Away Days -Accrington Stanley
First Impressions -- Around the ground -- Facilities -- The Stand -- Overall -- Pictures
Fixture: Accrington
Stanley V Preston North End
Competition: Pre-season Friendly
Ground: Crown Ground
Date: Tuesday 16 July 2005
Kick off: 7.45pm
Final Result: 0-1 O'Neil
Upon arrival in Accrington we first saw the pub 'The Crown'. The actual ground was hidden behind some trees and a few other buildings. A set of steps in the pub car park led down to the ground and it was from here that I managed to get my first look at the ground.
My first thoughts were that it was a tad smaller than I thought but didn't look too bad. The roof support was particularly impressive.
After going back to the pub for a swift pint we made our way into the ground. I noticed that there was two parts to the main stand - an older part and a newer part.
Firstly, before entering the ground, we went for a pint in The Crown. I found this to be a great pub - full of character and a fantastic selection of beer on offer. However the few Accrington Stanley fans weren't particularly welcoming - just seemed to keep themselves to themselves.
After a pint we made our way down the steps to the ground. We walked down the side of the main stand and through the turnstiles. £10 was very steep for a friendly, even more so for a non-league club.
Upon entering the ground I was able to get a better idea of how the ground looked. We made our way onto the Coppice Terrace where we stood for the first half. From here I could see that the main stand which I previously thought had just been the same stand was actually two different stands with a gap in between. That obviously explained why one 'part' was newer than the other.
The Coppice Terrace was open along with the Clayton Terrace at the opposite end and to our right was the small Whinney Hill Terrace which was covered. The ground was also overlooked by a relatively new housing development. In fact one household actually had a bench situated outside their back gate - cheapskates!
The ground seemed to lack a bit of character at both ends as they were largely made of breeze block. I felt that there was too much breeze block and just made the ground a bit sterile.
Surprisingly despite there being too much breeze block, there wasn't a proper toilet block. This was of the portakabin type and let the stand and the ground down. Inside it seemed very dark - I very much doubt you'll be able to see where to piss during a winter night match!
The catering facilities were in the form of a burger bar. This seemed to fit in nicely in the stand. The food served was excellent although a little expensive, but that has to be expected at all grounds nowadays. The burger I had was one of the best i've had and overall it was better than some i've had at league grounds.
It has to be said though that the facilities in general are pretty awful with a distinct lack of any 'permanent' facilities. Not good to say the least!
For the first half we were stood on the Coppice Terrace. We had a good view from here and we could tell just how sloped the pitch was. As said above, the stand was largely built of breeze block (apart from the terrace steps of course). This was only one of two let downs of the terrace.
Behind the stand was a small-ish car park and as expected plenty of balls ended up there and often landed on the cars themselves. I wondered if it was common for someone to return to their car after the match to see their windscreen smashed!
For the second half we made our way round to the opposite end - the Clayton Terrace. Again we had a good view of the action and a fantastic view of the hills in the distant. From here we had a better view of the picturesque location of the ground.
This terrace was much like the Coppice Terrace - made of breeze block and a car park behind. The only difference being that this terrace stretched the full width of the pitch.
I enjoyed my trip to the Crown Ground and was happy to get another ground under my belt.
I was somewhat interested in the sign outside the ground stating 'One of the founder members of the Football League'. This was actually incorrect as the Accrington that were the founder members were a totally different club.
The ground is in a nice, pleasant location and does have some character although little of it. It did feel 'sterile' with the high amount of drab breeze block.
Ratings
Appearance: 6/10
Facilities: 4/10
Enjoyment: 7/10
Fans: 6/10
Coppice Terrace: 5/10
Clayton Terrace: 5/10
Overall: 6/10
