Away Days - Newcastle Utd
First Impressions -- Around the ground -- Facilities -- The Stand -- Overall -- Pictures
Fixture: Newcastle
United V Preston North End
Competition: Coca Cola Championship
Ground: St James Park
Date: Saturday 20th February 2010
Kick off: 3.00pm
Final Result: 3-0
This was a ground I had been wanting to visit for quite sometime. I had been impressed with the all the various photos i've seen of the ground and I wasn't disappointed upon arrival.
The journey to Newcastle was probably the best journey i've ever been on to an away game. The coach took us straight up the M6 and then across whilst going through some stunning scenery. Newcastle itself wasn't disappointing either - the first glimpse we got of the ground was as we were going through Gateshead. It looked very imposing and quite frankly, stunning.
Upon arrival at the ground, I wasn't disappointed. The ground looked absolutely massive and as before, very imposing. It certainly looked smart and well kept.
I opted not to walk around the ground and went straight in instead. It was something I regretted as I did have enough time to spare, but oh well!
Upon walking past the away stand (Sir John Hall Stand) I noticed it had a car park built into the stand - something I had never seen before but definitely a great idea - making as much use of the space as they can.
It was then up to the turnstiles and after entering, well the journey up to the concourse can only be described as quite memorable!
Our seats were situated second row from the top and I could certainly judge the rest of the ground. Obviously it looked imbalanced due to two very tall stands and two smaller ones but this didn't seem a problem in my opinion. In fact, I thought the ground looked excellent.
I had high expectation of the facilities since it was only a few years since the stand was extended and I wasn't too disappointed.
The toilets were of a decent standard but the only things letting them down was that their wasn't enough and the cubicles seemed covered in graffiti. You would think they would clean the graffiti off once in a while but some had obviously been there for quite some time.
The concourse seemed spacious enough and there was a good view to be had out of the windows - you could clearly see how high up we were.
I didn't bother using the food kiosks as I wasn't hungry - good job really as the prices were ridiculous!
More or less everything about the stand was excellent. The only down points were the horrific climb to the concourse and the view of the pitch.
Being so high up, the view of the pitch wasn't exactly brilliant but there was a great view of Newcastle & the Tyne Bridge! I had never experience being so high up at a football ground before and after going up to my seat from the concourse, it was quite daunting and 'scary' in a way.
One criticism I do have is that the row letters were very confusing to say the least - it wasn't clear what row was what so a lot of people ended up sitting in the wrong seat. Despite that, the legroom was fantastic and certainly one of the best i've experienced.
As mentioned previously, the climb up to the concourse was quite horrific and memorable - there must've been at least twelve flights of steps. Being unfit, I was a tad out of breath by the time I got to the top, but I certainly must've shed a pound or two!
Despite North End's woeful performance and being well-beaten, it was certainly an enjoyable day out and without doubt, this is one of the best grounds i've ever visited.
Its a smart, well looked after ground and one that's imposing and very impressive. Despite the poor view of the pitch, this certainly now ranks as one of my favourite grounds and one i'd certainly re-visit in the future.
Ratings
Appearance: 9/10
Facilities: 9/10
Enjoyment: 9/10
Fans: 8/10
Stand: 8/10
Overall: 9/10
