Home match segregations...?

Torquay at home on a Tuesday night, might not require it, as I wouldn't envisage them bringing any more than, say Hereford did that time 300+ maybe, without segregation.

Yeovil, on the other hand could be something quite different.
A Saturday, and with them getting close to the Championship, I would imagine probably three or four times that!

We have never had any problems with Yeovil in the past, but we do have an 'element' that think they are 'big boys' and could be goaded!!

I hope this has been thought through properly, and adequate precautions are in place!!!

We have managed to segregate games in the past don't see the issue of not being able to do it now. We sold tickets to Aldershot in the past and put them in the correct end. We have even posted stewards in the car park informing supporters which turnstiles to use. Even if all supporters are well behaved I see an issue with both sets of fans changing ends before kick off or half time. All off yeovils closet matches have been midweek, this is there closet Saturday 3pm kick off and easy train ride. I predict we'll over a 1000 away fans travelling they are also getting closer to winning the league. Yes we have had a good history with their supporters but that was over 20years ago and the world had changed.

A family member made a good point to me and said "Football fans shouldn't need to be segregated, really. If you think about, everyone should be well-behaved."

And that's the issue. There's a small minority that ruin it for the rest of us that go out for a punch-up.

Yes, there's games that I could pinpoint where there has been some fan trouble, but overall, football fans of every club (not just ours) are lovely and are passionate about their club.

Sorry Paul, I can't follow that argument!

Wolves v West Brom or vice versa is probably a bad example. Those two clubs almost share the same post codes. Certainly their respective fans do! It would be almost impossible to determine if they were Baggies or Wolves fans buying the tickets, or a mate in one camp buying one for his mate in the other camp, and I feel for the ticket sellers at the clubs, although a lot are bought on line, so they wouldn't know which colour they support. Similar to Boro/Shots.
 
You can't legislate though for an individual idiot buying a ticket to get in and cause trouble, which is what happened at the Hawthorns. Plus there appeared to be some pretty heavy handed steward and police issues from what I saw!

If we can't segregate this game though, then why do we need to do it at all for any game??

That's why we have away turnstiles, toilets and tea bar!!, or are we saying we can't handle it??

What if we drew someone like Reading or Southampton, in the FA Cup??, or even Aldershot or Woking??

Also if it it is a very wet day and the wet dugouts are in use, I foresee a massive pinch point at half time around that area when fans, as they like to do, swop ends!! That is a recipe for trouble.

I sincerely hope that the negotiations you talk of have been fruitful, and positive, and everything goes of, as it should, and an exciting game ensues, with everyone having a good ay and above all enjoying themselves!

 

Thanks for the clarification Phil. I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision to make, and I'm sure all concerned have discussed it well, and hopefully all goes off well on the day.

Everyone appreciates what goes on, even if we don't fully grasp just what goes in to organising some thing like this.

Maybe we make too many assumptions at times, but it's because we care about our club, and only want the best for it!

Looking forward to a decent and enjoyable game, and three points to the Boro would be nice!!

I think I can help with some of the reasons, and Phil can hopefully confirm.

Shame that John Cracknell isn't around as he would have chapter and verse, but I think it was like this:

When the club was required to add extra seating to comply with promotion rules, many years ago, there was some discussion as to adding the extra seats on a third tier above the existing stand, which is what was always intended when it was built in the seventies.

That was thought to look silly, and a stand extension was preferred, which is as it is now.

The problem was lining the roof up, but that was impractical, as the roof of the old stand is formed by concrete slabs, supported by steel beams.
Removing all those and the slabs and building a new roof was prohibitive on cost, so the extension was formed.

There were no forward seats at the time, and conventional dugouts with roofs were in front.

The League, at a later stage, then needed even more seating in the main stand, and the only way was to build them in front of the main stand, but in the open air. Then the suggestion came that dugouts could be incorporated , which is where they are now.

To put a roof on the dugouts now would mean quite a height above the seats, to allow for standing in the back row, and that would encroach on viewing sight lines for the best part of the 'old' main stand, and quite a bit of the new section!

The only proper solution would be to remove the old roof and support stanchions, and construct a new cantilever roof to cover all the existing seats in the old and new stand.

Even if possible, it's an expense that could not be justified for sure, and the only feasible way to do it would be to pull it all down and rebuild a new stand completely.

One, most definitely for the distant future!!

Mr Hollis had that in mind when, allegedly, he purchased the complete stand from Darlington FC to bring to Farnborough, but that never materialised, like so many things.

I wonder what happened to it?

That's how I remember it, and maybe Phil can follow up in a bit more detail.

Okay, sonny, whats your postcode?

Don’t tell him, Pike!

I’ll get me coat… 😂