Thetownend.com

HOPEFULLY A good atmosphere, Southampton have sold 3,200 tickets I beleive (they havd sold 2,700 and have received 500 more with 250 of those sold to people on a waiting list)

Honestly ?????

Bank will be open then !

Is that all our away capacity? It must be.

Oh that should make it a bit more exciting  - I have a spare billet should anyone wish to come and sit with me!

Might have to sneak my Heat magazine in tomorrow though just in case!

Yes mate

2,700 SOLD...
http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/TicketNews/0,,10280~1740116,00.html

AND INCREASED AGAIN
http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~1757748,00.html

spare billet?

i'm thinking of popping down for this

Lets hope it absolutely pisses it down.

why???? I dont wish to get sodden Uggs again!!!

In fact I dont even wish to wear Uggs in August!!!

How many does Stratton Bank hold then? Must be about 2,000 or so?

When I was stewarding about 9 years ago it held 2,300 but that was before the wider segregation was brought in, so 2,100ish is about right.

Hopefully the big crowd bring out the best in the likes of Lucas and Douglas. There is nothing like having all four stands open for atmosphere IMO, i think we are the only team who keeps a stand shut in the football league now for league matches (not researched)?.

Hopefully the Town End will be packed which will get the DRS Stand joining in with the chanting.

I shifted from the TE to the DRS this season due to my lad moaning at standing, after one game i'm already to scared to start chanting due to fear of death by staring, never have i felt so out of place shouting "Forward Timlin you useless cunt" mild clapping for me from now on.

That's why i rarely bother, people look at you like you've pulled your trousers down and done a warm chair leg in their hand.

Personally I hope Lucas has fuck all to do.

Southampton have kept the corners of their ground closed for the last few seasons. I'm sure some other clubs with big grounds and small attendances do the same to keep costs down.

A lot of Southampton fans in Wiltshire so it's not surprising, hopefully we'll give as good as we've got vocally.

There will be plenty of away fans in the home ends.

My advice to all Swindon fans is to go in tooled up just in case you have to get your hands dirty.

That was a joke by the way.

There will only be a handful of Saints in there.

A night match against a team like Southampton is just what we need. It's exciting, they'll be a good away following and quite a few non-regulars will go. Fingers crossed we can put on a good performace.

bring them on.

Yeah thats true but they still have support be it home or away from four sides of the ground which creates a much better atmosphere, i would much prefer it if we had the stratton bank as the main away end, if it rains fuck 'em! Would give us something extra to sing about, can't beat abit of "1-0 and your getting wet". Stockport used to have one end closed but they always have it open now for away fans.

Darlington close two. Not even allowed to have attendances of over half the capacity. Their safety certificate is 12,000.

Carlisle very rarely open the open stand behind the western goal.

Bournemouth have a simmilar situation with the temporary open stand.

Im not 100% sure, but I think Bradford had closed the stand to our right the last time I went there in 2006.

But I agree, it's not good. The question of what to do with the bank has consistantly been a problem since we were relegated in 2000. Makes a mockery of people who say we should build a bigger ground.

My dad and brother are both Southampton fans and will be sat with me, so that's two. Though to be fair my dad has a Swindon season ticket and my brother goes to more Swindon games nowadays. So technically I reckon they're more Swindon fans now but are just too embarrassed to admit it.

Not sure which end we'll be sitting in at Southampton for the return game. I doubt they'd sell us tickets in the home end, though we should all be on their database as we were members and went to half a dozen games a season up until a couple of years ago.

If the home owners in shrivvy road didn't kick off about us building a roof on it and planning was granted, stick a roof on it and it would be a decent home end once again, i remeber standing in there a few times when i was young and loved it.
As for Darlo forgot about them, how on earth did they get planning permission for a massive concrete block that is never fully used, goes to show though that a big new ground isn't everything.

FIFA 10 on show too niiiice

You've obviously never stood there when its been cold. I have come close to freezing to death a number of times there over the years, they were even giving out free soup at one game due to it being so fucking cold.

Isn't there a health & safety issue with opening it when its cold? Or have I made that up?

FIFA 17

I'm pretty sure you've made it up - it's called "being outside". Wear a coat

You can't have stood there when its real cold either, even Scott would have said "fuck that for a game of soldiers".

Both of my testicles receded one night and it was months before I could coax them back out again.

Last time i stood on there was against Blackburn Rovers in a League cup game just after they had won the prem, Finney and Chief scored but we lost 3-2. Cold shmold!

im billy no mates tommorow :(

Spare ticket for the TE-can meet in the legends before hand if anyones interested £15

ill have it adje

fuck me plastic boy is back for the big games!

hahaha  8)

Im weraing my Notts County shirt,Man City Scarf and Tottenham Hat.

A game got abandoned just into the 2nd half vs Leyton Orient in the FA Cup a numberof years ago because the Stratton Bank terracing began to freeze up.  Only time I've ever taken a hot flask with me.

Cant wait for tomorrow

hopefully better game and atmosphere then saturday

you redssss!

Couldn't you wear a Pompey shirt instead?  :)

Wasn't that against Grimsby? Or Col U?  Kevin Watson was making his return to the CG and had just scored to put them 1 nil up?

Possibly Col U, although my memory fails me.  Watson never played for Grimsby I don't think.  Again, could be wrong.

Glad to be of help!

You're wrong...it was Grimsby, Kevin Watson scored for us...in the rematch we threw away a lead and it ended 3-3...Clive Mendonca scored a couple for them he was a bit of an STFC specialist

That game was abandoned due to a frozen pitch rather than the Stratton Bank freezing over. Which was one of the worst refereeing decisions I've seen - the pitch was no worse than when the game had started, apparently he let the game go ahead as he thought the pitch would improve and when he didn't he called it off.

Bummer for Kevin Watson as I recall it being a pretty decent goal.

I remember it now, cheers jonny (and reg)

It was a good strike, I had hopes for Watson, as he came from Spurs and we'd picked up a few useful lads from there down the years...he was like a poor man's John Moncur, he was never going to thrive under McMahon though, despite him signing the player.

If memory serves, the ref was a young Mark Halsey, it's always difficult to get it right in those circumstances. Generally he's one of the better ones

In fact on checking..Mendonca only got the one, a late equaliser, after we'd come back from 2 down to get 3-2 ahead, so we did kind of throw it away but i thought we were further ahead.

I always rated Watson - he could actually pass a football accurately - unfortunately McMahon didn't like that in a player.

He could, but he often tried to make a killer pass and gave it away...I think ultimately this is why McMahon went off him. We've not really had a decent passer since Stefani Miglioranzi, who despite having been told he was finished, when joining us on a monthly contract, is still turning out alongside Beckham for LA Galaxy.

True, but compared to to the compared McMahon style, I thought it was good to see a man trying to play an accurate, clever pass.  We've had far too few of these over the last 15 years.  Migs was good.  Woan for a brief period was another.  Doesn't exactly match up to Hoddle, Moncur and Hazard though.  Good times.

 The 3 mentioned were all Spurs though...Huddlestone is from that mould, maybe we could get him in a few years time.

Wasn't Watson spurs originally as well?  There could be something in this theory...

Hence posting it on the previous page

It was a good strike, I had hopes for Watson, as he came from Spurs and we'd picked up a few useful lads from there down the years...he was like a poor man's John Moncur, he was never going to thrive under McMahon though, despite him signing the player.

Apologies reg, possibly had one too many Tanglefoots...

I know the feeling..Scrumpy Jack for me tonight.

The Orient Cup was definently abandoned due to a frozen terrace, I was on it.

Think it may have had more to do with a frozen pitch...Adrian Whitbread took a tumble and ended up in PMH.

That must be the longest tumble ever, a world record I'd imagine.

He was anticipating the news that he'd sign for us in the Prem...he was so excited he flick flacked all the way to the hossy for a lie down.

That Watson goal was immense! I must have been about 11 years old, and it was cold but the match was abandoned after about 70 mins, there was only 20 to go. Ref had to be escorted out if I remember correctly.