Away Fans view by the Webmaster of Grounds Tour website.

Date: 1 December 2001
Fixture: Sheffield United 2-2 Preston North End (Nationwide League Division 1)
Ground rating: 78 (out of 100)

Ten days after my trip to Stoke's Britannia Stadium, I was crossing the Pennines and heading towards Sheffield. I had been impressed by Hillsborough earlier in the season and was looking forward to seeing the home of the red half of the city. I travelled to Bramall Lane on one of the Preston Travel Club coaches, arriving outside the ground around 2:30pm.

After a policeman had boarded the coach to wish everyone an enjoyable visit (must have been a Wednesday fan!), I headed towards the turnstiles. The ground had suddenly appeared as the coach followed the police escort and it looked quite impressive from the outside. Once inside Bramall Lane I decided to get something to eat, only to find long queues at the solitary snack bar. For the few staff serving the supporters it seemed mandatory to stare at a pie for 60 seconds before picking it up, and eventually I gave up waiting and headed for my seat.

Looking around the inside of Bramall Lane, I thought the ground was quite impressive. All the stands are of a similar size, with the John Street side a magnificent structure. The Laver Stand to my right also looked good, but the Kop at the opposite end was spoilt by a few posts. The Bramall Lane stand housing the away supporters did not match the other sides of the ground. Describing the leg room as minimal is being generous, whilst most of the lower tier of this stand, including my seat, were uncovered; fortunately though there were clear blue skies over Sheffield. It was good to see that Sheffield United had filled in the corner between the Kop and John Street stands, although the new section of seating didn't appear to be very well integrated with the rest of the stadium. The Deepdale Duck entertained the 2000 travelling fans before kick off, with the lower tier of the Bramall Lane stand appearing to be pretty full. It was hard to tell if there were any fans in the upper tier; there were stewards up there but the lack of noise suggested it was pretty empty. By the time the mascots led the teams out, the home areas of the ground were all packed in the middle sections, but a number of seats were empty elsewhere.

The match was an entertaining encounter, with plenty of chances at either end. The travelling fans were in good voice in the first half as Preston took a 2-0 lead, but Sheffield United came back after the break to secure a 2-2 draw. To their credit, the home fans kept right behind their side even when they went behind, although they could do with learning a few new songs; "United!" seemed to be the only one in their repertoire. They were also quick to get on the back of the referee and I'm sure visiting teams must find Bramall Lane one of the more intimidating venues in the Football League. It was good to see that as Sheffield United attacked the stand housing the visiting supporters in the second half, home fans in the other three sides of the stadium got behind their team, generating an excellent atmosphere without going too far. The match was also memorable for the referee being substituted and the PA announcer then asking if there were any refs in the crowd who could take over as the fourth official!

Overall, I really enjoyed my trip to Bramall Lane. The ground perhaps lacks the charm and beauty of Hillsborough, but it is still a good venue at which to watch football. I've found the atmosphere at both Sheffield clubs to be good and it seems that the people of the city care passionately about their football teams. I'll definitely have to try and get a ticket for a Sheffield derby at some point in the future.