I thought I would start my blog by doing my first stadium review. For that I have chosen the home of League One outfit, Notts County. Working in Nottingham for the last two summers has afforded me the opportunity to visit the “World’s Oldest Football League Club” on a number of occasions.
Meadow Lane was completely rebuilt in the early 1990’s and is an all seater stadium with a Maximum capacity of 20,229. It consists of four stands, The Jimmy Sirrel Stand, where up to 1,400 away fans can be housed (can be increased for cup games), The Derek Pavis Stand, The Kop Stand and the Haydn Green Family Stand. Whilst the stadium compromises of four separate stands (all single tiered) the ground does not feel exposed and is in fact rather pleasant, complete with four floodlights, one in each corner, and an electronic scoreboard on top of the Haydn Green Family Stand. The ground itself lies just 275 metres away from The City Ground, home of local rivals Nottingham Forest. This is the closest together that any two grounds in England can be found. The Stadium is also shared with Nottingham RFC.
My time in Nottingham has often coincided with pre-season and in order for my visit to qualify as one of the 92, the game would have to be a competitive fixture. The game I went to was Notts County vs Bradford City in the Capital One Cup on 11th August 2012. The game finished 1-0 to Bradford City and was their first win on their way to a remarkable cup run that took them all the way to Wembley, where they eventually lost 5-0 to Premier League side Swansea City. Still an impressive feat however, with Bradford becoming the first side from the lowest football league division to reach the Final of the League Cup.
My first thoughts on seeing the ground from the outside were very positive. The stadium itself looks smart and of a good size, particularly for a side now plying their trade in League One. The Kop Stand is the larger of the two ends and the Derek Pavis Stand is the larger of the two stands running along the side of the pitch and also contains the Director’s box. Once inside the ground I was again not disappointed. I decided to sit in the Jimmy Sirrel Stand alongside the Bradford City fans for this game and the views of the playing action from this area were excellent, with sufficient leg room and space. On subsequent visits I have sat in The Derek Pavis stand and again the views were excellent. If you are planning on visiting then it would be good to bear in mind that both the Kop Stand and The Haydn Green Family Stand have supporting pillars that may impede your view. My overall thoughts of the away end were very good and the facilities were on a par with a couple of the Premier League grounds I have visited with Chelsea.
The atmosphere within the ground was pretty poor from the home support, whilst the Bradford fans were very vocal throughout the dire 120 minutes of football on show, particularly in the clear dislikng of (now) former Notts County forward Lee Hughes. However an attendance of just 3,460 coupled with a poor home performance and ultimately defeat to lower league opposition may have been a hindrance for Notts County. I’d like to visit when the ground is at least half full to see if there is any improvement in the atmosphere. There is a drummer situated in the Derek Pavis Stand so this may improve the atmosphere on occasions.
Overall I’d have to say that Meadow Lane is a ground that I thoroughly enjoying visiting. It has great views of the playing action from all areas of the ground, the football is (generally) of a decent quality and the locals are friendly and knowledgeable. The atmosphere can be lacking at times but I tend to find most home sides have that problem these days so I was glad I chose to sit amongst the very passionate away following. Based on what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard from other fans, Meadow Lane is up there with the best of the grounds that League One has to offer. A thoroughly enjoyable day out at a very friendly club, would definitely recommend to families looking to visit. Overall 7/10
Getting there by car:
Leave the M1 at Junction 26 and take the A610 towards Nottingham and then follow the signs for Melton Mowbray. Turn left before the River Trent in to Meadow Lane. Parking is available at the Cattle Market (opposite the away end) which costs £3.50 a car or at Nottingham City Council’s Eastcroft depot (NG2 3AH) at £4 a car. The depot is a five minute walk from Meadow Lane, located just off London Road (A60), opposite Hooters. The entrance is signposted with banners and is manned by security guards throughout the match. Otherwise there is plenty of street parking.
Getting there by train:
The ground is a ten minute walk away from Nottingham railway station. As you come out of the main station entrance, Turn left from the station across the car park and then turn right at the traffic lights. The ground is about a 1/4 of a mile down the dual carriageway on the left.
Final Notes:
If you have any further questions surrounding Meadow Lane or Notts County then feel free to contact me or to leave a comment. You’re welcome to share this around the world and feel free to leave your own opinions to your visits to Meadow Lane and answer the poll to give your rating!
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