Tuesday 10 September 2013
Lowestoft Town 2 Grays Athletic 2
I'VE often thought about making the trip into Suffolk to visit Crown Meadow, the home of Lowestoft Town. And finally after much consideration, I decided what better time was there than on a cold, wet and miserable Tuesday night in September!
On my arrival at the ground, easy enough to find, I found that ticket prices were average for the Ryman League at £10 for an adult with programmes also about standard, priced at £2. The club also offers excellent prices for under 16's with many choosing to take advantage of the £2 ticket price.
Having entered, the first thing I noticed was just how sparse three sides of the ground are. However, in addition to the three uncovered standing areas, the ground also has a small grandstand which offers covered seating for fans as well as a covered standing area.
The stand is made up of old school wooden seats, which sadly when damp didn't make for a comfortable vantage point. However, they did offer a great view directly over the halfway line. The crowd helped created a good atmosphere inside the ground, with the majority of the chants coming from the loyal fans braving the elements behind the goal. Good on them!
The clubhouse proved to be a great place to escape the wet weather at half-time, offering lots of beer and other beverages at very reasonable prices, with a pint costing just £3.10. The bar also had a dance floor complete with disco ball and a TV showing the Ukraine v England match. Needless to say nobody really cared about that, and those that did looked like they were about to be bored into a coma by the time the real stuff outside re-started.
There was also a very well stocked club shop, selling everything you could ever want. My favourite part of any ground as a boy!
When it comes to refreshments, over all I was disappointed. There was a limited selection of snacks available from two tea bars at the ground, the first behind the goal offering burgers and hot dogs expensively priced at £3. The second tea bar was a smaller cheaper alternative serving food at considerably lower prices, with burgers costing £2 and hot dogs just £1.50, however my lukewarm burger did little to warm me up on a cold night!
The game itself started slowly with Lowestoft taking the lead just before the break, before the visitors twice came from behind to secure a 2-2 draw with Hammond snatching a share of the points late on. A cracking game – those that stayed at home to watch England, it's lesson learned!
Ticket value 4, Programme 3, Food 2, Bar 5, Toilets 2, Atmosphere 4, Match 3, Overall: 3
