Internet Football Ground Guide - Priestfield Stadium, Gillingham FC

Priestfield Stadium, Gillingham
Division One v Grimsby Town
Saturday, February 10th 2001, 3pm
By Lee Roberts

On the morning of the game I decided to set-off for Gillingham slightly later than I had originally planned and I looked forward to an easy journey around the M25 to Kent. However, as soon as I left the Dartford Crossing I became aware that the M2 was closed for the day and I had to make a detour via the M20. A slight inconvenience, and one that meant I had to make good time in order to find a parking space near the ground. I duly arrived about 90 minutes before kick-off and found a space on a street about 5 minutes' walk from Priestfield itself. Later on I noticed that a church had opened it's car-park to fans for Ł3 which seemed a fair deal, although by the look of things there wasn't too much space so I imagined it would fill up quickly, especially for the bigger matches.

I approached the ground from behind the Gillingham End (which houses both home and away fans) and from the street I could appreciate the extent of the re-development work undertaken recently by the club. It was quite easy to see that until a few years ago this was a run-down lower league setting but now it had 3 new stands, the most impressive by far was the new Main Stand that is currently having the finishing touches applied to it. I also noticed the cramped streets surrounding the stadium, no more highlighted than in the narrow alleyways that run behind the Gillingham End. However there still seemed enough space available for Gillingham to do something with this remaining relic to a previous chapter in their history but I'm not sure what their plans are.

I attempted to buy a ticket for the Gordon Road Stand but there were none left so I opted for the Rainham End. As I parted company with my Ł15 I knew that I would be receiving better value-for-money than I did at the previous stop on my football odyssey, Barnet, where I paid the same admission fee. Before I went inside I strolled all the way around the ground and stumbled into the coach load of Grimsby fans who were just arriving. And yes, I do mean 'the' coach load; it was announced over the PA system towards the end of the game that the Grimsby fans had to remain inside for a short period to ensure their coach (note: singular!) could meet them by their turnstiles.

I failed to spot the Gillingham club shop outside the ground and this surprised me. However, once I entered through the turnstiles at the corner of the Gordon Road and Rainham End stands, I soon saw the official store which was inside the ground. Quite why it was inside was beyond me, and I wondered what the home fans on the Gillingham End did when they wanted to buy some merchandise before the game. As the entrance I passed through catered for those sitting in either stand, I decided to walk down the Gordon Road stand to the halfway line and take some photographs from that side of the ground. It was at that point I had my first warning from the club stewards. I politely pointed out that it was still at least half an hour before kick-off, and I was merely photographing the stadium. A lecture on the copyright laws on match action later, I was allowed to keep my camera and so I made my way to my seat in the Rainham End. Once there I got my camera out again to take a couple of pictures of the Gordon Road stand itself, but in an instant another steward was standing in front of me pontificating about copyright on match action! I'd never been harassed by stewards to that degree before as I never attempt to take snaps when the match is on. I could hardly believe their non-tolerance of cameras at a time when the players hadn't even begun their pre-match warm-up.

Once the match started the atmosphere kicked-in and I was impressed with the volume generated at the Priestfield Stadium, especially as it wasn't the most glamorous of fixtures and the noise from the away fans was non-existent. I saw it as a compact little ground, with the modest two-tiered Main Stand the centre piece of the re-development. The Rainham End itself has only been open a year or so and the facilities inside it were excellent, especially the toilets which were very spacious and clean. I was certainly glad I had chosen not to stand on the open terracing as the heavens opened during the afternoon and everyone in that end got a soaking. A goal during the second half saw the Gills to 3 precious points but the game never really got going. The same cannot be said about the home fans, who kept going for the entire 90 minutes.

As I started the longer than expected return journey back home I was satisfied with the afternoon's entertainment. Although the match was dire at times, and even worse the rest of the time, I'd visited a club whose fortunes are on the up and the fans are riding on the crest of the wave. I saw no trouble during the whole day and all I could detect was a definite buzz around the place. Still etched within it's humble recent past, the ground is charming enough and prices are fair.

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