Visiting other Grounds

[stevefromdonny]

I made use of the Bromley FC supporters club coach to notch my 91st of the current 92 grounds. The game was originally supposed to be played on Saturday but thanks to our dear friends at Sky Sports it was switched to Thursday night. Luckily (or unluckily?) I was free on both Thursday & Friday so was still able to make the trip.
In a goodwill gesture Salford have capped the ticket price for away fans at a fiver to make up in some way for the inconvenience. After meeting the coach at Hayes Lane, followed by a 5 1/2 hour ride with only a very brief stop en route we arrived at Moor Lane at around 6.30pm, happy to find the turnstiles - and the refreshment bars - open. So a very welcome portion of pure northern fayre - Pie, chips, peas & gravy was the order of the day!
Moor Lane has been renovated extensively since the takeover of the club by Manchester Uniteds 'class of 92' in 2014, and now features 2 near identical stands on opposite sides of the pitch and 2 near identical covered terraces behind each goal. The whole arena is enclosed giving the 5,000 odd capacity stadium a uniform look. The Salford fans behind the opposite goal are waving lots of orange flags in the lead up to kick off. I wonder if it's a protest against their Man U linked owners shameful decision to change the club's traditional colours from orange to red.
Bromley dominate the first half and have numerous attempts on goal without success. It's a different story in the second half as Salford have more of the game and eventually score 2 somewhat fortunate goals for a 2-0 win. The ref adds on 10 minutes of additional time after several Salford players cynically feign injury as is the way of the modern game. The away fans are in fine voice right til the end in spite of the negative result. The win clinches a play off spot for the home team after several years of trying and they're still in contention for automatic promotion. Bromley, of course, have already achieved that feat, continuing their remarkable rise through the divisions. If you want a real fairy tale, forget Wrexham. Bromley's achievement in reaching league one with no financial backing is the real deal. Huge congratulations to them.