Deepdale, home to Preston North End FC is one of the oldest football stadiums in the world, opened in 1878 it is often regarded as the longest continually used stadium in the world. - signs of its age can show such as the construction of the stadium being rather strange which includes a built-in walk-in/doctors surgery as well as an old-fashioned, strange enterance to executive areas which at times look like houses.
The stadium also remains pretty difficult to navigate - it also didn't help that a steward sent me the wrong way meaning I had to pass thousands of Preston fans, before getting into the game where I'd watch my Manchester City defeat Preston 3-0 at an almost full capacity ground (the stadium holds just over 24,000)
Away disabled supporters are located at pitchside in a ditch area, which is lower than the pitch making it rather difficult to see action at the other side of the pitch - I even struggled to see if the ball had or hadn't gone in for some attempts, supported by only one scoreboard/screen which was above the away end meaning no away fans could see the scoreboard or watch replays which I didn't like - once again this shows the age of the stadium.
I also couldn't believe my eyes when the match was playing that staff members kept walking past slowly, blocking the view (mainly of disabled supporters) including a program seller who wouldn't leave until he sold one - I mean come on, we're here to watch the game so what are you doing mate?
The one good thing about the pitchside location is the fact the players can come over to greet you after the game, which Benjamin Mendy did - a fantastic player and person.
The match tickets were pretty reasonably priced but it was a Carabao Cup fixture which is generally cheap anyway as it is a competition often used for big teams to give their youth players and B-team a chance,
The stadium is pretty easy to get to with bus stops nearby although after the match the traffic is horrendous, often resulting in a two-mile walk back to the city centre and train station - I do feel the bus companies are missing a trick by forcing anyone heading from the train station to the stadium to change buses (an extra ticket) because many away fans would be reliant on public transport and most stadiums I've been to do have a direct route from the nearby train station including Liverpool, my Manchester City and of course Wembley, the national stadium - even teams around Preston's level such as Stoke City and Wigan Athletic do, so it's not just a divisional thing.
Certainly not the best stadium in the country, and it is one of the oldest - I'd say the overall match experience for away fans is made pretty poor due to the difficulty and lack of signage getting into the stadium and then facilities such as lacking a view of the screen etc.
2* - Historic ground but pretty dismal for away fans other than being able to get closer to your players than most other stadiums. read more