Match: v Ebbsfleet United - Blue Square Premier

Date: Monday, March 24th, 2008

Result: Ebbsfleet 2 Cambridge United 1

THE JOURNEY

Departure Time: 4.45pm

Arrival at Ground: We expected heavy Easter Monday traffic, and the M11 didn't disappoint. There was plenty of evidence of accidents, with a succession of vehicles moved onto the hard shoulder for people to gawp at as they slowed down to take a closer look, including one which had somehow managed to smash its rear window - an event that must have come as something of a surprise to the dog in the back.

The traffic eased as the motorway widened and the remainder of the journey was straightforward enough to allow us to park among the circled wagon train of Setanta lorries at about 6pm.

AT THE GROUND

The Ground: Unusually, the turnstiles for visiting supporters are right next to those for players, match officials, visiting dignitaries and the press, which makes the Stonebridge Road ground one of the most egalitarian venues around. Access to these turnstiles is via a puddle-strewn car park, beside which stands a double-decker bus graveyard and a massive electricity pylon whose cables lead over the pitch to its colleagues marching off into the night.

There are longer term plans to move to a new stadium but, in the meantime, visitors are treated to an old-fashioned football ground that hovers on the dilapidated side of decrepit.

Overshadowed by the pylon, the away end is an open bank of terracing that runs between the goal and the car park. Ample in size for most - if not all - Conference visitors, it's one of those places where you desperately hope it doesn't rain... or snow, for that matter, as there is no cover.

There is further terracing alongside the pitch, to the right of the away end, although this does at least have a roof - albeit one that only covers its central half.

Another area of terracing used to be behind the other goal, but this has now had seats bolted onto it. The back of this stand is painted white and has 'The Fleet' writ large in red letters.

The remaining side of the ground contains an old, wooden stand that is so rickety that you might expect a troll to live underneath. Although the seats in this stand are wide, comfortable and new, the roof isn't and shreds of rust and paint pepper the heads of supporters beneath every time a ball lands on it. Similar in length to the roof on the opposite side of the ground, there is more open terrace to either side of this stand with a catering kiosk and pungent toilet block behind.

United Fans: The turnstiles were open when we arrived and the first chorus of 'Jimmy Quinn's Amber Army' came at about 6.15pm. This set the tone for another night on which the Amber Nation excelled with near-constant support that was so loud that you had to check to see if they had built a roof to aid acoustics.

View from Away End: No roof, so no pillars to get in the way - unlike the press box, which had an abundance of both... particularly the latter, behind which a disproportionate amount of the match seemed to take place.

Home Fans: By and large, Ebbsfleet fans only seemed interested in the forthcoming FA Trophy trip to Wembley, which is perfectly understandable, as they have nothing to play for in the Conference. At the end of the match a couple of home supporters unfurled a banner that read 'Ebbsfleet for life, not just Wembley'. I presume this was for the benefit of the television cameras; it was hardly a night for glory hunters.

There were a couple of foghorn voiced fans in the main stand that seemed to have a grudge against Danny Potter and Lee Boylan, with oblique references to switching lights off bellowed in their direction. Further investigation revealed that it all stemmed from a match the then-named Gravesend & Northfleet had been leading away to Canvey Island until the floodlights failed. The match was abandoned, Canvey won the replayed fixture and these particular Ebbsfleet fans have since abused every one of their former players. The vitriol with which the comments were made suggested the match in question had been played yesterday, rather than at least five years ago... which all goes to prove that football fans have elephantine memories.

Police/Stewards: Plenty of stewards in the ground and they were quick to move in when United fans surged forward to protest at the penalty and red card.

Programme: £2.50 for 52 pages. In case you didn't know, Ebbsfleet has reached the FA Trophy final at Wembley... and it was mentioned in virtually every article. Even the glossy front cover carried the phrase 'Next Stop Wembley!!' which might come as something of a surprise to York City who, according to the fixtures page, are expecting them on March 29th. Still, it would be churlish and downright wrong to begrudge them celebrating a place in the final of the premier non-league cup competition - I'm sure our Programme Editor would be even less restrained!

Food/Drink: Although there were long queues, it was worth the wait with a wide range of hot food and drinks to ward off the worst of the wintry weather.

State of Toilets: With limited facilities, queues soon formed.

AFTERWARDS

The Journey Home: Another subdued journey home, but at least there was barely any traffic to hold us up.

Mileage: 117.1 miles

Total Distance for Season: 5,403 miles

Mark Johnson, with additional reporting by David Gray, Paul Johnson, Ryan Johnson and Gordon McMillan

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