Faltering Fullback, N4

The Faltering Fullback is also my favourite pub close to Finsbury Park train station and I have utilised it several times for the rugby and especially for watching the Saracens when they have a televised game that I don’t have tickets for. The front bar areas and the “Sin Bin” have been well described by previous reviewers but the wonderful courtyard outback needs additional praise. As Steve says below it is indeed a triumph of terraced design in how to fit the most outside garden seating into the smallest available space and when I staggered post game into it blinking from the internal darkness of the no natural light Sin Bin, every nook and cranny, ledge table and chair was being utilised on this post Saturday lunchtime. The three available beers on for my last visit were the usual London Pride, then Sharps Atlantic and a very quaffable Trumans Swift. The Faltering Fallback is a good pub for the Rugby and it’s a good pub for when the suns out in Finsbury Park. And when the two collide, it’s a really good pub.

There were a couple of ales on – London Pride, and Truman’s Swallow and Swift (£1.80 a half). There was no sign of food or menus when I was in on Saturday afternoon. Judging by the external signage, this was apparently originally a Courage pub called the Sir Walter Scott. The exterior is also now almost completely covered in ivy (plus a few flowers) that is encroaching on the windows thus making it a bit gloomier than it ought to be. The interior is unchanged since the previous reviewer’s visit. The front of the pub is a wedg e shaped bar, still with all manner of stuff hanging from the ceiling – such aspush bikes, model aeroplanes, a washboard, a birdcage, and what looked like didgeridoo! There are only tall tables and tall stool in this bar, but behind here is another room with some standard tables and chairs. This in turn leads to a large room at the back called the “sin bin” – presumably a sporting reference. This room is what I would guess is regarded as the sport room as it had the pool table, and maybe there was a dartboard lurking in the shadows (it was mightily gloomy in here – daylight could be a major distraction) but I didn’t see it. There was no sport on when I was in on Saturday afternoon, but I’m certain sport is still a major player here, judging by the scarves hanging from the ceiling as well as other sporting memorabilia around the place. It’s fairly shabby in a comfortable sort of way, and I wouldn’t mind dropping in here again if I was in the area.