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John’s Away View: Wycombe

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ACCRINGTON VITAL FOOTBALL last month launched the away fans opinion section on the site, and we are delighted to get the show up and running with Jonathan Saunders, a Wycombe fan who visited the Fraser Eagle Stadium for Stanley v Wanderers/

We are looking for the following aspects to be included in the article…

1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground? (Or not as the case may be).

2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking.

3. What you did before the game pub/chippy…. are home fans friendly?

4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground.

5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, entertainment at half-time, toilets etc..

6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game.

7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out.


So here we go…

I was looking forward to it because it is one of the closer games to me, being a Wycombe fan who lives as a student in Preston. I had been last season so I had good expectations of the ground, which has a terracing, which I prefer to all-seaters.

The journey was pretty easy really. When I got to the railway station in Accrington at about half 12, I got in a conversation with a friendly Accrington fan who I walked to the ground with. I took the wrong direction on the way out of the ground after the game and walked the wrong way. When I retraced my steps I asked an elderly couple, a man who was pushing a woman in a wheelchair (both Accrington fans) what the best way to the railway station was and they offered me a lift, which I accepted and got to an earlier train than I would have otherwise.

I asked at the ground at about half 12 if there were any away bars or away fan-friendly pubs around to watch the Arsenal-Man City game. The guy I spoke to, a member of the club, let me into the home bar, which was really convenient considering I wanted a quiet drink and my trainers were drenched by the slushy snow.

Wondering whether the game was going ahead was the first thing on my mind, seeing as the pitch had been covered in snow. Impressively, most of it had been cleared by home fans before the game. I stood in the terrace along the side of the pitch, different from last year in the one behind the goal. The view was certainly better. Most sides of the stadium seem to be pretty similar, the acoustics of the gound being pretty neutral. There weren’t many people there. Possibly some home supporters stayed away because of the snow.

The game was good from my point of view because we won 2-0, quite obviously. The atmosphere wasn’t the best, but neither was it the worst. It was quite evident that everyone who was there was freezing. The stewards went about quietly doing their jobs. We don’t tend to cause them much hassle anyway. There are some at other ground who like to make work for themselves against us, but these ones were fine. I don’t remember much half-time entertainment. The toilets weren’t particularly good, but I’m a guy so I’m not fussy so long as there is one. Again I’ve seen worse, Swansea’s old Vetch Field ground.

I cannot emphasise enough how much easier the day out is made by hospitable and polite fans. Some were friendly enough simply to say that we deserved to win after the game (seriously). I would actually go as far to say that it is probably the most hospitable treatment that I’ve been given at any football ground. I hope the elderly couple are reading this because I’d like to enforce my gratitude to them for being kind enough to offer a lift to a lost away fan on a very, very cold day.

Thankyou to Jonathan for kindly supplying VitalFootball with this Away Days report. Another Wycombe fan will soon be giving their views so watch out!

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