You can find a cracking little pub, about a mile away from the ground, on Fawcett Road. In terms of facilities the ground is light years away from Premiership standard, but the atmosphere is electric with the legendary Play Up Pompey echoing around the ground. The atmosphere at Fratton Park is unbelievable, the fans constantly singing as well as the bell in the back ground. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground? Portsmouth train station is at least a 25 minute walk away. Three out of the four proposals would have seen Pompey move to a new location including one from 2007 which would have seen the creation of a 36,000 capacity stadium on reclaimed land next to Portsmouth Naval Base. However the hot drinks were very reasonably priced with tea at 1, Bovril 1.20 and Coffee at 1.50. We then walked across to the Fratton End of the ground to welcome the team coach. An element behind the goal sung and made noise for the entire match, and during periods of home pressure most of the home support joined in, making a real cauldron of noise. One of the things I was keen to see was how the ground had indeed changed since my previous visits. The cheapest and most expensive tickets for adults and concessions are listed below: You can get tickets for matches at Fratton Park by visiting the clubs excellent online sales portal via their official website, by calling the ticket office on the phone or by dropping into the ticket office at the ground in person. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2023 Football Ground Guide. To the right of the Milton End is the North Stand an old fashioned but large stand. All White Third Kit: a large portrait of Jimmy Dickinson was designed into the seating plan of the new Fratton End stand on its southern wing, with the club's famous crest on the northern . By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree alvin-almazov.com can store cookies on your device. The opening game at Fratton Park was held against Southampton with Pompey beating their local rivals 2-0 in a match which ignited the long term passion of the Portsmouth faithful. Wearing a suit to football matches should make a come-back in my opinion. Go along the M27 (ignoring the M275 turn off for Portsmouth town centre) and continue on to the A27. For me this was a new ground to visit. When I have visited, I have parked in one of the side streets, found on the right-hand side of the A2030 before you reach the Good Companion pub. You can tell the front part used to be terracing. / Black & Red (Third). Adults 23 Over 63s 17 There are also a few other pubs and plenty of takeaways (of all varieties) along this road. Not far from the stadium is this member of the ibis hotel chain. Thankfully we held on for a deserved 2-1 win. Note as you come off M27, take first exit right onto the A2030. Opposite is the recently covered Milton End, which is all seated. It also took the whole of half time to go to the toilet as the whole stand went to try and get a drink for half time. I would recommend Portsmouth to League 2 fans as there really is nothing like it in the league. 225. Train back to London then overnight bus back to Dundee for Sunday morning. Follow @PompeyFC_Live on Twitter | Like Portsmouth FC Live on Facebook | Sign up to our Portsmouth FC newsletter. Frogmore Road, Portsmouth, PO4 8RA Telephone: I was most looking forward to hearing the 'Pompey Chimes' and this did surface in the second half. Gillingham had not played at Fratton Park for well over a decade, and with the team being in a great spell of form and this being a relatively local game against one of the leagues best supported sides, I took the opportunity to make the trip. Next for refreshments. However it was only this season that the opportunity arose to see Notts County play there in League One, but we ended up drawing them away in the FA Cup 1st round, and being a Weymouth based Notts County fan; I couldnt resist an earlier than expected trip to the old ground. Stewards were incredibly officious considering the visiting club was non league, have had zero previous meetings or history with Pompey and in my long experience Macclesfield supporters do not have any 'reputation' for trouble making. A very good day out despite the loss, but the way we played we still went home in good spirits. What you did before the game pub/chippy. Straight into the Still & West, a great pub with views over Portsmouth Harbour, which serves some rather pleasant Fullers and George Gale beers. Portsmouths Marriott has got a restaurant, a bar, a health club with an indoor pool and spa services. The bitterness between he two is larger than a football rivalry. Fratton Parks facilities are amongst the best in the lower leagues, with the stadium still set-up as if it were hosting Premier League football on a weekly basis. One nice touch was some of the home fans congratulating us after the game and wishing us well. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc.. I am a Leeds United fan but my best mate is an Exeter City supporter, so we travelled down for the game as Leeds weren't in action until Sunday. There was the usual friendly banter between the two sets of supporters however there were a group of around five or six who started throwing coins and shouting abuse at the Exeter fans not very nice but never the less in the minority! What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the stadium? Once you have arrived at the railway station exit via the footbridge and turn left onto A2030 Goldsmith Avenue. Although there was not much to do beforehand, I would go to Fratton Park again. The view from the away end was reasonable the only downer is that if your at the front row you have to look up at the pitch which is very unsual. Plans to increase capacity at Portsmouth FC's ground at Fratton Park have been agreed. Although this end is shared with home supporters, the Pompey home support gets behind their team but generally in a non-intimidatory way towards the away contingent. Grass Club Nickname: Booking train tickets in advance will normally save you money! The 800 or so Wycombe fans were housed in the stand behind the far goal. Martin Hewitt recommends the Harvester, but advises away fans to avoid the Newcome Arms. The stewards were fairly disciplined and kept people from standing in the aisles, but ultimately they were friendly and useful in allowing us to stand, which the majority of the away fans did. The Milton End is no more than a five minute walk down there. At this time Portsmouth were in serious debt & could be on the verge of liquidation, so we made sure that we went to fixture just in case this would be Leicester last trip to Fratton in a while. I took the supporters coach, departing the Abbey Stadium at 9:30 am. My friend had the Chicken Balti and had similar observations. Although modernisation has touched Fratton, you can still taste the rich history. I found the area around the ground far more welcoming than some less high profile games, none of the pubs seemed to be asking fans if they were home/away supporters, and certainly didnt go so far as to ask for proof in the form of match tickets (Ive had this at Southampton and Aldershot before). To our left was the two tiered South Stand, which housed the dugouts and press box, and, to our right, the North Stand, which had an unusually large number of supporting poles dottedaround it. Everyone is aware that while Fratton Park is an atmospheric stadium, it is also incredibly old, and we have reached a stage where due to the amount of work required internally at the ground, our capacity was going to be severely affected. For one reason or another, that never happened. (it should be noted that the same zeal was not applied to standing home fans). Unfortunately, once again we failed to give ourselves enough time for food before the match, but no matter, were kind of used to it now. Once in the right direction, you could see the floodlights of the ground from quite some way, away. I was in a pub up the road called the Good companion and it was filled out with QPR fans. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking? At the eastern end of Fratton Park is the 'Milton End'. Parking is pretty much street parking, there is a large pay car park behind the Fratton End, but if you arrive early enough youll find a spot close by. If there was a large away support the toilet and food facilities in the away end I think would seriously struggle to cope. Notwithstanding the three points, we returned to Kent with, Id recommend Fratton Park to all away fans. 5. Because of this there were only a handful of home fans present. 0-0 at Half Time seemed like a fair result to me. Portsmouth FC fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports website). All perfectly friendly. Fratton Park has an all seated capacity of just over 20,000 and have been Portsmouth's home since 1899. Whilst impressive for a League Two football ground it seems obvious that in their Premier League years not much money was invested in Fratton Park as it has a slightly run down air about it. fratton park milton end seating plan. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground: Previously used as a terrace, the conversion to all-seating hasnt resulted in the most comfy of seats, with leg-room just about ample to say the least although it is irrelevant as the away fans often like to stand for the match and try and out-sing the lively home support. Numbers 1 and 13 will both drop you at Fratton Park. Which betting shop accepts Two Balls Betting? Turn left along Goldsmith Avenue and walk about half a mile passing straight around a small roundabout (by the Pompey Centre). Bit of a fuss, although the coach driver had warned us that the coach was going to be parked in a slightly different place coming out, but we hadn't anticipated just how different it would be. Popular with away fans is the Good Companion pub, which is on the main A2030 about a five minute walk away from the ground. We didn't really press their box in the second half but we managed to hold on to progress to the second round where we were drawn away to Burnley later in the month. That evening, I noticed that the 0-0 draw had not been enough to prevent Pompey from dropping into the relegation zone, and with another ten point penalty hanging over their heads, I really fear as I do still for the future of the club, and its lovely ground. What does Quinella mean in bets? This was first ever meeting between the two clubs. With most of the ground corners being open (apart from one corner beside the away section), the stadium does have an open feel to it and it is a great sun trap on a hot day as it was for us. MILTON END. So with it being a wet, breezy January day it felt a little exposed. Portsmouth Football Club are delighted that planning permission has been unanimously granted by the council planning committee for phase one of the proposed development of Fratton Park. As you come down the Eastern Road, the first pub you come across is The Good Companion on you left. For the Milton End stay on Goldsmith Avenue for another 100m and turn left into Apsley Road. An ordinary game won by Pompey with goals in the first and last minutes in between plenty of restless and nervous home fans.Stewards very quiet and probably had more difficulty keeping warm! Pompey Year Ground Opened: Football and Travel: Independent stadium guides and travel information for football fans across the world, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fratton_Park. 2023 Football Tripper All Rights reserved. Opposite the North Stand opened in 1935, looks somewhat plain and functional. Fratton Park has been the home ground of Portsmouth Football Club since its formation back in April 1898 with famous footballing architect Archibald Leitch designing the original iteration of the Main Stand. Under 23s 15 There were so many QPR fans it took almost 45 mins to get a drink. We caught a train from Upwey Station, switched at Southampton Central, and arrived at Fratton Station just after half 12. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game: Leaving the ground we felt very disappointed, to say the least. Its not far from the ground, either, so its not a bad place to go before the game starts. One thing that hasnt changed, however, is Pompeys use of Fratton Park as their home stadium. The club has spent its entire existence playing its games at Fratton Park stadium, despite numerous considerations to move elsewhere during the latter years of the 1990s. Couldn't be better! Purple with White Trim. We found unrestricted street parking only about five minutes from Fratton Park, but I would advise getting there as early as possible as it does become very busy with traffic especially on the roads coming into Portsmouth. Getting out of the ground was okay but getting the station was a nightmare. I did find the famous Pompey atmosphere did seem to be missing, as it appeared that all the songs were originating only from the Fratton End opposite. The side stands are dated but have character and are still plenty large enough for League 2. The ground being a ten minute walk from Fratton train station and easily identifiable by those grand old floodlights made the journey very straightforward. 3. I have visited Fratton Park before following West Ham and had enjoyed it then. 0.5 km Sports Complexes Parks. As an alternative you could try the Tesco Extra behind the home end where there is a three hour parking restriction enough for most matches. It was am easy day out. Away fans are normally housed on one side of the Milton End (on the North Stand side) where the normal allocation is 1,400. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc. They took the lead on 37 minutes when Roberts slotted in a cutback from around 6 yards. By Neil Allen. All rights reserved alvin-almazov.com. This is a traditionally large pub with a great atmosphere. To do this click on the cookie settings button below. The club announced in August 2020 that planning permission had been granted for the development of a new Milton End, which would not only increase the capacity of the stand, but also provide enhanced access and modern facilities for both home and away disabled fans, as well as flexibility in how to efficiently accommodate visiting supporters.