WalsallGround: Bescot Stadium (Banks´s Stadium) Visits: 1 Date: 1st April 2013 Match: Walsall - Coventry 4-0 (League 1) Attendance: 7 504
In December 2009 I was at the Bescot Stadium (Banks's Stadium) for Walsall vs Norwich. An hour before kick-off that match was called off because of a frozen pitch. On Easter Monday 2013 I finally got my chance to (re)visit Bescot Stadium. Walsall vs Coventry City is a West Midlands derby and I knew there would be a bigger than usual crowd. I bought my ticket in advance and since there are plenty of pillars obstructing the view I carefully choose my seat. In the end I had one of the best seats in the ground, next to the Press Box. My journey to Walsall started at 10.27 on Monday morning as I for the second day in a row boarded a Birmingham bound train at Manchester Piccadilly. After changing to a local train at New Street station I was outside the Bescot Stadium shortly before 1 pm. Bescot Stadium has its own train station making this a very easy ground to visit by train. For 104 years Walsall played at Fellows Park but in 1990 the club moved to the Bescot Stadium. The ground is all-seated with an overall capacity of 11 300. The home end (North Stand) is two-tiered at really dwarfs the other stands. Unfortunately the three smaller stands are full of supporting pillars obstructing the view.
I was of course disappointed back in 2009 when I missed out on a big match. With an attendance of 7 500, by far the biggest crowd of the season at Bescot Stadium, for today's match I was more pleased this time around as I walked back to the local train station. I had to queue for 10-15 minutes before reaching the platform but wasn't too bothered. This was after all the day I finally revisited the Bescot Stadium. Tomorrow I leave Manchester for Middlesbrough. Middlesbrough vs Peterborough might not be the most exciting of matches but I will yet again meet up with my German friend Andreas. This time I will (hopefully) be in a better condition than last time he saw me. That food poisoning in Genoa if you remember.
Bescot Stadium, Rear of the main stand
Queuing for tickets
Inside the Saddlers Club
North Stand
East Stand
South Stand
West (Main) Stand
Press box
Mascot
Teams entering the pitch
North Stand
View of Bescot Stadium
Kick-off
East Stand
Coventry fans
View of play
South Stand
Coventry fans
Pano
Pano |