Visiting
Scunthorpe for a game of football should be a relatively easy task given that they
don’t attract large crowds for normal home games. Unfortunately, as soon as they
realise there will be a large away following the place becomes ‘fortress’
Scunthorpe.
The relocation of the ground away from the town centre makes it difficult
to reach by foot from the station. Taking a taxi or a bus, you soon become log-jammed in
the traffic. When you arrive at the ground, if you are not from Scunthorpe area, you are
not welcome.
Scunthorpe still operate the much derided membership scheme for all parts
of the ground apart from the visiting supporters’ end, which only holds 2,000 people
who must be in possession of a match ticket.
The problem with this policy is that anyone who doesn’t watch
Scunthorpe on a regular basis won’t bother to take out a member’s card. As soon
as a big match comes along all the casual supporters are unable to attend as they
don’t possess a member’s card. Consequently, apart from the influx of visiting
fans the home gate always stays at the same level.
When Burnley played at Scunthorpe on the last match of the season the
ground should have been bursting at the seams. Instead the crowd was less than 6,000.
Contrast this with Wrexham’s policy, which allowed as many Gillingham fans as
possible to enter their ground on the last day of the season and cashed in accordingly.
In previous seasons Scunthorpe have made sure that the game against
Burnley kicked off at 11 or 11-30am to stop people travelling. The message is simple. The
Police and the football club don’t want to see you unless you live in Scunthorpe and
are a club member or season ticket holder.
Nigel Blackburn
September 2000
(You’ll just have to learn to sing the ‘Lincolnshire
Poacher’, Nigel. It’s a clincher. Two day member’s cards and two match
tickets by return of post with no fuss. Ed.)
