Bulls' first visit to Shrewsbury's New Meadow

This Saturday brings Hereford United's first visit to Shrewsbury Town's new stadium.

Situated on the south side of the capital of Shropshire, the New Meadow replaces the old but quaint Gay Meadow which will be remembered as much for the games played there as for the games postponed because of flooding from the near-by River Severn.

Shrewsbury first moved to the Gay Meadow in 1910. But it wasn't long before a match had to be abandoned because of the river.

On January 14 1911 they played Birmingham City Reserves. After around 70 minutes the Severn started to flow onto the Meadow and the game had to be called off.

Flooding or no flooding Shrewsbury stayed at the Meadow for 97 years. They might still be there if it wasn't for Roland Wycherley.

Wycherley was elected chairman in 1996 and put in motion the move to a brand new stadium. But his dream took eleven years to come true.

At times he appeared frustrated with the Shrewsbury Council who seemed to want to put conditions on the project which would up the already high cost of the construction. There was also opposition from a local action group known as the Sutton Area Residents Association who were concerned about extra traffic on match days.

However the new stadium held its first match last July. Gianfranco Zola brought an all-stars XI to play Shrewsbury and the new era had begun. In November it was jointly officially opened by Lord Mawhinney, the chairman of the Football League and Roland Wycherley.

The New Meadow is a 110m x 75m, 9,875 all-seater capacity stadium constructed by Hall Construction. It has on site supporter's bars, including plasma-screen TVs, showing re-runs of recent Shrewsbury matches. In addition, there are several corporate and hospitality suites, which the club states will be used both on match days and for general community use, therefore assisting the club in gaining revenue.

There are four separate stands each 18 rows high. The main stand, which is named after the chairman Roland Wycherley, has a slightly different layout to the others with a press area and eight corporate boxes at its rear. The North Stand at one end of the stadium where the away fans are located also houses a prominent looking Police Control Box. Leg room is nothing special although the stands are quite steep keeping the fans close to the action and there is good height between rows.

Following consultation with supporters groups, the stadium consists of blue seating, with the club's initials (STFC) spelt out in amber on each side of the ground. Despite originally being blue and white, the club has adopted a distinctive blue and amber colour scheme since the 1970s, which many supporters feel is a unique and distinctive part of the club.

The ground is adjacent to the large Meole Brace Retail Park and the Bannatyne's Health Club/Meole Brace Municipal Golf Course complex, however spokespersons from both sites have stated no car-parking will be available on match days.

With the ground not being centrally located like Gay Meadow, concerns have been raised about travel arrangements. In response, the club has consulted with local authorities and produced a comprehensive brochure for fans, detailing travel arrangements for the new ground.

Many local pubs will use shuttle buses, and the club will be operating a park and ride system for fans, using car parks near to the ground. In addition, special supporter buses will be running in Shrewsbury town centre and from across Shropshire.

Let's hope the first visit is remembered for all the best reasons including a win for the Bulls.

(Article complied from several sources including the official Shrewsbury website)

Meanwhile any Hereford United supporter without a ticket for the game might still be able to obtain one from the club office. May be advisable to telephone 01432 276666 first just in case they have sold out.

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