Port Vale

by **NIGHTMARE** Sat 3 Apr - 1:56:05

How To Get There And Where To Park
The ground is located in the town of Burslem, one of the six towns comprising Stoke On Trent. Leave the M6 at junction 15 or 16 and take the A500 towards Stoke on Trent. Follow A500 until the A527 Tunstall/Burslem exit, where you take the A527 towards Tunstall/Burslem. At the next island just past the Price Kensington factory turn right for Burslem town centre. Continue on this road up the hill, crossing another island and into Burslem town centre. Continue straight on over the traffic lights at the cross roads and then take the first road on the left which takes you down to the ground. There is a large car park located outside a superstore next to the ground which costs £4, otherwise street parking.

By Train
Longport station is the closest to the ground, but is a good 30 minute walk away and is not well served by trains as Stoke On Trent station is. Therefore most fans end up at Stoke On Trent railway station, which is over four miles away and take a taxi (about � up to the ground.

What's The Ground Like?
At one end of the ground is a fair sized single tiered all seated stand, complete with an electric scoreboard on the roof. This stand, the Phones4U Stand, houses the away supporters and it replaced a former open terrace. Opposite is the Big AM Stand, covered and all seated. The corners on either side of this stand have been filled. The Tricell Stand (also known as the Railway Stand) on one side is fair sized, covered and all seated. All three of these stands have a small number of supporting pillars, half way up them, which may restrict your view. The other side, the Lorne Street Stand, is a relatively new smart looking 5,000 all seated stand, complete with 48 executive boxes. However the stand is yet to be fully finished so that there is still a large area of concrete on one side, rather than rows of seats. This is a pity, as the empty 'predominantly concrete' area, really brings the ground down. Still, if this stand does get completed, it will look superb. To keep some sense of history the original clock from the old stand has been incorporated into the new construction. On the opposite corner is a Police Control Box keeping a watchful eye over the crowd. The pitch is one of the widest in the League and the crowd are further set back from the playing action by the surrounding cinder track.

Where To Drink?
The town centre is about a ten minute walk away where there are a number of pubs to be found

What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters?
Up to 4,500 away supporters can be accommodated in the Phones4U Stand, where the view and facilities located on the concourse behind the stand are good. Even a relatively small number of away fans can really make some noise from this stand, as the acoustics are excellent. However, the slope is quite shallow, which might affect your view should a tall person be seated in front. Normally though, you could still move to another seat if necessary.