing out his 9 carlings... on route we stop at a services and make the cardinal sin of breaking the seal too early. One of the hoolies decides it''d be a good idea to cut his toenails much to the hilarity of some and disgust of others. Seb begins to struggle after only having 2 cans and and is in excruciating pain desperate for another slash... preparing to go in a can, JK with his phone at the ready on record (the homo), luckily we pass a sign saying ''services 14miles''... and Seb decides to hold on, fortunately makes it to the services! With an empty bladder, the drinking resumes... one of the lads from the coach decided to ''obtain'' a heston bluemental cookbook from the services. We get up into sunderland after 11ish and walk into the city to a wetherspoons for breakfast. Doms not happy paying for a large breakfast and only getting 1 egg in return. Seb somehow flicks egg into jk''s pint which jk refuses to drink (the girl). Then the pints and jaegerbombs commence... Walk over to the yates'' to watch the 2nd half of the swansea-mancity game, didnt really pay much attention to it as too busy chatting sh*t and drinking, more concerned with the fact 3 pints and 3 jaegerbombs is £18 in yates'' but just £12 across the road at the spoons, so before we head to the ground, we pop back into the spoons for one more round of jaegers (3 for £5)... and sebs lost his hat. Stop at the petty station for a bottle for kopperberg for the walk, as we''re heading over the bridge towards the ground, jk decides to be a jokester and slaps sebs cheese and pickle sandwich out his hand and over the bridge, Seb is not amused as he was enjoying it... vows to get revenge. Anyway, to the ground... 1274 travelling fans housed in the upper stand, good turnout for new years day, loads of space around us though. Out of nothing, somehow cattermole f*cks up his control and the ball rolls to Gabby, through on goal with the keeper to beat, easily rounds him and slots into the empty net. Game continues and the returning vlaar and benteke clearly have an impact as sunderland have no real chances of note, villa playing some nice passing stuff and really couldve put the game to bed with chances from bacuna going just wide, benteke having a shot cleared off the line and then albrighton & delph at the death firing over when they shouldve scored. Fortunately with vlaar going off injured we didnt fold and held on for the 1-0 win, sebs happy as he had 50p on gabby 1st goalscorer and 1-0 result at 40/1. Journey back is alcohol fueled with JK wrongly buying 10 carling instead of 8 stella''s. Get back to brum just before 10pm, JK & Dom stay in the social to watch the darts and MOTD, seb heads home. Overall a proper mission of an away day doing a 400 mile round trip, but was worth it coming back with 3 points. UTV!