Match: v Wrexham - Blue Square Premier
Date: Saturday, March 20th, 2010
Result: Wrexham 2 Cambridge United 2
The Journey
Departure Time: 9am
Arrival at Ground: I was more lucky than many. The detour to collect passengers in St Ives took the A14 closure out of the equation while the M54 and A5 route I'd selected meant that I left the M6 yards before it turned into a car park. As a result the only aspect of the journey that was not straightforward was the weather, which veered between wet, very wet and Biblical. I parked at the ground a little after 1pm.
At The Ground
The Ground: Although the smart side of the Racecourse Ground - the side that faces the main road into town - is unchanged since our last visit, a block of flats is erupting at an alarming rate in what was the car park behind the other long side of the ground. The shadow from this block casts a stygian gloom over the main entrance and offices on this side of the ground, but that gloom lifts a little once you are inside the ground and into the main stand that runs the length of the pitch on this side of the stadium.
Seats at either end of the upper tier of this large, two-tiered structure are blue, while those in the central blocks and the lower tier are red. Grey, metal beams hold the front of the roof in place; beams that cause an obstruction only for those at the very back of the stand.
Opposite, the newest stand has been up long enough for some of its red seats to start to fade. The white seats in their midst, that pick out the word 'Wrexham' are still clear enough though. These seats are at two distinct levels, with the blocks in the centre containing more rows than those to either side. Above those centre blocks, two tiers of glass fronted executive boxes force the roof over the centre of this stand even higher. As a result, the roof curves slightly in the centre then steps down noticeably to sloping shoulders of roofing to either side. This gives its outline the air of an art deco mantelpiece clock.
To the right of this stand, a vast, part covered bank of terracing has been closed to the public for a number of seasons. Now only half a dozen ball boys roam where football fans used to stand. A strange brown box-like structure stands in one corner of this otherwise empty terrace. Amazingly, this turned out to be a hot tub, which had been inhabited the previous evening by some bathing beauties! I'd better explain! Wrexham FC now shares the pitch with the Celtic Crusaders Rugby League Club and, the evening before our visit, they were in action against the Catalans Dragons. Apparently, the hot tub is some Rugby League gimmick - although the previous night's weather meant that they didn't need any extra water to set up a wet t-shirt competition! Torrential rain had fallen throughout and, as a result the Rugby League match hadn't done the pitch an awful lot of good. With the surface cutting up badly during the warm up, it was only because the pitch markings were still visible from the game that you could tell whether a rugby match or the Cheltenham Festival had been held there … those and the rugby posts that were laid down behind where the football goals usually stand. The posts and nets that were required for our match weren't moved into position until 2.50pm.
The remaining end of the ground has been a tow-tiered stand for years, and the larger, upper tier shows its age with once-red seats that have now faded to an assortment of pink hues. The lower tier was once terrace, but now seats have been bolted into place. The front few rows of this lower tier must have been almost subterranean. Fortunately, the crowd was small enough for this section not to be opened so no one needed a periscope to see the pitch.
United Fans: Very supportive, especially when the big drum seemingly appeared out of thin air at half time.
View from Away End: Allocated a block of seats at one end of the main stand, the view was better the closer to the front you managed to position yourself. Towards the back the metal roof girders got in the way rather, hindering the sight of any high balls, of which there were many. Although U's fans were allowed to stand throughout, it didn't help the view from the back
Home Fans: Very quiet, apart from when they were complaining about their side's ability - or lack thereof. The manager came in for a bit of stick too. For some reason, one male Wrexham fan was dressed as a woman, complete with pink hat and wig. As the locals seemed to pay him little heed, this may have been a regular occurrence.
Police/Stewards: Police kept a watchful eye, but didn't need to intervene, while the stewards were chatty and friendly.
Programme: £2.50 for 68 pages, Wrexham's programme has, for many years, been a real labour of love for its editor David Roberts. Along with his editorial team, David has excelled himself this season. With very little in the way of adverts, the 68 pages are packed with enough first rate articles to fill 168 pages. Unusually, the manager's column doesn't mention United at all, but the section on the visitors more than makes up for that. A scintillating read.
Food/Drink: Served from a small portacabin in a corner, the refreshments were on the extortionate side of pricey. £1.80 for water and £1 for a chocolate bar is verging on the ridiculous. The chicken balti pies (£2.60) were well received though.
State of Toilets: Basic, but okay.
Mileage: 376.7 miles
Total Distance for Season: 4,561 miles
Mark Johnson, with additional reporting by David Gray, Paul Johnson, Ryan Johnson and Gordon McMillan.
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