Wednesday, 13 April 2011

Pollok; Scotland

Pollok are a Glasgow club, who play in Junior Football, in the Stagecoach Super League Premier Division. I visited their ground at the end of the 2009/10 season, for a cup final between Clydebank & Ashfield. Like many Scottish non-league grounds it is well worth a visit!



You can see the ground from the platform of Pollockshaws East train station.

Outside the ground is a large social club.



From another angle, moving toward the turnstile.



The players & officials entrance.



The Ashfield team coach.



Club signage at the front.



Round the corner from the social club was the turnstiles.



The way in.



The entrance from in the ground.



This is the club shop, unfortunately closed for this evening, as Pollok were not playing.



The two line-ups were pinned up.



Raffle tickets & programmes on sale. The programme was actually produced by Clydebank.



The turnstiles are in this corner of the ground, and-looking into the sun-we see a large covered terrace on the other side.



Down our side, to the right, is open terracing.



With another open terrace behind the goal to our left, which the direction we are heading.



From that end we look along the open terraced side. Note the club flag to the right of the trees.



Here it is.



Looking back at the corner, showing the clubhouse & changing rooms behind.



The players come out for the match.



From the front we look over to the covered enclosure.



The terrace, moving toward the goal.



Here we are at the back, with Clydebank flags hanging on the fencing.



You can see them here.



Now we see this end, from on the pitch.



Moving along, past the goal, going toward the corner.



Turning back as we go past the net.



The covered side is quite full.



The majority of the crowd are Clydebank fans.



Almost at the covered side now.



Right at the corner, behind the flag.



Smart Pollok club ones.



Down the side.



From here we see back behind the goal.



There is a tea bar on this side.



Under the covered terrace.



The crowd thinned out toward the other end of it, so we could see some of the terracing!



Some of the crowd from the front, at the other end.



Up at the back, toward the other open terraced end.



After the match I took some photos of the covered side, without the fans blocking the view of it! This is it, from on the pitch.



The terrace, in front of the tea bar, toward the cover.



An unusual club sponsor.



One of the dugouts at the front.



Without the crowd you can see this is a substantial terrace.



Club name proudly above it, on the roof.



This is the other dugout.



A Pollok man, who was happy to have his photo taken, while clearing up after the game!



This is the last section of covered terrace.


Now past the cover, we see it from the terrace beyond it.



Similar shot, a few steps back.



Zooming in, on this lovely dog!



And onwards, toward the next corner.



Getting closer to the open terrace behind the goal.



I can't remember this chaps name, but he was a hopper, up from Hampshire, who had family connections in Scotland. I spent a fair amount of the second half chatting to him.



Set back in this corner is this building, used to store the pitch maintenance equipment.



As well as a makeshift outdoor toilet for an Ashfield player!



A glance back along the main side.



Almost identical, but when empty, after the match.



The next end terrace, still on the side.



At the corner, across the pitch.



Now the end behind the goal.



Slightly unusual paved step terracing.



Like the other end, the goal 'eats' into the terrace.



The covered enclosure now to our right.



Open terrace opposite it the other way.



Back up the pitch, from behind the posts.



Side terrace now empty, afterwards.



Ditto, the other side.



Continuing round, the terrace ends at the corner, with a railed walkway above it.



On the curve.



The open side, packed with spectators.



From this side we look back at the lower open end.



And at this corner we see over the pitch, to the cover.



Down the side.



Behind the crowd on this part of the ground.



Across the halfway line.



As we move along we're still at the back.



At the end of this side we're almost back where we began.



Time for a proper look down this side, after the match. Here we are, back at the bottom of it.



The higher steps, toward the centre.



Now at the telly gantry.



And at the top end, which almost concludes our tour.



This is the last section of it.



On the way in I hadn't noticed this bench.



It had a memorial plaque on it.



Finally, some shots of both the match, & the post-match Clydebank celebrations.

Tuesday, 12 April 2011

FC Andoy-Wierde; Belgium

FC Andoy-Wierde play in the local leagues in the Namur region. I've not seen a game here, though I did play in a tournament held here, organised by the fans of UR Namur, in the summer of 2010. for the Dulwich Hamlet Supporters' Team. It is about 7km south-east from the actual city of Namur.



The changing rooms & clubhouse, which were on the road above the pitches, behind one of the goals.



As you can see here, looking down to the pitch.



A grass slope leads down to it, and you can see a small covered area along the side.



From the bottom of the slope we look back up to the club building.



The pitch is roped off behind the goal.



From this end we glance right, to the cover & dugouts.



Along the other side, from behind the net, we can see it is fenced off.



Past the post we see the cover again.



The far side is fenced off all the way along.



Just flat grass behind it, no hard standing.



One of the hoardings is the Club one.



Though there are not many boards on the pitch perimeter.



Nothing at all behind the far goal, apart from the field next door!



Back along the fenced side, with my friend Nicolas in the photo.



Clearly the mower can't get behind the net!



The covered side, where we're heading.



Down the middle of the pitch.



Roped off along this side, until the cover. note the road 'outside' the ground, no fence at all between ground & road.



Now we reach one of the dugouts & the narrow cover.



A solitary wooden bench runs the length of the stand.



Looking at it, pitchside.



Past it is the home dugout.



Beyond that are a few steps up to the road. I have no idea what the broken sign means.



Past the stand this path that leads up to the club facilities is the closest there is to a proper standing area, other than under the stand.



A couple of snaps from the tournament!



And our team..with some Belgian 'guest' players: