Blue Square Premier Football Ground Guide - Field Mill, Mansfield Town FC, Fans Ground Review

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 this ground because not only was it a
ground I had never been to but for some strange reason I was optimistic of the result that we could get. I had heard previous comments about how the stewarding was quite hostile which made me a bit precautious and another prospect was that there would be no pay on the gate facility due to Stokes card system.

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

The journey was quite simple mainly due to it not being to far away and the fact that the ground is well sign posted and nearby a retail park. The
official club car park was easy to find yet there didn't seem to be many
signs telling the away fans where it was situated. One point to make is that behind the away stand there is a retail park and do avoid parking there at all costs because they welcome football fans cars with a ticket and a fine

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

Before the game we had the choice of either a Burger King or Pizza Hut (we chose Burger King) and just next door to comets there is a pub called the 'Early Doors'. Not only was there a relaxed security approach and policy on away fans but the home fans were friendly and there was a pathway to the ground from the back exit.

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

When I first seen the ground ii thought that it looked very modern for a
lower league team and that it was also fairly sized too. The away end was average I would have to say but the views were spot on of the action. The stand to the left of the away end was in a poor state and I believe is awaiting a face lift in the near future. The other two home stands were fairly sized with the stand adjacent to our stand was an exact replica of the stand we were in with different coloured seats. The stand to the right of use was there main stand and the one where most of there fans were accommodated.

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

The game itself was very disappointing because of the way my team (Stoke City) performed against a League Two team yet we did not deserve to lose on penalties but there you go. The atmosphere from the Stoke fans was pretty respectable considering our following of just under 600 yet the home fans only ever seemed to make noise when they either scored or won and when we
were under the cosh. I felt the stewarding was very friendly and we were never intimidated or mistreated by them. Yet my main moan was that they wanted to put all the away fans into one section which meant that people could not have back row views yet this failed because of the extra following we had due to a cash facility being revealed just before the match. The catering facilities seemed okay even though congested yet the prices were more expensive then most championship grounds. The toilets were good and the stand itself accommodated us well.

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

After the match getting off the car park was quite simple for both cars and coaches yet this would of been mainly due to the low attendance. The home fans were on a high but there were no incidents involving the two sets of fans apart from some sarcastic comments.

7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:

On the whole apart from the pathetic performance from Stoke I thought that the ground was good enough to accommodate even some championship teams and I felt that on the whole it was a good place to go for drinking, eating and for parking. Which could not be said for our ground!