It was good to
be back on the road again with Wycombe and
heading West to what appears from photo’s to
be a quirky unusual ground.
Getting to the M32 was easy however where
there was a traffic jam for the IKEA
store and the combination of this and a
football match nearby made for heavy traffic
so worth avoiding this route.
The ground was tough to find, hidden within a
large area of housing at the top of a
hill. With a modest crowd there was not
even the usual flow of people to hint at where
the ground was. Parking in nearby
streets however was relatively easy within a
5-10 minute walk.
A strange but genuine ground which has, on
either side, tall stands which run only half
the length of the pitch. There is a
classic covered terrace at the North end and
only a temporary stand at the South end with a
port-a-loo area in one corner. The away
fans have a choice of sitting next to the
loo’s or standing on a small terraced area in
one corner.
Stewarding was friendly and the sun was out
which made for a relaxed pre-match atmosphere
– for a sunny afternoon game don’t forget to
take a cap or sun glasses as the away corner
looks into the glare throughout the first
half!
Recalling a televised game in recent seasons,
and given that Rugby is also played, I had
expected the pitch to be poor but was
surprised to see an excellent surface. A
reasonably skilful League One game resulted
from the good conditions and any neutral would
have enjoyed an end to end game. For the
committed fan the ebb and flow was as
stressful as ever and at 1-0 up and then 3-2
up no Wycombe fan was confident of the
outcome.
Being open to the elements it was difficult
for the 400 away fans to make themselves heard
from the terrace which detracted from the
atmosphere.
On the day the dice fell our way and Wycombe
registered their first win for over a month
which was the basis for a happy if slow drive
past IKEA out of the city and east to
Berkshire.
A fun day out to an unusual ground and one
that I’d happily return to, but armed with
sunglasses next time!
Score: Bristol Rovers 2 Wycombe Wanderers 3
Attendance: 6,688
Ground No: 37 (of the 92)
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