7.45pm 23 October 2012
Football League, League Two
Rotherham United 2 Morecambe 1 (att 5,632)
Recompleting the 92 League grounds is usually a bit of a chore, but my visit to Rotherham's New York Stadium wasn't bad at all. A reasonable game, an okay ground and a relatively short midweek journey (although the Woodhead Pass on a foggy night isn't pleasant).
Rotherham began the game well, but it was Morecambe's small band of followers - 101 of them officially - who celebrated the first half's only goal, as the home side lost their way. After the break Rotherham found their stride once again, and two quick goals earned them the points.
Like all new football grounds the New York Stadium could be called bland, but that would be doing it a disservice. The design isn't bad, the seats have plenty of leg room, and unlike some new venues it's close to the town centre.
£20 is hardly a bargain for fourth tier football though. True, tickets are £2 cheaper in bought in advance, but then you have to pay a £1 booking fee, so even if you plan in advance it's a pricey 90 minutes of entertainment.
The crowd was Rotherham's lowest for a league game so far this season. A number of stewards, presumably with little else to do, spent much of the first half forcing a group of middle aged supporters to move, apparently for the crime of not sitting in their correct seats, despite there being rows of empty seats all around them.
Eventually, and reluctantly, they moved. Perhaps there was more to this than met the eye, but the stewarding seemed heavy-handed in the extreme, and Rotherham ought to be concerned about getting fans into the ground, not hassling those who have come.
Football League, League Two
Rotherham United 2 Morecambe 1 (att 5,632)
Recompleting the 92 League grounds is usually a bit of a chore, but my visit to Rotherham's New York Stadium wasn't bad at all. A reasonable game, an okay ground and a relatively short midweek journey (although the Woodhead Pass on a foggy night isn't pleasant).
Rotherham began the game well, but it was Morecambe's small band of followers - 101 of them officially - who celebrated the first half's only goal, as the home side lost their way. After the break Rotherham found their stride once again, and two quick goals earned them the points.
Like all new football grounds the New York Stadium could be called bland, but that would be doing it a disservice. The design isn't bad, the seats have plenty of leg room, and unlike some new venues it's close to the town centre.
£20 is hardly a bargain for fourth tier football though. True, tickets are £2 cheaper in bought in advance, but then you have to pay a £1 booking fee, so even if you plan in advance it's a pricey 90 minutes of entertainment.
The crowd was Rotherham's lowest for a league game so far this season. A number of stewards, presumably with little else to do, spent much of the first half forcing a group of middle aged supporters to move, apparently for the crime of not sitting in their correct seats, despite there being rows of empty seats all around them.
Eventually, and reluctantly, they moved. Perhaps there was more to this than met the eye, but the stewarding seemed heavy-handed in the extreme, and Rotherham ought to be concerned about getting fans into the ground, not hassling those who have come.
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