A day out for the Stinkyink Crew
Our Trip to Wembley
Wembley Stadium: the very name sends a tingle down your spine if you are a football fan and when the opportunity arose to visit the new stadium, the boys at stinkyink were ready to go. We have had a very unusual end of season in the Midlands with three of our local teams visiting Wembley in a three week period. First of all, Kidderminster Harriers went in the Conference play off final, then Shrewsbury Town went in the 2nd Division play off final and finally we have Derby County vs West Brom in the Championship play off final. You have to say that these days the only chance most supporters of clubs outside the top four or five teams will get to visit Wembley is in a play-off final so you have to take the chance when you get it.
I managed to book half a dozen tickets in the Shrewsbury end and off we went. I think half of Shropshire made the journey and it really was a very special day for all of us. We set off in bright warm sunshine (the sun always shines in Shropshire), but were soon beset by a miserable rain which did nothing to dampen our spirits. I always find that going away to a big match part of the excitement is joining the procession of other fans making their way there, flags flying and scarves waving. Our hearts went out to a coach-load of broken down supporters on the side of the M40 and I hope that they ended up making it to the match.
We parked up at Beaconsfield station and caught the train to Wembley. The first thing that you see as you leave the station is the arch – it is fabulous. As the stadium had only been open three weeks (Kidderminster vs Stevenage was the first competitive match to be played there) it was a new experience for us all. We walked round then to the underground station to meet my son who came down from university and walked up Wembley way with the whole stadium in front of us and a huge crowd making their way towards it. 
We were playing Bristol Rovers and both sets of supporters mingled happily, stopping to take photos and videos, chat with the police and stewards and generally make a special occasion out of the day. I still don’t know what the relevance of the Weetabix was, but there were some being dispensed on the way in.
After stopping to take pictures of Bobby Moore’s statue we entered the ground and my immediate impression was that I liked this; the security was polite and thorough and the concourse round the ground is huge, bright and welcoming. I was told that there are more toilets now at Wembley than any other single location in the country (2,400 apparently), but they seem to have run out of hand-driers in them. And then we entered into the Arena – it is breath-taking, you have to stop to take it all in. Do you know, I think the stadium designers have treated us (the ticket buying fans) as customers rather than animals to be herded about, which is a pretty novel concept! And the seats, large, loads of leg-room and comfortable and I get the impression from talking to other people that everyone has an excellent view of the pitch with no restricted vision anywhere. I think most of us quietly mocked the expense and the overrun on the construction, but I have to say it was worth every penny – I love it! 
Having visited The Millenium Stadium in Cardiff for another Play Off Final, Wembley is much Better in every respect except its location. The Millenium stadium is right in the City Centre in Cardiff and that makes for a very special atmosphere around the ground before the match. I did wonder if many of the locals in Wembley had ever heard of Shrewsbury, and if so knew where it was?
To the match itself, following on from a dreary FA Cup Final the previous weekend and a pretty turgid affair in the European Cup Final on Wednesday in Athens this was everything that the previous matches were not: full of commitment, passion, good football and some tremendous goals. I have to say the Shrews were unlucky, we went ahead after three minutes and from where I was sat if they had had a decent finisher would have been three up after 20 minutes – job done, but this is football and Bristol Rovers equalised after 22 minutes following a really good build up and then just before half time went ahead with a sublime chip over the goal keeper from Richard Walker. The second half was intense with no effort spared by either side and in the end in stoppage time with our Goalkeeper upfield for a corner which was cleared and a long range shot from Sammy Igoe made a score line that did not reflect the match. Man of the Match for me was Derek Asamoah the diminutive Shrews winger who had tormented the Rovers left back and created most of the chances during the game. So there you are, you Premiership Prima-Donnas – that is how to play football and entertain the crowd.
As we were walking away from Wembley in the rain I have to admit that I was still smiling, and even more so as we arrived at the station where the organisation was fantastic. A train every 10 minutes heading North and the staff only allowing enough people onto the platform to fill the train until the next one arrived meant that we were back on the M40 and heading home by 5:30. My only complaint was that there was no cover at the station and it was raining cats and dogs by then.
Respect goes to Shrewsbury Town and Gary Peters the Manager, to Bristol Rovers and their fans who were magnificent (41,000 turned their end of the stadium blue and white and their song Goodnight Irene echoed round the stadium) and to the staff and management at Wembley Stadium. It was a cracking day out.
A final footnote, as I was driving back up the M40 all of my passengers were asleep, thanks lads!
