Scottish stadia tour 2009/10

Is this the way to Brockville?

2011-11-18T07:36:00.001-08:00

Falkirk F.C.

Main Stand

Falkirk Stadium

Capacity 9,200

Ground 8/42

21/08/10

After we had left the leafy suburbs of Livingston behind I was messing around with the sat nav and a thought occurred tome, I was convinced we were not too far away from Falkirk and we had plenty of time left before heading home so I ordered my driver for the day (the wife) to turn around and head for Falkirk. I was sure they were at home and although the game would have started by the time we got there, I wanted to see the brand new shiny Falkirk Stadium on the outskirts of the town, and pick up another pin badge. As we approached off the A9, the stadium could clearly be seen and it was certainly very impressive looking. We parked in the car with no problems, surprisingly, as the game had indeed started. The home team were taking on Stirling Albion, in an Irn Bru SFL Division one match.

Main stand reception

Police presence

The ground was opened in 2004, after Falkirk had left Brockville, their spiritual home of 128 years in 2003 and ground shared with their local neighbours, Stenhousemuir at Ochilview. Morrisons now stands where the old ground stood and have a set of turnstiles just outside the main entrance to remind everyone what previously stood on the site. Back at the new ground, the main stand is huge by any grounds standards and is very reminiscent of the main stand at our national Hampden park, although not on the same scale, of course. We went in to reception and asked if the club shop was open but was told it would remain closed until after the game. No 2nd pin badge for me today!!! We took a couple of photos of inside the main stand and ventured out towards the away end of the stadium, the North stand and surprisingly you could actually see a lot of the ground and some of the action, in fact as we stood there, Falkirk scored and the home fans erupted, making a decent noise from the stands.

North stand

South stand

Later I looked up the attendance and there was a very respectful crowd of 4,196 and Falkirk had won comfortably 3-0. The main stand looked impressive from the outside and the inside (peering over a gate in the corner) and has a large cantilever roof, a large lower tier and a smaller upper tier, with windshields at either end. The north and south stand behind each goal are identical with wind shields with the south stand recently opening in 2009. Both are single tiered and hold about 2,000 supporters each.

Back of north stand

main stand suopperters

Main stand (right) and south stand (left)

I was a bit worried we would be told to move on by the police outside the stadium but in general they just they ignored us as we continued to take photos of the ground. We moved around to the newest south stand, identical to the north stand, you could almost smell the fresh paint on the exterior and the external steel structure still had its shine, it was that new. The east side of the stadium was all opened as it used to house a temporary tiny red roofed stand but that has been removed, I think hopefully to complete the ground. Once that takes place, Falkirk FC will own a very impressive and handsome football ground even though all corners are open to the elements. I was pleased to see real floodlights although, strangely there are only 2 large flood lightson one side of the ground in each corner opposite to the main stand, with the other lighting coming from lights along the front of the main stand roof.

North stand (away fans)

south stand

back of south stand

north stand

I would like to return to this stadium to watch a match and see if I can get a look inside the main stand and see what the other 2 stands look like from pitch level or higher up if possible. If they build the fourth stand to the same design and size of the others I will definately return, to what is I believe is a smashing stadium. I'm sure if we had waited we possibly could have sneaked in after the gates were open near the end of the game but we wanted away so we were not stuck in traffic coming from the ground. Falkirk certainly have the fan base to do well in the SPL and they may feel they are one of the bigger Scottish clubs and the SPL is where they belong, not in the first division.

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Edinburgh no more...

2011-11-17T07:52:00.001-08:00

Livingston FC

outside main stand

Almondvale Stadium

Capacity 10,016

Ground 7/42

Livingston FC started life as Meadowbank Thistle and originally hailed from Edinburgh however relocated to the new town of Livingston in 1995 just over 18 miles away

club shop

Livingston's current home , Almondvale Stadium was built in 1995 and was then renamed the Braidwood Motor Company Stadium after a sponsorship deal. When we arrived the place was deserted however in a car parked next to us some of the iIvingston players had just arrived and as quick as a flash my official photographer (the wife) asked some of the guys if I could have my photo taken with them, and they duly obliged.

The stadium is a very tidy new stadium and from the outside looks very modern and impressive. Fortunately for us the the club shop was open and was a nice size with loads of club merchandise for sale. I bought my obligatory club badge and we asked the shop girl if there was anyway we could see inside the stadium. She thought it would not be possible however my wife insisted we try anyway. We were greeted in the main reception by a senior security member of staff and when we told him I was ground hopping he said "no problem, lets go" and took us into the bowels of the stadium. He took us towards the players tunnel however rather than going down the tunnel he turned left and took us up a flight of stairs. We came out into the stadium directly above the tunnel in the directords box When I looked around the ground I was impressed to say the least. It is all seated and the 4 stands are all the same height makeing the stadium very balanced

Looking towards the East stand

On the far side of the main stand the stadium is completely enclosed however on both sides of the main (West) stand there is an open gap between the south and main stand with no seating. \there is a building between the north and main stands called the Stadium House reception, although I'm not sure it has anything to do with the club .The clubs name is emblazoned across from the main stand. The amber and black seating surrounding the stadium looks rather fetching. In the north stand the seats spell out L.F.C. and the opposite, identical south stand spells the clubs sponsor's name- Motorola in black seats.

Looking towards the north stand (dug out in foreground)

towards south stand (dug out in foreground)

Trophy cabinet

The main stand

4 striking floodlights in each corner complete the stadium and don't look out of place and are a welcome addition as most new stadia don't have any floodlights, and i love em!! We were taken back inside and down the flight of stairs which had a striking trophy cabinet at the bottom. A relatively new club but they have won a few major trophy's including the Scottish league Cup in 2004 against Hibs( 2-0 winners).

open corner at main stand

Back of the East stand

We then took a walk right round the stadium and took more photos which I thoroughly enjoyed. The east stand had huge stell supports running along the length of the stand and I must admit added to the character of the stand. All in all a very comfortable stadium and if and when Livingston return to the SPL then they are more than ready with a great stadium and some excellent facilities on offer.

The northern lights of old...

2011-11-02T12:58:00.000-07:00

...Aberdeen.

Pittodrie Stadium

Capacity 22,199

Ground 6/42

As the words of the famous song goes. This was my furthest away visit yet and we were staying in Altens just outside of Aberdeen. It had been a lovely drive up, on the Saturday morning, past Perth, Dundee, Brechin, Abroath and Montrose, just to give you a sense of scale and distance from Glasgow. (146 miles to be precise). On the Sunday we drove through the granite city and found Pittodrie Stadium, the home of Aberdeen FC, just minutes from the beach and an extremely cold and windy North Sea. From a distance (words from another song eh!!) Pittodrie does not look that imposing, apart from the huge new Dick Donald stand built with it's back to the sea, probably to keep the cold and driving wind away from the pitch. The stand was built in 1993 and replaced the old beach end with it's wooden benches for the away support. We looked all around however no one was home, it was Sunday after all and Aberdeen were not playing. We had the whole stadium to ourselves, well the outside part anyway and we found that if you stand in the corner between the Dick Donald stand and the south stand (for away supporters) you get some great views of inside the famous old stadium.

We moved around to theMerkland family stand (home end) to get a photo of the famous granite Aberdeen FC on top of the turnstiles and I have to say I wasn't disappointed, it's a lovely piece of architecture and if Aberdeen finally move from Pittodrie they would have to make room for it in their new stadium. I left disappointed that I could not get into the stadium but my wife told me to call the club tomorrow (Monday) and ask if you could see inside.

The next morning I called the stadium and was pleasantly surprised to be told to come to the club shop and they would see what could be done. We arrived back at the stadium and went into the club shop where one AFC pin badge was bought and the gir who ran the shop took us into the stadium, along a corridor and out into the famous stadium through the players tunnel to boot. I had seen Pittodrie on the TV many, many times before but to see it in the flesh was amazing. It is a great stadium and although there are 4 different looking stands (Pittodrie was UK's first all seater stadium they all blend in together. The view from the home dugout was brilliant as I sat in there imaging the stadium full to capacity and ready for kick off. My wife joined me in the dug out as the shop lady took our photograph together (who would have thought it, my wife in a footie dug out!!) I also got the chance to sit in the director's box and suddenly felt very important, this is where I belong!! The view of the Dick Donald stand was even more impressive from inside as it soared up to the spring Aberdeenshire sky. The old main stand (built in1925) was typical of the time and is actually quite deceiving as it is quite small and the seats don't come right down to ground level and actually start above the the new clear dugouts (I actually remember the old ones from the 70s and 80s! ouch!) Pillars run along the length of the main stand that gives it that olde worlde look. The south away stand stands out as it has blocks of red and yellow seats along the length of the touch line. In the corner between the south stand and the Merkland stand the seats are actually uncovered, so god help you if it rains during a match.

We were taken back into the bowels of the main stand and saw some famous Aberdeen teams of yester year including the 1976 League Cup winning team that beat Celtic 2-1 after extra time ( I remember watching my first hampden final with my dad and watching a young Kenny Dalglish score with a penalty to put Celtic 1-0 up, alas Aberdeen came back and won with goals from Drew Jarvie and Andrew Robb, I think. ) Outside we met Andy Constidine and got a few photos with him. All in all a great trip to the granite city and the home of Aberdeen FC and I will return. I know that the intrepid photographer (the wife) enjoyed her stay in Aberdeen and secretly, I think enjoyed the 2 trips around Pittodrie, although don't tell her I said so.

Firhill for thrills

2009-12-08T13:47:00.000-08:00

Partick Thistle

Firhill Stadium, Glasgow

Capacity: 10,887 seated

Result: Partick Thistle 2 Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1

Visited: 28th November 2009

Attendance: 2353

Griound No 5/42

Competition: Irn Bru Scottish league First Division

Admission: £16

Official programme: £2.50

This was an easy one for me as it is the closest stadium to my home!! I called PT and told them what I was visiting every football ground in Scotland, and asked if I could have a look see before the game. No problem, just come in through the players door. So off I went on my own this time as my official photographer was working with camera in hand, hat scarf and gloves as it was freezing, I can tell you. I pressed the bell and and after introducing myself, was told to go straight through the players tunnel and out into the pitch to take as many photos as I liked, great I thought. The first person I bumped into was recognisable as Gerry Briton who used to play for Celtic, I said "hello" but he must of wondered who the heck I was. Out onto the pitch and there were a few people mulling around, officials and security, that sort of thing. However they just let me get on with my photos. I could not get a good photo of the main stand as that was the side I was at, so I would wait later until I was over at the other side in the Jackie Husband stand. The main stand as Firhill is not used any more after it failed a security inspection, it is a shame as it is one of the few old style stands left in Scottish football. One side, the traditional away end is not used either as it's all just derelict now. I think Thistle wanted to build a new stand on it but some how have not got round to it yet. Firhill is now 100 years old and Thistle are doing their best to preserve the old and mix it with the new. I thanked the girl who had told me to go out onto the pitch and headed to the club store where I got my proverbial club badge. I then went and bought a programme and made my way to the back of the Jackie Husband stand were some wise crack was selling half time lottery tickets and shouting to howls of laughter around me, that the tickets were disappearing faster than the old firm in Europe, I just smiled and kept my head down, being of course a fan of the green side of the old firm. Ticket in hand I entered through the turnstyle and into the main concourse which to my surprise was very comfortable . I sat high up with the Thistle fans and had a right good look around. I could now see the tunnel where I had come out of only 45 minutes earlier and the main stand away across the pitch. I remember coming to Firhill years ago with thousands at the game, now we would be lucky to top 3,000. The opponents that day were also Thistle, but from the highland city of Inverness (ICT). The away stand was behind the right hand goal and looked very impressive and what I would imagine the same if somewhat smaller concourse but nevertheless just as good. Firhill can no way be called symmetrical as only 2 stands are used and the end behind the south goal just a bit expanse of overgrown grass, however the Thistle fans make up for it by making a lot of noise for their beloved Jags. There were some crackers including "we're the real Thistle" and something about the ICT manager Terry Butcher that I won't repeat. At halt time I had a pie and bovril and boy, did I need it as there was a definite nip in the air. I chatted to a fan who lived in Cumbernauld and he said he would have to leave early as he had been been told there was fog coming our way. A half time it stated to come in down and as the 2nd half continued it got thicker and thicker, so that at one point you could not make out the corner flag at the right hand side of the away end. The Partick fans had been calling on the referee to abandon the game as they were losing 1-0 but 2 goals to the good later were shouting at him to keep onto the 90 minute mark. The gane was played out in an almost spooky atmosphere as all you could see were wisps of the players and this ghost like ball being kicked about. The referee duly brought proceedings to a halt with whistle and the Glasgow Thistle had beaten the Inveness Thistle 2-1. A great cheer went up and the Jags fans went home, if not delerious, at least very happy. A good day all round I thought and I did not have to venture too far. For atmosphere and thrills, Firhill is a great day out however the stadium is out of sorts with only 2 stands being used, but as long as the Jags keep winning, them I'm sure the fans won't care. C'mon on you Jags!!

Oh Hampden in the Sun.........

2009-12-01T13:09:00.000-08:00

Queens Park

Hampden Park, Glasgow

Capacity: 52,500 (all seated)

Result: Queens park 1 Livingston 2

Visited: 21 November 2009

Attendance: 620

Ground 4/42

Competition: Irn Bru Scottish League Third division

Admission: £11

Official programme: £2

...Well not quite Hampden in the sun, as it had been raining heavily all day, well for most of November actually Me and my official photographer (the wife) arrived at 2:15pm in Summerville Drive at the back of the North Stand were we parked. On first impressions the stadium has totally changed since the good old days for the better I may add. The stadium is now totally enclosed and is actually impressive, with its red brick exterior and new blue steel girders structure. We walked between the traditional Rangers end (West stand) and Lesser Hampden and strode round to the new main (South stand) which is very imposing with four round towers strutting out from the main building. The main entrance is very modern with a glass structure with stairs leading up to the main doors. This was the first time I had been up close and personal with the main stand, the last time was in 1988 for the Scottish Cup semi final Celtic v Hearts, and how it had chamged. The old main stand had wooden seats and was looking very tired and in some places was actually crumbling away to nothing. The stand which stood in its place could possibly be the best in the world.

After taking some more photos outside, we ventured inside the stadium through the turnstiles which cost £22 for both of us. Both sets of supporters were mingling in the gigantic modern concourse, most fans were watching the remaining minutes of the Liverpool v Manchester City on large tv screens on the walls. After buying a programme and locating the club shop, I got my QP pin badge, it was then off to the catering outlet as the smell of chips was driving us both mad. The food was actually very tasty and the prices were about what I was expecting to pay. We went into the stand and found ourselves sitting with the Livingston fans, however I was a QP fan for the day so we left and went further towards the half way line to sit with the home support. On our first look at the pitch, Hampden looked desloate and empty as fans at QP games are all located to the West side of the main stand only. We sat quite high up the steep stand and had a great view of the pitch. It was then I had just realised that as far as I could remember, this was the first football game I had been at that did not involve the other hoops...Celtic. It was quite a stange feeling as there was not one green and white scarf to be seen.

Hampden is now all seated and has excellent hospitality and catering facilities and is of course the national Stadium of Scotland. It is classed as a 5 star stadium by Uefa and since re-development has hosted the Champions League Final in 2002 and the Uefa Cup Final in 2007. In 1950 it was the largest stadium in the world but nowadays its offical capacity is 52,500 which is rather quite small for a national stadium with Celtic Park and Murrayfield both larger. The stadium's seats are very colourful with saltires behind each goal with rows of red and blue seats in the traditional Celtic and Rangers ends. The North stand directly opposite the main stand has the words H.A.M.P.D.E.N emblazoned across it. There is also a blue steel fence (not very high actually) at the half way line which separates rival fans i.e. especially when the Old firm are on duty at Hampden. All the entrances/exits are situated at the top of each stand so if you are sitting at the front then you have a long way down to your seat. Hampden is actually deceiving from the outside, in that it doesn't look that big, apart from the rear of the main stand which rises high into the sky. Hampden's pitch is quite a way below street level on three sides, (East, West and North sides) so for anyone who is not familiar with it, will be pleasantly surprised at just how big and imposing it really is. These three stands have quite a shallow incline and if they were to be further developed in line with the main stand and the West and East stands brought closer to the action then I think Hampden could be put forward as one of the best stadiums in Europe. The Celtic and Rangers ends are quite far away from the goal as there is a sort of running track around the pitch. The main stand has dark blue seats which completes the seating arrangements at the old stadium. The main stand is very modern in appearance and unusually has no dug outs, as the teams manager and substitutes sit 6 rows up which gives them a better view of the action apparently. The roof is almost transparent and wraps around the whole stadium which makes you feel like you are sitting in a huge but comfortable bowl. There is a much smaller 2nd tier stand which the roof rises to encompass it and is so well integratedl it is almost unnoticeable. It certainly does not jeoperdise the overall look. The modern floodlights complete the appearance and are attached to the North and South roofs and I must admit I do miss the four old traditional floodlights in each corner of the ground (2 behind each goal) which were, I think the tallest in the UK.

Livingston had brought through a fair number of fans for the game and there were a few shouts of encouragement for both teams when they appeared out the tunnel. A crowd of 620 had turned up and in a stadium with 52,500 seats it was kinda eery. The Hoops were playing but they were in black and white. Livingston started the brightest and had a few chances with Queens Park surviving a few scares as Livingston came closest to scoring in the fitst half. The SPiders came to life after about 25 mins and the game livened up a bit. The half time whistle sounded ansd it was still stalemate. We took some more photos of inside the main stand and Ieven took some of the old photos of old Hampden and games against England adourning the walls.

The rain started coming down during the second half. Livingston's quality showed as they are really a first divison team playing in the third, and they went 1-0 up at the start of the second half with a thunderous shot by Keaghan Jacobs. Livi could have added to thier lead but it was Queens who got the equaliser from a corner and it was Paul Quinn's header that ended in the back of the net. However as much as Queens tried to get the winner it was their opponents who took all 3 points back to Almondvale with a bit of a mess in the penalty box. The ball finally fell to Moyes who poked the ball into the Spiders net. Game over. Poor old Queens now find themeslves in 8th place on 15 points, whereas Livi have now extended their lead at the top with 31 points after 14 games. I fully expect to see them win the 3rd division and head into the 2nd Division in May as Champions. My wife had brought a book and her ipod and threatened to use them in case she got bored, however after a shaky first half she got into the game and started taking a keen interest and when Queens scored their only goal, she jumped about 3 feet in the air shouting 'yesssssss'. The book and ipod still in her handbag, her threats remaining unfounded.
It was still raining when we went back outside but it didn't dampen my enthusiasm on what had a been a great day at the national stadium, maybe a win for the home team would have made it a perfect day. I will try and return to Hampden when there is a much bigger crowd, hopefully to see Celtic in the semis, or even better, in the final of this years Scottish Cup in May!! I will also be going on the stadium tour and visiting the Scottish football museum , which is located in the main stand in the near future.

Drookit in Dundee (part2)

2009-11-29T09:40:00.000-08:00

Main entrance

Dundee FC

Dens Park

Capacity 12, 085

ground 3/42

V shaped main stand

Bob Shankly stand from the main stand

Bobby Cox stand

Club shop

Board room

...Less than a minute later and we were outside Dens park were we needed to find the General Manager to take us inside for our 5 minute photo shoot. We located him in the ticket office/club shop and after introductions he took us outside and down the side of the main stand in the teaming (heavy) rain. We went through the main entrance into darkness as the stadium was completely closed (well it was only after 9am on a dreich Sunday morning with no game being played) Dundee had drawn 1-1 at Dunfermline the day before. (Sat 31 Oct 2009)

The GM took me and my wife through the interior of Dens Park, which the club have tried to keep the traditional look of yester year with oak panels and the walls in the club colours. You could smell the years of tradition flowing through the very walls deep within Dens Park. We went trough a big blue door and we were standing outside in the old traditional main stand. The first thing that grabbed your attention was the unusual shape, the stands architect decided to make it 'V' shaped as he thought every fan would get an uninterupted view of the near touch line during games. It does look very fetching, but the only down side I could see was the fans sitting right on the half way line are actually quite far from the touch line and there is a triangle shaped area just behind the clear plastic dug outs that is not being utilised. The players tunnel is actually on the LHS of the stand although there isn't a tunnel as such; a door leading onto some steps with a white fence taking the players down to the pitch. The main stand is of the old tradional types and makes Dens Park unique from other grounds especially from the air. Dens Park is now an all seater stadium with a capacity of 12,085, one of the biggest stadia in the Scottish Football League.

Directly opposite the main stand there is 'the shed' where the most vociferous 'Dee' fans sit. It is an old covered enclosure, with blue 'V' shaped roof with red supporting pillars. The letters D.F.C. is written in white across the blue seats. Quite unusually the stand reaches just past the half way line with the rest of the enclosure lying empty. Behind each goal two brand new spanking stands were built for the 1999/2000 season and each idential to the other. The East Stand is named 'The Bob Shankly' stand after the Manager of Dundee FC (1959-65) and the brother of the famous Bill of Liverpool fame who was once quoted as saying to Jock Stein in 1967, "John you're imortal" after Celtic won the European Cup. Bob died in 1982 just one year after his brother Bill. Anyway I digress, the opposite (West) stand is called "The Bobby Cox stand" named after the only Dundee captain to lift the Scottish league championship trophy. Both stand names were chosen by Dundee fans. Four stand alone traditional corner traditional floodlights complete the scene and if Dundee were to build a stand similar to the end goal stands and completely develop the side opposite to the main stand (the covered stand only runs for about 2/3 the length of the pitch with supporting pillars) then Dens Park would be really be a super stadium. However with that likely out of the question, Dens Park is still one of the better stadia in the SFL.

hard core Dundee fans stand

I cannot comment on the atmosphere during a game as me, my wife and the General Manager were the only ones in the whole stadium. I thought that would be that and we would be back outside in the rain, but what a surprise was in store for us. We were taken to the boardroom and shown all the Dundee memorobilia, which was amazing for a real football enthusiast like myself, with my wife happily clicking away like mad!! We were then taken into the following lounges; Legends, Doug Cowie, Charlie Cooks and the Captains lounges. Each lounge was as distinct as the others We were then taken up into the directors box which had padded seats and an opportunity to see Dens Park from higher up, queue more photos. Finally after an exhilerating 45 mins we were back outside the main entrance, and my many thanks go to the Genral Manager of Dunde F.C. and the Ticket Office Manager who set up this wonderful tour. We drove round to the back of the shed to take a photo of the stairs going up to the stand above. I really enjoyed my time in Dundee seeing both Tannadice and Dens Park and was overwhelmed with the generosity of both clubs. I will happily return to Dundee as I would like to savour the atmospheres at both grounds during match day.

lower Main stand

Drookit in Dundee (Part 1)

2009-11-16T15:55:00.000-08:00

Dundee United

Heading to Tannadice in the rain

Tannadice Park

Capacity 14,209

Ground 2/42

01/11/09

View from the players tunnel

On a really wet and windy, miserable Sunday morning (1st November 09 to be exact) me and my wife filled up our flasks with hot tea and off we went to Dundee at 6:45 am, why I hear you ask, well to visit the two football grounds in the City of discovery. The satnav was programmed with the postcode of Dundee FC. I had got an e-mail from the ticket shop manager telling us that the General Manager would in the stadium for half an hour between 9am and 9:30 am. My wife was moaning, "all that way just for a chance to take a few photos probably with 5 mins inside Dens Park", but I couldn't waste the opportunity.

The satnav took us all the way right outside the club shop at Dens Park and we arrived at 8:50am. The club were selling tickets for the upcoming Alba Cup final v Inverness Caledonian Thistle at McDairmid Park in Perth and a few supporters were already waiting in the rain outside. I pointed out the floodlights at Tannadice just down the other side of the street (Dens Park and Tannadice are officially the closest senior football grounds in the UK) and she suggested we stay in the car and go round and take some photos as it was still raining heavily outside.

Back of the George Fox stand

West stand with the Jerry Kerr stand (left)

Old United players

We drove up the street which literally took us less than a minute and we were outside Tannadice, yes they really are that close on the same street. Tannadice is the home of Dundee United who play in the Scottish Premier League (SPL) and the current capacity is 14209 all seated. It is a tidy medium sized stadium all covered, with some nice modern new stands like the George Fox stand which was the first stand we encountered. We then drove right around the stadium passing the Eddie Thompson stand behind one of the goals to the main stand which is slightly L shaped called the Jerry Kerr stand. We got out the car in the driving rain and tried our luck, well my cheeky wife did, and asked if we could see inside the stadium to take some photos. The main entrance is all glass and I must admit very glam. We were ushered inside and told to wait as Dundee Utd were playing Rangers in a few short hours so I knew they would be really busy and thought we had no chance of getting inside due to safety issues and the time factor (SKY outside broadcasting vans were already setting up) . But to my amazement we were told the security guard at the front door would show us inside and seeing the innocent look on my wifes face I just knew she had something to do with it. We were taken along a long corridor and up the stairs passing old photos of Dundee Utd legends such as Paul Hegarty, Dave Narey and Jim McInally to name but a few. We turned down a few other corridors and then we were outside in the rain again practically standing on the pitch, we had actually walked down the players tunnel, I was in seventh heaven and really enjoying it. My wife was just as happy as she was taking photos ten to the dozen.

Driving towards the main Jerry Kerr stand (left)

The stadium itself is mostly orange (well officially its tangerine) and black seats with great big letters D.U.F.C written on the seats just to remind everyone who are the tenants. The players tunnel is actually in one corner much like Old Trafford though nothing on the same scale of course. There are 4 different stands but they somehow blend in and the stadium looks balanced. One thing to note though is the floodlights, there are 3 really impressive huge traditional 100 footers in three corners, apart from the corner with the players tunnel, one smallish floodlight on the roof of the Jerry Kerr (main) stand and then surprisingly a new steel pole has been errected in the gap between the Fair Play and West (Shed) Stands. quite strange looking really but funnily enough it doesn't look too out of place. In fact i had missed it when actually looking around the stadium and only noticed it when i got home and put the photos on the PC. The three traditional floodlights have been put out of commission and are no longer in use as new lights have been placed on the roof at either side of the pitch.

George Fox stand

behind George Fox stand

It was such a treat as I never expected such hospitality especially as Rangers and 14,000 fans were on their way, (The game was later abandoned at half time due to the continuous downpour causing a waterlogged pitch with Rangers 1-0 up). Good old officials of Dundee United deserve some credit here. We were then whisked back to the main reception and back in the car to continue our travels, just 100 yards and one minute back to Dens Park but it may as well been on the other side of the world, such is the rivalry been the two teams...

All roads lead to Coatbridge

2009-11-09T15:10:00.000-08:00

Albion Rovers crest on wall of main stand

Albion Rovers FC

Cliftonhill stadium

Capacity 2,496 (489 seated).

ground 1/42

31/10/09

main stand

Main stand from over a wall

Hi. My name is Ramos from Glasgow and this is my first ever blog, so please be gentle with me.

For many years I have wanted to visit every senior football ground in Scotland but just never got round to it with one thing or another. Then I received a satnav as a present from my wife and the first postcode I typed in was DD3 7JY Dens Park, home of Dundee F.C. We had actually spoken earlier about visitng Dundee as I had never been before. I typed in another couple of stadia postcodes and the idea was born.....

...I would visit every football stadium in Scotland with a little help from my wife. On Saturday 31st October we visited a camping shop in Coatbridge and surprise, siurprise, Cliftonhill was just around the corner in main Street. For anyone out there, not offay with Cliftonhill, well it's the home of the famous Albion Rovers. Rovers are in the 3rd division (not too far off the top as I write) and the stadium was empty when we arrived as they were playing away at Berwick Rangers. It's a quaint little stadium with one main stand and a shed on the other side of the pitch, which i'm reliably informed is no longer used on match days. The ends behind each goal are not used either and are just big unused spaces. The official capacity of Cliftonhill is curently 2,496 (489 seated).

Player and officials entrance

We obvously couldn't get inside but I got a few photos from in front of the main stand and behind the shed ankle deep in mud and having to peer over a fence looking down into the stadium. Not sure what the atmosphere is like when the wee Rovers are at home, but the main stand can't hold anymore than a few hundred supporters. All in all, off to a good start in my travels. So come and join me as I travel over Bonnie Scotland in pusuit of all things football (including the home of Scottish rugby-Murrayfield). So next time....... Drookit in Dundee