Ahead of our Cup game at Exeter there isn't one!
I parked behind the away end today and looked over the fence expecting to see the few miserable open terraces which pass for the away end at the other St James Park only to find that they had been completely demolished and swept away.
Good news in a way but the bad news is that there is surely no way they are going to be able to construct a new stand in 7 weeks especially as it appears that they are going to knock down the old main stand this summer as well (see cutting from today's Express and Echo) and that was still standing as at 1pm today! This will leave only two sides of the ground viable it seems - The old North Bank for home supporters and the East Stand which will need to accommodate existing ST holders plus all those displaced from the old main stand (unless cup games not included in STs).
So, not sure how our away allocation is going to be handled - the article talks about new attendance limits without being specific about what the limits are (or how long they will be in place) but it is crystal clear that there will be restrictions in place for their first home game v Cambridge on 5th August and our game 3 or 4 days later.
Perhaps someone should tell Seb just to make sure his long-running game sequence is not put in jeopardy but I guess that as it's a cup game then Exeter are duty bound to give us at least a fixed percentage of whatever the gate limit is going to be - aren't they?
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cafc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/charlton-athletic-football-club-carabao-cup-exeter-3731727.aspx
and despite the tongue-in-cheek 17 suggested by @NewYork, we must have taken a few hundred to Cheltenham in the same round last season and the West Country Branch has a good many exiles down here who will do both Exeter and then Plymouth Argyle a few days later.
Id be suprised if we managed more then a couple hundred for that game, especially at £22 for a tinpot cup game.
£22 I think I'll give it a miss
I believe they've bought a terraced stand from Barnet (the former North Terrace at The Hive) to replace the away end
What I find surprising is that until now there has been very little in the local press and even today (ok now yesterday) there was virtually nothing on how the arrangements are going to work only a comment from Steve Perryman that: ".....it will be a strain on the stadium as per the new attendance limits I suppose."
For the reverse fixture at The Valley I bought a ticket on the Exeter supporters club coach and kept my mouth shut all the way up (my South London accent still being noticeable despite having left in 1969 for the West Country).
All was undone however when the coach driver got lost somewhere around Surrey Docks and I had to go up front and direct him all the way to the ground much to the bemusement of the rest of the travelling Exeter fans.
Doing a disappearing act when we arrived at The Valley, I watched us win 1-0 and then sloped back on board the coach for the long journey back - nobody said a word!
This is the only time I've been to Exeter, 7 years ago...
Tisdale was still the manager back then! Matt Taylor was in the Exeter team that day plus George Friend (who played in the PL for Boro last season)
Had a great day out.
Exeter Express and Echo May 2017:
Fans with season tickets for the Old Grandstand will be relocated to the main stand. Non-season ticket holders will be in the main stand or the Big Bank. The capacity for away fans will be very restricted during the construction period.
This means there will be no standing for away fans as the CAFC OS site has already stated.
For those of us who do go, we are assured of a warm welcome. Exeter City fans have never forgotten the good reception they received at The Valley for the cup games some seasons ago and they are a true fan-based and locally owned club with knowledgeable football people on the board who are very sympathetic to the fans of clubs who have been taken over by people whose intentions and motives are unclear at best and seriously damaging at worst.