My first ground review takes me up to Fleetwood Town, in the Coventry City end albeit, but I promise not to be biased due to the fact that the club I am reviewing is the one that beat mine 2-0. Speaking of which, if you want to see my match report on the game itself then follow the link below to do so.
Fleetwood 2-0 Coventry - http://aviewfromthestandss.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/my-twelfth-1617-game-fleetwood-town-vs.html?m=1
I've made it clear that I didn't particularly enjoy the match experience, but I'm not going to let that mar my first review I do. First things first, this isn't my first trip to Highbury so it can't be added to my personal tally however the blog tally can now be put to 1/92. It's a long road to complete them all but one I am determined to complete.
On to the club, the first basis you have to cover is travel. Personally I got a lift there, I also managed to get it free without paying petrol because I'm a bad person... Let's say if you went though it was be £10 for petrol. I wouldn't recommend going on the train if you are going for just the day however, the nearest rail station is Poulton-le-Fylde, 5 miles from the ground.
I suppose you could go in to Blackpool North which is easily accessible from Preston and get the tram, taxi or bus but in my opinion it wouldn't be worth it if like I say, you are in and out on just the one day. The reason I mention this is because a lot of people like to do the full weekend in the nearby city of Blackpool. For this the train would probably be the best thing because parking would be a task and a half to stay for 3 days. Ticket prices are quite steep considering what it is you're paying for, £23.50 (adult) for a seated ticket is ridiculous considering it might well be the smallest ground in the league.
As for the nearby attractions, if you completely forget Blackpool and talk more about Fleetwood itself then there's not much to do in the area. There's a chip shop near the away end as well as a fairly decent little clubhouse for both sets of fans which offers £3.30 for a pint. If you want to drink then do so here because the away end doesn't sell alcohol. Which brings me on to my next point.
There is one very small place to get food and drinks in the ground, a back of van type thing. There are 2 things you can buy food wise, a Rollover hot dog and a selection of pies. Unfortunately I couldn't see what the wide selection of pies were because by the time I got there (half time) all that was left were no hot dogs and just the one pie left. So I took my chance and spent £3.50 on a Meat and Potato pie accompanied with a cup of tea for £2, coffee and Bovril were both available for the same price.
It was very decent and I would certainly recommend it, but get in there early, otherwise there will be nothing left and you'll be stuck with the confectionery items. But seriously, who goes to a match and just eats a bag of Malteasers? Whatever you prefer I suppose! The tea could have been better but it was adequate enough. All in all you get value for money when consuming food and drink at the home of the Cod army.
Now on to what makes football work, the fans. Fleetwood fans aren't exactly famous for their large numbers or great atmosphere, but can you blame them considering they were a non-league team just 5 years ago? They were making a bit of noise to be fair to them but nothing more than you see at other grounds, Don't be prepared for a banter contest with their fans because not only are the noise-makers on the other side of the pitch, but also there is about 30-40 of them.
One little thing that annoyed me about Fleetwood was that their goal music was the tune of Captain Pugwash, some people would describe this as "tinpot". I'm probably just bitter considering it signalled that we were beating beaten by a team that 18 years ago did not even exist, us on the other hand were a Premier League side. Times change though and I'm not here to talk about the demise of Coventry City.
All in all, Fleetwood is a decent little ground with nice food if you get there quick enough and is a stones throw away from Blackpool should that be what you wish to do. The only slight worry is the cost, say you are an adult who goes with a mate and pays £10 petrol. That's £23.50 for your ticket, also, you'll probably want a pie and a drink at half time. Another £5.50. That brings your grand Fleetwood Town away trip price to.... £39. Not including the couple of pints you might have pre-match.
The second ground review could be any one of three clubs, Millwall in with Coventry City fans again on September 10th, Aston Villa in with Nottingham Forest fans on September 11th, or if worst comes to worst it'll just have to be Coventry City when we play Oldham Athletic on September 17th. It could potentially be all 3, but also could be just the one. I really don't know just yet, although if you enjoyed reading this brand new series of posts then let me know! Thanks for reading!
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