Cardiff Metropolitan University

Ground: Cyncoed Campus Stadium

Visits: 1

Date: 31st December 2018

Match: Cardiff MU - Barry Town 3-0 (Welsh Premier League)

Attendance: 606

31 December, New Year´s Eve, was on a Monday and (to my knowledge) the only football game in the UK was at Cyncoed Campus Stadium in Cardiff. In the Welsh Premier League Cardiff Metropolitan University hosted Barry Town at 1pm meaning I had to leave Birmingham at 08.50. I had 19 minutes to change trains in Hereford and with 6 minutes to spare I made the connecting train bringing me to Cardiff. In case someone wonders why I didn´t take a direct train the Severn tunnel was closed for traffic this weekend. Already onboard were fellow Footballfans Phillip, Christian and Magnus and they had reserved a seat for me. At 11.40 we arrived in Cardiff and once there my friends Daniel and Romina waited for us. We then headed towards a pub where we had a drink before setting off for the ground. Cyncoed Campus Stadium is more than 4 km from the train station so we went by taxi. The driver had no idea where the ground was but was given instructions by visiting Swedes. Cardiff MU is of course a club for students at the university and normally they have around 200 in attendance. Today more than 600 showed up and a huge proportion of those were foreign groundhoppers. You could hear plenty of German being spoken but that was hardly a surprise. Cyncoed Campus Stadium has an official capacity of 1 600 and the pitch is artificial. There a few small seated stands in the long sides but apart from that it is flat standing only. Some bonus information for you: the 2021 European Veteran Championships in table tennis will be held at Cardiff Metropolitan University meaning there is a chance I will be back in these parts in a few years’ time!

Barry Town are top of the Welsh Premier League and were backed by a few dozen away fans in Cardiff this afternoon There were appeals for a penalty from the visitors (and to me it actually looked like a penalty) but it was not given. A few minutes later, in the 42nd minute, the home team scored and at half-time it was 1-0. In the second half Cardiff MU scored twice to win 3-0. This was my second ever game in the Welsh Premier League and I will most likely be back in the near future. We went back to the city centre by local bus and I then went to a pub with Christian and Magnus where we had something to eat and drink. At 17.10 I left Cardiff and via Hereford I was back in Birmingham around 20.30. In 2018 I attended 49 matches (43 new grounds) in 13 countries. Not as many as in recent years but 2018 was also the year I lost my mother and there are aspects of life more important than football. Anyway, tomorrow the ambition is to start 2019 with a double header Swindon v Exeter at 3pm and then Bromley v Sutton at 7.45pm.

Entrance

Queuing to get in

Players and officials entering

Kick-off

South side

South Stand

South side

South Stand

View of play

East End

North Stand

West End

Pano