VENUE #117 CAMBRIDGE UNITED Abbey Stadium

The main Cambridge Railway Station is over two miles away, so best to catch a taxi. The station is served by trains from Birmingham New Street, Norwich, Ipswich and London King's Cross. In May 2017 the new Cambridge North Railway Station was opened. At just under two miles away from the Abbey Stadium, it is slightly closer than Cambridge Railway Station, but still a fair way. It is also served by trains, from Norwich and London King's Cross, as well as London Liverpool Street.

 ABBEY STADIUM   

      The Main Stand on one side is a covered two-tiered all seated stand, part of which is used as a Family Enclosure. This traditional looking stand was built in 1967 and was later extended. It has a number of supporting pillars and the team dugouts are located at its front, either side of the player's tunnel. Opposite is the Habbin Stand. This covered terrace was opened in 1960 and named after a former Supporters Club President. It runs for almost the entire length of the pitch. It does though have a number of supporting pillars running across its middle.

     At one end of the ground is the modern South Stand, which was opened in 2002. This good sized covered single tiered, all seated stand, replaced a former open terrace. The seating area is raised in this stand, meaning that supporters enter the stand via a small flight of stairs. To one side of this stand, on the Main Stand side is a Police Control Box. The North Terrace at the other end of the ground is covered. However, it only runs for about half the width of the pitch, with one side ending in line with the eighteen-yard box. On one side towards the Habbin Terrace is a very small covered terrace that backs on to the supporters club building.

     Away fans are housed in the Marstons Smooth South Stand at one end of the ground, where up to 1,600 supporters can be seated. However normally only half the stand is open on match days on the Habbin side of the ground. This relatively new covered, all seated stand has good facilities. For some larger games then the South part of the Habbin terrace can also be made available. This covered terrace can accommodate almost 1,000 supporters.

     The entrance to the away section is reached by walking along a path through Coldham Common, which is a field that is used from time to time to graze cows (well judging from the number of cow pats!). Not much fun at the best times and especially when it is a bit more difficult to see for those night games!

GROUND LAYOUT

 A   MAIN STAND

 B   HABBIN STAND - COVERED TERRACE

 C   NORTH STAND - COVERED TERRACE

 D   SOUTH STAND (AWAY)

ABBEY STADIUM OPENING DAY

     The Abbey stadium opened on Wednesday 31st of August 1932 although being built some nine years previously, it was destined to become the home of Abbey United now known as Cambridge United and have been since 1951.  There was already a Cambridge United at the time but not connected.
     Abbey United played a friendly against Cambridge University Press on the Wednesday evening to officially open the ground, the club's president's daughter Mrs. KRJ Saxon kicked off the game which Abbey won 2-0 thanks to a brace by then teenager striker Jackie Bond.

Cambridge United had a great victory over Swindon Town on Tuesday night at the County ground, Reggie Lambe opened the scoring in the eleventh minute with Jevani Brown making it 2-0 a minute later.  The win lifts Cambridge up to 21st in the league table just two points clear of the relegation places, it was only the U's third win of the campaign which is turning out to be another relegation dog fight for the Cambridgeshire side.

Macclesfield Town ended last weekend on a high coming back from a goal down to beat Carlisle United and record their first win of the season at Moss Rose.  Ashley Nadesan gave the visitors the lead after 50 minutes but then a four minute spell with ten minutes to go saw the Silkmen take the three points, Michael Rose scoring from the penalty spot before Peter Vincenti struck the winner seven minutes from time saving an unwanted record of going 37 league games without a win.

     The Silkmen's winning spree didn't last long as they were thrashed 5-0 at home on Tuesday night by lowly Northampton Town recording their third win of this campaign and relieving the pressure a little on their selves.

     Honours are even between these two sides at the Abbey stadium in football league and cup matches with both sides winning twice and a solitary draw.  The most recent game was on 12th February 2005 a game which Macclesfield won by a single goal from Graham Potter in the 80th minute.

CAMBRIDGE UNITED ... 1   MACCLESFIELD TOWN ... 0 

     What an awful visit, one of if not the worst yet. The stadium is predominantly league 2 / National league standard which, in the main stand where I watched the game had roof supporting girders that impaired your view depending on where you were sitting.
     At the end of each row and in each section was a dividing wall which denied access and exit other than through a string of seated spectators which is not good in any respect.
     I will say this for the Cambridge United set up their on line ticket sale system is A1 one of the best I've come across, so easy to use which is not the case at many football club's websites.
     The football was awful two teams at the wrong end of the league table slugging it out hoping for the final whistle.  I was at a game last year at Crawley Town which also featured Cambridge United and it was almost a carbon copy of this game, a terrible standard of football between two relegation candidates and Cambridge managed to scramble a goal to win the game.  There were nearly 4 thousand people here today and it makes me wonder how they managed to keep getting, what is for league two, good crowds.  I suppose it's what you're used to at the end of the day.     

     Macclesfield should have took the lead in the third minute when Peter Vincenti's cross was flicked on to the head of Harry Smith who's effort was parried away by the strong hand of Cambridge's goalkeeper David Forde.

     Ten minutes later and the U's had their best chance of the first half a swerving shot from 25 yards by Reggie Lambe made the Silkmen's keeper Rhys Taylor stretch to tip the ball over the bar.

      Apparently, in the 59th minute Jabo Ibehre came on for George Maris for the U's and 21 minutes later the sub received a pass from Liam O'Neil and fired the ball home across Rhys Taylor.  I say apparently because I didn't see the goal cause I was boarding the train back home I had just seen enough in the first half.

     Now I've seen these two teams home and away I can cross them off my visiting schedule THANK GOD!!!

                            MATCH DETAILS  

       

VENUE #116 ST MIRREN Simple Digital Arena, St. Mirren Park

ST. MIRREN PARK / SIMPLE DIGITAL ARENA

     After spending 115 years at Love Street, the club moved half a mile to this purpose built stadium in 2009. The 'new' St Mirren Park, as it is known was built by Barr Construction at a cost of around £8m. The ground is comprised of four separate stands and although it probably won't win many design awards, it is at least modern and functional. The stands on three sides are all single tiered, have large windshields to each side and are of the same height. The East Stand on the remaining side, is taller than the others, but contains a smaller amount of seating, with a large paneled area behind that rises up to the roof. This stand also has the team dugouts in front of it. Although this is the Main Stand at the ground, the television cameras are located opposite.
     Away fans are located at one end of the stadium in the North Stand, where just over 1,600 supporters can be accommodated. It is expected that for Old Firm games, that sections of the West Stand will also be made available. As you would expect from a new stadium, the facilities and playing action are good. However, one slight drawback is that the fans are set quite back from the playing action, as there is a large perimeter area surrounding the pitch. Also the St Mirren Park's proximity to Glasgow Airport means that airplanes can be frequently be seen overhead taking off and coming into land.

     The ground was called St Mirren Park but in 2018 it was renamed the Simple Digital Arena in a sponsorship deal.

     This is the housing estate built on St Mirren's old home ground for 115 years Love Street stadium.  Many of the homes are not quite finished yet and as U2 would say it's where the streets have no names.

     Now near completion the land was originally bought by Tesco's with the intention of building a supermarket there but Tesco were going through a bad patch at the time and had to sell the land for housing development.  The last match played at Love Street was a 0-0 draw with Motherwell on the 3rd of January 2009. 

GROUND LAYOUT

 A   EAST / MAIN STAND

 B   WEST STAND

 C   SOUTH STAND

 D   NORTH STAND (AWAY)

St Mirren haven't made a great start to their campaign back in the top flight after a three year absence with one win and a draw out of their first eight games only Dundee have a worse record in the Ladbrokes Premier up to yet.
     Their only win of the season came on the opening day against fellow strugglers Dundee at home winning 2-1 a Danny Mullen brace securing the points with a goal in each half with Elton Ngwatala equalising for Dundee three minutes after Mullen's first with a spectacular 25 yard strike.  A 0-0 draw with Celtic has contributed Saints only other point this season.
     No matches played last weekend due to international games but St Mirren under 21's did play at the Simple Digital losing 4-2 to Queens park in the Scottish challenge cup. 

Kilmarnock have made an impressive start level on points with Celtic in fourth place in the table on sixteen points I think Killie would take that all day long if only their form can last till the end of the season.
     Last time out for Kilmarnock was on the 6th of October when they also beat Dundee 2-1 but at Dens Park, Adil Nabi striking first for Dundee after ten minutes but Killie were equal seven minutes later through an own goal by Andrew Boyle.  Eamonn Brophy scored the winner from the penalty spot on 54 mins.  Brophy was subbed on 72 minutes only for Kilmarnock to be awarded another penalty a minute later, Greg Stewart took this one but Elliot Parish in goal for Dundee pulled off a fine save.
     The history of these two teams at the St Mirren Park Stadium stretches nine games with St Mirren winning four, Kilmarnock three with two draws.  Infact the very first game at this stadium was between these two clubs on the 31st of January 2009 with the spoils ending even in a 1-1 draw.  Kevin Kyle opened the scoring for Kilmarnock with Dennis Wyness netting the equaliser for the Buddies.  The game was played in front of a crowd of 7,542 which is still the record attendance for this stadium. 

   ST MIRREN ... 1    KILMARNOCK ... 2

     On a dull, cloudy, windy and drizzling day in Paisley these two teams took to the pitch in the hope of entertaining their fans who had braved the elements and turned up to worship their footballing Gods.  It was clear from the start that football wasn't going to be the winner on a day like this, the only thing that boomed was the aircraft that took off from Glasgow airport and flew over the field of play.

     Things settled down after 14 minutes and it was St Mirren who took the initiative.  A free kick awarded on the left hand side of the Kilmarnock box was floated in by Adam Hammill and may have been wind assisted as it some how found it's way into the far corner.

     St Mirren held their lead into the second half and didn't seem overly troubled by Killie in the first 45.  But it was a different Kilmarnock who came out for part two now kicking toward their fans numbering almost two thousand crammed into the North stand Kilmarnock started to put on a show worthy of their 3rd place position in the league forcing a few corners in the first ten minutes and a change of tactics by Killie was rewarded with an equalising goal, Greg Stewart collecting a short corner played the ball through to Alan Power who lived up to his name with a wonderful strike to draw his club level.

   The same tactic brought about the winning goal for Killie if some what controversially this time Stewart crossed the ball into the Buddies box for Aaron Tshibola to head the ball goalwards, St Mirren were convinced that the ball never crossed the line but the linesman saw it differently and awarded Killie the goal.

     To make things worse a few minutes later St Mirren had the ball in the net but their celebrations were cut short by another linesman decision, Stephen McGinn's shot was well stopped by Killie keeper Jamie MacDonald but the ball came out to Simeon Jackson who fired the ball home from ten yards but Daniel Mullen was ruled offside but wasn't interfering with play. 

     Kilmarnock held on to the end and claimed the three points which keeps them in the top three level on points with Celtic but with a four goal difference deficit and as for St Mirren, they remain in the relegation play off position one point in front of Dundee who lost 4-0 to Livingston at Almondvale.

     

     The Simple Digital Arena is a lovely new build and I'm so glad that Saints have got back into the Premier league where a team with a ground like this belong.  It may be on the small side on comparison with an English league ground be deemed to be good enough for league two but it is the way forward and does it's job for the Renfrewshire side and is also very pleasing on the eye, compared with what I saw at Motherwell the other week St Mirren Park is an absolute winner.

      I'd also like to mention the away support almost two thousand Killie fans descended on Paisley this afternoon and were the twelfth man in their sides performance.  Quite a few of them were on my train on the way back to Glasgow Central and when they alighted at the said station sang their hearts out all the way across to the far exit and up the street to Queen street station to catch their connection home.  They were in good voice but I saw no sign of trouble, they are a credit to their club.    

                            MATCH DETAILS

VENUE #115 MOTHERWELL Fir Park

NEAREST RAILWAY STATION

     Airbles Railway Station is the closest to Fir Park, but is only served by a local service. You are more likely to end up instead at Motherwell Central station, which is around a 15 minute walk away from the ground.

     You exit the train station facing the main shopping street in the direction of the ground; go straight along it through the shopping precinct/centre; past the shopping centre car park, which leads to an underpass; go under the underpass, up the stairs and turn left; go straight on and the large stand gradually comes into view from behind Wilsons Furniture Store. The road 'forks' at this point with away fans, and those going into the old seated terrace going to the left and all other fans to the right. Away fans walking from Motherwell should note, that the road to the away end is a long and winding one (you think you're there when you see the stand, but it takes about another 5 minutes to access it), so should allow plenty of time.

FIR PARK STADIUM

     The stadium is dominated by the large South Stand at one end. Almost twice the height of the other stands, it is two tiered with a row of executive boxes running across the middle and has a capacity of 4,500. Opposite, the Davie Cooper Stand, is a small covered seated stand. The single tiered Phil O'Donnell Stand on one side of the ground, is both raised above pitch level and set back from it. This older stand has windshields to either side as well as a few supporting pillars. It is unusual in that the stand itself doesn't run the full length of the pitch, but the supporting steelwork does, making for an odd looking sight. According to Simon Inglis in his book 'The Football Grounds Of Great Britain', this was because it was originally intended in 1962 to build a full length stand but due to a dispute with a an owner of a house beyond the corner of that ground (a dispute which the club lost) it was never completed as intended. This stand was funded chiefly from the sale at that time of Ian St John & Pat Quinn to Liverpool. This did not go down well with the fans as many subsequently boycotted the stand and to this day it is the most sparsely populated section of the ground. Opposite is the smaller East Stand, which also has a number of supporting pillars, running across it. This originally was a covered terrace, but was made all seated in 1990.

     Away fans are housed in the South Stand at one end of the pitch. Normally only the lower tier is opened for away fans, but if demand requires it, then the upper tier can be opened also. Up to 4,500 fans can be accommodated in the two tiers. The view of the playing action from this stand is pretty good, as well as the facilities.
     On this occasion the South stand wasn't used and the away fans were located in the Main stand toward the Davie Cooper stand side.

GROUND LAYOUT

 A   PHIL O'DONNELL STAND (MAIN)

 B   EAST STAND

 C   DAVIE COOPER STAND

 D   SOUTH STAND (AWAY)

Motherwell had a short trip to Rugby Road on Saturday and were soundly beaten by Killie 3-1.  The Well opened the scoring through Curtis Main in the 16th minute but Main failed to double their lead from the penalty spot minutes later.  That's as good as it got for Motherwell as Kilmarnock was spurred on by the penalty miss and levelled after 39 minutes with a goal by Chris Burke.  Killie then took the lead four minutes later, Greg Stewart sending his team in at half time 2-1 up. The Ayrshire side sealed the three points in the 59th minute, Eamonn Brophy showing Curtis Main how it's done from the penalty spot to put his side 4th in the league table ahead of Celtic and Rangers.  Motherwell are 3rd from bottom, (at the time of writing), and need a win this afternoon to kick start their season.  The Well have won only once losing five out of seven games played.

Livingston entertained Rangers at Almondvale on Sunday past and beat the Glasgow team with a single goal scored in the 34th minute by Dolly Menga.  This inflicted Steven "Ger"-rard with his second defeat in 18 matches leaving the Scottish Prem giants in sixth place behind rivals Celtic two points adrift.  Livingston rise to 3rd place level with Hibs on 14 points and giving the league table an unusual look with the two Edinburgh teams, Hearts and Hibernian, in the top two places with the old Meadowbank Thistle close behind but it is still early on in the season.
     I can only find three occasions were Motherwell have taken on Livingston at Fir Park and the Well have come out on top in all three, in fact in the total games that these two teams have played against each other Motherwell have only lost one and that was on the 14th February 2004 at Almondvale, a saint Valentine's day massacre with the score being 3-1 to Livi. 

MOTHERWELL ... 1   LIVINGSTON ... 1

     Livingston extended their undefeated run to seven matches but at the same

time Motherwell ended a spell of four defeats on the bounce.  It was a fiercely contested game which both teams didn't want to lose.

     As in their last match Motherwell opened the scoring this time in the 17th minute when Allan Campbell's pass was slotted home by Ryan Bowman with the help of a deflection putting an end to Livingston's three match spell of not conceding.

     Livi thought they had levelled just before half time but Ricki Lamie's effort was disallowed after the linesman flagged for an infringement and brought the Lion's celebrations to an abrupt end.

     Livingston did manage to steal a point in the 64th minute when the referee awarded the Lion's a free kick after a bad foul by Peter Hartley which also earned him a yellow card.  Keaghan Jacobs took the kick and scored a cracker curling the ball from 25 yards into the keepers top left hand corner of the net.

     Carl McHugh of Motherwell received a yellow card in the 70th minute for a bad foul on Declan Gallagher but the Well number four didn't heed his warning as eight minutes later he foul's Livi's Dolly Menga and is sent off from the field of play.  This gave Motherwell a nervous ending to the game especially when Lamie brought a reaction save from Trevor Carson who managed to block the ball on the line with his knees. 

     Motherwell did manage to hold on though and remain in 10th place in the league table a point above St. Mirren but with a far better goal difference.  Livi stretch their unbeaten run but drop one place to fourth as Kilmarnock beat Dundee 2-1 at Dens Park.

     Smashing little ground is Fir Park could do with some TLC and modernisation though especially in the stand where I watched the game.  I was amazed at some of the things I saw today, things that I thought had been outlawed at football grounds such as people standing in the seated area and the major one people smoking inside the ground although it was down by the turnstiles / exit doors of the stand.  

                           MATCH DETAILS