Top 5 grounds and top 5 worst in League 2

[EricSabin]

Ours is soulless and I don’t like it. However we can’t be lumped in with the Col U’s of this division IMO as at least there’s 2 pubs at the top of the hill with football on etc and get busy but still have decent service. If you come here and drink in TGI’s then you’re a clown anyway.

 

[Essex2Wessex]

Bristol Rovers' ground is at least proof that generic commercialism hasn't yet fully triumphed at this level. Personally, I can't stand it, but it is unique. And outdoes Crawley in the use of "temporary" structures. And Bristol is still Bristol, for good and bad.

 

[Seen It All]

Yeah its a depressing ground. Layer Road was a lot better.

I liked Layer Road. It was easy to get to and we usually won. Well, we did when I went there. I did feel sorry for U's when we played them in an FA Cup tie in the early 80s. They ran us ragged for 90 minutes and then Stewart Houston (ex of Man Utd) put through his own goal right at the death to give us a thoroughly underserved passage into the next round. The stand we were in was a bit dodgy to say the least and I thought it was going to come down with celebrating Addicks fans going barmy at the steal we'd just pulled off.

 

[MadJohn]

I haven't managed to raise the enthusiasm to get myself to Colchester's current ground yet, maybe this season. I went to Layer Road a couple of times and it was a perfectly fine setup for lower division football. My first trip was probably the most ill I've felt at a football match. 1990, New Year's Day (cheers, fixture computer!), after somewhat enjoying myself the night before I took my place on a supporters coach (something I've only done once or twice since) for the trundle down to Essex to watch Colchester (bottom of Div 4) play Pools (2nd bottom). We scored early and I couldn't celebrate as I was doing my best not to throw up. Spent much of the rest of the half sat on the terrace with sweat pouring out of me despite the cold day. Col U scored three unanswered goals in the second half to send us bottom of the league, then the coach driver got lost on the way home. Half an hour after leaving Layer Road we passed it again. Horrible horrible day.

 

[Indian Dan]

I would never put Swindon in the top five. Their stewards are scum.

Seeing as we haven’t played you since 2007 I’d hazard a guess the stewards are different. Not something you have to worry about nowadays, though!

 

[Railway Blue]

Seeing as we haven’t played you since 2007 I’d hazard a guess the stewards are different. Not something you have to worry about nowadays, though!

Thanks for that ~~~ what's your debt now?

 

[Indian Dan]

Zero

 

[Indian Dan]

In fact, we’ve played you once at the CG in the last 34 years. Are you having a senior moment?

 

[Agombar stool]

In fact, we’ve played you once at the CG in the last 34 years. Are you having a senior moment?

Who does Railway Blue support and what did the stewards do to him in 2007?

 

[Boz]

He’s a Chester fan.

 

[Railway Blue]

Zero

Yer up to your armpits in debt. Nobody has zero debt.

 

[Agombar stool]

He’s a Chester fan.

Oh right. Can see why he might be frustrated then.

 

[Indian Dan]

Yer up to your armpits in debt. Nobody has zero debt.

We’ve just been taken over. The new fella has sorted out the mess created by the previous owner. We do ‘owe’ the EFL a Covid related loan but that doesn’t need to be repaid if we continue to abide by a few conditions.

HMRC, the local council have both been sorted. We’re heading towards 5000 STs, crowds are averaging 9000 this season.

Life is good.

 

[Indian Dan]

Oh right. Can see why he might be frustrated then.

I think he’s still traumatised by the 4-2 defeat in 1987 which won us the title.

Got to have something to hang on to, I suppose.

 

[Agombar stool]

I think he’s still traumatised by the 4-2 defeat in 1987 which won us the title.

Got to have something to hang on to, I suppose.

And his hollyoaks posters, probably.

 

[Indian Dan]

Got it wrong, it was 1986

 

[Floreat Salopia]

From the grounds I’ve been to in League 2:-

BEST
1) Exeter - been twice, once with Salop and the other as a neutral. Close to the train station, city centre & pubs. What’s not to like? Away end was a shambles at the time but I’ve also stood on the kop which had impressive views and a good atmosphere.
2) Bradford - Been to Bradford 6 times and never seen us lose there (might have something to do with why I love going so much). Big stadium, good fanbase, decent pubs to drink in if you venture away from the stadium.
3) Bristol Rovers - Okay the ground is a dump! But I base my away days on the whole day out not just 90 minutes inside the stadium. Plenty of boozers not far from the train station and once you get a taxi to the stadium, the Wellington(?) was a decent boozer next to the stadium. Love Bristol and as I’ve got a lot of mates from Taunton, we always do this for a weekender. Shame they went down.
4) Tranmere - Easy to get to on the train from Salop and is a fairly cheap journey at that. We always stop off at Chester for drinks before getting back on the train to Birkenhead. Decent enough away end and we tend to take decent numbers so the atmosphere is decent. Another ground I’ve never seen us lose at!
5) Rochdale - Not the best away day but definitely not the worst. What I like about Rochdale is that it’s dirt cheap to drink in. Bit far from the train station which is a negative but the away end is decent to create an atmosphere in. Again, we take decent numbers to Rochdale but unfortunately I’ve never seen us win at Spotland.

WORST
1) Walsall - Just an absolute dive isn’t it. Seen a lot of videos about Kabul recently in the news and Walsall doesn’t look much better! Stadium is in a shit location and even when we sell out the away end, it’s hard to create an atmosphere there. Always trouble when we have to go to the biscuit tin, last time I went on the train the windows got put through, lovely bunch. Only positive is the train platform is right next to the stadium.
2) Port Vale - Again there’s always trouble whenever we go there. Tried to get a pint in Burslem town centre last time I went but told by the locals to leave as I wasn’t welcome in my Shrewsbury shirt, again, lovely bunch. Not welcome in pubs so had to sample the overpriced warm piss they call Carlsberg in the stadium. My uncle is a Vale fan though, so have been with him a fair few times in the home end. Not too bad when you’re allowed in the pubs tbf.
3) Scunthorpe - Just utter shite. Nowhere to drink but an overpriced Harvester next to the ground. No atmosphere, poor home support, just not an enjoyable day out even if we do win.
4) Stevenage - Again we ended up drinking on the outskirts of Stevenage in this small village. It wasn’t a bad place, quite a posh village really, just very overpriced and it didn’t feel like a proper away day. They stadium itself was poor and their stewards were dicks to our fans telling them to sit down as the were impeding other supporters views despite being on the back row. No common sense there.
5) Northampton - Very similar to Scunthorpe, just wank. Nowhere to drink and the atmosphere is poor. Only positive I’ve got of this place is that I’ve seen us win 7-2 there in our promotion season.

As for our stadium, it was horrendous when we first moved from the Gay Meadow but it’s slightly better now that we’ve got safe standing . Much, MUCH better atmosphere. If you’re like me and don’t base your away day on just 90 minutes but the whole day out/weekend then I’d put us as one of the best in the country (but only if you don’t come via supporters coach). The town centre is a 20 minute walk away and has a silly amount of pubs, bars and clubs. One of the nicest towns in the UK aswell is Shrewsbury.

 

[Deepcut Cobbler]

Not sure about the rest of you but by going on the supporters bus, we don't normally see much of the locality around the stadiums, we normally find our 'refreshment' stop about 20-30 minutes away, for a couple of hours, before decending on the ground to sample either the club bar or the counter behind/under the various stands.
We have our 'regular' stops over the years, where the custom from our 'Claret' invasion is welcomed by the local pubs and other hostelries.

 

[MadJohn]

As I've got older, I'll often look at the whole day rather than just the match/ground. If there's something decent to go to on the evening before/after the match then that would influence my decision to go if I'm picking and choosing my games. So looking at this season Northampton would appeal more than Stevenage because, while Sixfields isn't particularly memorable (and we always always always lose), Northampton does still have the Royal & Derngate, it still has the Roadmender, so I might get a decent trip out regardless of the game. Similarly, Salford would usually appeal more than Forest Green; Tranmere more than Walsall; Bristol most of all.

 

[Railway Blue]

We’ve just been taken over. The new fella has sorted out the mess created by the previous owner. We do ‘owe’ the EFL a Covid related loan but that doesn’t need to be repaid if we continue to abide by a few conditions.

HMRC, the local council have both been sorted. We’re heading towards 5000 STs, crowds are averaging 9000 this season.

Life is good.

Ok thanks for that Mr Dan. Your fellow supporter has something wrong with him. I hope he recovers,

 

[E10rifle]

Colchester and Northampton were definitely designed by a council planning officer who's never been to a game in their life.just drains the life out of me like a dementor.

Couldn’t agree more. I live about 20 minutes from Colchester’s ground but haven’t bothered to go to either fixture since we came back up. Soulless doesn’t even begin to describe it.

Best: Bradford, Swindon, Rochdale, Tranmere, Bristol R (the city)

Worst: Sutton, Colchester, Northampton, Scunthorpe, Bristol R (the ground)

 

[denzel ecfc]

From the grounds I’ve been to in League 2:-

BEST
1) Exeter - been twice, once with Salop and the other as a neutral. Close to the train station, city centre & pubs. What’s not to like? Away end was a shambles at the time but I’ve also stood on the kop which had impressive views and a good atmosphere.
2) Bradford - Been to Bradford 6 times and never seen us lose there (might have something to do with why I love going so much). Big stadium, good fanbase, decent pubs to drink in if you venture away from the stadium.
3) Bristol Rovers - Okay the ground is a dump! But I base my away days on the whole day out not just 90 minutes inside the stadium. Plenty of boozers not far from the train station and once you get a taxi to the stadium, the Wellington(?) was a decent boozer next to the stadium. Love Bristol and as I’ve got a lot of mates from Taunton, we always do this for a weekender. Shame they went down.
4) Tranmere - Easy to get to on the train from Salop and is a fairly cheap journey at that. We always stop off at Chester for drinks before getting back on the train to Birkenhead. Decent enough away end and we tend to take decent numbers so the atmosphere is decent. Another ground I’ve never seen us lose at!
5) Rochdale - Not the best away day but definitely not the worst. What I like about Rochdale is that it’s dirt cheap to drink in. Bit far from the train station which is a negative but the away end is decent to create an atmosphere in. Again, we take decent numbers to Rochdale but unfortunately I’ve never seen us win at Spotland.

WORST
1) Walsall - Just an absolute dive isn’t it. Seen a lot of videos about Kabul recently in the news and Walsall doesn’t look much better! Stadium is in a shit location and even when we sell out the away end, it’s hard to create an atmosphere there. Always trouble when we have to go to the biscuit tin, last time I went on the train the windows got put through, lovely bunch. Only positive is the train platform is right next to the stadium.
2) Port Vale - Again there’s always trouble whenever we go there. Tried to get a pint in Burslem town centre last time I went but told by the locals to leave as I wasn’t welcome in my Shrewsbury shirt, again, lovely bunch. Not welcome in pubs so had to sample the overpriced warm piss they call Carlsberg in the stadium. My uncle is a Vale fan though, so have been with him a fair few times in the home end. Not too bad when you’re allowed in the pubs tbf.
3) Scunthorpe - Just utter shite. Nowhere to drink but an overpriced Harvester next to the ground. No atmosphere, poor home support, just not an enjoyable day out even if we do win.
4) Stevenage - Again we ended up drinking on the outskirts of Stevenage in this small village. It wasn’t a bad place, quite a posh village really, just very overpriced and it didn’t feel like a proper away day. They stadium itself was poor and their stewards were dicks to our fans telling them to sit down as the were impeding other supporters views despite being on the back row. No common sense there.
5) Northampton - Very similar to Scunthorpe, just wank. Nowhere to drink and the atmosphere is poor. Only positive I’ve got of this place is that I’ve seen us win 7-2 there in our promotion season.

As for our stadium, it was horrendous when we first moved from the Gay Meadow but it’s slightly better now that we’ve got safe standing . Much, MUCH better atmosphere. If you’re like me and don’t base your away day on just 90 minutes but the whole day out/weekend then I’d put us as one of the best in the country (but only if you don’t come via supporters coach). The town centre is a 20 minute walk away and has a silly amount of pubs, bars and clubs. One of the nicest towns in the UK aswell is Shrewsbury.

20 minute walk is a bit optimistic i would argue, unless you've been in the Olympic speed walking team.

 

[Floreat Salopia]

20 minute walk is a bit optimistic i would argue, unless you've been in the Olympic speed walking team.

I walk from the stadium to the town centre atleast 3/4 times a week as my mrs lives opposite the stadium and I end up walking into town to make myself busy whilst she’s at work. Takes me roughly just over 20 minutes but admittedly I’m a quick walker. It’s not as far as people think but there again I live around here so I know the short cuts to take to get into the centre quicker. I can imagine it feels longer if you’re not a local tbf!

 

[Boz]

I quite like the walk to Shewsbury's ground but with a poor sense of direction it usually takes me half an hour from town.

I've only been to half the L2 grounds and tend to agree with the general thoughts on those I've done. The view at Walsall is ok and the good train links mean you can spend most of the pre-match in Birmingham.

 

[TheDon]

Got it wrong, it was 1986

Those were the days. Macari, Kamara, and a freshly ploughed pitch!

 

[Reremnart]

Worst for me goes to Colchester. Just everything that is wrong about a football stadium especially when you compare it to Layer Road. Agree with others about Northampton being a bit soulless too.

For sheer stature Bradford’s Valley Parade is brilliant. Leyton Orient is a good away trip as is Port Vale. I think people will enjoy their trip to Sutton as well.

Oh and I’ve never been to Salford’s ground but I’m putting that up there with the worst. Just because… It’s Salford

I watched a ground review on Youtube recently about Salford. It looks like it has been dumped on a county lane in the middle of nowhere . Theres not a pub in sight and the place seems to be built of a sort of red metal mesh material. I also read some where that the nearest bus/metro stop to the place is a 20 minute walk away. I will be going on New Years Day, if I can get a ticket, but other than it being a new ground for me and a day out with the lads I can`t say the prospect is particulary thrilling.

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

Been salford few times with Curzon it’s a quick fix upgrade ground never seen the type before really.

permanent stands that feel temporary. Ground was a small wooden bench stand and 3 fences when I first went in 2016

 

[FGR Stroud]

Comments and replies on FGR Forum.
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Christ, if FGR own supporters are saying that, it must be true.
FGR don't seem to care about away supporters.
Really sad.

 

[Greenacres]

Christ, if FGR own supporters are saying that, it must be true.
FGR don't seem to care about away supporters.
Really sad.

When asked about having home fans back in the ground, when pandemic restrictions eased last season, Dale said that he didn't care whether they were there or not...I don't think that man gives a toss about us, there are some things that he is brilliant for but understanding football fans and our mentality does not seem to feature high on his priorities.

There are lots of things I love about our club, not just the current team, management, my fellow fans (most, but not all of them) and much of what we stand for...but I am ashamed that away fans are treated as an inconvenience when we are largely given a warm welcome when we go to their ground. Brentford away the other week really was the Rolls Royce of football experiences, great location, everyone associated with the club was welcoming and friendly (including their fans)...if people want to see a model example of how to treat away supporters then surely that is the example to aspire towards.

 

[Chris FGR]

Dale Vince is not a man of the people and will never be liked as much as Trevor Horsley was. He understood football fans and was one of us, Dale and his entourage running the club are clueless on that front.