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...