What makes a good/bad/great away day, no matter what division you watch your football in?
Is it about the entire day, from the distance that you have to travel and the difficulty of getting there, to the town or city itself, or the ground itself or its immediate environs, and even the cost of a pint.
From grounds that were built with the Premier League in mind to those built for non league clubs who’ve grown since, all life is here.
Darren Stobbs reveals all about his awayday at Crawley
Time left Bristol and time arrived at Crawley?
We left The Mem at 8:30am and arrived at Crawley for 12:20pm, stopping for 45 minutes at a very busy Cobham Services.
Distance from Crawley Town Centre/Train Station?
The town centre and train station are just over one mile from the ground.
When was the ground opened and what are the plans for the future of the ground?
Broadfield Stadium first opened in 1997 and is owned by Crawley Borough Council. The East Stand (partly shared with away fans) is a temporary structure and Crawley are in discussions with their council to build a permanent stand in its place.
What options were there for pubs around the ground?
Ever since Rovers first met Crawley in 2011 the go to place for most Rovers fans has been the Supporters Club bar behind the main stand. They are very welcoming with quick and efficient bar staff. Sky Sports is on show, with the live lunchtime game on. There is also a bar just outside the away turnstiles for Rovers fans.
I was told by another Rovers fan, who I know well, that the local pub was nothing to write home about and he much preferred what was on offer at the ground itself.
What did I think of the food and drink available inside the ground?
Crawley sold ‘freshly filled rolls’ in the bar, which looked very tempting. People were also allowed to bring in hot food from the burger van outside, and the chips looked very nice! However, I opted for a steak & ale pie inside the ground, which was £5. From recent seasons, they were a decent choice, and this time around I wasn’t disappointed. They had the Crawley Town emblem stamped on top of the pie, which suggested they may have been made from Piglets Pies. They were very similar to the ones Rovers used to sell at The Mem. Hot drinks were £3, although after once having a Bovril at Crawley a few years ago, I wasn’t going to try it again, it certainly wasn’t the Bovril that I know!
Drinks seemed to be on the slightly dearer side than most grounds, a round of three drinks cost £20, London Prices! Well, we were near London anyway! The local ale on offer, from ‘Missing Link’ Brewery in Sussex, was called ‘Bonobo’.
What did I think of the away end and my view of the game?
As mentioned, Rovers fans were located at one end of the East (side) stand and also behind the goal for people who wanted to stand. This also extended around to the far side. The temporary stand has many ‘thin’ pillars on it, but in general it doesn’t distract from watching the playing action. The stand is very similar to what was ‘the tent end’ at The Mem.
What was the atmosphere like during the match?
Crawley are another club with a drummer, much to the annoyance of Gasheads! However, even that person could not drum up much atmosphere from the home end. The atmosphere in the away end was good and the Rovers fans were in a relaxed mood throughout the match.
How friendly were the home fans?
The home fans seemed a friendly bunch in their Supporters Club bar and there were no issues within the ground or leaving afterwards.
What allocation is given and can this be increased and how many Rovers fans were there?
The away end holds approximately 1,200 and on the day Rovers took 851 which was just under 25% of the attendance.
The Match
Rovers were very much the dominant team and used their possession wisely throughout. Having 27 shots during the match, we should have won by more goals. A fantastic Tom James free kick looped in off the bar in the first half to make it 1-0. Then just before half time it was 2-0 when a good pass from Kofi Balmer out wide was superbly taken with Bobby Kamwa’s first touch and then put far into the bottom left corner. Their keeper also made a brilliant double save at 0-0.
ATTENDANCE 4,120 with 851 Rovers fans.
Any songs/chants that were a little bit different to the norm?
Nothing to report, however a face in the crowd, in the Rovers end, was former Rovers striker John Marquis.
Man of the Match:
Shaq Forde was my Man of the Match; he looked a danger every time he got the ball. The Supporters Club coach vote went to Clinton Mola.
The Referee:
The referee was good in general, the linesman on our side could have been better in several of his decision makings. 7/10.
Stewards/ground staff:
The stewards and catering staff were approachable and seemed to have no issue with the Rovers fans.
How easy did we find it to get away from the stadium after the game?
We left at 5:05pm and were on to the main road outside the stadium within five minutes. The helpful stewards said that they would escort us out once we were ready.
How much did I spend in total on this awayday?/ Was it good value for money?
Taking into consideration a match ticket, coach ticket and journey costs, plus food and drink. This match set me back £80. Most of the costings were of what you would expect.
Time back home:
We left Crawley at 5:05pm and got back at The Kingsway, Kingswood for 7:45pm, without stopping. Any London bound fixtures we drop off at Kingswood first, whereas journeys from all other directions we go back to The Mem first. It was a straightforward journey back.
Would I recommend this away day to other fans?
Yes, Crawley is a good away day. The facilities are reasonable and on this occasion we got three points, which is a bit of a rarity at Crawley, having previously only won once there in the league and once in a cup fixture.
