Vicarage Road Watford
Championship League v Charlton Athletic
Saturday August 16th, 2008, 3pm.
Jamie Scott
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1. Why you were looking
forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):
I've been to a few away
games before and enjoy the matchday experience of them, and with Vicarage Road
being a ground I'd never been to before, this made it a more exciting
proposition. The fact that it was an important early season clash, and a local
London team helped to enhance the anticipation.
2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
The Journey was easy enough to Watford, taking the M25 clockwise. When
we got into the town centre we got a little lost, but ended up finding a place
to park in one of the side streets about 15 minutes walk away from the ground.
I didn't actually see Vicarage Road from the car, but considering I was with
others who had been there before, it was quite easy to walk there.
3. What you did before the game pub/chippy.... home fans friendly?
Prior to Kick off we went to a chippy about a minutes walk from the
away entrance, which was of good quality and reasonably priced. We had a small
walk around the ground, past many of the Watford fans, who seemed quite
friendly, and there was no obvious trouble between the two sets of fans.
4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?
Vicarage Road has a certain traditional feel about
it, but it's not one of the best grounds I've been to. The away end was nice
enough, though the concourse was a little cramped and our seats were
unfortunately quite near the front, which didn't give us as good a view as
other Charlton fans. The stand opposite is very similar in design, and the
stand to the right is a neat, two tiered stand, which was the most impressive
of the stands. The stadium is let down though by the complete mess of the
stand to the left, which just doesn't appear to have any conventional design.
If Watford were to improve this side, then they would have a very good
championship stadium.
5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, toilets etc..
The game itself was pretty poor, with a goal from Tommy Smith winning
it for a Watford side that is likely to fitness mid table, unfortunately like
Charlton. Both teams seem to have been hit hard by their Premiership
relegation, and the financial situation at both clubs seems quite insecure
currently. The atmosphere in the Charlton end was increased by a number of
poor refereeing and linesmen decisions, most notably the sending off of Kelly
Youga just before half time, despite seemingly having played the ball, and
arguably having a covering defender, which would rule out the "last man"
sending off decision.
6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game
Getting away from the ground was pretty quick, and we were back at the
car within half an hour of the final whistle. The car ride home also passed
quite quickly.
7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out
An average game, an average stadium, and two average teams says it
all. Hopefully this will have changed by the next time these two sides face
each other again.
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