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GAME DETAILS
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Premier League
Attendance: 3,980
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Players
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| League Stats |
This was League game number 3817 for Exeter City, made up of:
League 1/Div 3: 778. Div 3S: 1295. (54.31%)
 League 2/Division 4: 1744. (45.69%) Totals include 1 games that were later Expunged. Total League record up to and including this game: |
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This was League game number 4382 for Lincoln City, made up of:
 Championship/Division 2: 1258. (28.71%)
League 1/Div 3: 460. Div 3N: 883. (30.65%)
League 2/Division 4: 1781. (40.64%) Totals include 4 games that were later Expunged. Total League record up to and including this game: |
| P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
GD |
GA |
Win Ratio |
| 3817 |
1276 |
999 |
1542 |
5075 |
5750 |
-675 |
0.88
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33.43% |
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| P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
GD |
GA |
Win Ratio |
| 4382 |
1582 |
1063 |
1737 |
6376 |
6708 |
-332 |
0.95 |
36.10% |
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DT92 Members at this game: (you can click here to load your profile picture) |
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Grecian Baz
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Stamfordgaz63
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I''ve wanted to visit St James'' Park for a while, based mainly on the fact that it now has the largest terrace in the football league - the Big Bank, so a trip was on the cards and I decided to make a weekend of it by booking into a hotel. The ground is situated right on the edge of Exeter city centre in St James Rd. The first thing that comes into view is The Park, Exeter City''s home fans club bar. In front of The Park, set back from the road, is the away fans ticket office. A little further down a low stone wall marks the boundary behind one end of the ground. There are a few houses on the opposite side of the road and I imagine they must have a great view. At the bottom of the road is St James railway station, which used to give access to the now disused Grandstand. Getting into the ground, for the home fans, requires a short walk through a gated passageway. This leads past the Park. This is a spacious bar with a very good and friendly atmosphere. A couple of TVs adorn the walls along with posters, photos and a few hand painted quotes, mainly Colemanballs , from various football players, pundits and commentators. Further on past the bar is the Fanzone which is located at the back of the main Ivor Doble stand. As it was a nice sunny day, the zone was fairly full and had a great friendly atmosphere. Here you can find food and drink outlets, the home ticket office and the well stocked club shop. There was only one place I wanted to be inside the stadium - the Big Bank terrace. I purchased my ticket and headed down past the Ivor Doble stand, which has the now customary named bricks in the wall, and down to the Big Bank entrance. There would appear to be three entrances into the ground all within a few feet of each other. One is through a set of red gates, which I''m guessing is where tickets for the seated area are checked though it is possible to get to the Big Bank through here. Another entrance is a set of steps which lead up to the back of the terrace, and the third one, which I used, was through a set a red painted turnstiles behind which was a narrow path which led from the outside of one corner of the terrace with a slight incline up to the other. Half way up the path a food outlet can be found tucked away. I decided to indulge in a cuppa and a hot dog. Both very satisfying. I made my way up the path and entered the Big Bank. There is something special about terraces. When I to to lower league grounds I usually head for the home terrace wherever possible. There seems to be a feeling of camaraderie on the steps. You can often have a natter to a complete stranger for 2 hours, or a chant will start up which everyone joins in with. There always seems to be a willingness to join in when you''re standing up, more than when you''re sat down. Although I enjoy the all seater stadia there does seem to be a lack of atmosphere from the home fans, who are mainly seated, and I have found that most of the noise now comes from the travelling fans, who mostly choose to stand. As many clubs are now looking into the pro''s and con''s of Safe Standing maybe, hopefully, we''ll see some of that atmosphere return to the all seater. St James '' is undergoing quite a bit if refurbishment at the moment and two sections of the ground, the St James'' Rd terrace, the away fans terrace opposite the Big Bank, and the old Grandstand side of the pitch are both closed to supporters. At present approximately 350 away fans can be located in one end of the Ivor Doble stand near to the away terrace. The Ivor Doble stand is a single tired cantilever and runs the length of the pitch. It has a capacity of around 2200. At the rear are executive/ hospitality boxes and it also houses the dugouts. The seats in the stand are red with ECFC spelled out in white seats. The Big Bank Terrace was pretty much full to capacity. It is single tiered, fairly steep and has a cantilevered roof which gives a totally unhindered view of the pitch. Unfortunately the sides of the terrace are open and there is a gap between the roof and the back of the terrace and although it was a nice sunny day, the wind blowing through made it a bit chilly. To the right of the Big Bank is the old Grandstand. Built in 1926 and soon to be demolished, it''s a beautiful throwback to the early days of football. It runs about three quarters of the length of the pitch and straddles the halfway line, though most of the stand is positioned in one half of the pitch. The seats have now been removed and only a shell remains though strangely the dressing rooms are still located here. On the front edge of the long steep sloping roof are 9 strange looking floodlights which appear to have been created by some crazed welder back in the day. I was fortunate enough to be invited into the ground the day after the game and spent a while looking round the Grandstand. At the rear are the old, disused steps which led up from the railway station. Inside the back of the stand is what appeared to be an old food and drink outlet and a small area with chairs. Maybe this was and old fashioned FanZone where supporters could grab a cuppa and a sandwich. At the back of the stand is also a Press box and a radio commentary box. Naturally I had to sit in both and I could almost feel the presence of all the people who once used this stand. An eerie feeling. It''s sad when these old stands disappear but that''s progress I suppose, though it''s nice to know that it''s been well used over the years. Another visit needs to be planned to see the new stand which hopefully will bring good crowds, both home and away fans, to St James''. My only hope is that it has a bit of character rather than just a One Size Fits All type like some. The game itself was lacking in any real quality and if I''m being honest the best team lost. Lincoln''s Matt Rhead provided the comical entertainment when, after being awarded a free kick just outside the penalty area, he turned to face Exeter''s keeper and mirrored his every movement. As he did it in front of the Big Bank he was roundly jeered and mocked. The free kick came to nothing. I was also amused by the Exeter mascot, a lion with a wild mane by the name of Grecian, who looks very much like Colombia legend Carlos Valderrama. Another nice touch which demonstrated the community feel of the club came at the end of the game when many supporters grabbed black bin bags and helped to tidy up. Exeter City - nice ground and friendly people. Well worth a visit.
//End of league season: Both teams finished in play off positions and will face each other in the play off semis. Exeter were 4th with 80 points, Lincoln finished 7th on 75. Also into the play offs go Notts County and Coventry City. Accrington Stanley won the title with 93 points Luton Town and Wycombe Wanderers are also promoted to League One. Down to the National League go Barnet and Chesterfield. Replacing them from the National League are Macclesfield and Tranmere Rovers.// Play off Semis :- Coventry City beat Notts County 5-2 on aggregate. Exeter City beat Lincoln City 3-1 over two legs// Play off Final
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simonlarkins17
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nathan27190
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