"Fraserburgh FC - Bellslea Park"

Working in northern Scotland I had Saturday free and, looking at the fixture lists my eyes had already been drawn towards the match between Fraserburgh and Forres Mechanics. Not because of the formers upcoming match against Rangers in the Scottish Cup – I had decided long before then….. no, I figured that, with it’s coastal location Fraserburgh had a good chance of being played, both teams were going well in the league (it was 2nd v 4th and Forres had won 9 on the trot) and I had always wanted to see Forres (the Mighty Can-Cans as they call themselves) play but had not been able to take in a game yet at their Mosset Park home.

Fraserburgh's ground is quite old but has a lot of character, even id there is only cover on one side.

Location

The ground is Bellslea Park, located in Seaforth Street. This is literally about 2 minutes walk from the town centre (not that large) and – as the seagull flies – about 200 yards from the fishing port. This does mean that there are plenty of pubs and bars nearby to eat and drink in. The nearest is the Bellslea Bar, right outside the ground at the town end, although the main and biggest place in town is the Saltoun Inn. It also means that Fraserburgh is, on a dry day, a decent enough place to have a wander around if you have time before the match. However, if the smell of fish makes you feel ill, there are some places best avoided.
Fraserburgh’s railway station was closed by Dr Beeching – the nearest option is Inverurie which is a whopping 40 miles away. This actually makes Fraserburgh the most distant town in the UK from the rail network….. going to the match by train is probably not an option then ! Just as well as there is plenty of parking (free) near the ground and in the streets nearby.

View

Turnstiles are located either side of the Main Stand (the Jim Adam Stand), which gives a raised view of the pitch (transfer to it is by payment of an extra fee). The Stand is located on the Seaforth Street side of the ground. The stand straddles the halfwayline and seats a little under 500. To the left , behind the goal (the Leisure Centre end) is the clubhouse and bar which is a one story building which sits on a bank above the pitch. The righthand end of the ground (Town end) is little more than a patch behind the goal. The far side of the ground (along the Victoria Road) is an open patch of hardcore, with some artificial grass matting laid (presumably for the Rangers fans comfort). This area slopes up away from the pitch. Approximately halfway along the ground the terrace is ‘interupted’ by a house backing into the ground.

Facilities

The ground has no club shop (unfortunately) although I did manage to obtain a pin badge. To the right of the main stand is a snack bar selling a range of pies, burger, hot dogs and hot drinks at reasonable prices. There are toilets next to the turnstiles either side of the main stand.

Atmosphere

Crowd for the match was 380 and the atmosphere was pretty good with both sets of suppoters giving plenty of encouragement (if not much singing)

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