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Everton FC
Goodison Park
Away Fans
Away fans are located in one corner of the two tiered, Bullens Road Stand, which is at the
side of the pitch, where just over 3,000 away fans can be
accommodated. If a small following is expected, then only the lower
tier is allocated, which holds 1,700. For larger followings the
upper tier is also made available. If you can, try to avoid getting get tickets for the rear sections of
both the the upper and lower tiers, as the view can be quite poor. For
example, in the rear of the lower tier there are a number of
supporting pillars that can hinder your view, the seating is of the
old wooden type and the gap between rows is tight. The front of
the lower tier is a lot better having newer seats and no supporting
pillars to contend with. The rear of the upper tier also has
problems as Neil Theasby a visiting Hull City supporter informs me;
'Our seats were on the very back Row S and the view was awful!
There were two obscuring pillars but worse than that the angle of
the roof meant that you couldn't see the video screen
and the view of the opposite touchline was also partly
obscured'.
The facilities within the stand are basic and it is really showing its age. However,
away fans can
generate some noise from this area, making
for a great atmosphere.
The
catering includes amongst other things; a Scouse Pie (£2.30), Steak Pie
(£2.50), Cheese and Onion Pie (£2.30), plus Sausage Rolls (£2.30). They
also offer a huge meat pie for £3, which is the size of a small plate, but
I wasn't particularly impressed as it seemed to be more pastry than
anything else. Lager is available from the sponsors Chang at £3.60 for a
600ml bottle, plus bitter at £3 for a 500ml bottle and even small bottles
of white wine are on offer at £3.70. Please note though that the club
(disappointingly) does not serve alcohol to away supporters at half time.
I have enjoyed a
number of good days out at Goodison. The
atmosphere was relaxed and friendly, with both sets of fans mixing freely before the game. Neil
Thompson a visiting Preston supporter adds; 'The stewards
inside the ground were superb and the best I have seen at any ground. they
just ran things with a sensible head and communicated with people, first
class.
There are lot of grounds that can learn
from the Everton stewarding'.
On a poignant note, if you do happen to notice some
flowers lying around the perimeter of the pitch, this is because the ashes
of a number of supporters (over 800) have been interred around it.
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