Written by Max
Lombard Street – Newark
Saturday 5th December 2020 – EFL League 1
Burton Albion 1-1 Crewe Alexandra
Attendance: 2
Entry: £10 (iFollow)
With the monthlong national lockdown over, we were looking forward to being back at the football again. Sadly though, the guidelines for viewing non league football had changed meaning all football in tier 3 areas must be played behind closed doors. We had hoped to get to a local step 7 game, but the weather was not on our side either with games getting postponed left right and centre. In the end we decided to stay in the warmth of our flat and fork out a tenner for iFollow to watch my team Crewe away at Burton.
The Pirelli stadium is one I’ve visited before, and living in Nottinghamshire means it is one of the more local away days for us and one we were looking forward to visiting. Sadly though we couldn’t make the trip as the game was played behind closed doors.
The game started scrappily with both sides struggling to get any sustained possession and therefore chances were limited. The home side pressed well and didn’t let The Alex settle into their usual passing style. Burton had the better of the chances, but the first half was rather a non event and I can’t say I remember Crewe having a shot on goal.
Into the second half we went, and Crewe finally got going. On the hour mark The Alex had 2 attempts well saved from midfielder Ryan Wintle and then forward Mikael Mandron. Sadly though the positivity turned on its head as the Brewers went up the other end scoring a headed goal from a corner. The game was then looking as if it was fading out until the 88th minute when young Alex winger Owen Dale brought the game to life with one of the goals of the season acrobatically smashing home a bicycle kick from around 8 yards to equalise. Crewe tried their best to nick a late winner but it wasn’t to be.
Now for something slightly different! If you haven’t seen our blog before, this is where we would usually rate the ground. Obviously this time we couldn’t actually be there, so we must rate our flat instead!
We have since been to the Pirelli Stadium and rated the ground in person. You can see what we thought of the actual ground here: Pirelli Stadium
Location: 10/10
Our flat is fantastically placed right in the centre of Newark. Just a 5 minute walk from the train station and (if we were allowed to go!) within 2 minutes of multiple pubs and restaurants. There is also an ASDA round the corner if any additional supplies are needed! If our flat was an actual football ground it would provide a fantastic venue for an away day!
Kit: 10/10
Usually we would rate the kit worn by the home side. This time though we decided to rate the kits we were modelling for todays game. I was sporting the limited edition 2018/19 third kit. Only 100 of these were made and I remember getting Emma to log onto the Crewe club shop website at 9am to make sure we got one! Emma was wearing one of my favourite kits of recent years. Last seasons gold away kit divided opinion when it was released, but starting with Middlesbrough away in the league cup, the kit seemed to be something of a good omen in our promotion season.
Facilities: 5/10
The ‘clubhouse’ was rather small and if the crowd was bigger than 2, it would be a struggle to squeeze people in. Only seating for 2 was available but a good view of the pitch (TV!) could be had from anywhere. There was also a dart board to keep us entertained before and after the game!
Look: 8/10
The ‘ground’ was really well decorated and included Christmas decorations throughout. A great effort from the club.
Food and Drink: 7.5/10
The bar included a vast array of drinks including the always important Strongbow dark fruits. The usual bonus half point will be given for this! We decided to try and recreate a real football league matchday experience with a Hollands cheese and onion pie, as sold at Gresty Road. The pie was surprisingly nice and I would recommend them. Sadly though the Chef (me!) over cooked them slightly and they were slightly brown round the edges.
TOTAL SCORE 40.5/50
So overall, the game wasn’t the most exciting and we wish we could have made it to an actual game instead. Hopefully it wont be too long before we can be back out in the cold, drinking terrible hot chocolate again!
We hope you enjoyed this slightly different review as a bit of fun while we wait to be allowed back in to games again. Hopefully it wont be too long until we are back at actual grounds and fingers crossed we will be able to add some football league stadiums to our ever growing list of non league grounds.
If this is the first time you have seen our website, why not check out some of our actual ground reviews using the menus at the top of the page.
Emma’s Ground Guide 