I had not been to Blackburn for a number of years. My last visit was some time ago in the late 70’s, therefore I was looking forward to seeing the ground as this could be said to be a new tick for me. On my last visit I remember that the old Ewood Park was a reasonably good stadium, but a bit ram-shackled in some parts and in need of a new coat of paint. Having seen the revamped stadium only on TV I was looking forward to enjoying a game in comfortable surroundings.

We came off the M62 at Junction 18 and headed north onto the M66, then onto the M56 and travelled west for about ten miles or so. Before we knew it Blackburn was looming up on the horizon and the steel girders holding up the Ewood Park stands were visible to the right in amongst the relatively low spread of roof tops. We came off at Junction 4 and seemed to double back on ourselves for a quarter of a mile or so, then the football signs on a brown background soon appeared and we knew we were on the right road.

The police were out in force directing the traffic and were stopping traffic from another direction so the long column of vehicles carrying the City fans was giving precedence. Along the road going into Blackburn are a number of unofficial car parks. We parked in the first one, a school car park costing £3. We were told by the attendant, a very pleasant lady, that the ground was about 15 minutes walk, which I must say was about right; though it was all down hill. This means coming back after the game was going to be a bit of a hike.

It was interesting to note that car parks nearer to the ground increased in price the nearer you got to it. There was even a small amount of parking in the forecourt of a petrol station; which is something I had never seen before. We passed the first pub (The Golden Cup) on the left, which is just on the other side of the underpass holding up the motorway. We also went passed the ‘Bear Hotel’ to the right. Both pubs were crammed with Hull fans. Within a matter of another five to ten minutes walk we came to ’The Fernhurst’. Both sides of the pub were open to away fans. I was impressed to see the sign above the main entrance welcoming the Hull fans with some witty comments about Tigers, ‘showing teeth’ and ‘Grrrrrr’.

There was plenty of room in the pub. The service was good and the staff friendly. We were served within a matter of a minute or two and settled to watch the early kick off on the TV screen. There was a party atmosphere in the pub car park with hundreds of City fans enjoying the atmosphere and the warm sunshine. The ubiquitous beach ball was been tossed into the air. There were a good number of police around the pub, but it was not over the top and they were relaxed and even engaged in some friendly banter. After a couple of beers we departed and headed for the ground which is literally fifty yards up the road.

The first thing that struck me when getting inside was that three sides of the ground were new and impressive with their shiny blue seats and glass, but the fourth side was the original design I recall from my previous visits to Ewood. Although I don’t have the longest legs in the world the seating space was tight with my knees grating along the back of the seat in front. This could be why so many fans decided to stand for long periods before and even during the game, which I guess is not supposed to be the idea of all seater stadiums! That said the view was excellent.

The pre-match entertainment was limited. The PA system was deafeningly loud and they just seemed to reply over and over the MOTD highlights of the previous Blackburn game on a big screen to the right of the away supporters with in-house commentary added. The commentary was a little partisan in tone.

Although I very infrequently purchase food at games there appeared to be plenty of outlets, some selling beer, and pies, burgers and whatnot. I did note that the toilets were clean, well maintained, plentiful and well lit. The stewards were laid back as were the police who maintained a high visible presence but were not over bearing.

Before and during the game the home fans were quiet, but the atmosphere in the away end was excellent. It was a decent game between two equally matched sides on the day. City came back from a goal down to take a well deserved point.

After the game we all got out of the ground fairly easily. The only down side was the hike back up the hill to the school where the car was parked. Getting out was easy as the police had stopped the traffic coming into Blackburn, which made getting out all the easier. All in all it was a good day. Which was no doubt helped by the fact that we took a point in our first ever premier league away game.

The positives are that there is decent, big pub just a long throwing from the away end. There is plenty of parking to be had if you arrive early enough and it’s a very easy ground to find. I would highly recommend a trip to Ewood Park.