When the draw was made for the FA Cup third round, I was initially very disappointed when my club, Notts County, were handed a trip to Brentford.
Going away to a side two divisions above brought obvious difficulty but also, no disrespect intended, Brentford is hardly the glamour away day a lower league club asks for. The likelihood was it would be a defeat - the Bees are in fantastic form in the Championship and play the kind of football my League Two Notts would love to one day emulate - and also it would provide a lack of welcome money for the club, while being a reasonably average away day given the size of the stadium and the facilities on offer.
Certainly, Notts’ Meadow Lane is far superior to Griffin Park. Sadly, on the field, that’s not the same. Also, personally, I’d been to Griffin Park four times already, as we regularly faced Brentford as equals in recent years in League One, only to see our fortunes differ since as Notts were relegated and the Beeds promoted into the Championship. Those four visits had yet to see a win, too.
But then I thought a little more. A trip to Brentford allows you to experience one of football’s pastimes - the chance to stand on an old-fashioned terrace. Because while the Bees have moved forwards on the pitch, they retain the old-fashioned stadium they have always had. Behind both goals are terraces - a throwback. Just like the local residents offering hot dogs and hot drinks from their front garden, behind the away end. Or a toilet stop for 50p. And the legendary pub on each corner. All were on hand at Griffin Part on Saturday. They are things you’d expect in years gone by, not so much the modern-day game.
For away fans, there is the option of seats above. But huddled together with your fellow fan, tightly bound together singing for your team, unable to see much but not caring because you’re all in the same boat – that’s what standing up at a football match is all about.
Even supporting a League Two side, strangely there isn’t that much about in the way of stadiums with no seating. Accrington, Exeter, Crawley, Yeovil, Morecambe and Forest Green Rovers are the six out of 24 clubs who provide a terrace. In the case of Crawley and Morecambe, there are options to sit, too. No surprises there that, Exeter City aside, the others have spent the majority of their years as non-league clubs.
Being a London-based Magpie, and given the sheer distance of the trips - even for Nottingham-based Notts fans - to the likes of Yeovil and Exeter, Brentford represented a rare chance to sample a game standing up. Something everyone used to do in the 1980s. It is the way football was always intended to be watched.
Given the Bees are finally moving forward off the pitch too, with their new all-seater stadium under construction, this is likely to have been my last trip to Griffin Park.
A lot of supporters, myself included, look back at the terraces through misty eyes. They are often mentioned when debating what has been lost in modern football. At their best, terraces bind a support together. The view isn’t as good, it’s not as comfortable, but it does represent a belonging with your fellow fan. You feel closer together and you’re free to jump around and sing songs as one. It’s football from a bygone era that many would love to return to. The atmosphere is the best thing about it.
And the price – standing on terraces are invariably cheaper. Indeed, at Brentford on Saturday it was £10 to stand or £15 to sit. You also get a somewhat unique perspective of the speed of the game as you are at eye level with the players.
The tragedy of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 when 96 Liverpool supporters were killed due to an overcrowded away terrace led to the publishing of the Taylor Report, which ruled that terraces should be banned in the top two divisions. Brentford weren’t, however, barred from promotion when they finished second in League One in 2014. But it is why, in part, they must build a new ground.
Notts’ Meadow Lane was transformed in the early 90s following the report. Four dilapidated terraces became a modern all-seater stadium with a 20,000 capacity. It looks much better and remains in fantastic condition now - particularly for hosting League Two football.
Magpies supporters have, however, while conscious of the need for safety given what happened at Hillsborough, often bemoaned a poorer atmosphere. The old standing only Spion Kop created a racket that isn’t entirely matched today, even with the giant roof above helping the acoustics. Likely that’s as much to do with the fact Notts have smaller attendances now as fortunes have dipped, as it is to do with swapping a terrace for an all-seater.
Regardless, Brentford away on FA Cup third round day, offered the chance to sample it all over again. And it left me feeling confused about what is better, all things considered.
Taking the football away - Notts won 1-0 to shock Brentford courtesy of a 65th minute Jon Stead goal - and focusing on my decision to stand, I was left with mixed feelings. Certainly, the atmosphere felt much improved on recent games. But given it was the FA Cup, the pressure was off, and a very healthy following travelled from Nottingham, that was to be expected.
However, the view was pretty rubbish, wherever you attempted to stand. I’d defy even the 6ft –plus supporters to argue they got a good view of the pitch, unless they were sat in the seated area above the terraces!
When Brentford hit the bar and the referee had to rely on goal-line technology to rule out Bees’ earlier claims to an opener - both at the opposite end of the pitch - I cannot claim to have seen exactly what had happened. It just appeared to be a mad scramble.
The pandemonium of the game’s only goal brought Notts supporters together for a memorable celebration. Fans jumped on each other and moved at will among the terrace to celebrate. However, in the middle of it all were two young boys, around 10 years of age, one of whom was crushed against a leaning bar, causing him to cry and be moved out by stewards suffering with shock. It made the goal seem less important, somehow. And it brought back the issue of safety on terraces. This one wasn’t even full to capacity.
Overall, the day was a classic throwback. The atmosphere was brilliant but Notts were performing well and then won. No doubt an early deficit and defeat may have changed that. The view and the safety concerns, though, mean it was hard to come out and say terraces should return with a vengeance across the country.
League One Shrewsbury are to implement ‘safe standing’ - the kind seen regularly in the Bundesliga. And other clubs will follow. But the old-fashioned terrace of Griffin Park should come to an end. There was a reason it became outlawed and nostalgia shouldn’t make the difference, as good as it can be in those fleeting moments of joy.
