Football Ground Guide: Fans Ground Reviews, Memorial Ground, Bristol Rovers FC

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

I was looking forward to going to the Memorial Ground as the match had been postponed in December, 2007 so we had to wait until 18th March for the game to be played. Also, Swansea were on a fantastic run, as well as been top of the league, so I knew there was a good chance of getting a result.

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

As the match was a "bubble match", you could only go to the game as a Swansea fan if you travelled on the club coaches. When getting into Bristol, we were police escorted to the ground. However, there was confusion as to which police to follow for which coach. We spent a long time trying to figure out which way to go and who to follow. There wasn't much co-ordination by the police. But, we finally got to the ground in time for the kick off.

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

Because we were all on coaches and escorted into the ground, we didn't have any access to outside the ground. We arrived in the away fans car park and had to go straight into the ground. The stewards waiting were friendly and helpful.

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

Swansea fans were placed in the "Becks south stand" of the ground. On first impressions, although the stand was relatively small, it was spacious enough and we had a good view of the pitch.

5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, toilets etc..

We enjoyed the game as we got a 2.0 result. There wasn't a lot of atmosphere from the Bristol Rovers fans and throughout the game, it was the Swans fans who were generating the most noise. Any atmosphere from the Bristol Rovers supporters, came from the "Bass Terrace" at the other end of the ground. At the side of the away stand were the toilets and refreshments. Both were on portable stands. The beef pie was nice and so too was the tea. No alcohol was available to away fans. There was an increase in police and steward numbers coming to the end of the match, but no real trouble from either fans.

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

After the game, we had to wait until most of Bristol Rovers fans had left before finally getting back on the coaches. We found it a lot more easier getting out of ground than we did getting in. The stewards were friendly, some even joking with us on our way out.

7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:

Considering it was a cold night match, the game was enjoyable. The staff at Bristol Rovers were friendly and although we had trouble getting to the ground, the result made up for it. I would recommend Bristol Rovers to anyone whose team are playing there.