1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground? (or not as the case may be):

I was looking forward to going to the ground as it was a totally new ground to me as I never had the chance to go a few years ago when we were both in the old 2nd division. Also going into the game my team, Stoke City, were on a good run of form going into the game so I was optimistic about us doing well. However I knew that by championship standards the ground would probably lack a lot of the facilities that other grounds now have, but I was looking forward to being able to be on terracing which apart from cup games is no longer possible.

2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?

The journey to the ground was relatively comfortable with a service station stop breaking up the 4 hour journey relatively well. The ground seems relatively hidden due the way in the which the ground is nestled in between many houses.

3. What you did before the game pub/chippy.... home fans friendly?

Before the game we went to the Drury Arms which is known to let in most away fans apart from the odd exception of teams such as Cardiff, Leeds and Southend. Upon entering the pub there was a designated area for away fans in the left section of the pub. The selection of beers was average but queues were not as bad as other pubs near football grounds. There was also a shop near by the ground where food and alcohol could be purchased.

4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?

The ground seemed to be extremely basic as I had expected with the away stand being relatively small and compact. The seating area seemed to stand out like a sore thumb as it was separated from the home stand and had a white roof. The other ends of the grounds were all different with the stands to the left and right having a mixture of terracing and seats and the stand opposite being relatively small with seating.

5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, toilets etc..

The game itself despite the 3-0 score line was a relatively even affair with Stoke having as many if not more chances then the hosts but without a prolific striker to put them away. The atmosphere in the ground was rather disappointing considering the amount of fans in the ground and the fact that Colchester were winning an important game in a good fashion. Stewards seemed
okay on the day with no major occasions occurring throughout the match. The food in the ground was relatively expensive considering the standard of the facilities but the steak and onion pies were rather good retailing at £2.30 a piece. Toilets were small with there being 2 separate areas consisting on one urinal and one toilet in each for 1000 fans when full to capacity.

6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:

Getting away from the ground after the game was relatively easy due to the structure around the ground and the fact that only 5000 odd fans were in attendance.

7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:

Overall the day apart from the result was not too bad with the ground providing a rare chance to be able to experience terracing but overall the ground provided poor value for money and the fans within the ground failed to create a really good atmosphere throughout the game.