Away Days - Birmingham City
First Impressions -- Around the ground -- Facilities -- The Stand -- Overall -- Pictures
Fixture: Birmingham
City V Preston North End
Competition: Coca Cola Championship
Ground: St Andrews
Date: Saturday 9 December 2006
Kick off: 3.00pm
Final Result: 3-1 Ormerod
With tickets at a bargain £15, this game and the chance to take in a 'new' ground was an absolute must! Anyway, we got there later than expected and were the last coach to arrive (typical!) since our driver decided to take a different route to everyone else.
Upon arriving our coach part in a separate fenced-off part for the away support. I decided to make ny way out of the fenced off part and up to the club shop to try and get my Dad a fridge magnet. Alas, browsing round the shop was nigh on impossible and jam packed full. So instead I made my way back down to the away turnstiles.
I have to say that from the outside, the Kop Stand looks quite impressive and smart. I didn't get much glimpse of the rest of the ground until I went inside.
After wandering up to the club shop and then wandering back down again, I decided it was best to just go straight in. The ground didn't look like it was in the best of areas. Usually I do take a wander round but it was practically impossible to walk right round since the away stand obviously backed onto a railway.
On the way to the turnstiles everyone was stopped so the stewards could search everyone. I thought this was way over the top and was thinking, "They must think they're stewarding at an airport!". This was one of a couple of aspects that ruined my day.
I also didn't like the way away fans were 'fenced off'. Its not often I see things like that at a ground and thought it spoilt it, but if they have had trouble in the past then it would be understandable.
Upon taking my seat I could obviously get an impression of what it was like inside. It looked very impressive and I like how the opposite end curved round onto the Kop yet the Railway End was separate from the Kop, but didn't have a massive gap. I felt this gave a good feel to the ground.
To my left was the Main Stand, the oldest stand. Most people might think it looks out of place next to its modern neighbours, but to be honest I thought it fitted in well. Perhaps one thing that helped it was the fact it ran the full length of the pitch and wasn't over-run with adverts, unlike our Pavilion Stand.
I was highly disappointed with the catering facilities to say the least. I thought I got in early enough to have a pint before the game, but the queues were horrendous. There were two catering bars but both were obviously struggling.
Instead I just went to the toilet, and at least they were decent enough standard, then I just went and took my seat.
When half time was approaching I decided to go down to the concourse early so I could get a much-wanted pint. Alas, plenty of others had the same idea and I ended up stuck in a queue for the entire second half. I eventually got to the front but they told us they were stopping service! They could have at least told me there was a chance they might not be served, but no, they were too dimwitted and incompetent to do so! Even more so when I saw one moronic 'assistant' chatting on her mobile at the back instead of serving!
Although the catering facilities were a major negative point, the stand as a whole was pretty decent and of a good standard. This was expected of course with it being a relatively new stand.
The legroom was pretty spacious which is what I like in a stand (if its seated that is! I would prefer a good old terrace though!). The main plus point was being able to create a good atmosphere in the stand and the North End faithful certainly made good use of the acoustics.
With the bottom of the stand (the ground level) being nothing but 'space' this allowed for a quick exit, another plus point with there being roughly about 2,000 Northenders in attendance.
My day was slightly ruined by the over-the-top search before entering the ground and the awful catering facilities/service. However, despite the loss it was a decent North End performance but the good thing to come out of the day was that i've visited another ground and its another i've ticked off my list.
Overall, despite the catering in the Railway End, St Andrews is an excellent ground. Just a shame about the stewards and moronic catering staff (yes we have them at Deepdale too, I must add!)
Ratings
Appearance: 7/10
Facilities: 5/10
Enjoyment: 7/10
Fans: 8/10
Away Stand: 8/10
Overall: 7/10
