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 Fleetwood
Time left Bristol and time arrived at Fleetwood?
We left The Mem at 7:30am, stopping at Knutsford services on the way and arriving in Fleetwood at 12:10pm.
Distance from Fleetwood town Centre / Train Station?
Fleetwood is served by a tram system and there is a stop within a five minute walk from the ground.
The nearest train station is Poulton-le-fylde, or preferably Blackpool as the tram system connects from here to Fleetwood. The town centre is within one mile of the football ground.
When was the ground opened and what are the plans for the future of the ground?
Highbury Stadium opened in 1939 and until then Fleetwood had played at a ground on the northernmost part of the town, near the coast. The ground also hosted Blackpool reserves between 2006 to 2014. Between 2007 and 2011 a lot of ground redevelopment had taken placed to meet EFL standards, after Fleetwood entered this level in 2012. There are no plans to carry out any ground redevelopments in the near future. Most recently, in 2025, the pitch had major work taken place, addressing previous waterlogging issues. The original Fleetwood was established in 1908 and have had to come back from going bust on three occasions in 1928, 1977 and most recently in 1997.
What options were there for pubs around the ground?
There are many pubs within a 10 minute walk from the ground, notably towards the town centre. However, on the occasions that we have visited in the past, the go to place for Rovers fans is ‘Jim’s Bar’ located behind the home stand. Named after Jim Betmead, who led the reformation of the club in 1997. A large modern room, this is most welcoming for away fans. Sky Sports TV showed the lunchtime kick off on the many TV’s. Plenty of bar staff were ready to serve, without any long queues. At around 1:45pm the teams are announced from the stage from an entertaining guy, who when reading out Arvin Appiah’s name, referred to ‘Appier hour’! to the amusement in the room.
You come away thinking that if a small club like Fleetwood can run their bar this way, then it is a prime example to follow. I have been saying for a long time that Rovers need to do more to welcome away fans into our clubhouse in similar fashion. Especially with visiting clubs like Fleetwood who have travelled a long way. In all, the similar bars that I have been in up and down the country, I have never witnessed any issues to suggest it can’t work at The Mem.
What did I think of the food and drink available inside the ground?
In Jim’s bar, between 12pm and 1pm they offer a ‘Happy Hour’ with 20% off all drinks. All drinks are served in glasses, as opposed to plastic, and hot food is also available. An array of different spirits are available. Asahi lager was £4.60 (£5.65 after 1pm). The only slight moan was if you prefer beer, then only lager and cider was on offer, mostly all on draught. Inside the ground, a meat & potato pie was a great choice in this part of the country. As far as football ground pies go, it was definitely one of the better ones. Bovril and other hot drinks were priced at £2.70p.
What did I think of the away end and my view of the game?
Rovers fans were situated in the end seating block of the side stand, plus terracing at one end of the pitch. It’s a decent watch from the side of the pitch. The low autumn sun did cause a nuisance, as we were situated on the lower tier seating, and I didn’t have a cap with me!
What was the atmosphere like during the match?
Guess what, another League Two drummer, this time in the Fleetwood end! Songs were sung few and far between in both the home and away end, however when Fleetwood score you know what’s coming. The goal music is from ‘Captain Pugwash’, with the theme of the seaside town. The general vibe is that the majority of Gasheads prefer no goal music. However, even some of our own fans dance along to the catchy tune, mostly out of sarcasm it has to be said! I suppose Captain Pugwash was a pirate though, so we can forgive this goal music!
How friendly were the home fans?
Fleetwood fans are a decent fanbase and come across friendly both inside and outside the ground. In Jim’s Bar, free teamsheets are handed out, and they make a point of offering these to the away fans. Programmes are not available, although they did produce one for their fantastic victory over Arsenal in the League Cup, leading up to this fixture. Surprisingly, there were plenty of these still available!
What allocation is given and can this be increased, and how many Rovers fans were there?
The terracing holds 731 standing spaces and approximately 350 seats are usually made available for an away league fixture. 399 Rovers fans attended this fixture.
The Match
For the opening 37 minutes it was quite even, but once Fleetwood scored with a low effort from 18 yards they took control of the game. In the second half, an unmarked header from a cross on the right made it 2-0. We managed to get a goal back from an effort on the left from Reiss Russell-Denny looped into the far corner, which at first hand looked like a cross. Fleetwood looked much more clinical though and got a third goal when a simple pass through the middle in acres of space, which put them through for a neat finish into the left corner. Fleetwood created a lot more chances throughout, with a massive 21 shots with 8 on target, to Rovers 4 shots with only 1 on target.
ATTENDANCE: 2,822 with 399 Rovers fans.
Rovers Man of the Match:
Most players were not worthy of a Man of the Match, although Clinton Mola had a good game in midfield. Alfie Kilgour also did well in defence, the only mistake he made was nearly a big one, giving away the ball only for Fleetwood to miss the one-on-one chance towards the end of the match. Brad Young had one of his better games between the posts, commanding his box and also pulling off some decent saves.
The Referee:
The referee had a steady match, although Quigley was as usual having his shirt taken off his back, yet the same offence was given in favour of Fleetwood. The linesman certainly didn’t help the referee with a couple of clear offsides not given, one of which was not even a close call when Fleetwood were on the attack.
Stewards/groundstaff
They were friendly both inside and outside the ground, not causing any concern for the travelling Gasheads. In advance, Fleetwood allowed us to drop off outside the ground and then our coach to return 15 minutes after the final whistle. This helped out greatly with any supporters who find it hard to walk any distance to where to coach had to relocate.
How easy did we find it to get away from the stadium after the game/what time did we get back home?
We left Fleetwood at 5:10pm. Going back via Blackpool to see the famous lights. You really can’t fault the effort, but it wasn’t as good as I thought it would be! However, it certainly looked a lively place to be, early evening on a Saturday! We had a short stop at Frankley services and got back to The Mem at 10:10pm.
Would I recommend this away day to other fans?
Yes, Fleetwood is a very good away day, the pre-match experience is great. There are plenty of pubs, a friendly clubhouse, a decent fish & chip shop opposite the ground. Also, the staff are friendly.
