Internet Football Ground Guide - Fans Ground Reviews, Spotland, Rochdale

Spotland - Rochdale
Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006,
V Carlisle United, League 2, 7.45pm
By Kevin Wrenn

Coming off the motorway heading towards Spotland it became clear that this would not be the easiest ground to get out of after the game. With the main road being a fairly narrow affair, and 3,000 Carlisle fans expected, it could be a long night!

On street parking was pretty abundant if you were willing to a ) turn up early and b) get inventive!

A quick walk to the ground and the away side found a nice chippie and a pub in close proximity to the away turnstiles. If you head down Sandy lane (behind the home terrace) for 5 minutes you find a little bunch of shops including another chip shop. A little further on, turning right at the traffic lights next to the cemetery pub there is a garage with a cash machine.

There is a bar that serves sausage and chips for away fans on the main stand side of the ground, and beer is in plentiful supply.

The ground itself is a little less impressive than mentioned elsewhere on this page in my opinion, but is far from the worst place to visit! Plenty of facilities and cartons of milk trustingly left out for the brews! It s certainly lower league. Interestingly away fans are welcome in the family stand at one end of the pitch according to the sign, but not the Rugby League fans that share the ground! And the Rugby League team that play here do nothing to aid the already poor nature of the pitch at Spotland!!!

The atmosphere on this night was sensational in the away side, as Carlisle ensured that they would be champions of League 2. 3,00 fans made one hell of a racket, and the 1,400 home fans looked more than a little bemused about it all.

I can certainly say that all the staff and stewards of the club were friendly and helpful, apart from one over zealous steward who decided to push some young lads in the chest at the final whistle to ensure nobody got on the pitch.

After the game, we headed towards Bury along the quiet road, with the road back to the Manchester motorway absolutely rammed full. It take less than an hour to make your way back to the M6 at Preston going this way, particularly useful for those heading North.

Overall, for a game where you can arrive with an hour or 2 to spare there is plenty of scope for a beer and a good day out, and given the terrible quality on show from 'Dale, every chance of a win!!!