Match: v Aldershot Town - Blue Square Premier

Date: Tuesday, February 12th, 2008

Result: Aldershot 0 Cambridge United 0

THE JOURNEY

Departure Time: 3pm

Arrival at Ground: It was one of those days when everything worked in our favour on the roads; queues built up just after we left the motorways, or were congealing on the opposite carriageway, and rush hour was yet to get going. As a result, we arrived at the ground a little before 5pm where we found a steward so helpful that he jogged along in front of the car to guide us to a parking space... it was uphill too!

AT THE GROUND

The Ground: The early arrival allowed plenty of time to survey the ground from the Perspex-sided confines of the press box, which was close to the halfway line along one side of the ground. Alternate rows of red and blue seats ran along the front half of this stand with terracing behind. Behind the stand, which ran the length of one side of the pitch, a conglomeration of brick-built toilet blocks and fairground-style catering caravans stood either side of an unmade road, in the haphazard way that I imagine a vicus would develop alongside the road into a Roman fort. This track lead from the turnstiles and gateway along the main road to a car park at the opposite end of the ground and was overshadowed by one of the ugliest examples of 1960s office blocks you could wish to see.

Behind the goal to the left of this stand, barrel-roofed terracing was split into three sections: a flag-festooned home area, a large section for visiting supporters and, between them, a wide neutral zone. This latter section was fenced on either side and used by the local constabulary as a base from which to launch raids into the fans sections on either side when they spotted someone they thought had been a bit naughty. The visitors' section of this stand curved away from the roof, along terraced steps from which a small forest of trees grew, to where it met a small stand along the side of the pitch, opposite the press box.

The stand was wooden and contained four blocks of seats, three of which were of the blue and red striped variety while the remaining block looked newer and had what looked to be a small executive area at the back. More uncovered terracing was to the right of this stand, behind which the bright lights of trains and the sparks from the overhead cables illuminated a raised railway line. The height and angle of their approach gave the impression that the trains were disgorging their passengers into this small stand.

The remaining end of the ground simply contained a flat area of uncovered terracing with advertising boards in front and a stand of trees behind. The main road through town ran beyond these trees and the majority of supporters gained access to the ground from the turnstiles at this end.

With all its quirky ways, perhaps the most noticeable aspect to the ground was floodlights that were visible from some distance away even before they were illuminated. None of your lights running along the tops of stands or car headlights on a stick approach here - these were proper floodlights of the chunky, old school style with a vast array of bulbs, all of which seemed to be working.

It seemed as though more United fans made the journey than Aldershot expected. As a result, there were insufficient turnstiles open to deal with the numbers so the kick-off was sensibly delayed to avoid a crush of fans trying to stream in to see the start of the game. Although the decision to delay was undoubtedly the right one, the announcement wasn't made until the scheduled kick-off time. On the face of it, this would appear to reduce the benefit of the delay.

United Fans: Once inside, U's fans bounced and sang their way through the match, bringing a taste of the Abbey Stadium to Hampshire.

View from Away End: Close to the 'neutral zone' assorted pillars, posts and fences, obstructed the view but there were no such impediments further towards the corner flag.

Home Fans: Although they generated their usual good support, the U's fans out sang them for long periods of the match.

Police/Stewards: An old fashioned ground and some old fashioned policing. At least fifty police were on duty and the reason for such large numbers became apparent when the standard policy was to use a dozen of them at a time to eject unruly supporters. Between sorties into the crowd, they stood close-by, watching intensely, ready to pounce at the first sign of high jinks - as they did when a laser-pointer was shone at Scott Rendell at the start of the second half.

Programme: £2.50 for 48 pages. Behind a front cover, which apparently showed action from a match between Aldershot and Brazil - but actually turned out to be against Crawley - Aldershot's programme contained plenty to read. One of the highlights was the question and answer section with Scott Davies. Yes, I know interviews with opposing players are rarely of great interest, but I warmed to this one when the first question (marital status?) received the reply "Bad timing that question... as I split up from my girlfriend last week". Other gems I now know about him include the fact that he enjoys a balanced diet ... "Diet coke and a quarter pounder from McDonalds" is listed as his favourite food and drink. I suppose the diet element of one counteracts the fatty element of the other.

Food/Drink: Bacon rolls (£2.50) were very moreish, and the Motown food bar behind the press box was on song with top notch burgers (£3).

State of Toilets: Well, those that were accessible by the home fans were spacious, reasonably clean and fully equipped with running water and hand driers. This was more than could be said for those at the away end, which were disgusting at best. The portaloos were particularly unhygienic; what should have been on the wall was in the bowl and what should have been in the bowl was on the floor... oh, and the lights didn't work properly so your imagination could magnify the horror.

AFTERWARDS

The Journey Home: Although it was only a little misty around the tops of the floodlights in Aldershot, I was getting news of games back in Cambridge being abandoned due to the fog, so I have to admit that I was not particularly looking forward to the journey home. However, other than a dense patch around Stevenage (feel free to insert your own joke here!) the roads were clear enough until just the other side of Royston, where the fog suddenly became so thick that I considered deputing someone to walk in front of the car with a red flag and I almost missed the turning into my own drive. Thank goodness the whole journey wasn't that testing.

Mileage: 174.9 miles

Total Distance for Season: 4,226.7 miles

Mark Johnson, with additional reporting by David Gray, Gordon McMillan and Doug Shulman

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