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Not a ground that I ever
expected Wycombe to be visiting for a league fixture so an opportunity not
to be missed. The 200 mile journey was on motorways surrounded by
snow and it was clear that the ground staff had put in a great effort to
clear the pitch and surrounding area as this was one of only seven matches
to survive the winter freeze.
Parking was plentiful in the large
club car park next to the ground and I discussed the match prospects with
a local on the short walk to the stadium. This home fan was very
focused on the need to win and move three points closer to promotion
however once at the ground it was obvious that most fans were still
wallowing in the victory against Man Utd in the FA Cup the previous
week.
The concourse area “below stairs” in freezing
conditions was uninviting, the quality of hot food was poor but at least
the service was friendly.
The away corner allocated to us was about
the worst vantage point that I have experienced as an away fan and the
stewarding was a little overzealous at times for, what was, a small well
behaved group of away fans (around 650).
I had been to Elland Road
prieviously in 1995 and sat behind the dug-outs and it was clear that the
stadium was little changed over the last 15 years. The ground is
bland with no character although with a crowd in excess of 24,000 it had
more atmosphere than any other Division One game that I had ever been too
(and probably most Premiership games).
What I feared would be a
humiliating defeat for the Chairboys turned into a glorious battle which
as it turned out we were slightly unlucky not to win. I came away
however with the feeling that you deserve a little more than one point
when you come away from Elland Road with a draw in a Division One
game!
The car park emptied quite easily with a very efficient and
well marshalled traffic system it was probably the fastest that I have got
away from a match with a crowd of this size.
In conclusion, not a
great ground nor a particularly nice experience but an outstanding result
against a side that had humbled Man Utd less than a week
earlier.
Score: Leeds 1 Wycombe 1
Attendance:
24,383
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