THERE'S something magical about running late for a midweek away game. I inevitably do it every time, as I never quite successfully manage to bunk work quite as early as I planned.

By the time my car is actually roaring onto some confusing city's ring-road at 90mph, it's inevitably already half seven and I have no idea where the ground is.

Cue the stone-age man's Sat-Nav - a panicked look for the distant glow of the floodlights, and a blind faith in following the light in the sky (like one of those three kings heading for wee baby Jesus, only with a Hornets beanie instead of a crown).

Then it's a case of dumping the car anywhere and sprinting to the ground. Luckily at Bristol this week, not only is Ashton Gate at the bottom of a massive hill, I also had 70mph winds behind my dash from motor to turnstile. Hence I flew into the ground like a ferret on performance enhancing drugs at around 19:44.

To be honest I wasn't fully prepared for what was inside Bristol's shanty style away end. Some 1,600 Horns were squeezed into every shabby corner, and they were making more noise than I have heard all season.

It was like a cup game, and I don't think I've felt an atmosphere like it since Palace away in the last lot of play-offs. The fact that about 80 percent of the pillar-blighted Watford fans couldn't see the pitch didn't seem to matter.

From: "You're Welsh and you know you are!" to "Stand up if you hate cider!" the chants didn't stop ringing, even after poor Darius had his pen saved.

Particular credit has to go to the heavily intoxicated bloke a few seats to my left, who spent the entire second half crooning the James Bond theme tune at the top of his lungs.

At first I thought it was because City gaffer Johnson has a very slight resemblance to Bond villain Ernst Blofeld (minus the cat and the scar).

However it turned out he was dedicating it to a moustachioed Bristol steward who just happened to have "Wedlock Stand 007" printed on the back of his florescent yellow jacket. Superb. And I thought nil-nils were supposed to be boring?

Season Ticket holder Lee Coan will be bringing you regular updates on life as a Hornet and following the team on the road throughout the season. To see past articles click here.

The views in this blog are not necessarily the views of Watford Football Club.