Football Ground Guide: Fans Review, Portman Road, Ipswich Town FC

Portman Road Ipswich Town
Championship League v Colchester United
Sunday, April 13th 2007, 12 noon
Kelvin Armiger

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

I was looking forward to the game because Norwich and Ipswich games are always special, and this was going to be my very first visit to Portman Road. The atmosphere was sure to be a great one because of the occasion and the fact Norwich fans are always great at home and away.

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

My journey to the ground was very easy, I went with my family and we caught the train from Norwich station and travelled that way. Finding the ground was simple considering the huge police presence all the way. I must say though this is only the case during the Norwich game because of the rivalry between the two teams.

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

We were taken straight to the ground so there was no chance to gain access to a chippy before the game. We had to make do with the food which was provided inside the stadium. Apart from the pie there was not much to offer, but we had gone to Morrison's before the game and had some sausage rolls.

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

First impressions of the ground came when getting off the train at first view parts of the ground looked very tatty and old. On arriving outside the ground this was enhanced even more with the outside of the Cobbold end stand looking very tired and in need of restoration. The inside of the ground was not much better and with the Norwich and Ipswich fans sharing the same turnstiles this was poor management and ground structure considering the game itself. The actual seating area was very crammed and there was not much room for movement in your seat. And again for the game in hand the amount of stewards around the ground was poor. There was only a 20 yard gap between Norwich fans and those Ipswich fans in the Greene King stand, with only 4 stewards in attendance. Again this was similar in the Cobbold Stand with very little segregation between the two sets of fans at all.

The two stands at either end the Greene King and the North stand look very out of place. They are both very modern stands which have recently been built. In Contrast the Cobbold Stand and the one opposite was very old and not very pleasant to look at. The lower teir of the Cobbold stand is uncovered so any poor weather and the fans in this area are sure going to know about it. Although it was not raining during the game I became quite wet due to the dripping off the end of the roof.

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

The game itself was great or the first 5 minutes we were on top and even went ahead thanks to a fine strike from on loan striker Ched Evans. From here though things went down hill, we just stopped playing and Ipswich were able to fire them selves 2-1 ahead by half time. The second half followed with more dominance from Ipswich. The game ended 2-1 Ipswich with Danny Haynes again scoring against us.

The atmosphere and noise coming from the Norwich fans was great and this carried on all though the game considering we had just lost to our local rivals. I was surprised by the low level of noise coming from the Ipswich fans they had been a noisy bunch when the visited Carrow Road earlier this season. In contrast now they were very quiet and even at 2-1 ahead they were out sung by the Norwich boys.

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

The Norwich fans were kept behind after the game because of the matter in hand. After watching all the Ipswich fans leaving the ground and the Norwich fans singing all the time we finally got to leave. Once getting outside the ground the same arrangement met us outside the ground and we slowly made our way back to the train station.

7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out

The day out overall was a very enjoyable one apart from the escort to and from the station, which is overdone, there is not a history of violence between the fans and police around the street would have been enough.

I would say that the stand which houses the away fans was the worst part it is not very comfortable and the stewards were persistent on asking the fans to sit down. The stewards on in the ground were alright and apart from constantly asking to be seated the day was enjoyable.

I am hoping to make a return next season for the Derby again; hopefully we will do better next season!

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