|
1. Why you were looking forward to going to the
ground (or not as the case may be):
This was our first ever visit
to the Bescot having not played Walsall since the early sixties. I
was quite looking forward to it, as it was another ground I could
tick off the list. Such has been our fall from grace there will be a few
more of those this season!
2. How easy was your journey/finding the
ground/car parking?
I decided to travel by train for this match and
the journey was quite
straightforward, Southampton to Birmingham
then another train to Bescot Stadium station.
3. What you did
before the game pub/chippy.... home fans friendly?
I had been
warned that there wasn't much around the ground so I decided to find a pub
near Birmingham New Street station. The home fans were quite friendly with
some good banter between both sets of fans.
4. What you thought on
seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the
ground?
On first sight, you could easily mistake the Bescot stadium
for a retail park. The large floors-to-go stand dominates the rest of the
stadium, as it is double the height of the other three sides. The away end
itself has a low roof, which creates a lot of noise, especially when full
as it was for this game.
5. Comment on the game itself,
atmosphere, stewards, pies, toilets etc..
The 2,100 Saints fans
made all the noise (and almost half the attendance) with the home fans
barely raising a whisper until they scored their solitary consolation. The
game itself was fairly even for the first twenty minutes or so until we
took control of the game and stormed into a 2-0 half-time lead. The second
half saw us content to soak up some Walsall pressure and then hit them on
the break. We
scored our third but then switched off at the back
allowing them to score almost from the kick-off. We never looked in any
danger of conceding anymore and we ran out comfortable winners.
The stewards were excellent, you barely knew they were there,
which is how it should be, but were helpful and friendly when you needed
them. I didn't try the food but the toilets were clean and tidy if a
little cramped when busy.
6. Comment on getting away from the
ground after the game:
As the train station is only 5 minutes walk
from the away end it was very easy to get away after the match. But be
warned the train gets very overcrowded, especially as Aston Villa were
also at home and the train stops at Witton and Aston stations, so be
prepared to be crammed in.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the
day out:
Overall a good day out, helped by the result of course,
would certainly
consider a return visit. It is just a shame that ground
was not full, as I am sure the atmosphere would have been a lot better if
it had been so. |
|
