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Home Park, Plymouth
v Wolverhampton Wanderers, Championship League
Saturday, September 18th, 3pm
By Tom Noble

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

Having never even visited the south-west of England before, I decided to
make the (very) long trip to Home Park not only to watch Wolves struggle
against a newly promoted team, but also to see what the region had to offer. I had seen the ground on television a number of times, and always thought it seemed like a nice, compact ground that could generate a good atmosphere.

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

We decided to make this journey on the supporters coach. The journey was
long but smooth, and being on the coaches meant that we sailed straight to the ground via police escort. I would imagine that traffic could get quite
heavy in the build-up to the game, so I would advise getting there early if
going by car. Parking was available at the ground, and there seemed to be
plenty of streets around the place which looked safe enough to leave the
car.

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

As a result of being on the coach, and being a little late, we were
sheperded straight to the away entrance, without much chance to chat to the home fans or sample the local food outlets. I must say, however, that the walk around the ground was quite pleasant, taking us through a small park behind the new side stand.

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

Unfortunately we didn't get the chance to have a look at the one remaining
old stand from the outside. The new stands were your average modern stand, but the green paint made it obvious where you were. On entering the ground I was surprised at how small the the stands were. As a result of this, the concourses became quite crowded at the peak times, another reason for getting in early. However, it was clean and cosy, and the compact nature of the stand meant a good atmosphere could be made. The view was OK, could've done with being further back really, but we were close to the action which added to the experience. The old stand looked great, with the paddock to the front, a real throwback to what it would've been like some years ago.

 

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

The toilets were fine, but did get crowded at half time. The game was a scrappy affair, and the first half ended predictably goalless. Second half,and to no-ones real surprise, David Friio heads home for Argyle. However, the game was to turn on a clear foul on Kevin Cooper in the area, and Carl Cort slotted the penalty away right in front of the away fans, which sparked great celebrations. And alas, with 5 minutes to go Dean Sturridge popped up to lash the ball across goal and complete an unlikely but very welcome comeback. 2-1 to the Wolves it ended.

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

We were made to wait for about 5 minutes to allow the home fans to disperse, and as we were escorted around the ground the same way we came in, we were periodically stopped by the police as more home fans left the ground. Could be annoying if you were heading for the train, and the traffic was building up again by this point. Back on the coach, and we were escorted away again  straight through the traffic, and back to Wolverhampton on another trouble-free journey.

7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out.

I was generally impressed with what Plymouth were doing with their ground, although the stands were a little on the small side. The atmosphere in the ground was good, with the home fans often responding to our songs and so on. All in all an enjoyable day out, and I would definitely go back to Home Park next time.

Are you an away or general football fan who has visited Home Park recently?
If so why not submit your own review of the ground and general day out?
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