Another season and another new ground to visit! I went along to Chesterfield’s new ground, the b2net Stadium, on Saturday expecting to see and experience another Lego-type stadium with little atmosphere, located somewhere out on an industrial estate far from town. How wrong I was!
We came in on the A61 from Sheffield and followed the directions from the Chesterfield website which were easy to follow and accurate. The stadium is not far from the city centre and there seemed to be plenty of parking available on local streets. We parked near the Cricketers Pub and walked five minutes to the ground across a playing field.
Tickets were quick and easy to buy at 2.00pm and the programme was printed on high quality paper but expensive at £3.00 I thought. Once inside the ground there were plenty of food and drink outlets with beer at £2.70 a pint I noticed. (I was driving!) The away section is behind the goal but has enough elevation to be able to get a reasonable perspective on happenings in the far goalmouth. Stewarding was efficient and friendly and the stadium looked more substantial than many of the modern ones I have visited.
It certainly seems popular with the home fans as this was their second gate of above 6,000 already this season.
The down side? The result of course, as although we started the game well and with confidence, we faded after failing to score during our bright opening and then conceded a soft goal from a corner.
Still, another game next week and hopefully a full and fit squad to choose from!!
Kevin Clayton
