By Albatross
October 7 2002

Stewards. Some can be the bane of the Away Fan's life; others can help make things memorable for the right reasons. Albatross remembers a few of the bad ones - but also has some praise for some of the good ones.

It can be an interesting experience, going to games as an away fan. Treatment can vary from a friendly conversation with the stewards, to people who seem to be just looking for an excuse to have a go for the most trivial of offences.

It has to be admitted though that at times some fans don't help themselves. Take Saturday's game at Shrewsbury as an example. Gay Meadow is a little unusual these days in that there's still a fence in front of you - if you're standing in the away enclosure behind the goal that is, there isn't one anywhere else in the ground. We were treated to the somewhat disturbing sight of a family of four, one little girl screaming hysterically, being lead away by Police. The crime, such as it was, was not only having a bottle of Coke with a top, but refusing to hand the top over when asked.... Now like most people I can sympathise somewhat with them, it's a bit over the top to demand a seven year old should hand over a small plastic top, but it has to be said that swearing at the steward and then spraying the coke over them was hardly likely to help matters.

There are plenty of away fans who can give examples that should be in the stewarding book of "how not to do things". The Rochdale stewards last season decided on a less confrontational approach to removing people who were standing in the seats: they waited for them to visit the toilet or kiosk, and then threw them out! The fact that some of the throwees (who were at the back and not obstructing anyone's view) may have their kids still up in the stand didn't seem to move them at all....

Then there's the shenanigans at Scunthorpe, when H'Angus got thrown out. There was one steward in particular that seemed to have let the power go to his head; while one of his colleagues was threatening some Poolies with expulsion for having their feet up on the seats in front - there was no-one sitting on them or the five rows in front - H'Angus tried to diffuse the situation by leading the rest of us in song. This was obviously not allowed in the schoolroom as the steward in question grabbed H'Angus and was on the verge of throwing him out then! As it was, he survived until half time when he was ejected for a more serious indiscretion - impersonating Vic Reeves rubbing his trouser legs.

Anyone who was at the nightmare that was the live game at Halifax will have witnessed something even more serious; having not got their away end finished in time, 750 Poolies were crammed into the Paddock - a small terrace with no real rise that meant most couldn't see a thing, and not really suitable for more than 300. The lone idiot who ran onto the pitch and towards the empty new end was the catalyst, but the police and stewards then lost their heads completely. A few quiet words here and there could have seen things resolved quietly, but instead we were treated to the sight of fights between police, stewards and some fans, and some at the game being frogmarched away with blood streaming from headwounds.

That game left mental scars on a lot of us, and for a while I was seriously considering giving up on the matches if that was what it was going to be like; I even refused a free day out, Corporate Hospitality, at the Shay to see St. Helens play Halifax Blue Socks in the Rugby League Superleague because of that. Fortunately I got over it, like most people did, and have even returned to the Shay when I witnessed Craig Midgely's winner for us a couple of seasons back.

Not all experiences are bad, so let me finish by giving some credit where it's due to those good moments I especially remember. To the stewards at Preston, who were quite happy to have a long chat before the match a few seasons back. To the steward at Doncaster when we played them last, who although in despair at what was happening to his club still found the time to fill some of us in on some of the details and have a wry smile at the Norman Collier style announcements on the tannoy that day. And finally, to the stewards on duty at Springfield Park when we played there one night a few seasons back. Not only was I able to have a pleasant conversation with them, but at half time one of them even offered his bag of sweets around to the 30-odd of us huddled on the terrace! If only they all could be so friendly....

Albatross would like to state that he has never been thrown out of a game, or even been threatened with being thrown out. He's a good boy. Though there have been occasions when the match has been so poor that he almost wishes he has been asked to leave!