Craven Cottage
v Wolverhampton, Division One
Tuesday, April 24th 2001, 7.45pm
By Lee Roberts
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I'd had my eye on the Fulham v
Wolves match for a while, but a hospital appointment for an operation early
the morning after meant that I cancelled my plans to visit Craven Cottage.
However, the operation was cancelled late on the Tuesday afternoon and so
being all keyed up for the hospital my boss saw that I wouldn't be useful at work
for the remainder of the afternoon and so I went home. It didn't take long
for me to phone my wife at work and let her know what was happening, and to
inform her that I'd be catching the train into London for the match! I phoned the ticket office at Fulham who confirmed that a few tickets were available but they had to be purchased in person and before 6 pm. I raced into Hitchin and caught the first train to Kings Cross, then hopped onto the tube to arrive at Putney Bridge with about 20 minutes to spare before the ticket office closed. Luckily there was a large volume of fans making their way to the ground and so I was able to follow them until I saw the floodlights in the distance and then I sprinted ahead to secure my admission. I asked rather forlornly whether there were some seats that had been unclaimed but I had to settle for a place on the Hammersmith Terrace for £13. With a bit of time left to spare I set off to explore the immediate vicinity and the thing that struck me was the high number of joggers and roller-bladers who were out on what was a pleasant evening. I lost count of the number of athletic young females who endured the glares of hundreds of male fans whilst running down the crowded Stevenage Road, but then I wondered why they would have been doing it on matchday anyway if it made them feel uncomfortable. Perhaps they enjoyed it! In my haste to find the ticket office before 6 pm, I failed to notice the superb exterior to the Stevenage Road Stand. I had heard about the fine Victorian style facade to the wall and roof, but it really is exquisite and I've yet to see anything like it at a football ground. Another thing that struck me as I looked around was the close proximity to the River Thames. I recalled the television pictures from the University Boat Races which showed Craven Cottage in clear view from the water but I never imagined it to be so close to the water! I imagine that re-development to the Riverside Stand would be extremely problematical but if anyone could throw money at such an expensive project, I'm sure the illustrious chairman of Fulham FC could. |
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At about 7 pm I entered through the turnstiles and searched for decent spot on
the Hammersmith End. As I moved around I noted that an excellent view
could be gained from almost anywhere on the terrace. I settled on an area
close to the turnstiles (and the snack bar!) and killed time before kick-off by
checking out the facilities on offer. The toilets were surprisingly basic;
in the absence of an approved programme of stadium re-development I expected
that the existing facilities would have been modernised to cater for the large -
and mainly affluent - crowds. There were the usual offerings at the
refreshment kiosks but there was also a large bar area behind the Riverside
Stand that served alcohol. I did contemplate having a beer but the bracing
wind blowing in from the river made it far too uncomfortable. One
noteworthy point was the relatively cheap price for the food and drink - I
expected far higher prices at Craven Cottage.
I made my way back to the area where I had decided to stand and noticed a
slight change - the wind from the Thames was now blowing right across the face
of the Hammersmith End and seemed to get stronger and colder by the minute.
The game kicked-off under the Craven Cottage floodlights and I hoped to see some
attractive football from Tigana's newly-crowned champions, who would now be able
to play as free spirits. However, the next 90 minutes were as painful to
watch as it was stood in that wind form the Thames. I lost count of the
backwards and sideways passes played by the Fulham defenders and the home crowd
grew restless. Matters weren't helped by an ineffective Wolves side who
offered nothing throughout. As it was, a couple of penalties saw the home
side run out 2-0 winners.
At the end of the game I was relieved to be heading back to the relative
warmth of the train. The match was poor and the atmosphere failed to
rise as a result. Indeed, I observed many dissatisfied spectators
inside Craven Cottage, although spectators is the way I'd describe these people
rather than supporters. They appeared to have recently joined
the Fulham bandwagon and I wouldn't have thought they understood the kind of
reception Simon Morgan received when he appeared as a late substitute
following a lengthy injury lay-off. The ground itself was okay but
lacked any real soul. I would have preferred to have visited with a
personal interest in the match, and next season I shall return with Everton.
I'm sure I will enjoy the experience more as the stadium has a unique
charm and is set in idyllic surroundings that make a refreshing change to
some of the alternative destinations in the capital.
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Copyright © Lee Roberts 2001. All rights reserved.