VENUE #72 FOREST GREEN ROVERS The New Lawn Stadium

NATIONAL PREMIER LEAGUE

20th February 2016

@ The New Lawn Stadium

Ground Capacity:- 5,140 (2,000 seated)

Kick Off:-  15:00

Entry Fee:-  £17

Programme:-  £3

Venue # 72

     OMG, never have I had a game marred so much by what was going on around me.  It all started though in the morning when I went on the FGR website to see if the game was still on to find that there wasn't many stand tickets left to watch the game and so I bought one on-line and collected it when I got to the ground.  There was only 4 seats available and all were on the front row near the centre circle, I thought that maybe they would have been elevated above pitch level slightly but no I was pitch level with just a set of stairs separating me from the dug out, I never got that close to the subs bench when I was playing Pub football over 20 years ago.  And so I was sitting with the subs, cameramen and the inbred fuckers and to top it all it never stopped raining and I was soaked.  One IBF was pacing along the touchline like the manager screaming and shouting at the Rovers team and blocking the view of people in the seats, mainly me, I'll still hear his voice as I'm trying to get to sleep tonight " COME ON PARKIN, MOOVE IT, YOUR STANDING STILL PARKIN GET IT UP FRONT.  MOOOVE IT, MOOOVE IT", and all this while the trainer was on the pitch tending an injured player.  The stewards never did a thing about it, mind you, they couldn't say a lot for they were blocking peoples view more than he was.
   

      I moved from the stand into the South terrace during half time in the hope of seeing something of the game and not having mad men screaming in my ear hole constantly and to be fare it was 50 per cent better as I did see more of what was happening on the pitch, (one out of two ain't bad), although it was at one end of the ground behind the goal.




     The first half, from what I saw of it was scrappy with neither side taking control of the game, chances were made but the attempts at goal more likely than not went over and out of the ground.  Matt Tubbs had a good shot saved by Rovers keeper Arnold on the half hour mark and a couple of minutes later Marsh-Brown had a shot saved by Ross Flitney in the Eastleigh goal.

     After the interval it seemed as though things were going to carry on in the same vein but then Eastleigh began to get a grip on the match and looked dangerous in the opposition penalty area and their persistence paid off in the 64th minute when James Constable got free just inside the Eastleigh 18 yard box and drove the ball into Arnold's left hand corner of the net.



     The Eastleigh joy only lasted 3 minutes though as a string of Rovers corners resulted in Jon Parkin getting on the end of a volley from around twelve yards which left Flitney with no chance, I think the home fans summed it up nicely when they chanted, "Not bad for a fat bastard".
     Both sides had chances to break the deadlock but it was that man again Jon Parkin in the 88th minute who broke the Eastleigh hearts all 3 and a half hundred of them when he netted the winner.
Ben Strevens of Eastleigh was given his marching orders in the 95th minute for spitting at an opponent.
   

    The New Lawn was opened at the beginning of the 2006/07 season replacing Forest Green's old
ground "The Lawn" which was situated a few hundred yards away from the new ground and has now been re-developed into a housing estate.
     Set in the Cotswold's in the beautiful town of Nailsworth on top of a hill which leaves it open to the elements and rather cold in the month of February.  The ground is situated over 3 miles away from the nearest railway station which is Stroud and another taxi journey for me there and back which is becoming a feature this                                                                   season.

     The Main stand is the main feature of the ground and is the only seated area for spectators.  It has a 2,000 fully seated capacity and looks rather splendid compared to the other 3 terraces, It also sports a cantilever roof and a set of executive boxes to the rear.  There is an area behind the stand to get food and drink and watch Sky sports during intervals.  The toilets are clean, modern and tidy a credit to the non league side.

     Across the other side of the pitch is the is the Barnfield terrace which is a small open affair with only seven steps high.  There are four floodlight pylons across the back and strangely the dug outs and changing rooms are situated on this side, it would have made more sense if they had been located on the side of the main stand.
    




     To the left of the Barnfield stand as you look at it is the South stand so called because it used to be a stand until the seats were removed to make it a behind the goal terrace for home supporters.  Apparently, the stand had been transported from the old Lawn ground and is of historical value.





   

 At the other end of the ground is the Nympsfield Road end and is the fully covered terrace for away supporters, this end also features part of the old Lawn ground in the form of the roof.  Away supporters are also allocated the corner of the main stand that joins onto the Nympsfield Road end.






     Overall, yes it is a modern ground and is sufficient for a National league side but if this team has desires on becoming a football league side which, given their position in the table could become a possibility next season then they must seriously think about relocating.  The ground is literally in the middle of no where miles away from the nearest railway station, it cost me £32 in taxi fares there and back today, I think I've spent more on taxi's this season than I have on actual train fare which is utterly ridiculous.
      Plus the fact that there are certain aspects to the layout of the ground that need attention if they do make the football league the stand is not segregated from the side of the pitch and it is possible to walk all round the perimeter which could be a safety issue if they are promoted.

     My verdict on what I've seen today is that if I had the chance to return to the New Lawn I would decline, I paid £17 for my ticket and what I was subjected to during the course of the first half was a disgrace.  The seats at the front of the pitch should not be allocated to paying customers as it's not possible to watch the game without interruption mainly from stewards and people who they let wonder the touch line.  I've never seen the likes of this before and I sincerely hope I never do again, POOR SHOW FGR.

                             MATCH DETAILS

VENUE #71 HIBERNIAN Easter Road

LADBROKES CHAMPIONSHIP

SATURDAY 23rd JANUARY 2016

@ EASTER ROAD, EDINBURGH

GROUND CAPACITY:-  20,451

KICK OFF:  15:00

ENTRY FEE:  £22

PROGRAMME:  £2  

VENUE # 71

     HIBERNIAN ... 3     St. MIRREN ... 1

      Once again a great day out in Scotland was marred by the journey or more specifically the mode of transport I use.  I told you in my last blog about the problems that the weather caused to the rail service, the persisting rain caused floods and landslides and closed the West coast passage to Glasgow central, well the repair work was in action on the Carlisle to Glasgow Central line today which meant that a bus service from Carlisle to Glasgow and Edinburgh was in operation.
      I must admit though the outward journey went quite smoothly catching the train at

Wolverhampton to Carlisle and the bus service was waiting at the front of Carlisle station to take us straight to Edinburgh.  On arrival at Waverley station I went to the rail information desk to ask about the journey back and was told that the coach service to Carlisle stopped at two o'clock and the East coast train to Birmingham passing through Newcastle and Doncaster had been cancelled.  Refusing to believe that I was going to be stuck in Edinburgh overnight I went back to the coach terminal and asked one of the stewards about the times of coaches back to Carlisle and he told me that they ran every two hours ending at 18:50
      That meant that there was a coach departing at 16:50 and if I caught it I would be able to make the last train to Wolverhampton which left at 20:00.  Needless to say I left the ground about 25 minutes early and ran the 20 mins walking distance to the coach terminal only to see as I got to the top of the street the Carlisle coach disappearing in the distance.

      Breathless, hot and tired I approached the coach stewards who told me to go and have a cup of coffee and return to them two hours later and they would see to it that I got back home that night and so I did to find two virgin train staff with the stewards discussing my predicament.  One of the Virgin staff saw the Hibernian programme in my hand and asked me if I had enjoyed the game and finding out that he was a Hibernian fan and had also been to the game earlier.  He said that because my ticket had advised me to catch the 18:50 coach back to Carlisle and there was no train there to connect with it he would arrange a taxi for me at Carlisle to take me back home at the expense of Virgin Trains and if I had gone to watch Hearts instead of Hibernian he would not have done this for me but I think he was only joking.
      And so my train journey back home consisted of a two hour mini bus ride from Edinburgh to Carlisle and a three hour taxi journey from Carlisle to Walsall and seeing that my return ticket to Edinburgh only cost me £30 for advanced booking I think that Virgin trains lost a good bit of money on my football trip.

      Hibernian as expected dominated most of this game and keep the pressure on league leaders

Rangers.  Hibees took the lead when Jack Baird brought down Liam Henderson about 4 yards outside the St. Mirren 18 yard box.  Henderson took the free kick himself bending it around the wall and keeper into the top far side corner of the net.
      The Saints keeper Jamie Langfield kept them in the game as Hibs got stronger and lay siege on the on the Buddies goal that was until the last minute of the first half when Jason Cummings set up John McGinn who stroked the ball home from 12 yards.

   The home sides cheers had barley died down when St. Mirren reduced the deficit when a free kick was awarded around the same distance as Henderson's but more central outside the Hibs penalty area.  Stevie Mallan struck the dead ball superbly finding Mark Oxley's bottom right hand corner.
      Play continued in the second as in the first with fine dominating work from the Hibernian side but it seemed as though the goals had dried up mainly due to some great goalkeeping from Langfield again who managed to keep the Easter road side out that is until the 90th minute when substitute Anthony Stokes on loan from Celtic tapped the ball home after some good work from fellow sub James Keatings.  

      Easter Road is a 20,451 all seated stadium built in 1893 where they've played their home football ever since.  Although the ground is a great age it has undergone vast improvement in the last two decades virtually being rebuilt to bring it up-to-date with modern health and safety measures. The name Hibernian was derived from the Roman name Hibernia which basically means Ireland and is a reason for the green and white kit colour.
    The ground is a 20 minute walk from Edinburgh Waverley railway station which is one of the better distances encountered by me this season.

   The East stand where I watched the game is the most recent to re-built with a 6,500 capacity, it is single tiered and is fully covered.  The stand is quite steep which means that even at the top you still feel quite close to the action on the pitch, although the steps up to the top would have even Rocky gasping for his breath.
      Behind the stand is a large area with lots of food and drink outlets and TV's to watch Scottish highlights on.  The entrances to the blocks are well sign posted so you can find your seat quite easily.
 The toilets are new, clean and quite big with lots of sinks to wash your hands in which is not high on the priority lists at most grounds.  The décor of the toilets could be a lot better though with just plain unpainted breeze blocks.

     On the opposite side of the pitch is the West stand which is the same size as the the east but is two tiered with a gap between to house corporate hospitality facilities.  The top tier is much larger than the bottom with a perspex strip under the roof to let in more natural light.
     This stand also houses the players tunnel, dugouts and also has wind-shields at each end of the stand as do the other three stands and although ten years older than the East stand is the more impressive to look at.

     The two ends of the ground known as the Famous five end and the south are two identical stands, being the oldest parts of the stadium both are two tiered and fully covered with a cantilevered roof  and have around a 4,000 seating capacity.   The famous five stand previously known as the North stand or Cowshed has function suites and lounges between the two tiers.





      The lower tier part of the South stand central behind the goal is dedicated to away support but if demand needs then the whole of the bottom tier is allocated.
      The South stand was known as the Dunbar before the modifications in the mid 90's solely because there was a lemonade factory of the same name behind it.

               MATCH DETAILS

VENUE #70 ABERDEEN Pittodrie

LADBROKES PREMIER

30th December 2015

@ Pittodrie Stadium

Ground Capacity:- 22,200 

Kick off:-  19:45

Entry Fee:-  £28

Programme:-  £3

                                                                     Ground #70

     What a time to travel to the Scottish highlands when the wind and rain is causing chaos with widespread flooding, landslides and power lines being blown down all of which we encountered on our journey up from the Midlands.  The first sign of trouble surfaced at Wolverhampton railway station when I noticed that our train the 06:37 to Edinburgh was only going as far as Preston on the electronic departures board.  My Wife, who was making the journey with me asked a Virgin train employee standing on platform 2 near us about the change of destination on the board but she told us that she hadn't noticed or been told about the situation at that time.  When she did find out what was going on she informed us that power cables had been blown down at Carstairs which is in between Glasgow and Edinburgh.  We were told to board the train to Preston and catch the 08:15 to Glasgow Central and walk to Queens St. station where we could catch a train direct to Aberdeen.
     While on the train from Preston to Glasgow there was an announcement on the tannoy that landslides were causing disruptions outside Glasgow and they were not sure whether the train would have to terminate at Carlisle or be able to proceed onto Glasgow.  After a five minute delay at Carlisle it was announced that we would be able to continue the journey but at a much reduced speed than normal.
   

 Further down the line at Lockerbie the train was held for another twenty minutes as conditions were worsening ahead and further speed restrictions had to be introduced if we were to continue on our way.  It did seem as though we weren't going to reach Glasgow never mind Aberdeen and even if we did reach our final destination would the game also fall victim of the severe weather conditions.
     As we slowly made our way through the district between Lockerbie and Glasgow the appalling scenes of landslides, buildings under water and stranded livestock became apparent and were shocking to the system, you see and hear about what's going on in the news but it really brings it home to you when you have to witness it first hand.
     We did manage to arrive in Glasgow and caught the 11:41 to Aberdeen and there were no further incidents on the third and final part of our journey to the Highlands but we did see more devastation caused by the weather as we entered Aberdeenshire and you felt for the poor people that had to endure such heartbreaking mayhem at what should be a happy time, a time for celebration filled with hope and expectation as the new year approaches.

     Getting back to the real reason for this trip, the visit to the Aberdeen's legendary football ground

and to see their team perform in the night game against Glaswegian rivals Partick Thistle.  Surprisingly the game was still due to go ahead and a fairly large passionate crowd was ascending upon Pittodrie stadium with expectancy for whoever they were supporting.  Aberdeen had made a good start to the season but have tapered off in recent months.  In their last game at Pittodrie they made a late come back against ICT being 2-0 down and managing to steal a point against the fellow highlanders at the death.
     Partick are just bellow half way in the table before the start of this game and are on a good unbeaten run toppling Ross County 1-0 last time out to take the winning tally to four consecutive matches, something they haven't done in the top flight for nearly forty years.

 

   The match started as expected with Aberdeen taking control and causing a robust and physical Thistle defence discomfort.  It was apparent from the start that Partick had come for a point or to maybe nick all three in a smash and grab raid if one should manifester at some stage.  Their block and stop tactics took all shapes and forms throughout the match with outrageous challenges, shirt pulling, time wasting and the most annoying strategy of taking out the Dons wingers and wing backs as their pace left them lacking and with the only option of stopping them by foul methods.  Seeing that the referee only booked three Partick Thistle players and no red card shown suggests correctly that the Glaswegian's got away with murder at times.
     Dons seemed nervous and  unconfident in the final third floating high balls into the Jags box

which their towering defence dealt with comfortably and the keeper will never earn his bread and butter as easily again as most the crosses were right down his throat.
     Aberdeen's best attempt at goal came around the twenty minute mark when full back/midfielder Graeme Shinnie was set up on the edge of the 18 yard box by Niall McGinn but his shot cannoned off the crossbar bringing a despairing scream of ooooohh from the home faithful.
     The second half continued in the same vein and it became apparent that I had travelled more than 400 miles, (not 500 miles that was the Proclaimers), to see my first 0-0 draw in four years and let's hope it's my last.  It had to happen sometime I suppose but it is strange that it coincides with me bringing my Wife to the game for the first time, not that I'm suggesting that she is some kind of a jinx in anyway especially as she will be reading this blog when published.

   

 Pittodrie as a capacity of just over 22 thousand and is all seated. it is also fully covered accept for the filled in corner between the South stand and the Merkland.  The railway station is about a twenty five minute walk away but there is a taxi rank at the back of the station by the toilets for people of which walking is not an option, It will cost you about £10 to the ground.







     I sat in the main stand to watch the game and if I knew what I know now when booking my tickets

I would have sat on the other side of the pitch in the South stand.  The main stand has got to be nearing a hundred years old with four supporting girders which restrict your view of the match especially if you're sitting at the back.  There is hardly any leg room between seats and the steps in between levels and down to the refreshment area are a danger, I haven't seen such dangerous steps since Hereford United's Edgar street away end in the mid 70's.  The toilets are some of the worst I've seen recently, they're so small you couldn't swing a pussy or the male part of the anatomy around in there, they are very dark,dingy and OLD.  The whole stand needs a facelift to bring into line with the rest of the stadium and the 21st century although I do hear that there are plans to build a new stadium at Loirston Loch in the near future.

     The South stand across the pitch from the main stand is a large single tiered cantilever which looks quite modern compared to the main stand.  The away supporters occupy the left hand side of the stand as you look from pitch side.











     Behind the goal to the left of the main stand as you look at the pitch is the Richard Donald stand named after a former chairman.  It is a very large stand in comparison with the others.  This is a two tiered stand with a large lower tier and a smaller upper tier with a row of executive boxes in the middle.

     At the other end of the pitch is the Merkland stand which is a small single tiered arrangement which seems older than the Richard Donald stand but more up to date than where I watched the game.  I've been told by people I've travelled with on this journey that Pittodrie is a wonderful stadium but in my personal point of view I must say that I hope that the new stadium is built soon to replace it.  From the outside it looks more like a disused factory building than a football ground and the main stand as I've said before has dangerous aspects that need attending PDQ.  Maybe you can say that I've got no romantic streak in me for old traditional football ground and that maybe so and Aberdeen fans will probably say I'm talking out my arse and that they love their home heritage but I can't help how I feel the ground is near the bottom of my list of good stadiums.

     On a brighter note people visiting Pittodrie from a distance as I did and need somewhere to stay then they can't go wrong by booking a room at the Aberdeen City Centre Premier Inn in Northwest Street.  The rooms are conventional Premier Inn which is good in my book and it's not dear just £39 a night for a double room for two.  The food in their restaurant is great and the staff are really friendly and helpful and I highly recommend the place to anyone.

                        MATCH DETAILS

                   

VENUE #69 COVENTRY The Ricoh Arena

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

19th December 2015

@ The Ricoh Arena

Ground Capacity:-  32,500 

Kick Off:-  15:00

Entry Fee:-  £10

Programme:-  £3

                                                                    Ground #69

COVENTRY CITY ... 1   OLDHAM ATHLETIC ... 1

    Not only was it a dull, wet and miserable day at the Ricoh but it was also a sad one for as I took

my seat in the East stand the news was announced that Jimmy Hill once manager and Chairman of Coventry City football club had passed away.  I'll never forget Jimmy, the unforgettable face of the BBC football programme  match of the day from the early 70's to the late 80's he caused much controversy in many a footballing household throughout the UK but love him or loath him you can't help feeling that football has lost one of it's great characters today.  There was a fitting minutes standing ovation before the kick off for the man and his name was chanted throughout the game for he will be missed the most here.  His statue stands proud outside the main stand at the Ricoh where tributes were laid in his memory before and after today's game.

   

Gael Bigirimana my home side man of the match

 The game started brightly with Coventry in the ascendancy and Oldham looking to defend and hopefully snatch a point in fact the latics made only one real attempt on the Sky Blues goal in the first half when Liam Kelly's effort flew over the bar.
     It was looking to be Coventry's game all the way in the first 25 minutes but then an injury to City defender Ben Turner forced Tony Mowbray to make a change and bring on Ryan Haynes which seemed to allow Oldham to gain confidence and come into the game a little more but saying that I feel the Latics were very lucky to go into the half time interval level.
     Four minutes into the second half and the Latics were behind a perfect through ball by my home player of the match Gael Bigirimana forced the Oldham defence to give away a corner.  Joe

Has the referee got his hand down his shorts?  What is  he doing?

Cole took the corner and curved an out-swinger to the far post which Romain Vincelot met with his head only to see the effort cleared off the line by Mark Jones and scrambled out for another corner.  Cole repeated his first effort but with a deeper ball which was inch perfect for the incoming Aaron Martin who had the easy task of heading home from close range.
     Coventry seemed as though they were going to hold out and claim a massive festive season three points until the third minute of injury time when a Mark Jones corner found the head of Danny Philliskirk who headed home from the centre of the box and snatched what could be vital point for the Latics at the death.
   
     

The Ricoh Arena is a fully enclosed stadium with all corners filled which holds around 32,500 spectators.  Coventry moved to the Ricoh when re-housed in 2005 leaving their former home, Highfield Road after just over a century of football there.  If travelling by train it's best to either take a bus to the stadium or taxi as the ground is 3.5 miles away from the train station and not even I would attempt to walk such a distance.  You can catch the number 8 service from outside the station to Coventry Pool Meadow bus station where you take the number 4 or 5 to the Arena Park which is adjacent to the Ricoh Stadium.  Otherwise, jump into a taxi which will cost you around around £15 to the Stadium.  A taxi is OK if you've got the money to do this, today was going to be a cheep day out for me my ticket, train fare, scarf and match programme cost me a total of £30 but my taxi to and from the stadium cost me a total of £30 also, stick to the buses if you've got sense not like me. 


     The main feature of the stadium is the West stand which runs along the side of the pitch and is two tiered with hospitality boxes running along the back of the lower tier.  There is also a exhibition centre attached to the stand which gives it an unique look and makes it a focal point as the other 3 stands are somewhat bland affairs for all are single tiered, fully covered conventional looking (boring), nothing much to right a blog about.


     
   

 The East stand is where I watched the game from right at the front with the rain coming down at times, not the best of position's in wet weather in fact it was the first time I suffered with a wet bum from the rain that settled on the light blue plastic seat, I can honestly say that I was not at all a happy bunny.
     There is a large concourse at the back of the stand with lots of food and drink outlets.  I tried the fish and chips outlet but had a chicken balti pie with my fries and they were very nice at a cost of £5.50 but the only gripe I have is that I wasn't offered a fork or serviette and of course the pie broke in the box it was presented in and things got rather hot and messy for my poor fingers.
     The toilets are a disgrace, as soon as you walk in you see several rusty "not so stainless steel" troughs scattered around a cramped area which have seen better days and are not a good hygienic sight at all. 


   
     Behind the goal to the left of the East stand is the South stand and is where the away supporters are housed or rather to right hand side of the stand as you look from the pitch.  Pete, an Oldham supporter says that the view of the game was unobstructed and excellent and all had a great day out.

      Pictured right is the North stand not really used for this particular game as the main stand and the East is where most of the fans were housed.

                     MATCH DETAILS