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Craven Cottage
Fulham v Swansea City
Premier League
Saturday, March 17th 2012, 2pm
By Kate Brown
(Neutral fan)

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

I’ve heard nice things about the stadium and being next to the Thames, I thought it would be a nice day out. I’m a Southampton fan but was able to borrow a ticket for the game and sat in the neutral section.

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

It was one of the easiest journeys to football I’ve ever had - we took the train from Basingstoke, changed at Clapham (if you get the direct train it’s the first stop, takes about 35 minutes) and it’s then two stops to Putney station. Turn right out of the station, along Putney High Street, over the bridge over the Thames and cut through the park on your left. It’s a good 15-20 minute walk which would have been lovely had it not been raining!

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

I’d been recommended a burger stand outside the church by the park near to the ground. It’s run by the church and helps ex-servicemen retrain when they leave the forces. Burgers are a fiver but they’re huge and well worth it!

The club shop was quite nice, although a bit small (I’ve since been told that there’s another one, on Putney High Street, that’s bigger) and sells the usual stuff as well as some novelty gifts I’ve never seen before like Fulham tea bags!

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

The ground is really nice and it’s got a lot of character. The corners aren’t filled in, which gives you the opportunity to see outside the ground, both into the residential areas and across the river. We were in row UU but still felt like we had a good view. There are steel supports that might be an issue for some in the stadium although I don’t remember thinking they were a problem at the time.

View from the neutral section, Craven Cottage, Fulham FC

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

The game itself was pretty one-sided with Swansea being 3-0 winners. The atmosphere was quite quiet (apart from the Swansea fans). Being in the neutral end there were fans of both sides as well as a lot of neutrals, so there wasn’t very much singing or clapping. The home fans in the other stands were very quiet for most of the game.

The toilets were different to most toilet facilities in stadiums – the toilets were individual rooms, each with a sink and hand dryer, rather than cubicles in a toilet block. It was almost laid out like stables.

I’d been told the food wasn’t that great so I didn’t buy anything except a bag of maltesers – I thought they were expensive at £3.50 a bag but we needed something for half time! I wouldn’t recommend taking bottle of drink (water, juice, etc) into the stadium as the bottle tops are confiscated by the stewards on the way in.

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

Quite a lot of people left the ground early so there wasn’t a mad rush to get out. We had something to eat in the High Street and let the crowds disperse before getting back on the train. It was just as easy to get home as it was to get to the stadium.

7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:

It was a great day out, I’d recommend it for anyone, no matter who you support. It’s a lovely stadium and surrounding area and I’d love to go back, although next time I’d like to be there with Saints! .


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