Only three stands are in use, the open terrace is closed. We did come back into it in the second half but unfortunately went onto lose 3-2 against an excellent Carlisle side. After several years of visiting Premier league and Championship grounds I knew that this game wouldn’t be the prettiest game at a world class Stadium, however something about travelling the length of the country on a cold November's day somehow appealed to me and those I travelled with.It hasn't changed since my last visit and one of the few grounds left in the country that has character. 20.12.19. We left on the Torpoint ferry next to Plymouth at 6am, from which on we took the A38 to Exeter, M5 to the Midlands and then the M6 up to Carlisle. There is also a video screen situated at the back. On the concourse food on offer includes; Steak Pies (£2.80), Meat and Potato Pies (£2.80), Cheeseburgers (£3.60), Burgers (£3.50), Hot Dogs (£2.50), Cheese Slices (£2.60) and Sausage Rolls (£2). The end to our right was again a small, uncovered terrace, but it gave me the impression that it isn't used much unless away teams take around 2,500 plus with them to Brunton Park.We used the Southampton Supporters coach to get to the game. Stewards seemed friendly enough and didn't mind a decent proportion of us standing throughout the game. The most amusing moment of the match was probably when the Everton fans in the seating area decided to start a singing match with the Everton fans on the terrace. That said, Carlisle is worth the long journey for away fans and is to be recommended.The Club have announced that they are looking at the possibility of leaving Brunton Park and moving to a new stadium. A 170-mile journey via A1, A66 and M6 had us arrive in Carlisle shortly before 1pm. Therefore, with Brunton Park, it was great to see one the older type of stadiums oozing with the same old school character which our own ground possesses. It was yet another set back, and I have to admit Carlisle played some decent football, as do most teams in this league do to be fair. I couldn't wait for the game to start. At the time, it was in my mind that I might never go back, so I drank it all in. More recently moves have been made to find an alternative site that is more centrally located. Barrie Mossop recommends the Howard Arms, which is on Lowther Street. The new stadium will have a capacity of 3,648 including two 350 seat stands that will be built either side of the halfway line. One of the better grounds in League 2 which is full of character. I‘m sure that one day Saints will rise again into the Premiership and I will be able to look back on this day as a good experience. We got back to Molineux at about 12:30am which wasn't bad at all, I was expecting 1am at the latest. We didn't speak to any home fans before we went in really.
The atmosphere from the 1,100 Sunderland fans was good, but Carlisle's support was poor considering they brought 6,000 to Sunderland earlier in the season. More recently moves have been made to find an alternative site that is more centrally located. Paul Sawyers adds; 'I would recommend the Lakeland Gate for a drink on match days, which is a family friendly pub and part of the Brewers Fayre chain'. This end is only used for the bigger games. However at half time they had ran out of all drinks (even soft drinks). Each end the terracing was more limited, If Carlisle were to progress up the leagues, then the stadium has room for expansion.The stewards where very reasonable and allowed us to stand all game and where quite helpful. However it seemed fairly easy to find.The game got off to a quick start, two quick Carlisle goals on the counter saw us go into half time 2-0 down. I was searched on entry and had my cans of energy drink taken away; should have brought my coffee flask!I was very much looking forward to this game. This means that one side of the stand extends past the one goal line, whilst the other side falls short of this. Despite the result, I certainly don’t regret attending this match.We took in the sights before we went in. The other is for home fans at the far end of the ground, this stand looks very dated and old, but is very different to anything else I have seen on my away travels.
This wasn't helped by our teams' play either, who failed to create anything clear cut in the second half, and to be honest we only looked like scoring maybe twice.It was an interesting ground to visit with plenty of character. That happened.Then there was 1992, and ironically another May 2, etched firmly in the mind of all supporters.