And here we are at last! Not the end of the Scottish marathon I was on with Lee Kyle, there’s loads of them left, but Stenhousemuir is one that we’ve all been waiting for.
I’m not sure it deserves the patience and goodwill we’ve shown it, as it has all the hallmarks of a bad ground. Plastic pitch? Yes sir. No stands instead of rickety crap ones? Check. So what has it got.
Well, let me introduce you to a real winner. Because if your ground only has two stands, then one of them had better have a name so good that it doesn’t matter about the other half of your stadium. Let me present to you… The Norway Stand.
Hell yes! This is what we tune in for every week! Is there a better named stand in all of football? Manchester City’s fan-voted Colin Bell Stand, hijacked by United supporters so they could christen it The Bell End, doesn’t count.
It’s a perfectly pleasant stand and probably best of all the stadium is fairly accessible for the tourist wanting a peak inside. The club offered to show me around but as the ground was open I headed in alone.
It is a shame that the only other thing to look at is a covered terrace and some delightful looking turnstiles. There’s also a TV gantry behind the pleasant looking dugouts, done out in club colours of course.
The only other questions that remain is who took the top off a bollard by the players’ entrance. And perhaps more importantly, how? And why?
It’s also worth pointing out that I don’t remember Ochilview offering any views of the Ochil Hills. Which considering the four grounds I visited ahead of it all did, seemed cheeky, but I won’t hold it against them.
And I think that sums this ground up well. There’s loads you could pick fault at, but it’s so hard to hold a grudge. Stenhousemuir is undeniably a brilliant name in Scottish foot and twinned with The Norway Stand makes this an out and out winner.
Football Grounds I Can Be Bothered To Visit 