Halifax was a ground I thought I’d never get to visit, they left the league the season before I was going regularly to away games, and the way they were heading financially meant it was unlikely I would get to visit there. However, when City drew them in the Northern Quarter Finals of the LDV Vans Trophy, an unexpected trip to Halifax was confirmed.

I don’t know whether it was because it was just an LDV game, or whether they do it in general but the gates didn’t open until 15 minutes before kick off, thankfully traffic around the stadium had been very sparse, meaning easy access to the stadium. Once inside we were confronted with an absolutely huge terrace in front of us. Several minutes worth of climbing later and we were at the top.

Looking out I couldn’t blame people for noT liking it, but I actually thought it was a very nice ground, despite it being incomplete and mainly terrace. The stand opposite was a replica of the away end, just a huge terrace capable of holding thousands, whereas the stand to the right (from the away fan’s perspective) was a small stand with blue seating, capable of holding 2/3000, this was surrounded by hilled areas on either side.

The final stand was to the left and was a new stand that the club had hoped to build, but much like City’s Echo Stand, they quickly ran out of money and it’s been the same ever since. A stand that could hold around 7,000 by the looks of it, is just a huge cement block with maybe 200 seats installed in it. This is a pity as it would be a really nice stand if it was ever completed.

The facilities in the away weren’t too bad, with the toilets and catering facilities at the top of the stand, meaning that anyone at the top doesn’t have to walk far to get anywhere, however, this could be a problem for fans with movement difficulties.

The atmosphere was quite poor, mainly due to the low crowd and the mixture that it was just an LDV trip and a trip to Blackpool awaited the winner. The only other gripe I have it there was no programmes on sale that night, which meant there was nothing to read whilst waiting for the game to kick off or on the way back.

Other than those few things it was quite an enjoyable trip to Halifax, and despite the high possibility City won’t be playing them again for a long time, this is one of the grounds I would be prepared to visit if City weren’t playing.