Cappielow Park - Greenock Morton

All good things must come to an end, unfortunately this is the final blog post for now...

Last but certainly not least, the final Scottish football ground to be analysed is Cappielow Park. Home to Scottish Championship side Greenock Morton.



Travel - The journey to Cappielow from Glasgow Central is fairly straightforward. The nearest station to the ground is Cartsdyke which is on the Glasgow Central to Gourock line. The train journey takes just under 40 minutes and costs £6.80 (£4.50 with a railcard). After arriving at Cartsdyke station Cappielow Park is only a five minute walk away. You can get to the ground by heading under the railway bridge, walking down the road and turn right at the end. The stadium can be found along the road on the right hand side. If you're on the lookout for somewhere to grab a pint or three before the match The Norseman Bar is the closest place to the ground and is a very popular destination on matchdays. Alternatively, the ground is only a mile away from Greenock town centre where there is no shortage of pubs for a prematch refreshment.

The Stadium - With a capacity of 11,100 Cappielow park is one of the bigger stadiums in the Scottish Championship. The ground is visibly dated and could do with some refurbishments but the stadium certainly doesn't lack in character. The ground can seat up to 5,741 fans in both the grandstand on one side of the stadium and the infamous 'Cowshed' on the other. The grandstand is a single tiered, all seated stand while the Cowshed has seats at the front and terracing at the back. At each end of the pitch are open terraces in which fans fully exposed to the often miserable weather in Greenock.


Price of Ticket - Adult £20    Concession £15    Child £10    Under 12s £1

Greenock Morton find themselves at the lower end of the spectrum in terms of admission prices in their division. The cheapest ticket in the Scottish Championship is priced at £18 while at the other end each of the Dundee clubs charge a hefty £26 for a single match ticket.

Pie Review - The scotch pie I sampled at Cappielow Park was priced at a very reasonable £1.50. I have no major complaints about the pie. I'd say it was a pleasant pastry which reflected it's price-tag. The pie was generously filled and well seasoned. Overall it was tasty, well priced and well needed on a cold night at the Cappieliow.

Forthbank Stadium - Stirling Albion

Another blog post, another Scottish Football Stadium. This week's post is about a trip to Forthbank Stadium, home to Scottish League Two outfit Stirling Albion.

Travel - The closest train station to the ground is Stirling Railway Station, which is just over a mile away from the Forthbank Stadium. You can take the train directly from Glasgow Queen Street Station to Stirling which takes just over 30 minutes. A return train ticket can be purchased for £8.50, however the use of an 18-25 railcard is advised as this takes the price down to £5.90 which is reasonable considering the time and length of journey. Upon arrival at Stirling Railway Station you can either walk for around 20 minutes or jump in a taxi in order to get to Forthbank Stadium. On my last visit to Forthbank stadium I opted for the taxi option due to being pushed for time and also laziness.

The Stadium - Forthbank Stadium is situated on the outskirts of town which means there are disappointingly few options when it comes to pubs for prematch pints. However an advantage of the location of the stadium is the pleasant views of the surrounding countryside. The stadium was opened in 1993 has a capacity of around 3,800. There are two seated stands either side of the pitch and a small terrace at either end. The larger of the two stands is the West Stand which is a covered, single tier, fully seated stand.This is where the home fans are situated. Away fans are allocated the smaller East Stand.

Price of Ticket -  Adults: £14    Over 65s and Students: £10    Under 16s: £5    Under 12s: Free

At £14 for an adult matchday ticket Stirling Albion is one of the most expensive stadiums in their league. However Stirling Albion are evidently another forward looking club. Heavily discounted ticket prices for students and under 16s is great to see. Letting under 12s accompanied by an adult in for free is another great incentive which shows the club are looking to attract their next generation of fans.

Pie Review - A steak pie accompanied by a cup of tea was £4 which is rather pricey so I was expecting big things. It's fair to say I was left disappointed. The pie had an inviting appearance as the pastry looked perfectly golden brown. However the taste of the pie did not live up to the first impressions. The pie was scarcely filled and a lack of gravy made for a very dry pie, not ideal.

Firhill - Partick Thistle

The second Scottish football arena to feature in the Blog is 'Firhill', home to The Jags, Scottish Championship side Partick Thistle.



Travel - Firhill is one of the cheapest destinations to travel to that will be included in the blog as it happens to be the closest Scottish professional football league ground to Glasgow city centre. There are a number of options when it comes to travelling to Firhill. One option is to get the subway to Kelvinbridge which is the closest subway station to the ground, however the walk from Kelvinbridge to Firhill is far from straightforward.This involves crossing Great Western road and turning right, turning left on to North Woodside road and then turning left onto Maryhill Road to get to the ground. A return subway ticket can be purchased for £3.30 making Firhill a cheap away day. Getting the subway to Hillhead is another option if you fancy a drink in one of Byres road's fancy establishments prior to the match.

The Stadium - Firhill has a capacity of just over 10,000. For Championship matches, home fans occupy the Jackie Husband Stand and the John Lambie Stand. Away supports which are than 500 are housed in the Colin Weir Stand while smaller away supports of less than 500 are located in the north end of the Jackie Husband Stand.



Price of Ticket - Adults - £20   Concessions (Over 65s, Students, 16-18 year olds) - £15

                            Under 16s - £5
              
                            
With many fans in the top flight insisting that 'Twenty is Plenty' Partick Thistle should maybe be charging a little less as a Championship side. However the club are clearly looking o the future by offering discounts to young people up to the age of 18. A student discount is also great to see! The Jags aslo offer free season tickets to under 16s which is a great incentive for young Partick Thistle fans.

Pie Review - The pie I received at Firhill was adequate, bot not impressive. For £2.20 I'd be looking for a lot more in a scotch pie. The pastry was slightly under cooked and didn't have the desired crispy golden look. The pie was fairly well filled but not well seasoned. All things considered it was a disappointing pie.

Galabank - Annan Athletic

The moment you've all been waiting for... the first stadium to grace the blog is Galabank, home to Scottish League two side Annan Athletic.

Travel - The journey to Galabank from Glasgow by train is fairly straightforward. The Train from Glasgow Central Station to Annan takes just over 2 hours, an ideal amount of time to enjoy some prematch refreshments. The price of the train ticket is steep at £17.60, however an 18-25 railcard brings the price down to £12.30 which softens the blow. After arriving at Annan Train Station the ground is only a 15 minute walk away. When exiting the station head straight down St Johns road, cross the High Street and keep heading straight. You will pass 'The Shed' pub on the left, which is well worth a visit for more prematch refreshments. Walk for a further 5 minutes and on your left you will find the home of football (in Annan) Galabank!

The Stadium - With a capacity of 2500 Galabank is comprised of a main stand which seats 500 people and the rest of the stadium consists of hard standing areas. Also found in the stadium is an inviting clubhouse which provides further opportunity for prematch refreshments. The clubhouse is situated in the ground itself and is very welcoming of away supporters. There is a great atmosphere within the clubhouse prior to a match and the bar serves a cracking pint!

Price of Ticket -  Adults: £12     Over 65s: £6     Under 16s: £6

£12 for an adult ticket may seem a bit high on the face of it, however smaller clubs such as Annan Athletic need to pull in cash somehow and Galabank is a great little stadium which provides a very enjoyable atmosphere. Perhaps a student ticket priced at £9 wouldn't be a bad idea as most clubs in Scotland offer a discount for tight students like myself.

Pie Review -  I've tasted some great pies at the football over the years however I'd go as far as to say that the steak pie I purchased at Galabank was the greatest pie I've ever had. The steak pie was priced at £2 which turned out to be an absolute bargain. The pie had perfectly golden and crispy pastry, generously filled with chunks of meat full of flavour and a good amount of gravy. I'm not ashamed to admit that I had three of these pies on my last visit to Galabank.  This pie is going to take some beating.
                             

Debut Post!

Hello and welcome to, Away Days: A Scottish Football Ground Guide. I thought I'd kick things off by explaining what I'm going to be chatting about in the blog. The purpose of this blog is to share my experiences of different football grounds around Scotland on match days. As a keen Scottish football fan, whenever I have free time at weekends I enjoy traveling to different games across Scotland as a neutral supporter. I'm sure every fan that attends football matches in Scotland can relate to standing in the freezing cold on a Saturday afternoon watching football of questionable quality. As miserable as this sounds we somehow manage to find joy in the experience and the love of our game and respected teams always brings us back week after week. I thought this blog would be the ideal platform to provide a guide and review of different football grounds around the country.

The grounds which will predominantly feature in the blog will be from the lower tiers of the Scottish game. Hopefully, this will highlight the good value of entertainment that can be found in Scotland's lower leagues. Also, my rather modest student budget can't stretch to the £30+ ticket prices charged by the top tier teams...

The review of the stadiums which will feature in the blog will be based on 4 key criteria...

• The Travel - The journey to the ground is a thrilling part of any away day. Details of the journey and information on the best way to get to the stadium will be included in this section of the review.
• The Stadium - My thoughts on the quality of each stadium I visit will be provided.
• Price of Ticket - Where in Scotland can you get the most bang for your buck?
• Pie Review - Perhaps the most important section within the review, which football grounds serve the best pie?

Stay tuned for more...